Nikon D850 Review

September 14, 2017 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The new Nikon D850 is a 45.7 megapixel full-frame DSLR camera that uses a back-side illuminated (BSI) sensor with no optical low-pass filter. The D850 offers continuous shooting at 7 frames per second at full resolution with full AF performance, or an even faster 9fps with the optional MB-D18 Multi Battery Power Pack and EN-EL18b battery. Other key features include an ISO range of 64–25600 (extendable from 32 to 102400), the same 153-point AF system as the flagship D5 with 99 cross-type sensors and a dedicated AF processor, 4K UHD video recording, 8K timelapse movies, slow motion movies up to 120 FPS at 1080p, a tilting LCD touchscreen, Nikon's highest magnification optical viewfinder ever (0.75x), silent photography in Live View mode, 1,840 shot battery life, Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity and support for UHS-II SD and XQD cards. The Nikon D850 is priced at £3,499.99 / €3,899.00 / $3299.95 body only.

Ease of Use

Nikon D850
Front of the Nikon D850

The Nikon D850 is the successor to the popular D810 camera, and outwardly the Nikon D850 looks very similar to its predecessor. It features a redesigned, even deeper and narrower hand-grip, while the overall shape of the camera body has near identical dimensions. Weighing in at 915 grams the D850 is ever so slightly heavier than the D810, once again feeling reassuringly hefty in your hand.

The control layout is broadly similar to that of the Nikon D810, which is a good thing in our book - but there are some key differences. As well as the new handgrip, there's a brand new Fn2 button on the rear-left of the camera, the LCD screen can be tilted up and down, there's a very handy thumb-operated joystick for selecting the AF point, and the ISO and Mode buttons on top of the camera have swapped positions. Around the shutter release is a switch for turning the camera on or off, and if you move it around on further than the “on” position, you'll also switch on the illumination light for the LCD panel which is useful when you're working in lower light conditions, just like on the D5 and D500 cameras. The D810's pop-up flash has also been completely removed, with the microphone holes now on top of the camera. That's about it for the visual differences between the new D850 and the older D810, so upgraders will feel quickly at home with the latest iteration.

The small textured joystick on the rear of the D850 allows you to select an AF point. You can also use it as an AE Lock button. It's an intuitive little joystick to use, and as it falls neatly under your thumb when holding the camera it's very quick to change the point you need. You'd have to give the joystick a reasonably hard push by accident to change a point when you didn't want to - and hold it down to move the point across further than one point. You also have the option to use an eight way controller just underneath the joystick to set your focus point, but it's pretty small and not that comfortable to use.

For the Nikon D850 there is another way to set the autofocus point - but only if you're shooting in Live View. You can now use the screen as it is touch sensitive. Simply switch the camera to shooting in Live View (there's a dedicated button near the screen) and you can tap on screen where you want the point to be. While it's true that the majority of photographers will be using the viewfinder to compose, using the screen is useful in certain applications, such as when shooting macro subjects.

Autofocusing is designed to work in conditions as dark as -4EV for the central AF point and -3EV for the more sensitive cross-type sensors. This gives you great scope to work in a variety of lighting conditions, and the Nikon D850 really delivers well, locking onto subjects in dark conditions quickly and easily without hunting around - news and reportage photographers who are working with natural low light at nighttime should really appreciate this. In terms of low light there's a definite and noticeable improvement from the previous D810 model.

Nikon D850
Rear of the Nikon D850

The focus mode switch on the front of the D850 has two positions only, AF and M. Cycling through the available options (single, 9-, 21- and 51-point dynamic, 3D tracking, auto area and group area) is done in a similar vein as on the D5 and D7200. To wit, the focus mode switch has a small button at its hub. You can toggle between AF-S and AF-C modes by holding down this button, with the switch in the ‘AF' position, and turning the rear control wheel. To cycle through the available AF Area modes, use the sub command dial instead. The settings are displayed in the viewfinder and the top-mounted status LCD. New to the D850 is the Pinpoint AF Live View mode which allows you to put the tiny focus point literally anywhere within the frame.

The Live View button on the rear is encircled by a two-way Live View mode selector. This lever can be set to either “live view photography” or “movie live view”, each of which is denoted by a little, self-explanatory icon.

The Live View implementation features only a single Live View mode where the mirror is locked up, and AF is performed using the contrast detection method. Upon entering Live View, the mirror is raised and the lens is stopped down to the working aperture, allowing for an accurate depth of field preview. As with other Live View enabled Nikon DSLRs, there is a red rectangle that you can position anywhere within the frame, so you can focus precisely on the part of your subject that you want to appear sharpest in the resulting photo. Live View auto focus speeds aren't stellar, particularly if compared to the latest generation of compact system cameras, but are decent for a DSLR.

