Nikon turns 100, announces its next big camera

It’s rare that pre-announcements get our attention, but Nikon’s next camera has our attention, even if we only know a name.

It’s 2017, and Nikon is turning 100, established on this day in 1917, though back then for optics rather than cameras.

For its 100th birthday and anniversary, special edition cameras have been made available and cake has likely been served (just not over email), the company has also taken the time to talk up its future, and while levitating cameras and holography aren’t quite there yet, the announcement is for a follow-up to its D810 pro-level camera.

Nikon isn’t saying much about this model beyond that of a name, with this generation merely being called the D850 and touted as a new FX-format camera, meaning it will feature a new full-frame sensor and apparently “a range of new technologies, features, and performance enhancements that are a directly result of feedback from users”.

While that doesn’t necessarily state what Nikon is making, it suggests that the company is game to take on the cameras currently doing well in the mirrorless market, many of which arrive with new features like wireless control and transfer, faster frame rates, and more.

Nikon has released a video showcasing some of the video capabilities of the camera, suggesting time lapse support and low-light that can handle some pretty nice blacks, but there’s no word on when this camera will be made available.

Given that Nikon is already making a video with the camera, the expectation for properly official announcement should be somewhere in the range of “soon”, and with IFA on from September 1 through 6 in Germany, our guess is we’ll see something around then.