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The Nikon D850 What we know so far

It's always a nice surprise to hear about a new product, especially when it is one that is a successor to one that has been so popular, and so good throughout its tenure.

However, sometimes we just get mere teasiers from manufacturers letting us know that a new camera is on the way. With little or no further information than that! We saw this recently from Olympus with the E-M1 Mark II, and around the same time we were teased with the Panasonic GH5.

So, what do we know about the Nikon D850 so far?

The Nikon D850 is called the Nikon D850

OK, hear us out here. It seems a bit tenuous to start with this, but there has been much speculation about what name this DSLR would adopt. 

Initially most rumour sites, and us internally, were referring to this as the Nikon D820 - so we were quite surprised once we saw the number increase by 40 to its official D850 title.

The Nikon D850 looks like this (maybe)...

Alongside a rather vague press announcement, which coincides with Nikon's 100th anniversary, we were treated to a teasier video with the rather dramatic name of 'Hercules Rising' which was shot exclusively on the Nikon D850.

This screengrab, which took all of our computational expertise to grab from the YouTube teasier, shows somebody setting up a camera - although as it was shot exclusively on the D850 we cannot guarantee that this isn't another Nikon snapper (we would like to think that the dark lighting and emphasis on the setup implies that it is an added little tease).

The Nikon D850 will have 4K filming...

Once more, not a big shock - as the flagship Nikon D5 which was announced in 2016, just in time for all the big sporting events, wields ultra high-definition capture, as does the Nikon D500 - their leading APS-C (or in Nikon speak, DX) camera. 

The newer D7500 also totes 4K video capture, so little surprise in seeing the above video on YouTube 'Shot Exclusively on the Nikon D850' having the option to watch in 4K.

The Nikon D850 is the successor to the Nikon D810...

It seems like we're clutching at straws here but sometimes a new camera comes out and sits alongside an older model, acting as a 'brother/sister' model rather than a replacement. Usually these come with more 'evolutionary' improvements upon the older version.

This means we should be in for some exciting, more 'revolutionary' changes to the D850, which should be really exciting considering some of the key specs of the D810 are:

• 36.3MP Full Frame Sensor
• ISO Range of 200 - 12,800
• Dual memory card slots (CF & SD)
• 7 fps in continuous mode
• 51-point Autofocus System

The Nikon D850 will have a new EXPEED image processor...

This is a more risky assumption with what is going to be contained within the Nikon D850, but as a host of Nikon cameras are already processing their images using an EXPEED 5 image processor, don't be surprised if the new full-frame DSLR from Nikon towers has one too. Who knows, we may even see an updated version of this processor, a lot can happen within 18 months (the D5 and D500 were the first to use the fifth iteration).

What's more, we were due to see the EXPEED 6A image processor in the maligned Nikon DL range of compact cameras which sadly, because they looked like they were going to be exceptional, didn't make it to market in the end.

If there is an updated processor you can expect to see a faster capture rate and image quality improvements - as well as an improvement on ISO sensitivity. We'd be extremely surprised if the processor wasn't updated, and the 4K video is a further sign that this will be the case - as the other Nikon's that can record in 4K possess a different EXPEED version.

The Nikon D850 will have Wireless Connectivity...

Dictated by the times that we live in, it would be a pretty big omission from Nikon if they didn't include some kind of wireless connectivity in the D850 - and would be even more surprising considering their entry-level DSLR updated recently to include low-power bluetooth to make the D3400 compatible with their SnapBridge smartphone application.

Once again, newer releases like the D7500 have both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in so that they can connect to the aforementioned SnapBridge.

The Nikon D850 will have a Touchscreen LCD...

Alright - this is another guess...

The Nikon D810 didn't have a touchscreen, so it isn't guaranteed but once more, newer models like the D5, the D500 and the D7500 include a touchscreen LCD, as well as the fact that this is becoming a bit more of an expectation of higher cameras in 2017.

Whether or not it will be tiltable will remain to be seen, the D500 (as pictured above) certainly came with one, so it'd be a nice additional tech spec if it was to be equipped with one

The Nikon D850 will have a High Resolution Full Frame Sensor...

Well, now we are clutching at straws by crossing the realms of the obvious - with the Nikon D810's full-frame CMOS sensor having a still to-this-day impressive Megapixel count of 36.3 - which in the three years of release hasn't been topped by all that many cameras. 

Nikon could well stick with the same megapixel count for the D850, but it wouldn't be an unrealistic expectation to see them top this, with perhaps a 40MP+ sensor (once again speculation!).

The Nikon D850 will be capable of 8K Timelapses...

As we're knee-deep in the 4K revolution, we can expect to start seeing some higher K's entering the market in some form or other as we live in a world where bigger is better. 

The teasier video from Nikon ended with the tagline 'A Universe of Detail' followed by '8K Time-Lapse' which is a clever hint towards one of the main applications of this mode - Astrophotography.

Expect to see many delightful cityscapes and nighttime shots of the sky, and probably traffic, once this mode is adopted by its users.

Will the Nikon D850 have Dual XQD Card Slots?

This one will have to wait until we see some full specifications from Nikon, and will be purely down to whether they feel that the technology is worth adopting in the D850.

The Nikon D5 came in two flavours, with the Dual XQD version being a higher seller than the Compact Flash version - which was mainly released to appease those Nikon users who had a cache of the older technology throughout their years of using this memory card type.

Whilst the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II came with CFast slots, the newer 5D Mark IV still came out with CF/SD card slots - as Canon obviously didn't feel that the camera would benefit or perhaps require the faster speeds accorded by CFast.

The Nikon D850 will be coming soon!

There is much speculation on date, and as manufacturers like to keep us on our toes - so we genuinely only know as much as you with regards to when this is coming out for real. 

However, it really shouldn't be too much longer - the Olympus and Panasonic development announcements that we mentioned earlier only saw a couple of month gap before we saw the whole picture.

We will keep this page up to date as and when we start to get more information on the Nikon D850.

If you want to register your interest in this product, meaning we will let you know the minute you can pre-order one and join the queue for some of the first available UK stock, then visit our product page below and follow the instructions:

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By Park Cameras on 25/07/2017