I have a D850 and I’m always learning with new situations, this machine responds to my demands and stubbornness
Tom
July 27, 2020 8:36 am
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… Read more »
Denis
July 25, 2020 9:28 am
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… Read more »
Karen
May 20, 2020 12:42 am
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… Read more »
Hi, Karen, welcome to the D850 family! I’ve had mine for almost three years, and love it! So, first of all, I shoot hand held, without EFCS, 99+% of the time. Mostly wildlife, with some landscapes. I regularly crop, with no issues with sharpness. So, to diagnose, you’d need to state your lens reach vs. shutter speed. And, whether you use tripod or handheld. Especially if you’ve had the camera calibrated, I suspect that it is technique (no offense!), even if you get great shots with your D750. Assuming you’re cropping to the same level for your comparison, you’re in a much smaller part of the frame on the D850, expecting as good results. So, you need to be _very_… Read more »
George
March 14, 2020 8:23 am
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.
Never mind. I had failed to turn off lens correction in RawTherapee. It all makes a lot more sense now.
Hassan
August 6, 2019 4:05 pm
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 :)
Per Inge Oestmoen
July 10, 2019 12:18 pm
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… Read more »
thkpic
July 5, 2019 7:57 pm
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.
Alan Hagberg
January 16, 2019 2:37 pm
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… Read more »
Rick Benda
December 16, 2018 7:52 am
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.
I have a D850 and I’m always learning with new situations, this machine responds to my demands and stubbornness
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
Hi, Karen, welcome to the D850 family! I’ve had mine for almost three years, and love it! So, first of all, I shoot hand held, without EFCS, 99+% of the time. Mostly wildlife, with some landscapes. I regularly crop, with no issues with sharpness. So, to diagnose, you’d need to state your lens reach vs. shutter speed. And, whether you use tripod or handheld. Especially if you’ve had the camera calibrated, I suspect that it is technique (no offense!), even if you get great shots with your D750. Assuming you’re cropping to the same level for your comparison, you’re in a much smaller part of the frame on the D850, expecting as good results. So, you need to be _very_… Read more »
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.
Never mind. I had failed to turn off lens correction in RawTherapee. It all makes a lot more sense now.
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 :)
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… Read more »
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.
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… Read more »
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.