The most advanced Nikon camera ever created is right around the corner. But does anyone care?
Nikon recently teased the new D6, the successor to their $6,500 sports DSLR, the D5. Although we don't know the camera's exact specs or price yet, most people are expecting a standard upgrade with slightly more megapixels, ISO performance, focusing, and hopefully better shooting performance.
But even if the D6 is the greatest DSLR ever made, how many photographers are actually excited to buy it? This genre of camera is so expensive and so finely tuned for sports photographers that the average shooter probably will never consider it. And with mirrorless cameras taking over the industry, do DSLRs in general feel like old technology?
In the video above, Patrick and I have a conversation about the Nikon D6, its potential features, and the quickly shifting photography market.
The Nikon F6 was better than the F4 but nobody bought the F6 because it was built when DSLRs got good.
I don't feel it's a fair comparison. Transition from analog to digital was a dramatic change for professional photographers. Virtually every aspect of work was improved. Instant preview, capacity of storage medium, cost of storage medium, ease and time of post processing, time of product delivery to the client, etc. In 2004 F6 may have been the most advanced film camera but D2H or D2X were offering entirely different world of possibilities so any pro that kept investing in film gear was simply insane.
But this is not the case with D6 and mirrorless cameras. If some professionals decide to pick mirrorless over D6 they will probably have some very particular reasons for that. As of today, there is no clear advantage for all photographers out there to abandon DSLR and jump onto mirrorless boat.
vaporware !!
I believe that the majority of people who work the D4/D5 today will be as interested in the D6 as they were in their current camera. The only caveat being that the D5 is still the best camera for sports and demanding situations and that it's so good that many people are happy enough with their current tool.
Not for that bloody price!
The article essentially identifies the buyers of this body in one sentence. ‘This genre of camera is so expensive and so finely tuned for sports photographers that the average shooter probably will never consider it‘. Existing Nikon pros and advanced Nikon shooters with glass will buy it. The “average shooter” will go mirrorless. It’s a no brainer.
Amazing, up until they got soaked by a wave, two Nikon D850 shooters suddenly become just another pair of Sony Fanboys. Cameras are tools, it is irrelevant what hardware you are using, the eye behind the viewfinder makes all the difference.
Meh - an article or video I don't care about.
My guess is, Nikon did more market research than you did and concluded that yes, lots and lots of people will care about it.
The price of this kind of camera makes it unreachable and/or unsuitable for at least 95% of all photographers. The weight makes in unpractical for 98% of all photographers. It is a tool for a tiny amount of the market.
So all in all, for the biggest part of the photography market, this camera is rather unimportant.
It is the car equivalent of a Bugatti Veyron. Most people will not ever see one in their entire lives and the cost of one service at the garage is more than most people earn in a year.
It seems that Nikon wants is a new model for the Olympic. Put the Z6 in the D6 body, and keep those flagship features. The form of the DSLR is what is most important to me. The companies are starting to get that by providing more grip area on the right side, but they're still trying to keep it compact, when the heft The EVF has caught up to the OVF in effectiveness. There isn't a need anymore for a mirror. There would be so much more room inside that would allow cooler which will help components last longer.