Nikon D850: Announcement of an Announcement of Development

[Michael Erlewine]

The Nikon brochure.

http://cdn-4.nikon-cdn.com/e/Q5NM96RZZo-YRYNeYvAi9beHK4x3L-8h09FYyKWnWU6L2l14O7STBw==/Misc/D850_brochure.pdf

Above is the most info in one place.

[Rob C]

What's with this link? Every image is soft even though the copy is as sharp as a 50s Glaswegian razor.

I believe myself to be on Firefox...

Rob

[kers]

Thanks,

this brochure tells the same story 4 times... (!)
Overall i am impressed with the abundance of technology put into the body. ( the brochure had the desired effect on me)

what i find interesting:
Silent mode
"This mode can be used in approx. 6-fps continuous shooting, but can also shoot approx. 8.6-megapixel pictures in DX image area at approx. 30 fps*2.
*1 In M and A modes. Aperture drive sound occurs in P and S modes.
*2 Continuous shooting is available for up to approx. 3 s."

edit- question is how long does a complete readout takes?

Produce amazing dynamic range — HDR
i am curious to see the quality of the blend- do not like in most occasions the Active D-Lighting for it introduces halos

focus stacking
"The shutter release interval can be set from 0-30 s, while the focus step width can be selected from 10 levels. Continuous shooting at approx. 5 fps is also available"

- what i do not understand:

remote control 
The Nikon d850 has wifi and bluetooth  but still needs awkward externals like the WR-1, WR-R10/WR-T10 Wireless Remote controllers/receivers

no word about split screen
is it abandoned or was it too unimportant to cover?

[Paul2660]

One issues continues, it appears unless I have mis-read specs, the longest shutter speed is 30 seconds.  AGAIN, NIKON please give users a REAL intervalometer, one that has a timer.  Just  like you did with the D810A.  You know it can be done. 

Amazing oversight IMO.  Total disconnect with photographers shooting the night sky, as exposures longer than 30 seconds are very common.  Not everyone wants a cliche timelaspe of the Milkyway. 

Back to the need for an  external intervalometer.    As a photographer of the night sky, I am a bit stunned that Nikon choose to leave this single feature out.  They talk a lot about timelaspe and the rest, but to limit the camera to the old fashion 30 seconds max and no timer, wow. 
And since Nikon did add it to the D810A, they know it's not a big deal.

Thank goodness Fuji, and Phase One, and Hasselblad figured this out. 

Paul Caldwell

[Jim Kasson]

Bill Claff has posted some preliminary PDR numbers:

http://photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#Nikon%20D810,Nikon%20D850

No ISO 64 point yet.

Looks like probably no DR-Pix.

Jim

[NancyP]

They must have "Bulb" setting? Yes, for $3,300.00, it would make sense to have an intervalometer, but considering that you can add that functionality for ~$50.00 with a generic wired intervalometer (mine is Vello), it is a small issue.

[mcbroomf]

I ordered a copy of the Nikon D850 and a couple of batteries. I would like to order the Nikon es-2 slide copier, which they mention for the Nikon D850, but I only see the Nikon es-1 slide copier for sale. Anyone know about this? Does the Es-1 work for the D850?

The ES-2 seems to be available now (for pre-order)

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1357884-REG/nikon_27192_es_2_film_digitalizing_adapet.html
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/miscellaneous/es-2-film-digitizing-adapter.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

[mcbroomf]

They must have "Bulb" setting? Yes, for $3,300.00, it would make sense to have an intervalometer, but considering that you can add that functionality for ~$50.00 with a generic wired intervalometer (mine is Vello), it is a small issue.

There is a bulb mode.  Not sure what "time" means ("T" vs "B"?)

Shutter speeds 1/8000 to 30 s in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or
1 EV, bulb, time, X250

[BernardLanguillier]

Forgot which is which, but one keeps the shutter opens as long as the user presses while the second mode open shutter on first press and closes shutter on second press.

Cheers,
Bernard

[mcbroomf]

Forgot which is which, but one keeps the shutter opens as long as the user presses while the second mode open shutter on first press and closes shutter on second press.

Cheers,
Bernard

B you have to hold and T is a press for start, press for stop.  All my LF lens shutters have both ... I was frustrated with the Sony which only has B until I found that the cheap IR remotes acts as a T setting so good to see that Nikon have both built in.  Still I agree with Paul that longer manual settings would be useful.

[BernardLanguillier]

First DR measurements are starting to pop-up, it would seem that the D850 has the same DR as the D810 at base ISO64.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60033423

That sounds like excellent news to me!

