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Up for the fight Four and a half years down the track, Nikon’s heavyweight D850 is still crushing the opposition – proving there’s life in the old DSLR yet
WINNER
IF THE DSLR is dead, no one told the Nikon D850. Thought by many – including some members of the PN team – to be the greatest DSLR ever made, it’s no surprise to see it still topping the best DSLR camera category, some four and a half years after its original release. Nikon originated the ultra high- resolution DSLR sector in 2012, with the launch of the D800. And the 45.7-megapixel D850 carries the beacon to this day. It may lack the pixel count of some rivals, but its speed, tenacious AF, refined handling and supreme build made it the all- round choice for PN readers. It’s a camera that tackles the full gamut of photographic subjects with ease. Sure, it’s easy to identify image quality as a driving factor in the D850’s continued success. But it’s only easy because it’s true. With all those pixels and no optical low-pass filter, masses of detail are recorded. The sensor
uses a back-side illuminated design, along with its ‘gapless’ architecture, for more efficient light gathering and faster data readouts. So, despite all that resolution, thanks to its Expeed 5 processor, it gives a brisk 7fps. If you need more speed, just twin the D850 with the MB-D18 battery pack and an EN-EL18b battery for 9fps. ISO performance is also admirable, producing low-noise results that rival even the most recent full-frame bodies. Spanning 64-25,600, it allows both easier shooting in low light, but also longer exposures and purer light gathering at the low end. The sensor’s huge dynamic range has proven indispensable for landscape photography, producing Raw files brimming with post-processing possibilities. And if you don’t want to shoot at the full resolution, there are handy Medium (25.6MP) and Small (11.4MP) settings. On top of that, the sensor’s native resolution
DISTINCTLY INSTINCTIVE Among the D850’s superpowers is smooth, intuitive handling
allows in-camera cropping at 1.2x, 1.5x, 5x4 and 1x1 aspects. For instance, if you want to crop in on subjects in DX mode, you’ll get 5408x3600 files. Another plus is the D850’s AF system, almost identical to that found in the pro-spec D5. An impressive 153 AF points – 99 of which are cross-type – and sensitivity down to -4EV in the centre make for tenacious locking on.
The 3D-tracking mode pushes recent mirrorless cameras hard in terms of subject-following performance. Maybe the most compelling reason for the D850’s continued success is that it handles superbly. From its big, bright optical viewfinder to the deep, comfortable handgrip, it’s fantastic to use. Button and menu layout is so straightforward that it quickly
becomes second nature, while most of the buttons illuminate in the dark. Built around a magnesium chassis and weather sealed, it feels great. With DSLRs like the D850 still around, it’s easy to see why the format continues to delight photographers. And with hundreds of F-mount lenses to choose from, there’s an abundance of creative options.
8 Photography News | Issue 96
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