Anyone looking to purchase a Digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera these days should be asking themselves one question: what am I going to do with this?
If the answer is just “taking pictures,” then you’re probably better off with a smartphone. In fact, if you don’t know your F-stops from a hole in the ground, then it’s almost a given that you’ll be able to take, store and share photos with far fewer headaches than if you used a digital SLR.
If you’re part of that crowd, don’t even look sideways at Nikon’s D850. This is an SLR made by professionals for professionals, with a lot of bells-and-whistles added to make their job a lot easier.
For the record, I am not a professional photographer, although I am a hobbyist. I also am not a regular Nikon user, which means that while I’m comfortable enough with the basic of modern SLRs, I still needed to get out the users manual to figure out where Nikon has put the common features I use most. About taking about 15 minutes to familiarise myself with the controls, I got to work.
After reading reviews of the D850, the only complaints I could find were about the D850’s live focusing ability. I never had a problem, but I was not covering sports or anything else that required lightning-quick focusing ability. For what I was doing, generally portrait and landscape, the camera never gave me a reason to complain, in any category.
The camera’s performance and the resulting camera were in line with what I would expect from a Dh13,000 camera and its Dh8,200 70-200mm lens. Images were sharp even in low light and there no noticeable loss of image quality. Like most DSLRs today, the D850 also shots video at 4K at between 24 to 30 frames per second.
The specs are outstanding. The sensor is a full-frame CMOS, where means you won’t have to worry about the changes in focus length that you get in many lower-cost SLRs. At 45.7 megapixel, you won’t be wanting for details. The camera shots at 7 frames-per-second, which is good but still much slower than the 12 fps on Nikon’s top-of-the-line D5, but unless you’ve covering sports for a living, you’re not going to notice.
One of the best things I liked about the D850 has nothing to do with photography. The camera comes with WiFi, Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC). The ability to wirelessly move photos off the camera is not huge, but any things that stops me from having to carry extra cables is a big deal. By the way, these features aren’t new, but this was the first time I’d encountered them on a high-end DSLR. One caveat, as the raw file sizes can be high, up to 50 megabytes. Combines that with the previously mentioned 7 fps and you might be looking at some substantial download times. It might be better to keep the cable close at hand.
What’s hot:
1. The camera as a whole, provided you know how to get the most of its advance features
2. It’s wireless, meaning you can move pictures directly from the camera to your devices
3. Full-frame CMOS sensors
What’s not:
1. This is not a camera for an amateur. You’ll need to know how use a digital SLR to get the most from this camera.
Key Specifications:
• 45.7MP CMOS sensor
• 7 fps continuous shooting (9 with optional battery grip)
• 153-point Auto Focusing system
• 4K video capture at up to 30 fps
• 1080 video at up to 120 fps
• Battery life rated at 1840 shots
• 3.2” tilting touchscreen with 2.36M-dot (1024×768 pixel) LCD
• Illuminated controls
• Bluetooth LE connection system with Wi-Fi
• Advanced time-lapse options
