Nikon Working on D6 Professional DSLR

2019.09.04

Along with news of their new 24mm lens for Z-mount, Nikon announced that they are working on the D6 DSLR and a compatible Constant-Aperture Full-Frame Telephoto Zoom lens. The new AF-S 120-300mm F/2.8EL ED SR VR lens is a high-end optic designed for sports photography with a combination of long reach and bright F/2.8 maximum aperture.

That Nikon is working on the D6 which is said to be their most advanced DSLR yet. Neither of these facts are unexpected given that the Nikon D5 reviewed here is extremely successful and already 3 years old. The also fantastic D4 was released 4 year before the D5, so the pace is consistent with a timing which usually coincides to the Olympus games, coming up next in Summer 2020. Given a 4 year pace and that the D6 is the sixth-generation high-speed professional DSLR, this makes the new D6 coincide closely to the 20 year anniversary of the series which originated with the D1 in 1999.

While no further information is yet available for the Nikon D6 in terms of specifications, one would expect an increase in resolution at the very least. Surely speed is a big deal for sports photographers, so we would expect Nikon to push speed and AF performance up to the next level. Mechanical shutters though do not have that much room for improvement, so a significant jump in frame-rate is not expected with the mechanical shutter. A global electronic one might give the D6 a chance to close the gap between it and mirrorless offerings. Due to the convergence of video, the D6 is likely to push video capabilities further and might make it to 6K if they manage a 24 MP sensor which is highly likely.

• Digital Camera
• Lens