Bill McKenna

Background: I own a Nikon D850 and a D500. I also own 5 Nikon lens, all covering a wide range of needs.
Key point: I really have no interest in converting to mirrorless. I'm 65, love my gear, and don't feel a need to spend $20,000 for two new mirrorless bodies and a bunch of lens. (If I were younger...maybe. And I love my D850.)
I've been asking myself this question for some time: Rumors have been out FOREVER that Nikon is going to introduce the Nikon D880, 890 or 900 (the next improvement over the D850), but I'm not seeing anything, and I'm starting to question whether these rumors are just that...rumors. This leaves me in an interesting place. Knowing I can still get a new D850 body, should I buy one before they truly are all gone, or should I wait for this rumored new Nikon? I don't want to rely on my current D850 to get me to the "finish line of life", which is why I'm debating just getting another one now. I don't need another D850 yet, but I also don't want to be sitting around in three years, realizing that Nikon isn't going to introduce a this new DSLR, and now all the D850s are gone. The biggest question I have is whether Nikon is truly going to introduce a D880 (or equivalent), or if they are only going to focus on their mirrorless technology moving forward. Thoughts?

BebuLamar

I am sure that Nikon will not introduce any new DSLR so if you are going to wait for new D8xx you will have to wait forever. You just have to buy a Z7ii and it would be equivalent of the D850. You can sell the D850 for good money these days you don't have to take a big lost. There is no Z body equivalent to the D500 yet but if you go for the Z9 you may not need the D500. The Z9 is fast enough and has enough pixels so that you can crop down to the same as the D500 and having the same number of pixels as the D500 left. So you can sell both the D850 and D500 so even at $5500 the Z9 isn't all that bad. You can use the F mount lenses until you can buy the Z lenses.

ELNikkor

No new DSLR could make any major improvements on the excellent D850. Since the future is in mirrorless, that is where the R&D is going these days. I have a few years on you, but my current D750 is all I need. If it breaks before I do, I will definitely go mirrorless. I would advise you to consider a similar plan, as your current D850 could well last another 10+ years. If you spend 3K on another D850 now, that 3K will just be sitting there waiting for your current D850 to break. New or refurbished D850s will still be around for a long time.

Quixdraw Loc: x

I'm just hunkering down till some of the best Nikon DSLR stuff goes for cheap. I made out like a bandit on Nikon film gear after the last big switch.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The age of the DSLR is over. The time of the MILC has come!

There will be no more DSLRs. None of the big three have a single model even rumored. There will never be a better DSLR than those you can still buy today, but maybe not tomorrow.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

BebuLamar

What he meant is that you can buy the best DSLR today and there will never be a better one.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

And if I don't get it soon there will be none.

therwol Loc: USA

Not true. There have been improvements in several areas since the D850 was introduced. A successor could have IBIS and even better autofocus performance, particularly on the Live View mode where it is too sluggish for action photos. This has already been solved in some of the mirrorless cameras. I'm sure that a successor has been designed. The determining factor in tooling up to produce it will be the expected return on the investment. I'm sure that a successor would sell like hotcakes in the short term. Would it be popular for long enough to give Nikon a good return on their investment? I don't know, but as better and better mirrorless options are introduced, I doubt it.

cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania

Ctrclckws

Enjoy what you have, the two best all around cameras from Nikon in FX, and DX.

They are working, go out and use them.

There is no guarantee that any further development of DSLR cameras will ever be done.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

No one but Nikon knows for sure but I suspect the D850 will be the last of Nikon's DSLs. The genie is out of the bottle and there is no way to put him back.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

What you do is your decision. Nikon, like any other company, will manufacture what sells, and not manufacture what does not sell.
For now, mirrorless sells very well. Nikon will produce DSLR's for as long as they sell, when they stop selling them, well, I think you can figure that out for yourself.
Currently, I own and shoot my D850 for landscapes, portraits, and general photography. I used my D500 for sports and wildlife, I now use a Sony a9 for sports and wildlife.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

I became more of an enthusiast photographer 12 years ago. I started with a Nikon D300. I then climbed the “GAS” ladder. Buying a D800, D810, and lastly a D850. I have studied every new entry into the mirrorless market with a view to jumping in. But when I look through my D300 photos, there are few exceptions where I think “I wish that I had the D850 back then. The skill is in taking a beautiful shot with what you have, be it a cell phone or a Hasselblad. (This was an exercise in me talking myself out of buying mirrorless.😊)

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I'm not going mirrorless. Absolutely no interest.