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Nikon D850

At the aforementioned time that users are moving abroad from big, heavy, DSLR cameras to mirrorless systems or even smartphones, DSLRs go on to amend and offer some exciting payoffs for those willing to stick information technology out. This year has seen several exciting models up and downward the cost range from all the major vendors. For Nikon shooters, the midrange Nikon D7500 that nosotros reviewed over the summer is hard to shell. But the new Nikon D850 is the ane turning heads, as it pushes paradigm quality and performance boundaries. I've been shooting with one extensively since the twenty-four hours they shipped, and almost without exception I'thousand impressed.

The Nikon D850 by the Numbers

Like horsepower for cars, resolution is still — rightly or wrongly — the get-go spec everyone notices in a new camera. At 45.7MP, the D850 definitely delivers. Critics say information technology over-delivers, as prototype files of that size can exist tough to work with. Fortunately, it offers a diversity of options for reducing the resolution or quality of captured images — even allowing you lot to capture RAW images at lower resolution if you want.

Nikon D850 exploded view

The other issue with massive resolution is typically performance. That has been my biggest gripe with the Nikon D800 and D810. They just aren't fast enough for some of the action I demand to be able to photograph. So the 7fps of the Nikon D850 is both technically amazing given the resolution, and very helpful for those of united states who need performance sometimes. Yous will even be able to bump it upwards to 9fps with the optional MB-D18 grip. Clearly, if you spend all day doing something that needs a massive frame rate, yous'd still be better off with the Nikon D5. But that model is a lot more than money, a lot larger, and doesn't accept the same resolution.

The AF system is more than all-encompassing and faster than the 1 in the D810, with an impressive 153 AF points, including 99 cross-blazon (that can detect lines either horizontally or vertically). In my testing, information technology is indeed faster and more capable than the one in my D810. I was able to focus on flight objects moving in front of trees and other foliage, while with the D810 I often had to selection up focus confronting a make clean sky background. The optical viewfinder is besides amazingly big and bright, which helps verify whether yous're really locking on to a subject.

Nikon D850 versus Nikon D810 feature comparison from Nikon USA

Nikon D850 versus Nikon D810. Feature comparison from Nikon USA.

Improved Video and Connectivity

Nikon has also bumped upward the camera'due south video specs, with 4K video at up to 30fps (using H.264 encoding). Information technology'll do 1080p at 120fps for moderate ho-hum motion video. The congenital-in mic is stereo, although of course serious videographers will use the external mic input. The camera offers the latest version of Nikon's SnapBridge connectivity software, although it is however hard to use, and won't practise much to help you transfer high-resolution images.

The camera is almost the aforementioned size and weight equally Nikon'due south previous total-frame "mid-size" Pro DSLRs. At 2 pounds, it'south i ounce heavier than the D810, and at 5.7 x 4.ix 10 iii.i inches information technology feels but a little larger. It features an SD slot and an XQD slot. Personally, I'd adopt simpler and cheaper dual SD slots, but I sympathise that to get maximum performance out of such a high-resolution photographic camera, the greater potential speed of XQD is worth the hassle. All the same, when I performed the simple test of firing off a burst of 14-chip RAW images onto a 2933x Lexar XQD bill of fare and a 2000x Lexar SD card, I didn't find much deviation. The XQD cards are certainly much more rugged, though, which is a major plus for anyone using them in crude conditions.

Image Quality

The tilt screen on the D850 comes in handy for shooting high or low, and it is very touch-friendlyEach new bump in sensor quality and resolution makes me get "wow." I recall when I commencement got a D2X, and then when I reviewed the Canon 1DS, and when I reviewed the D800. The move up from the D810 to the D850 isn't as dramatic as some of those, but when paired with a sharp lens, the D850 certainly delivers. It'south difficult to say if information technology's really giving medium format quality a run for its coin, only information technology'southward also articulate there aren't also many use cases that demand to become much further than the D850 does in resolution.

