Nikon Just Slashed the Price of the D850: Is a Replacement on the Way?

Nikon Just Slashed the Price of the D850: Is a Replacement on the Way?

The Nikon D850 was a groundbreaking camera when it was released in July 2017, though its price had dropped by a quarter by the following summer. Now, it’s cheaper than ever thanks to a $500 reduction, but does this price drop come ahead of the release of its successor?

You will hear plenty of industry figures praising the D850, and for many, it’s their favorite camera of all time. It was Nikon’s first camera to feature a back-side illuminated sensor, as well as being the first full frame DSLR to be awarded 100 points by Dxomark. Despite being a three-year-old DSLR, the Nikon still has plenty to offer, especially now that you can pick one up brand new for $2,496.95, down from $2996.95.

According to Nikon Rumors, this reduction arrives ahead of a replacement to the D850, which it claims will arrive next year. Will Nikon make another flagship DSLR at a time when it is pivoting to mirrorless with the Z 6II, Z 7II, Z 5, and Z 50? Canon seems content to have its 1D X Mark III as its DSLR swan song, nudging 5D fans towards its new R mount. Nikon does not appear to be following suit, perhaps because it thinks it can squeeze a little more from existing technology that has proven its popularity.

Would you buy a D880? Do customers want to see Nikon make another high-end DSLR camera? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.

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22 Comments

I just got mine, $500 less, that help for sure. its a 45 MP camera and i do Studio, commercial and Real Estate. plenty for me. and a lot of people like me will take advantage of the sweetest price ever for a D850. Having said that, it's just a "flash sale", i guess 3 days only, so its too early to call for replacement.

Is a replacement coming for the D850?

Yeah, of course there is, the Z7ii !

Z9

They could go for Z1

While the D850 is an amazing camera body to create content with, I still use my D3S for high ISO and low light situations. I also still believe that at some point we will see the D6 and Z9. I will certainly buy another D850, but will also be looking at a couple of D5 bodies. I have very little interest in a mirrorless body until it comes in a pro sized body.

No more dslrs Nikon!
I shoot with the d850,810 and 500 and for most people these are way more than enough. But the advantages of getting the mirror out of the way is too great. And if I had the money I may grab up another d850 .
For the work I do the new mirrorless is superior. Not the first Nikon Z stuff and the fist of any of the mirrorless cameras. But now that they are starting to focus good in near darkness and high contrast situations they rule . I shoot live music in all conditions and it’s demanding. I’ve been trying to by time for Nikon to catch up but I’m digging the Sony a7siii except it’s a Sony . I like the feel of Nikons in my hand especially the d500 with a grip . Nothing against the other companies.

I'm a D500 shooter and looking to get a second body. I have mostly DX glass except for the Nikon 70-200 F2.8E. I do nature, landscape, and travel photography as a hobby and I was seriously considering the D850 but I'm leaning towards the Z6 II because it's newer and would like to try the mirrorless tech with EVF, video features, and smaller size among other things.

I would say you may see a mirrorless D500 down the road, but that may be a long road. If you have mostly DX lenses you'll obviously need to ditch them all if you go full frame. Although It's not considered pro grade, how bout renting a Z50 instead and and FTZ and try it out with your existing arsenal of lenses and see how you feel about it?
https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nikon-z-50
https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nikon-ftz-mount-adapter

Anything that is as good as D850 and an upgrade? Definetly will buy

I just ordered my first D850, moving up from the D7200. I rented one for our vacation and absolutely love it. I also ordered the grip, as the body alone felt kind of 'small' in my huge hands. The Z7 is just way too small and light for me, so I'll be sticking with DSLRs for the foreseeable future.

Have you ever checked out the Olympus OM-D E-M1X?

No, I've been shooting Nikons for almost 40 years (started with an FM) and have too many lenses to want to completely switch systems. Also, since I mostly shoot landscapes, I wanted the highest resolution I could afford. The Olympus is only 20mp - I'm already using a 24mp D7200.

Hi, I was thinking more about it's handling, being that it has a built in battery grip D5 style yet still relatively small. Sure if you're into hires landscape photography then it probably isn't the camera for you then. It is a fantastic wildlife camera though. And Olympus lenses are fabulous.

Yes i would buy nikon's D880. This is what ive been waiting for

It appears as though a D850 DSLR replacement was in the works before Nikon concentrated on the Z line. If so, it will probably be the last DSLR from Nikon. Don't be surprised tho if the replacement winds up being a mirrorless.

We'll see, won't we?

£2099 in UK BEFORE THE PRICE DROP - I very nearly pushed the button on it last week - went for a proper camera instead - all good though

Whatever the D850 is succeeded by is to me almost immaterial, my D850 produces stunning results when I get it right and I have no intention of upgrading. However the current price of the D850 makes it a very appealing buy and btw there are some fine examples of its predecessor the D810 at a shade over £1000; for those who don't succumb to the next big thing there are some bargains to be had.

Bring it on. Have to make room some where, I will differently buy a D850, thank you Nikon.

They shut down the assembly line. Nobody buys Nikon anymore?

I've had three DSLRs: a Panasonic bridge camera with a fixed 400mm lens, a D810 and a D850. Been shooting for about three years. Honestly if the D850 is the best DSLR ever made, I guess I just don't have the context to say that's definitely the case.

I would be interested if they had 2 XQD card slots, the 900 second timer from the new Z7II and what would be nice is to have the option of viewing through the eyepiece either through the pentaprism or a digital image. What would also be useful if to include the camera VR feature the new Z7II has so that older Nikon and Zeiss ZF.2 manually focussed lenses would benefit. This would be particularly useful when doing macro photography using the Zeiss 100mm f2 macro lens & the Nikon 200mm macro lens.