Test of new Nikon D850 camera at Rosa Khutor

Nikon D850, the new flagship model of SLR camera, is going on sale in September. This camera has already made a lot of noise with its features. As a Nikon ambassador, I had the opportunity to be one of the first to test it in action. While I was in Krasnaya Polyana they brought the first and only sample camera to America and immediately sent it to me. What I think of the new camera? Read below and see the photos taken

So, let’s start with the technical specifications:

-DSLR camera with full size sensor

-Sensor size 45.7 MP

-Shooting speed 7 fps or 9 with battery pack. A series of 41 frames in Raw shot at 14 bit.

-ISO 64 – 25600 with an option to set the real 32

-Weight 1005 gr.

I got my camera right on the next day after my #lethogorah workshop. Brought it to me first for a reason – the camera is positioned as a professional, ready to work in completely different genres: from landscape photography, reportage, studio work and up to sports. I had three days and decided to check the D850 on a mountain bike together with my friend Andrey Moskvin.

The best place I’ve chosen is Kamenny Stolb summit at Rosa Khutor. It is prohibited for tourists to go up with bicycles, but they made an exception for us and helped with organization and logistics. We spent two days here, the only thing was that we didn’t stay overnight, as we had no more energy. Ideal for sports shooting or just enjoying the scenery of the Caucasus Mountains.

About the camera. Everyone expected the D850 to be an extension of the D810, but no. Nikon has launched a full-fledged leader and flagship of a new direction. I think this is due to the fact that the DSLRs are going to merge lines of models into one.

My main working camera is the D5, my second aka underwater is the D810. The first is for me a super unkillable and reliable friend that works in all conditions, the second is the benchmark for landscape photography, the best camera for travel.

So they decided to cross the best parts of my favorite D850, add a couple of features from D750 and make a universal camera that has EVERYTHING!.

Think about it: an image sensor is 45.7 MP is the new standard in photography. Incredible resolution, over 8000 pixels on the long side. I used to think that the D810 was the limit of my dreams, but no. It is clear that when you shoot a reportage in such resolution you can stare into oblivion when processing such a volume. Even I, with the sponsorship of SanDisk and WD, can’t score that many hard drives and flash drives. The D850 gives you a choice of three photo sizes 45, 25 and 11 MP , with the same full sensor and no cropping in all modes.

By the way if you want a cropped format it’s always welcome on all Nikon professional DSLRs – just put x1,4 or x1,6. With a sensor like that, you can double, triple or even quadruple the size of a crop and still have print quality.

I had a bigger sensor in the D810, but it was only 5 fps… For shooting the same surfing, it’s not enough, especially when chasing splashes of water in waves. I always said to myself, okay, speed, but it’s 36 megapixels… But now that dialogue with myself will no longer be there – the D850 shoots 7 frames and 9 with the battery grip.

I also read that in format 8.The 6MP can do 30 frames per second in live view, but I have not even checked it myself. Anyway, 9 fps is closer to 12 like the D5 model. And the autofocus is exactly the same – one of the best systems in the world that lets you focus in near total darkness, when all mirrorless cameras are useless. Now the question is who will take the D5 if there is a D850 and I haven’t even mentioned the price

My second camera could be D750, it has smaller size and light weight but I have an underwater box for D810. The D750 has a couple more very important features: The pivoting display is cool for videos and for photos from different “awkward” angles, as well as WiFi. Yes, the last point is what makes it ideal for reportage photography when you need your shots like hotcakes, right here, right now!

And yes, all this is now in the D850 – less weight, swivel display with touch screen capability, like on the D5, and…. fanfare… SnapBridge – the ability to immediately connect and transcribe thumbnail images to the smartphone to send or instagram.

Now let’s go over video, something Nikon has long lagged behind the competition in. 4K shooting with full sensor instead of the center one, full ISO range, Full HD 120FPS and 8K Time Lapse with tons of adjustments and autocorrects for video. Here are two examples, one in slo-mo mode with 120 frames per second and a little timelapse at sunset.

Well, I’ve waited long enough for a full frame mirrorless camera from Nikon with a lot of technology, but now I understand the direction in which the company will move in prof. segment. The D850 top-of-the-line DSLR – this is the real deal. Everything that was cool about the D750, D810, and D5 is packed into one model with a super long battery life of nearly 2,000 shots, small size and weight, and a super rugged magnesium alloy body.

And the most important thing today – price. The cost of the camera will be 230 thousand Dollars. Where are the other people’s mirrorless cameras? Where all the competition is? 45.7MP, 4K and super slo-mo with the ability to put the best Nikkor lenses for 230K! Checkmate.

All the shots are shot in JPEG, I am waiting for the new RAW profiles to come out so I can see all the features of the camera, but even in jpeg the quality is incredible. Once again I’d like to thank Nikon for the opportunity to be among the first to try this novelty, and Andrey Moskvin for driving it and, of course, Rosa Khutor for their help in organizing this photo shoot in one of the most beautiful places in our country.