In a marketplace crowded with excellent cameras, it’s hard to stand out, which makes the new Nikon D850 particularly impressive. Officially announced this morning, the Nikon D850’s spec sheet reads like a laundry list of most-requested features: a 45.7 megapixel sensor that not only has no optical low-pass filter (anti-aliasing filter), it’s also back-side illuminated (BSI)1 BSI simply means that there are fewer electronic components between the front surface of the sensor and the photo receptors, so more light is captured. , an Expeed 5 processor and the power to shoot 7fps (or 9fps with the optional grip) with a buffer big enough to shoot 51 14-bit RAW files in a row (though probably only with the XQD card), a native ISO range of 64-25,600, the same 153-point AF system as the D5. Tilting touchscreen LCD. Viewfinder shading for easier composition when shooting square or other aspect ratios. Built-in focus stacking. Weather-sealed magnesium alloy body. Full-frame 4K video and 4K/8K time-lapse. Focus peaking, zebra stripes and a headphone jack. Clean HDMI-out, supporting broadcast quality 4:2:2 8-bit 4K UHD for an external recorder. Battery life of over 1800 shots.
What’s it missing? Like all Nikon cameras, there’s no phase-detection auto-focus system for shooting with live-view or when shooting video. Canon, Sony, and mirrorless cameras have the edge there. Shooters familiar with the D7000 series may miss the popular quick-access “U1” and “U2” positions on the mode dial (also absent).
Price & Availability
The Nikon D850 will begin shipping in September at a price of $3,299.95 for the body only. Pre-orders are already open at the places you’d expect:
