Nikon D850 Camera Review

The Nikon D850 isn't very portable. Even among full-frame DSLR cameras, it's got some real heft to it. Make no mistake, this is a professional camera, built to withstand whatever you can throw at it, and its size and weight reflect that.

The camera's build quality is excellent. It uses durable materials like carbon fiber and magnesium alloy, and the body feels very robust overall.

It's weather-sealed to resist dust and moisture, and most of the inputs and compartments are secure, with hinged doors for most of the inputs and locking doors for the battery compartment and memory card slots. That said, some inputs, like the flash sync and 10-pin remote terminal, use flimsier rubber flaps, and there's no included hot shoe cover.

Beyond that, the grip is large and well-textured for a secure hold, while the dials, buttons, and screen mechanism all have a solid, rigid feel. All in all, it feels very well-constructed and built to last.

• USB-A to Micro-B USB cable
• 1x Nikon EN-EL15a Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• MH-25a Battery Charger
• Battery charger plug adapter
• Shoulder strap
• Battery compartment cover
• Battery grip connector cover
• DK-17F Fluorine-Coated Finder Eyepiece
• Cable clips
• User manual and documentation

The Nikon D850 has excellent ergonomics, especially for those with moderate to larger hands. Its large, textured hand grip feels great, and despite the camera's weight, the grip feels secure thanks to a highly rubberized finish. The camera has a ton of physical controls, making it easy to adjust settings without diving into menus, though most settings require multiple inputs, i.e. holding down one button while turning a dial. The extensive controls and layout can also take some getting used to, especially for those coming from a different system. The camera's weight could also cause fatigue throughout longer shooting days.

The camera's optical viewfinder (OVF) is nice and large, with full coverage and a high magnification, so you can accurately frame your shots. The eye cup around the viewfinder isn't especially soft, but the flatness of the eye piece is well-suited to those who shoot with glasses. There's also a switch that toggles a cover over the viewfinder, which is handy for preventing light leaks during long exposures.

The camera has a tilting touchscreen, which is great for waist-level shooting or shooting from a tripod. It's large and gets bright enough to overcome glare, with a very high resolution so you can accurately review your images or shoot in Live View mode.

The camera has an excellent menu system. It's easy to navigate using either the touchscreen or the D-pad. It also remembers the last option you selected, so you can easily jump back in and adjust settings where you left off. Overall, the menus are well organized, with separate photo and video tabs and clear labels. However, some more advanced settings are a bit harder to find, with many different categories of settings under the 'Custom Setting Menu' tab. Some settings can also only be adjusted through physical controls, such as toggling between manual and autofocus or changing the AF mode/zone. Thankfully, you can access frequently used settings through the quick menu.

The Nikon D850 was one of the first DSLRs from Nikon to feature a backside-illuminated sensor. It's essentially the same 45 MP sensor that Nikon later adapted for the Nikon Z 7II, although the D850 uses an older EXPEED 5 processor. All in all, it's a fantastic full-frame sensor with plenty of resolution and a wide ISO range.

The camera's battery life is fantastic, with a CIPA rating of approximately 1840 photos on a full charge. These ratings aren't necessarily representative of real-world usage, so depending on how you use your camera, you're mileage will vary. However, it's rated far above any mirrorless alternative and can last you through heavy shooting days.

Its video battery life, meanwhile, is just decent, lasting for about an hour and a half of 4k video recording. 

Unfortunately, the camera doesn't support USB charging. You'll have to take out the battery and use the included battery charger. It also doesn't support power delivery, since there's no USB power delivery port, but you can get around this by using a dummy battery or AC adapter if needed.

The camera doesn't have the fastest burst rate by today's standards, but it certainly isn't bad, and in the right hands, its high-speed 7 fps burst rate will be enough to capture sequential bursts of relatively fast subjects.

Because it's a DSLR, silent shooting is only available in Live View mode, with two available options: 'SL1' and 'SL2'. 'SL1' can shoot at up to about six fps, with no restrictions on quality or settings. 'SL2', meanwhile, shoots at approximately 30 fps but has several limitations; images are cropped to APS-C size, with an effective resolution of about 8.6 MP and image quality locked to 'JPEG Normal'. This is handy if you need very quick burst rates and don't mind the hit in image quality and resolution. Additionally, there's a 'Quiet Continuous' mode that can be used through the viewfinder, but it's not completely silent and only shoots at a rate of about 3-4 fps.

The buffer has a hard limit of 200 frames. However, when shooting in RAW format, you'll fill the buffer after about 65 shots when using a CFexpress card. Thankfully, the buffer is quick to empty as well. That said, if using a UHS-II SD card, the RAW buffer fills up after only 10 shots and takes about 5s to clear. So, if you're looking to do intensive burst shooting, timing is critical. For example, when shooting wildlife, using a CFexpress card is your best bet.

