Nikon D6 Flaship DSLR Launched with 14fps Continuous Shooting, 105 All-Cross AF Points

Nikon has dealt its big, heavy blow for the year with the launch of the Nikon D6. The flagship DSLR is a behemoth of sorts, and continues on the same note as its predecessor, the Nikon D5, but with a number of improvements. The Nikon D6 costs a whopping Rs 5,19,995, which squarely faces off against its long time rival, the equally extreme and capable Canon EOS 1D X Mark III. In order to convince users of its prowess, the Nikon D6 returns to the flagship DSLR game with a 20.8-megapixel full frame CMOS sensor, maximum continuous shooting speed of 14fps (10.5fps with exposure lock), and 105 all-frame, all cross-type autofocus points.

Nikon's major pitch with the camera lies in its speed of shooting and improved autofocus points, with each AF point being individually selectable. The camera also states that it can shoot at up to ISO 102,400, which should significantly benefit low light photography. Nikon has also stated that its Expeed 6 image processor is coupled with new algorithms for white balance adjustment and detecting accurate skin tones, which will be interesting to try out in the wild. On top of this, the Nikon D6 features an upgraded optical viewfinder that offers 0.72x subject magnification and covers 100 percent of the frame, for better viewfinder focus selection.

In comparison, Canon's reported specifications for the EOS 1D X Mark III come in at a notch higher. These include 155 cross-type autofocus points in a 191-point Dual Pixel AF system, peak continuous shooting at up to 20fps, and up to 5.5K on-camera video recording, as well as uncropped 4K videos at 60fps. In comparison, the Nikon D6's video abilities peak out at 4K 30fps, without any sensor crop affected. Nikon has also flaunted a local LAN port for faster RAW file transfer speeds, which can be important for professional artists as well. The Nikon D6 still supports only XQD and CF Express memory cards, and comes with a dual card slot.

For those of you who were waiting for it, the Nikon D6 is now available for purchase in India. The camera has retained its overall design and ergonomics, which was quite decent given the size and bulk of the overall camera.