Nikon D850 Detailed Review

In additional D850 was introduced by Nikon in August 2017. It belongs to the Professional DSLRs category.

Nikon is well-known and shouldn’t require further introduction, please see our manufacturer’s page for more digital cameras by Nikon.

The D850 has a Full frame CMOS sensor with size of 36 x 24 mm² (1.42″ x 0.94″).

Picture of D850’s sensor compared to popular format.

The 1-Euro coin has a diameter of 23.25mm.

The D850’s image sensor has an effective resolution of around 46 megapixel. The resolution is far above average and will easily be sufficient for years to come. Photos with this resolution can easily be printed in A2 size or larger, even if unwanted parts of the photo have to be cropped.

The Nikon supports taking images in RAW. RAW images are stored as they come from the sensor, without any in-camera processing or sharpening. Converting to JPEG or other formats takes place on the computer, using software like Adobe Lightroom or Nikon’s RAW converter. This involves one extra processing step but almost always results in superior image quality. Some filters, like converting to monochrome (black and white) will only yield decent results when used with RAW images.

The D850 features a mechanism for automatic sensor cleaning.

The D850 has an optical viewfinder with a penta prism. Viewfinders with a penta prism are typical for enthusiast and professional DSLRs. The viewfinder covers 100% of the field of view and has a magnification of 0.75x, an excellent value for a viewfinder like this.

The D850’s shutter speed varies from 1/8000s to 30s.

The D850’s sensitivity is from 64 ISO and 25600 ISO.

Also, Nikon’s sensitivity can be boosted to 102400. Therefore, ISO boosting will lead to growth noise.

The D850 supports all general exposure modes.

The Nikon allows spot exposure for the difficult occasion.

The D850’s auto focus processor uses 153 AF points (or sensors). A basic rule of thumb says that the more AF points you have, the better. More AF points mean a better chance to have a point at the location of interest in a scene, a big plus in challenging situations (e.g. in sports).

Manual focus is also possible with the Nikon, a plus in tricky situations or for some creative freedom.

The D850 doesn’t feature a built-in flash. That is not unsusual in this camera category.

A flash or a trigger for remote flashes can be attached to the Nikon’s hotshoe.

The D850 features a monitor with a diagonal of 82.00mm (3.2 in.) and a resolution of c. 2.36 megapixel. A resonable value that will make it easy to evaluate images directly in-camera.

The camera’s display is articulated, a plus for selfies and other challenging situations.

The D850’s monitor can work as a touch screen, just like a smartphone. That can be very useful, for example to pick AF points, but keep in mind that touch screens usually don’t work when wearing gloves.

Display characteristics at a glance:

D850 video supported the resolution with 3840 x 2160 pixel.

Also the camera is equipped with an external microphone.

Nikon D850 Video parameters:

The D850 has Wi-fi connection. You can transfer photos to a mobile or laptop using wi-fi.

For photo transferring users may use Bluetooth option.

Eventually, if the wifi connection is disabled the wired connection may be used.

Connect the Nikon to a monitor or TV set over HDMI.

USB 3.0 is already supported by the Nikon. USB 3.0 greatly speeds up transferring images and videos to the computer.

Connection parameters:

The camera will accept all common SD HC and SD XC cards.

XQD Cards can be used, too.

Memory cards characteristics:

The Nikon D850 has a EN-EL15a LiIon battery. The battery provides a shooting life of 1840 shots. It`s enough for one day or more.

The D850’s battery battery parameters:

The Nikon D850’s dimensions are 146 x 124 x 79mm³. (5.7″ x 4.9″ x 3.1″). That’s the body only, without lens. The camera’s weight is a rather considerable 1015 grams (32.7 oz.). Add to this the weight of the lens.

Here is front and top view of the D850:

For a better idea of the size of the camera, takes a look off camera and ID card comparison image.