The D850 does now feature a completely silent Live View option - turn on the Silent Photography in Live View option and you can capture without sound or mechanical vibration. In Mode 1, you can shoot for up to 6fps continuous at 45.7 megapixels.  In Mode 2, you can shoot 8.6-megapixel pictures in DX image area at 30fps for up to 3 seconds. Furthermore, the silent electronic shutter can also be employed when shooting a time-lapse, which helps to keep the image sharp and reduce wear and tear on the mechanical shutter.

As far as manual focusing is concerned, you can magnify into the live view feed up to 23x - but it's worth noting that this magnified view is at least partially interpolated, which is a bit of a shame. Also there is a live histogram - though in order to actually see it you'll need to remember to push the OK button first to enable the Nikon D850's Exposure Preview feature. Architectural photographers will be glad to hear that the optional virtual horizon is a dual-axis version showing both pitch and roll. The Live View split-screen zoom displays magnified areas of the left and right sides of the live view frame, making more precise adjustments even easier than the virtual horizon.

Nikon D850
Top of the Nikon D850

“Movie live view” enables you to accurately preview framing for videos, which have an aspect ratio of 16:9 rather than 3:2. There's now a wealth of movie shooting options available for the Nikon D850. There's not only 1080p (full HD) at a variety of frame rates (24p, 25p, 50p, 60p) along with some crop modes, but there is now 4K video recording for as long as 29 minutes 59 seconds, with no cropping of the sensor. Furthermore, you can shoot for more than three hours using the MB-D18 Multi-Power Battery Pack! The D850 also has an electronic Vibration Reduction system that reduces the impact of camera shake during movie recording, although this only works when recording 1080p, not 4K footage.

Manual exposure adjustment is available for movies - note that ISO and shutter speed are only adjustable in 'M' mode, while the aperture can be set in both 'A' and 'M' modes. The Nikon D850 features a built-in microphone but for professional-grade audio recording you'll definitely want to use an external one. In order to monitor the audio during movie capture, you can also connect a pair of headphones to the camera. As is now the norm for virtually every digital camera, from compacts to CSCs to DSLRs, there's a dedicated red movie-record button on the D850, located right next to the shutter release. We found this button a bit too small for our taste - your mileage may of course vary. The depth-of-field preview button found on the front panel of the camera can be used to add indices to specific frames during recording so that they are easier to locate in the editing phase.

At the heart of the Nikon D850's live view and movie live view experience is a tilting 3.2” LCD screen, rather than the fixed screen on the D810. It's also seen a bump in resolution - there's now 2359k dots, whereas the D810 had 1299K. The touch sensitivity isn't available for every facet of camera option, but it is a very usable extra. You can use it to set the autofocus point and even take the picture in Live View, but perhaps more appealing to professional photographers is the option to swipe through images and pinch to zoom - it makes checking that you've got the vital shot just that little bit quicker. Unlike the D5, you can also use the screen to select menu options.

The optical viewfinder, which is one of the most important parts of any SLR, is big and bright with 0.75x magnification and approximately 100% frame coverage. Like the D5, the Nikon D850 comes with a Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VIII focusing screen. The excellent on-demand viewfinder grid display (Custom Setting d6) has been carried over from the older model.

When using the optical viewfinder - as opposed to shooting in Live View mode - you  can take advantage of the Nikon D850's outstanding 153-point AF system, which includes 99 cross-type points which are more sensitive. Similarly to the D5, the D850 features an upgraded version of the venerable Multi-CAM 3500FX auto focus module, which boasts improved sensitivity (down to -4EV) and support for lens-teleconverter combinations as slow as f/8. In use, we found the system to be highly capable, even in low-light situations. Under normal light levels and with the right lens mounted, the speed of the auto focus system is blazingly fast, meaning you can capture even the fastest-moving subjects with ease.

Nikon D850
Tilting LCD Screen

The Nikon D800/E's physical metering mode selector has been retained in the D850, located on the release mode dial. However, the meter itself features the very same 91,000-pixel RGB metering sensor as the D800/E. Aside from being very sensitive - down to -1EV in 3D Colour Matrix III and centre-weighted modes - the sensor also assists the camera in tracking subjects, detecting faces (when not using live view) and focusing. The 'highlight-weighted' metering option promises to preserve highlight detail in especially contrast, backlit scenes.

Unlike its predecessor, the Nikon D850 no longer features a pop-up flash. The D850 has a standard Nikon hot-shoe and an ISO 519 compliant Prontor-Compur flash sync terminal for connecting cable-contact flash units such as studio strobes. The PC sync socket is protected by a rubber flap, as is the proprietary 10-pin connector that sits directly below it. The latter is used to attach an optional wired remote release or GPS unit to the camera.