Its massive resolution does mean that individual pixels on the D850 are smaller than on other Nikon DSLRs. That results in increased noise in the shadow areas if you pixel peep. Still, you couldn't fifty-fifty zoom in that far with almost whatsoever other DSLR, and if you lot process the prototype to scale the image downward to a resolution like to what you'd have on a different photographic camera, the racket will tend to fade away. So you can effectively use the D850 equally a virtually medium-format photographic camera for scenes with not bad lighting and not a huge amount of shadow detail required, or a more traditional DSLR by scaling the epitome down to a more typical resolution.

Here are some representative images that I captured with my Nikon D850. The ones in San Francisco used a Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, and the ones at Stanford used either the Sigma 24mm or 85mm Art lenses:

Next, here is a sample image (below) to requite you some idea of what the camera can reach. The first is the full RAW image rendered into a JPEG with some default Adobe Camera Raw settings. The second is a ingather of a tiny portion of the image to give you a sense of the detail captured. The third shows how much data is in the paradigm, as I've processed it a bit to bring out more shadow detail. Y'all should be able to click on the paradigm to see the full-resolution version. The epitome was taken with the super-sharp Sigma 85mm f/1.4 ART lens set to f/4.8 at ISO 200:

Image of a cat as rendered out of the box by Adobe software.

Paradigm of a cat equally rendered out of the box by Adobe software.

A crop of a small portion of the image

A crop of a small portion of the epitome

A processed version of the image, with a 50% crop

A processed version of the epitome, with a 50-percent ingather

Compared with the D810, the higher resolution of the D850 does yield sharper images, if you have a sufficiently sharp lens. As a result, images from the D850 besides wait like they have less noise, only when the technical benchmarks are done, I expect information technology will exist very similar in that department. Its smaller pixels make dynamic range a challenge, but Nikon appears to have delivered DR at least the same equally on the D810, and with better color accuracy in the shadows. Interestingly, the sensor in the D850 was designed entirely by Nikon, and is the first back-side illuminated (BSI) sensor it has used in a DSLR. The BSI design helps facilitate the high-speed readout needed for 7fps at its massive resolution, and the higher-performance video formats.

Ergonomics

Nikon has made some squeamish changes to the control layouts of recent model DSLRs. In particular, the ISO push button is now within reach of your shutter finger. That's really helpful when lite levels or subjects are changing quickly. The LCD — which is now nicely touch-enabled — folds out either upwardly or downwards. That'due south a big benefit when trying to shoot over crowds or become a depression-level perspective on a field of study. Nigh of the other controls have been left alone, which is good news to those of us who are used to them. The touch screen also makes it easier to wade through the bill of fare arrangement.

Is the Nikon D850 Right for Yous?

The Nikon D850 is impressive, but for one-third the cost you can get an excellent D7500 if you don't need the additional resolution and features of the bigger camera.

The Nikon D850 (right) is impressive, only for one-3rd the cost you can get an excellent D7500 if you don't need the additional resolution and features of the bigger camera.

The best thing about the modern crop of DSLRs is that at that place are fantabulous models at every size and toll indicate. Even without switching brands to Canon or Sony — that both take excellent alternatives to Nikon's models — yous can option your sweetness spot. If you lot want or need the D850 and some pro lenses, it'll prepare you back $5K or more than total ($three,300 for the Nikon D850 itself). For a little over half that, you can get a pro-quality D500 and quite good all-around lens, or for one-3rd of that, you lot can get a D7500 and kit lens, like the 1 pictured here.

Owning both the D7500 and the D850, there are definitely days where I just feel like grabbing the little camera. The D7500 is just as much fun, and for many uses it is perfectly fine. It is too easier to stuff into my bag when I'g going out to do drone photography, but want to have a regular photographic camera along. However, if I'm shooting with the idea of making prints, or need the best possible low-calorie-free functioning — or the ease of shooting wide angle that comes with a full-frame camera — then reaching for my Nikon D850 is a no-brainer.