The upcoming Nikon full frame mirrorless camera is scheduled to be officially unveiled on August 23 at 12:00AM ET. Nikon has released a total of three teaser videos featuring the upcoming camera on its “Mirrorless is Coming” website.
Videos teasing the camera body and mount were posted four days ago and there are three placeholders remaining for upcoming videos, which will presumably release prior to the official unveiling of the camera.
The Nikon mirrorless camera, so far, is the most anticipated product launch in the photography industry this year. It’s a big signal of shifting tides among the established players – with Nikon and Canon being the last two holdouts to make a serious foray into the mirrorless market.
Nikon is using the opportunity to hype its product as a flagship camera. Rumored specs suggest possibly two variants around 25MP and 45MP sensors, along with in-body image stabilization and 4K video capture. Could this turn out to be essentially a mirrorless version of the Nikon D850? That sounds like a promising entry, if true.
One thing is certain: After this barrage of hype, the Nikon mirrorless camera has to hold its ground against the maturing Sony A7 product line. If it does so at launch, can Nikon deliver the regular updates that have kept Sony’s A7 models so fresh and reinvented each product cycle?
We are less than 10 days away from lifting the curtain. Stay tuned.
Updated: Shortly after publishing this post, Nikon Rumors posted a couple new rumors (along with the more detailed images above) indicating the Nikon Z6 would be the 24MP iteration, built for low-light and the Nikon Z7 would be the high-res model with a 45MP sensor. Additionally, a Nikon Z-Noct-Nikkor 58mm f/0.95 lens would be announced alongside the cameras.
Again, stay tuned.
I’ve got to say this doesn’t strike me as such a big deal – oh, I realize for Nikon-oids it might be all that and a bag of chips – but seriously, what’s the big deal? If it’s a FF camera, then really how much weight can be saved – the glass becomes a major factor in that equation (and that becomes moot if you take your existing Nikkor collection and use the adapter, right?)
I still find advantages to the OVF over the EVF (and I have a full Fuji X-T2 setup as well as Nikon), notably in the slight but detectable lag time in an EVF. This is unavoidable, of course, as essentially there’s a mini-TV studio in a mirrorless camera – imaging chip reads photons, raw file is demosaic’d on the fly and presented on the monitor. Plus it can be kind of hard to perceive the effect of a polarizing filter with an EVF.
Since Nikon does source many of their image sensors from Sony, and yet is able to achieve better IQ from them, it’s certainly possible that this new model will get some traction, but I’m guessing they are hoping that all those folks out there with Nikon system investments will be the real market.
Nikon does not source their sensors from Sony anymore. That love affair ended some time ago.
All Nikon sensors are “quality” manufactured in China.
I find the whole debate about a FF camera becoming smaller, fascinating. It’s the same scenario as Nokia sitting happy at the top of the tree and along comes apple with it’s iPhone 3. When Nikon and Canon are sharing the top of the tree and Sony grows another tree, right..! Now Nikon want to swing over to the taller tree where Sony are sitting at the top. (business as usual) Will Canon be left behind until they bring out a behemoth of a smaller full frame in two years time..? I know for lots of photographers or emerging photographers it’s about speed and capability, as apparent size, now. But the end result here is, do you enjoy taking photographs with your expensive camera kit, does it get bought and get taken out to be sported around your neck..? Does it get bought so you have something to talk about, again not taking pictures. The best new camera is your old camera! When does tech become too much tech. Also being a professional publicity photographer, do the people being photographed want a smaller camera to take there image. Will this make you look less professional..? Or does this mean you take a smaller bag to take work..? What happened to big is beautiful…
I sometimes feel as if Japanese companies don’t really compete with each other. Usually one spearheads new tech then shortly the others offer slight variations thus ensuring Japanese dominance in the market.