With last night’s announcement of the new Nikon D850, the only thing that we possibly know about it is that the camera will apparently have an 8k timelapse mode. But if history is going to repeat itself, we may see something that Nikon has done before–use Sony’s Sensors. The Nikon D850 is said to be a high resolution, high performance DSLR. And when I see that, I think about the Sony a99 II in some ways. Considering that Nikon has been using Sony sensors for a while now for many of their cameras, it would make sense that that’s what we’re going to see.

The Nikon D850 and 8K Timelapse

Take a look at this video from Nikon. It’s a teaser for the Nikon D850 and towards the end, the editors state that this was an 8K timelapse movie. Now that could be a timelapse shot at full resolution and then downsized to 8K but then why would that specific tidbit of information be put into the video?

This addition of timelapse mode would be fantastic for so many photographers out there who tend to shoot astrophotography and also tend to do similar work. I’m pretty positive that I’m not just stating something here out of the blue; why else would that statement be there?

The Nikon D850 and the Sony a7r II Sensor?

When the Nikon D850 launches, there’s a chance that it probably won’t have a Sony sensor–but Sony has been supplying pretty much everyone except for both Leica and Canon. In some exceptions we’ve seen Nikon work with their own sensors. But the Nikon D850 will be a full frame digital camera so if you consider that, then Toshiba hasn’t really released a number of really high resolution sensors. But Sony has. So what may happen is Nikon will use Sony’s sensor and do their own algorithmic tweaks to make it better the same way that Pentax has with the Pentax K-1.

With that said, we’re probably not going to get the Canon 5Ds’ level of resolution but we’ll get more performance. And that goes right in line with Nikon’s “high performance” statement.

DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL SLR CAMERA NIKON D850

MELVILLE, NY (July 25, 2017) –- Nikon Inc. is pleased to announce the development of the next generation full-frame, high-resolution, high-speed digital SLR cameras with the upcoming release of the highly anticipated Nikon D850. This announcement coincides with Nikon’s 100th anniversary of its establishment, which is celebrated today.

The D850 will be a formidable tool for creators who will not compromise on exceptional image quality and versatility, including both aspiring and professional photographers as well as hobbyists who capture landscapes, weddings, sports, fashion, commercial imagery and multimedia content creators.

The D850 is the successor to the D810, which has been highly praised by its users for offering extremely sharp and clear rendering, with rich tone characteristics. This powerful new FX-format digital SLR camera is engineered with a range of new technologies, features and performance enhancements that are a direct result of feedback from users, who demand the very best from their camera equipment. The D850 will exceed the expectations of the vast range of photographers that seek the high resolution and high-speed capabilities that only a Nikon of this caliber complemented by NIKKOR lenses can offer.

To learn more about the Nikon D850, please visit nikonusa.com/d850. Information regarding the release of this product will be announced at a later date.