Review: Nikon D850 specs

Released in late 2017, the Nikon D850 is now widely regarded by many as Nikon’s greatest ever DSLR camera with its 45.7-megapixel full-frame sensor, 153-point autofocus system, continuous shooting at up to 7 frames per second, UHD 4K video capture and 3.2-inch [8.1cm] touchscreen.

At the heart of the D850 is its high-resolution CMOS sensor, which is very much heading towards medium-format type resolution in a DSLR body. It’s a backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor, which helps to increase the efficiency of the sensor—thus improving low light performance—and improve peripheral image quality at the edges of pictures. Also of note is the fact that the D850 has no anti-aliasing filter, which allows for finer detail capture in images.

The camera effectively inherited almost all of the autofocus features of the Nikon D5 Dual XQD DSLR that was primarily aimed at sports photographers, but the D850 is capable of capturing much more than sports action. The 153-point autofocus system offers 99 cross-type points, which analyse both vertical and horizontal lines and hence are more accurate than autofocus points that only analyse vertical lines. The D850’s sensitive autofocus setup works with a 180,000-pixel RGB metering sensor and an Advanced Scene Recognition System to help you to get great results at light levels down to -3EV.

The autofocus system is able to swiftly lock on to moving subjects, making it a great system for shooting nature or sports, especially as you can shoot at up to 7 frames per second—or 9fps with an optional battery pack—and at shutter speeds of up to 1/8000sec. You can use the camera’s 3D tracking to ensure you can accurately track small or fast-moving subjects with precision. The D850 also incorporates an Automatic AF Fine Tune feature that helps to make it easier to calibrate your lenses at a given focal length and a given distance from the main subject.

The standard ISO range of the D850 is 64-25,600, but this is additionally expandable at both ends to offer down to ISO 32 and up to ISO 102,400 options, so you should get almost noise-free images at high ISO values. The D850’s EXPEED 5 processing was also inherited from the D5 camera and helps to superb image quality across the wide ISO range. That ISO 64 value is important as it’s actually a specific mode that allows it to tolerate approx. 60% more light in bright conditions than most other full-frame cameras do at ISO 100. This is also known as ‘Real World Dynamic Range’ and means the D850 offers a dynamic range close to that of medium format cameras with significantly larger sensors.

The rear colour monitor is a large, 3.2-inch [8.0cm], tilting 2.36million dot, touch-sensitive LCD screen that allows you to compose stills or video in Live View and to review the results. By combining Live View with the camera’s Pinpoint AF mode you can focus on a small area of a macro subject and throw other elements of the image out of focus, making the D850 a great choice for macro shooting. The LCD screen allows you to manually adjust its brightness according to the environment. Another notable spec in the D850 is the ability to shoot UHD 4K video across the full width of the sensor. This allows filmmakers to realise the full potential of wide-angle lenses when shooting.

Even now, years after its launch, the Nikon D850 still holds its head up high among the best Nikon cameras. Nikon put a lot of top-line technology into the D850, much of ‘trickled down' from the Nikon D5, and it remains a ‘go-to’ choice for accomplished photographers across a variety of genres—wedding, sports, nature, fashion, portrait, landscape and more. It’s a high-resolution model that, in full-frame DSLR terms, remains difficult to top.