Nikon D850

Why all the focus on “mirrorless” cameras?

I see little reason to swap my D850 for a mirrorless.

The view through an optical viewfinder is visibly better and sharper than an electronic projection, and this is my clear impression even if the EVF can strengthen the signal in the dark – and as a result lose finder quality/DR. This is even more the case when using manual lenses. The mirrorless cameras do not do wide open metering, and the photographer must revert to old-style stop down metering – a true regression. When the EVF compensates for the loss of light that occurs when you stop down to the working aperture, the quality of the viewfinder takes a hit – and it was inferior to a good optical finder to start with. So my conclusion is that for manual lenses, a (D)SLR is far superior.

Moreover, there are still more important advantages.

The optical finder does not consume energy. When using the camera for longer periods of time, a finder that does not drain the battery is worth its weight in gold in particular in cold environments. It is realistic to get at least three times the number of exposures per charge with a SLR camera as compared to a mirrorless with a similar battery.

Technically speaking, it is difficult to see how a modern prism based optical finder of high quality is somehow “primitive” and “backward.” Optics is superior to electronics when it comes to viewing, and this is unlikely to be different in the future. In fact, an high grade optical optical instrument is a highly sophisticated and advanced invention. A OVF is such an instrument.

If the optical viewfinder did not exist by now, it is not inconceivable that it would have been invented.

There are always many sides to the same story, eh? As long as DSLRs are still in production the D850 will be the pinnacle of achievement that any new Nikon DSLRs evolve from. I shot Nikon 35mm for 30 years and then switched to Canon for digital for the next ten years. I loved my Canon full frame cameras, especially the 6D, but when the D800 came out I decided to switch back to Nikon and have owned the D800, D800E and the D810.

I recently bought a Nikon Z7. I shoot both wildlife and landscapes and have a lot of Nikon F glass and I thought it would be a good benefit to add a little VR to my lenses that lack it. I did not buy the new 24-70mm Z lens since I recently bought a new Nikon 24-70 f/2.8, a lens I love. However, after playing with the Z7 for a while with the lens adapter and various F lenses I found it very uncomfortable to hand hold with the adapter. Although I do a lot of my shooting on a tripod, there are times when I’m walking and want to be able to shoot hand-held. The other thing I found and didn’t like, something everyone else seems to love, was the EVF. When panning quickly it seemed to lag. I realize that may be something that will be improved with firmware, but I also just didn’t like the experience compared to my D810. If I could afford to use a Z7 strictly for landscapes I may have kept it. I do think that as more lenses become available the hand-held experience will improve greatly. And, let’s face it: it is the future of digital photography. I look forward to owning a future generation of the Z7 in the not too distant future—but for now I find my new D850 to be a phenomenal camera.

The D850 is simply beyond reproach, if you’re a Nikon shooter. I agree with Nasim, it’s an expensive proposition to switch from Nikon to Canon or Sony or vice verse if you have more than one or two expensive lenses. And there are often other peripheral accessories to consider as well, like flash units, wireless remote release or release cables and so on. However it’s a personal choice and decision that each of us has to make according to our needs and economics.

I am considering updating a still very effective D-800(not professional photographer). I enjoyed the discussion on focus stacking. The subject caught my attention because about 18 months ago, I had cataract surgery from a very respected surgeon and he implanted a Symfony IOL in both eyes. This iol uses diffractive optics to extend the depth of focus.

This IOL lens works well for me. I can read J1 print and have 20/20 distance vision. My human brain computer is recomposing about 8 different images from both eyes in real time. Anything closer than about 18 inches starts becoming difficult.

I am still undecided about the need to upgrade the camera. I may wait for the second generation of the Z system. I have too much (for me) invested in the F-mount lens to completely jump ship.