The camera has a great autofocus system. Similar to models like the Nikon D5, it has a dedicated processor for autofocus and uses a hybrid system with a majority of cross-type AF points. Nikon's 3D Tracking system works very well to continuously track moving subjects in continuous shooting mode, with a very high rate of usable images. While it doesn't nail focus perfectly every time, especially with more erratic movement, it's a very effective AF system overall. Note that 3D Tracking is only available when shooting through the viewfinder.

If you prefer to track subjects manually using a single center focus point, the camera is remarkably reliable. It has no trouble keeping up with subjects moving at a moderate pace, and as long as you can keep your subject under the focus point, you'll get excellent results.

The Nikon D850 doesn't have in-body image stabilization, or Vibration Reduction, as Nikon calls it, though many F mount lenses do have optical stabilization. We tested image stabilization using the AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR, which does have optical Vibration Reduction, and the camera did an impressive job of stabilizing handheld shots. Given its weight, it's a fairly stable camera, and you can get clear images at very slow shutter speeds handheld, especially with the right lens. Note that other factors, including but not limited to focal length and the steadiness of your hands, can impact stabilization performance.

The Nikon D850 has incredible dynamic range overall. It preserves a very wide range of highlight and shadow detail in high-contrast scenes, so it's well-suited to photography in trickier lighting conditions.

Given the camera's high-resolution sensor, it unsurprisingly does an excellent job of resolving fine detail. Photos look very sharp, and you have some room to crop in without losing too much fine detail and texture.

The camera's noise handling is good overall, though it doesn't do the greatest job of managing noise in very dim lighting conditions or with shorter exposures. Thankfully, due to its high-resolution sensor, the structure of noise is very fine, and the overall image remains sharp.

Note: The sample gallery images have been cropped to a 16:9 aspect ratio for consistency with other cameras. You can click here to see the original sample image.

Note: The sample gallery images have been cropped to a 16:9 aspect ratio for consistency with other cameras. You can click here to see the original sample image.

Note: The sample gallery images have been cropped to a 16:9 aspect ratio for consistency with other cameras. You can click here to see the original sample image.

Note: The sample gallery images have been cropped to a 16:9 aspect ratio for consistency with other cameras. You can click here to see the original sample image.

The Nikon D850 is, first and foremost, a photography camera, though it does support some basic video features, like 4k video recording. By current mirrorless and hybrid camera standards, however, it's quite limited. There's no Log recording option, and its external video output is limited to 8-bit.

The camera can record 4k video at up to 30 fps without a crop. That's good for most everyday video recording, but there are no higher frame rate options for slow-motion video.

The Nikon D850 has good overall internal video recording specs, though it isn't really intended for advanced video work. For one, it's limited to 8-bit 4:2:0 internal recording and imposes a 30-minute time limit. Even if you record up to the 30-minute cap, video files are saved as shorter individual clips.

While the Nikon D850's autofocus system is great for photography, it doesn't perform nearly as well in video mode. Its face-tracking feature is disappointing, with jerky transitions and a lot of hunting to find the subject. Compared to newer mirrorless models like the Nikon Z 6III, it falls short.

The 4k video quality is great overall. It looks especially good in controlled lighting conditions, with an incredibly sharp, detailed image. In low light, video looks noticeably noisy, though still sharp, and it has more difficulty maintaining focus.

Unfortunately, rolling shutter effect is very noticeable in 4k, with heavily skewed lines when panning the camera.

In 1080p, the Nikon D850 can record at up to 60 fps for normal video, with an option to record slow-motion footage at 120 fps. Playback for the slow-motion option is at 30 fps, and the camera incurs a 1.5x crop. Additionally, recording is limited to three minutes when using the slow-mo setting.

As with 4k, the camera's limited to 8-bit 4:2:0 recording internally, with a 30-minute cap on recording. Compared to newer models intended for video, its bit rate options and internal recording capabilities are quite limited.

The AF isn't very reliable in video, even in 1080p. The camera struggles heavily to keep up with moving subjects, with noticeable hunting and inconsistent tracking.

Video quality in 1080p is great, especially in brighter lighting. There's some noise in low light, but overall videos appear sharp and detailed. You can also see how the normal video quality compares to the FHD slow motion mode in this test scene extract.

There's less rolling shutter distortion in FHD, but there's still some noticeable wobbling or skewing with quicker camera movements.

The Nikon D850 has one SD card slot, rated for UHS-II cards, and a CFexpress card slot. The memory cards are well-placed and easy to switch out on the side of the camera, under a secure locking door.

Unlike most cameras, the D850 uses a Micro-B USB port to connect it to a computer for file transfers. There's also a Mini HDMI (Type C) port to connect to an external display, as well as a headphone jack and microphone input. Additionally, there's a battery grip connector on the bottom and sync ports on the front shoulder of the camera. The camera also supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity.