Development of the Nikon D850 was announced on the company’s 100-year anniversary last month. We speculated what we thought and hoped would be part of the camera.
Well, yesterday our very own Callum was at the official launch of the Nikon D850. We’ve used the camera. We’ve spoken to Nikon. We can happily say that our wish list seems well and truly covered!
High resolution. High Speed. 4k video with no sensor crop. Tilt-screen. Wi-Fi. It’s all very promising.
There are a lot of new features to take in, not least of which is the technical details of the DSLR camera’s new 45.4-million-pixel sensor.
Here is our breakdown of the key features of the Nikon D850:
Nikon D850: 45.7-million-pixel Sensor
Undoubtedly the key feature of the Nikon D850 is its 45.7-million-pixel sensor, with a 45.4-million-pixel effective resolution.
This is almost a 10-million-pixel increase in resolution from the Nikon D810. That resolution is slightly better than that of the Sony A7R II, but not quite as much as the 50-million-pixels of the Canon EOS 5D S. When it comes to such high resolutions, we’re nitpicking the differences.
A 300 ppi image shot with the Nikon D810 measures approximately 24.5-inches x 16.3-inches. The same image shot with the new D850 would be 27.5-inches x 18.3-inches. That’s around 3-inches x 2-inches larger.
Nikon D850 Sensor tech: Back Side Illumination and Gapless Microlenses
It’s not just about resolution though. The Nikon D850 aims to maximise detail that the sensor records.
There’s no anti-aliasing, low-pass, filter in front of the sensor. This is a more common sight these days - a means of obtaining sharper images straight from the camera.
Additionally, the sensor’s ability to capture light is maximised in two ways: using gapless microlenses and a back side illuminated design.
You’ll hear a lot about gapless micro lenses on the sensor, but what does it mean?
The sensor is made of photosites, one for each pixel. These photosites collect the light that hits the sensor. To make sure as much light is captured by these photosites there is a microscopic lens over them - in this case, a total of 45.7-million.
In the Nikon D850, the sensor has no gaps between the photosites. Any light that reaches the sensor should hit one of the lenses and be directed into the photosite, rather than hitting a gap in between the lenses.
Gapless micro lenses may sound like a very small difference, but even small amounts of gathered light can make a big difference to the low light performance, noise levels and dynamic range.
To further maximise the amount of light that can be captured the sensor is Back Side Illuminated. This rather confusing term actually means that the wiring of the sensor is on its rear, behind all of the photosites.
Traditionally these are found on the surface of the sensor itself. Once again, although the wiring is microscopic, moving it elsewhere maximises the size of each photosite, which again, means more captured light, and improved image quality.
Nikon D850: ISO Sensitivity
The sensitivity range of ISO 64 - 25,600 can be expanded to ISO 32 - 102,400. Nikon claims images are clean across the entire ISO range. These numbers do not hit the headlines quite like the extended ISO 3,280,000 of the Nikon D5. However, the two cameras are different beasts, designed for different audiences.
Although we’ve had limited time with the Nikon D850, it already looks like the camera will have a very impressive dynamic range and shadow details, much like we saw with the similar sensor in the Sony A7r II.
Nikon D850: Shooting Rates, Image Size and Media
The Nikon D850 has two card slots - one SD UHS II slot and another XQD slot. These offer the fastest possible write speeds to keep up with all that data the D850 can record. As well as full-size 45.4-million-pixel images, users can choose 25.6 MP or 11.4 MP raw files.
There are a few different shooting rates for capturing images. In its default mode, the D850 can shoot at a rate of 7fps. With the optional MB-D18 battery pack the rate increases to 9fps. We don’t have the info yet on how many frames the camera can sustain at these shooting rates.
When using Live View there is a silent shooting mode that discreetly captures 6fps. Put the camera into Live View at its 8.8-million-pixel DX crop mode and you can shoot silently at 30fps.
Nikon D850: LCD and Viewfinder
The LCD screen is a 3.2-inch tilt-touchscreen with a resolution of 2359k dots. It’s a wonderfully large, bright and versatile screen. As for the optical viewfinder, it has a 100% frame coverage with 0.75x magnification.
Nikon D850: 4k Video
Ultra high definition 4K video recording (3840×2160) is available with no sensor crop in 30p.
Full HD 1080 videos can be recorded with frame rates up to 60p. Switch to a DX format and the camera offers full HD 1080 shooting up to 120fps.
Nikon D850: Autofocus
As we hoped, the Nikon D850 inherits the AF system of the Nikon D5. It’s a 153-point Autofocus system and 99 of these focus points are the more sensitive cross-type points.
Nikon measures the AF system to shoot as low as -4EV in its centre AF point. In use, the camera should, therefore, be able to focus easily in nothing but moonlight.
Nikon D850: Body
As we would expect, the Nikon D850 is weather sealed. Like in the Nikon D5, the buttons on the camera can be illuminated to help with shooting in dark conditions.
Nikon D850: Price and Availability
All in all, the Nikon D850 is a formidable looking camera. It is priced at £3499 body only and sales start 7th September. For more information please visit the Nikon website.
