After many rumours on the look and specs of the new D5, and leaked images and even accidental social media posts revealing details one tantalising snippet at a time, Nikon’s new flagship DSLR has now been formally announced.
Leaked details of the D5 having a native ISO of 102,400 were correct, giving the camera an extended sensitivity of 3,280,000.
Not shabby at all, especially when you consider that its predecessor, the D4S, maxed out at 409,600.

There’s also an improved autofocusing system using 153 focus points (99 cross type), 4K video (allegedly limited to 3 minutes of recording) with built-in time-lapse mode, and a new Expeed 5 image processor.
It also boasts a 20.8-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor capable of shooting up to 14 fps, a step up from the 16-megapixel sensor found on the D4S.

Unusual for pro DSLRs, the back of the cameras features a 3.2-inch 2.36-million-dot LCD touchscreen—other manufacturers will no doubt be keeping an eye on how this is received and how it performs, and we may start seeing them more.
Its 100% coverage viewfinder offers .72x magnification and transferring images to the computer will be 1.5x faster than with the D4S thanks to the D5’s built-in 1000 Base-T 400MBps Ethernet connection.
Two versions of the camera will be produced, one with a dual XQD card slot, one with a dual CF card slot. Both versions will be priced the same.
The Nikon D5 will be available in March 2016 with a price tag of US$6,500 for the body.
Highlights:
Nikon D5 | Nikon D4S | |
---|---|---|
Native ISO 102,400 | Native ISO 25,600 | |
Max. ISO 3,280,000 | Max. ISO 409,600 | |
153 autofocus points | 51 autofocus points | |
4K video | Video, not 4K | |
Expeed 5 image processor | Expeed 4 image processor | |
20.8MP FF CMOS sensor | 16.2MP FF CMOS sensor | |
Touchscreen |
X
|
|
1000 Base-T 400MBps Ethernet connection | 1000 Base-T 185MBs Ethernet connection | |
Dual XQD card slot/dual CF card slot | One XQD card slot, one CF card slot |
Will you be picking one up in March?
Further reading: 5 reasons why the new Nikon D500 is a 7D Mk II Killer