The Nikon D5 sits atop Nikon’s DSLR roster as the company’s top-of-the-line camera for professional photographers. While the high-end Z7 is currently at the top of the Z series above the mid-level Z6, it’s not going to be Nikon’s top-of-the-line full-frame mirrorless camera for long.

Nikon President Toshikazu Umatate confirmed the company’s plans to launch a higher-end camera in an interview with Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, a Japanese manufacturing newspaper.

Besides revealing that Nikon will be launching a flagship mirrorless camera that’s the mirrorless equivalent of the D5 DSLR, however, Umatate didn’t give any additional details (such as when the camera may be unveiled).

The Z7’s impressive list of specs and features already tops the D5 in a number of areas, such as megapixels (45.7MP vs 20.8MP), autofocus points (493 vs 153), and in-body stabilization (something the D5 doesn’t have) — the D5 was announced in 2016, two years before the Z7, after all

But advantages of the D5 over the Z7 include continuous shooting (12fps vs 9fps), maximum ISO (100-102400 vs 64-25600), dual card slots (the Z7 only has one), and wired LAN support.

It’ll be interesting to see what Nikon is able to cram into its upcoming ultimate mirrorless camera that’ll put it a tier above the Z7.

Nikon is also reportedly planning to launch a lower-tier mirrorless camera that could cost as little as $900, so it’s expanding toward both ends of the demand curve in order to enlarge the pool of photographers who can jump into the Z Series world.

(via Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun via Nikon Rumors)