Yesterday, Nikon announced that development is underway for the long-awaited successor to the wildly popular D810 FX DSLR, the Nikon D850.
Other than a beautifully produced time-lapse video and the mention of 8k video capability, details on the new D850 were particularly vague:
“The D850 will exceed the expectations of the vast range of photographers that seek the high resolution and high-speed capabilities that only a Nikon of this caliber complemented by NIKKOR lenses can offer.” — Nikon D850 Press Release
So, we’re left to speculate on what exactly the Nikon D850 will deliver in terms of specifications. Right now, the D810 is essentially the finest Nikon camera I’ve used, but there are a few features that I’d like to see improved. After using the D810 for the last three years and recently using the D500, here’s what I’d really like to see in the D810 successor:
- Weather-sealed body similar to D500
- Articulated, touch-screen LCD
- Modest increase in resolution (~42 megapixel range)
- XQD card support
- Increased frame rate (7 fps range)
- Improved autofocus system (Multi-Cam 20k)
- Built-in WiFi support
Frankly, all of these improvements make sense. With the D500, Nikon delivered a weather-sealed, professional DSLR body with a DX sensor; something many of us (myself included) were beginning to believe we’d never see. It would certainly make sense for Nikon to share components between the D500 and D850 bodies. In fact, if you gave me a D500 body with a 36-40 megapixel sensor in it, I’d be thrilled. Shooting the D500 is an absolute pleasure, other than the reduced resolution and DX crop factor (I sold my DX glass long ago). A FX sensor in the D500 body seems perfect to me!
What would YOU like to see in the D850? Join the discussion on my Facebook Page.
Pre-order the Nikon D850 FX DSLR here
Check back for more details on the Nikon D850 as they are released.