Cheers,
Bernard

[BJL]

Maybe this has already been said, but the D850 specs seem to show that Nikon can get a top-quality sensor designed and made to fit its needs, so I think we can can stop worrying that Nikon is hampered by having to settle fpr whatever second-best sensors that Sony puts in its catalog. Maybe at times Canon hampers itself by insisting too much on doing everything in-house,  it of course it could always drop that if it fell too far behind in sensor fab ability: Sony would love a huge customer like Canon.

[Ray]

First DR measurements are starting to pop-up, it would seem that the D850 has the same DR as the D810 at base ISO64.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60033423

That sounds like excellent news to me!

Cheers,
Bernard

Bernard,

"These are early estimates based on available NEF files but not NEFs taken specifically to the PDR protocol."

Hasn't Nikon stated that at high ISOs image quality should be one full stop better than the D810? I would expect the D850 to have image quality at least equal to the D810 at ISO 64. However, an improvement at high ISOs, say all ISOs above 400, would be much appreciated.

[BernardLanguillier]

Maybe this has already been said, but the D850 specs seem to show that Nikon can get a top-quality sensor designed and made to fit its needs, so I think we can can stop worrying that Nikon is hampered by having to settle fpr whatever second-best sensors that Sony puts in its catalog. Maybe at times Canon hampers itself by insisting too much on doing everything in-house,  it of course it could always drop that if it fell too far behind in sensor fab ability: Sony would love a huge customer like Canon.

A few posters, typically owning Sony equipment, have been spreading negative views about Nikon for months.

It is a bit as if they thought that Sony cameras are mostly a sensor with a box around it and if the differentiation of the sensor were a mandatory condition for their success. It is sad because Sony cameras are great in their own right.

I continue to strongly dispute the proposition that it would be in the best interest of Sony not to sell their best sensors to Nikon. Very few of the sensors they would not sell in Nikon bodies would end up in Sony bodies. The cross selling btwn these 2 is much more limited than they seem to think. Sony would end up both losing an important income for their sensor division and also indirectly help strengthen the competitor Nikon would end up working with.

And, once again, these Nikon naysayers are very quickly forgetting that the Nikon orders pretty funded for many many years the development of the great sensor technology we see today in APS-C and FX bodies. I am fully aware that mobile phones were another key funding stream, but there is a difference between a mobile phone sensor and one for a DSLR.

The D850 sensor should indeed clearly put an end to this story... but it won't... because now they are coming up with the theory that 46mp isn't a high resolution sensor... and that the real best sensor of Sony will end up in these...

At some point in time, it will become important to get back to photography and to compare the great images captured with D850 to the non existent images captured with a some day to be released super high magical sensor in a Sony body. 

Cheers,
Bernard

[scyth]

I continue to strongly dispute the proposition that it would be in the best interest of Sony not to sell their best sensors to Nikon.

why dispute ? of course Sony Imaging 'd love not to sell, but it does not make sensors

[scyth]

but there is a difference between a mobile phone sensor and one for a DSLR.

sure, that is why BSI first was tested first in smaller sensors and stacked tech (Exmor-RS) also... most probably even aptina's DR-Pix was there...

[scyth]

It is a bit as if they thought that Sony cameras are mostly a sensor with a box around it and if the differentiation of the sensor were a mandatory condition for their success.

but Sony's dSLMs are indeed differentiated by the sensor :-)... bodies of the same generation are sufficiently identical... true there are some technologies that were arriving too late, so for example A7R was crippled by no EFCS and no IBIS, but it is exception and not the rule... the rule for Sony worlds is that sensor is what differentiate and everything else (like AF, FPS, etc) is simply the result of the sensor capability

[scyth]

Maybe at times Canon hampers itself by insisting too much on doing everything in-house,

market share dynamics so far proves Canon right...

[scyth]

First DR measurements are starting to pop-up, it would seem that the D850 has the same DR as the D810 at base ISO64.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60033423

That sounds like excellent news to me!

Cheers,
Bernard

just don't forget that Ph2Ph does not calculate per sensel PDR... so it is the same PDR assuming the ideal downsizing... and raw converters/post processing are not ideal math-wise once you start doing demosaicking and color transforms first.

[shadowblade]

Bernard,

"These are early estimates based on available NEF files but not NEFs taken specifically to the PDR protocol."

Hasn't Nikon stated that at high ISOs image quality should be one full stop better than the D810? I would expect the D850 to have image quality at least equal to the D810 at ISO 64. However, an improvement at high ISOs, say all ISOs above 400, would be much appreciated.

That's pretty much what I would expect - similar performance at base ISO (with a few extra MP) and improvement at high ISO to match the A9/D5/A7r2/1Dx2. It would be the most sensible area to improve ISO, given the 9fps/D5 AF capability, and BSI would deliver that. Rather like the A7r to A7r2 upgrade.