Nikon D850

Nikon D850 was announced in 2017 and is a Full Frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) DSLR camera with 45.7 Megapixel BSI-CMOS sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 64 to 25,600 and expands to 32 - 102,400 in boosted mode. The camera has a Tilting 3.2" screen with 2,359k dot resolution and built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder.

Nikon D850 can capture video up to 3840 x 2160 resolution.

Here is the Nikon D8xx series lineup, where you can view and compare the main specifications of the cameras within the same series.

Nikon D8xx series lineup

	Model	Date	Sensor	Native ISO	Screen	Price
	Nikon D850	August 2017	45.7 MP Full Frame	64 - 25,600	Tilting 3.2" 2,359k dot Touchscreen	amazon B&H
	Nikon D810A Compare	February 2015	36.3 MP Full Frame	200 - 12,800	Fixed 3.2" 1,229k dot	amazon B&H
	Nikon D810 Compare	June 2014	36.3 MP Full Frame	64 - 12,800	Fixed 3.2" 1,229k dot	amazon B&H
	Nikon D800E Compare	June 2012	36.3 MP Full Frame	100 - 6,400	Fixed 3.2" 921k dot	amazon B&H
	Nikon D800 Compare	June 2012	36.3 MP Full Frame	100 - 6,400	Fixed 3.2" 921k dot	amazon B&H

You can view their side-by-side comparison here: Nikon D850 vs D810A vs D810 vs D800E vs D800.

In this section we present pros and cons of Nikon D850.

Here we are comparing Nikon D850 to its predecessor D810 and displaying the major changes.

For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Nikon D850 vs D810.

Tilting Touchscreen

Nikon D850 has a 3.2" Tilting touchscreen with 2,359k dot resolution which is quite high by today's standards. Tilting screen makes this camera very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder

Camera has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.75x magnification.

BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon D850 features a 45.7 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 858 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 25,600 and expands to 32 - 102,400 in boosted mode.

The camera has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Nikon D850's Full Frame sensor compares with other types of sensors:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	35.9 x 23.9 mm	858 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Camera is equipped with EXPEED 5 processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 5504 resolution.

Lens Mount

Nikon D850 has Nikon F lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 1x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No In-Body Image Stabilization

The camera does not have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) so it needs lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Camera has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth

Camera has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.1 LE) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC

Nikon D850 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Input and HDMI Output

Nikon D850 has a USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) input for data transfer. There is a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D850 comes with EN-EL15a battery pack with battery life of 1840 shots.

External Storage Slots

The camera has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) and one for CFexpress Type B / XQD.

Shutter

Nikon D850 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D850 has 153 (99 cross-type) focusing points and from -4 to +20 EV detection range. Touch-to-Focus allows users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording. There is also face detection feature which automatically finds and focuses on faces.

Exposure

Camera's exposure metering ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment.

Flash

Nikon D850 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec. Flash compensation can be set from -3 to +1 EV with 1/3 or 1/2 or 1 EV step increments.

Nikon D850 has dimensions of 146 x 124 x 79 mm (5.75 x 4.88 x 3.11"). It weighs 1005 g (2.22 lb / 35.45 oz), so it is a heavy camera.

146 mm (5.75")

124 mm (4.88")

124 mm (4.88")

79 mm (3.11")