NIKON D6

This pro DSLR has Nikon’s best-ever stills AF and burst speed

- James Artaius

The Nikon D6 faces a difficult challenge. Its two rivals in the professional full-frame camera space are absolute monsters: the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III is the most advanced camera we’ve ever used, and the Sony Alpha 9 II brings all the benefits of mirrorless shooting into the pro sports sphere.

While both of those cameras were greeted with excitement and enthusiasm from the industry, the response to the Nikon D6 has been tepid, given its comparative lack of standout new features compared to the Nikon D5.

All three cameras are among the best options on the market today for pro sports shooters; however, when compared to its competitors, the D6’s results don’t seem entirely favourable. Does that head-to-head comparison tell the full story, though? Taken on its own merits, what does the D6 have to offer – and how much does it truly improve on the D5?

Features

At first glance, it’s easy to see how many potential buyers were nonplussed by the D6’s specifications. However, there’s much more to this camera than its spec sheet.

The first key selling point is the D6’s improved continuous shooting speed of 14 frames per second – an improvement of 2fps over the D5. While that might not sound a lot, anyone who’s shot professional sports or wildlife photography will tell you that those ‘frames between the frames’ can be the difference between an award-winning cover shot and a missed opportunity.