Hi. Thanks for the great review on the D850! I have a question concerning a technical detail on my new D850 and ask this because I want to be as sure as possible that the camera is in order: when I tilt it a little back and forth (not sideways) from the horizontal position, I can hear a click-clack sound, which is noticeable in a silent environment. It is very probably related to the eyepiece lens that is connected for diopter adjustment (there is no lens attached and the sound is not coming from the strap holder). The diopter adjustment itself still works fine. But since I didn’t have this noise with my old Nikon camera, I am a bit worried and would like to politely ask if you observe this on your camera or think it is ok. I also contacted Nikon, and they told me that this must be normal and is a kind of sample variation. What do you think about? Thanks!

Hi. This thread has been very insightful to me. I bought a D850 a few months ago and in 5,000 or so shots, I have nothing to show for my time due to images that are blurry when cropped. I’ve shot wildlife, landscape, MilkyWay, and even tried stills…. and 99% of the images are blurry when cropped in. I have had it callibrated to my lenses twice. I have shot at every conceivable combination of ISO/Aperature/shutter speed trying to diagnose whether the issue lies with my technique, the lens, or the camera. I was about ready to give up on the D850 altogether, when I came across this article as I looked for solutions. My question is this…. can ECFS be used for fast moving wildlife and action shots? Unless I’ve misunderstood, for the D850, ECFS must be used in live mode or quiet mode…. the former which is impossible for me to shoot wildlife with and in Quiet mode, won’t I lose FPS, so I get fewer continuous and burst shots? All these shots that you guys have posted are spectacular, but I can’t even imagine my D850 producing such great clarity when I can’t even shoot a rose with clarity. My D750 is amazing and I have speed boat racing shots that are clear as day no matter how close I crop…. but the D850….just blur in any crop. Can EFCS be used for action/wildlife effectively?

Thanks for the excellent review of the RAW management. In the category of “a little knowledge can be dangerous” – I’m a new D850 owner and have been dabbling a bit with NEF images (large, 14 bit) using RawTherapee. What I note and am confused by is that when I turn off demosaicing I see that the Bayer pattern doesn’t match with the sensor array. There is a beat pattern with he Bayer coming in and out of phase, as if maybe there’s a rotation. Is it possible that the filter is actually physically misaligned? Or is this an artifact of some processing, maybe even on purpose? It doesn’t seem to cause any issues with the ultimate demosaiced images.

Hi Nassim and thanks for the deep dive review. Most excellent as always.
Quickie theoretical question: can the same focus stack from the D850 be used for HDR (or the other way around)? So that the boosted EV range is graduated throughout the focus stack. I guess it’d have to be done in conjunction with a hybrid stacking/HDR program…. which does not exist… I guess I was just talking to myself. Now if only Helicon buys Photomatix :-D
Imagine if you can take an image of a dark lake against white mountains, preserved the dynamic range AND focus-stacked the whole lot? Maybe moot given the superb dynamic range of the D850 :)

These pictures really are amazing. As much as I’d like to buy a Z6 or Z7, I look at this review and others and just can’t do it. I’m sure that day will come, but by then I’ll probably just buy a D850 and ride it into the sunset. Just fantastic images.

Thanks for all the work you do to inform us Nasim. My question is one I can’t seem to find an answer for. When I’m viewing a image after taking on the Lcd Screen, I would like to have some ideas of what magnification each step is. Like where does 100% magnification reside in the steps. Is there a chart that says what each step is magnification wise. Nikon is clueless which is totally surprising to me.

Note that Helicon Focus is only HeliconSoft’s processing app. For shooting you should try Helicon Remote which is included in the Helicon Focus Pro package.

Helicon Remote allows you to set the near/far focus points and, depending on the f/stop used (ie: depth of field), it calculates then necessary number of photos needed. It then takes control of the camera and automatically creates the exposures while setting the focus. The images are then passed to the Helicon Focus app which processes the stack.

There’s also a version of Helicon Remote that works on mobile phones (Android, iOS) and it works great. It takes the guess work out of focus stacking and eliminates making more exposures than needed. That’s especially useful when shooting 45mp raw images which consume a lot of storage space.