Nikon D850 Announced: First 45.7MP BSI Sensor, 4K Video, $3,300

Aug 23, 2017

Nikon has just officially announced the new Nikon D850, a powerful new full-frame DSLR that takes Nikon’s high-end camera lineup to lofty new heights.

Inside the camera is the first back-side illuminated (BSI) full-frame CMOS sensor in a Nikon DSLR, supported by Nikon’s EXPEED 5 image processing engine. It offers a whopping 45.7 megapixels of resolution for stills and can shoot 4K UHD video as well. The ISO range is 64-25600 (expandable to 32-102400)

“The Nikon D850 is the new benchmark in DSLR image quality, with an unprecedented combination of resolution, dynamic range, ISO and processing power,” Nikon says. “The 45.7-megapixel CMOS sensor approaches medium format-level resolution […] This is also Nikon’s first DSLR to incorporate a BSI CMOS sensor, which captures light more efficiently, resulting in a wider dynamic range and low-noise image capture.”

Photographers will be able to choose between 3 different RAW sizes: 45.4 megapixel Large photos, 25.6MP Medium photos, and 11.4MP Small shots. After capturing RAW photos, you can use an in-camera batch RAW processor to quickly convert a large number of shots.

Despite having such high resolution, the camera is quite speedy: it can shoot up to 7 frames per second normally or up to 9 frames per second if you use a battery grip and a EN-EL18a/b battery. The buffer can hold 51 photos if you’re shooting 14-bit lossless RAW or 170 shots if you’re shooting 12-bit lossless.

Nikon has also left out an optical low pass filter, giving up moiré pattern reduction for maximizing sharpness in photos.

For autofocusing, the D850 uses the same system found in the flagship D5. It’s a 153-point, Multi-Cam 20K AF system that uses 99 cross-type sensors (15 of them are sensitive to f/8).

On the back of the D850 is a 3.2-inch, 2.359-million-pixel tilting LCD touchscreen that boasts the most extensive touch functionality ever found in a Nikon DSLR.

You’ll also find the widest and brightest optical viewfinder ever found in a Nikon DSLR — one that offers 0.75x magnification.

The physical interface of the D850 uses illuminated buttons that light up at the turn of a dial, allowing you to more easily handle your camera’s functions in low-light environments.

If you’re a photographer who often needs to work silently — shooting weddings, for example — the D850 features an electronic shutter that lets you shoot in complete silence using Live View. In this mode, you can capture full resolution photos at 6fps or 8.6-megapixel photos at a whopping 30fps.

Other features of the D850 include dual card slots (XQD and SD), a new Negative Digitizer mode for film scanning, focus stacking (shooting 300 focus-bracketed shots for combining later in computer software), durable construction (a weather-sealed magnesium alloy body), multiple shooting formats with viewfinder shading (full frame, 1.2x, DX, 5:4, and 1:1 square), and wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth).

Additional video features include 4K output at full-frame width of 16:9, slow-motion (120fps at 1080p), focus peaking, 8K/4K timelapse creation in-camera with a built-in intervalometer, zebra stripes for spotting overblown highlights, uncompressed HDMI out, built-in stereo microphone and headphone/microphone inputs, and an audio attenuator for regulating sound levels.

Here’s a sample D850 4K video released by Nikon:

“The Nikon D850 is much more than a camera, rather it’s a statement that Nikon is continuing to listen to customer needs, to innovate for the next 100 years, and bring to market a full-frame DSLR that exceeds the expectations of the professionals that rely on this caliber of camera to make a living,” says Nikon marketing director Kosuke Kawaura.

Here are official sample photos captured using the D850: