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Nikon plans an answer to Sony's A9 mirrorless pro camera

It'll be in the same class as the D5.

You knew Nikon was going to expand its mirrorless camera lineup after the Z6 and Z7 arrived, but in what direction? Now you know. Company president Toshikazu Umatate has revealed to Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun that Nikon will release a mirrorless "equivalent" to its flagship pro DSLR, the D5. He didn't provide a timetable or technical details, but the D5 is meant as a no-compromise cam with high-speed shooting and low light prowess. You could expect similar abilities, just with the benefit of a few years of technological progress.

Although Umatate didn't say as much, there's little doubt that this future model would be an answer to Sony's A9. Simply speaking, Sony is still thrashing Nikon (and Canon, for that matter) in the mirrorless market, if not interchangeable lens cameras as a whole. A parallel to the D5 could prevent pro photographers from switching to Sony. And for Nikon, that's critical. Camera platform switches are expensive by their nature (the lenses are seldom cheap), and it could be that much costlier for Nikon to win people back.