The D850 has a user configurable Exposure Delay Mode - you can set the length of delay between mirror up and image capture (1, 2 or 3 seconds). Although the camera has a proper mirror lock-up mode too, the Exposure Delay Mode comes in very handy whenever you don't have a remote cord to hand. Auto ISO sensitivity control works the same in the new model. You can have the camera determine the minimum shutter speed based on the focal length of the lens in use. This means that the camera may raise the ISO sensitivity if the shutter speed drops below 1/200 second when using a 200mm lens but leave it unchanged down to 1/50 second if a 50mm lens is attached (this can be fine-tuned by the user). Usefully Auto ISO is also available in the manual exposure mode.

The Nikon D850 offers a maximum continuous shooting speed of 7fps in FX mode, which is a step forward from the 5fps of the D810. Considering the amount of data that needs to be moved during a quick burst, this shooting speed is nothing short of phenomenal. There's an even faster 9fps available with the optional MB-D18 Multi Battery Power Pack and EN-EL18b battery fitted. As with the D5, you can choose to shoot in "Raw M" (25.6MP) and or “Raw S” (11.4MP) to produce a smaller files than the full resolution gives which can extend your continuous shooting even further and make it easier (in other words, quicker) to transfer images.

Nikon D850
Front of the Nikon D850

What hasn't changed is the rather clumsy way of storing and retrieving combinations of frequently used settings. The Nikon D850 has separate Shooting Menu Banks and Custom Settings Banks, and even if you use both you still cannot store all of your settings, much less activate them at the same time. This is rather strange as even the more enthusiast-focused Nikon D7100 has two easy-to-access user settings, labelled U1 and U2. While we are aware that many photographers don't use memory banks / user settings at all on their cameras, we would still love to see this fixed in a future firmware update.

The Nikon D850 has dual SD and XQD memory card slots. The implementation of the two-card system is exemplary: you can tell the camera to record every image simultaneously on both cards for instant backup, designate one card to store raw files and the other JPEGs, use the secondary card for “overflow” - you name it. The camera is compatible with XQD and UHS-II compliant SDHC and SDXC memory cards.

On the left hand flank, if viewing the camera from the back, we find three commendably firm, hinged rubber doors that stay open until you close them. Sheltered behind these is a pretty extensive array of connection ports including a mini HDMI connector, a USB 3.0 port, as well as both microphone and headphone jacks. The Nikon D850 also features an Ethernet port and is compatible with the WT-7 wireless transmitter. Note that in order to use the mini HDMI port you'll have to buy a separately sold Type C HDMI cable, as none is included with the camera.

The Nikon D850 draws power from a new proprietary EN-EL15a battery which is CIPA rated for an incredible 1840 shots. Those that need even more power and/or want to speed up their continuous shooting should seriously consider the optional MB-D18 Multi Battery Power Pack and EN-EL18b battery.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 45.7 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 25Mb.

Noise

The base sensitivity of the Nikon D850 is ISO 64 but you can go down to ISO 32 (L1.0) if you wish. At the other end of the scale, the highest native sensitivity of the Nikon D850 is ISO 25600, but two boosted settings, ISO 51200 and ISO 102400, are also available.

JPEG RAW

LO 1EV (ISO 32) (100% Crop)

LO 1EV (ISO 32) (100% Crop)

iso32.jpg iso32raw.jpg
   

ISO 64 (100% Crop)

ISO 64 (100% Crop)

iso64.jpg iso64raw.jpg
   

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg
   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

iso6400.jpg iso6400raw.jpg
   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

iso12800.jpg iso12800raw.jpg
   

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

iso25600.jpg iso25600raw.jpg
   

HI 1EV (ISO 51200) (100% Crop)

HI 1EV (ISO 51200) (100% Crop)

iso25600.jpg iso25600raw.jpg
   

HI 2EV (ISO 102400) (100% Crop)

HI 2EV (ISO 102400) (100% Crop)

iso102400.jpg iso102400raw.jpg

File Quality

The file quality settings available on the Nikon D850 include Basic, Normal and Fine for JPEGs, and the camera can also shoot 12- or 14-bit NEFs (Nikon's proprietary raw file format) and 8-bit TIFFs.

Fine (21.8Mb) (100% Crop)

Normal (12.0Mb) (100% Crop)

quality_fine.jpg quality_normal.jpg
   
Basic (4.34Mb) (100% Crop)

Raw (91.6Mb) (100% Crop)

quality_basic.jpg quality_raw.jpg
   
Tiff (135Mb) (100% Crop)

 

quality_tiff.jpg  

Night

The Nikon D850 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. There is an optional long-exposure noise reduction function that can be activated to filter out any hot pixels that may appear when extremely slow shutter speeds are used, though we found no need for this when taking the photograph below at a shutter speed of 30 seconds, aperture of f/11 at ISO 64. We've included a 100% crop for you to see what the quality is like.

Night

night1.jpg

Active D-lighting (ADL)

D-lighting is Nikon's dynamic range optimisation tool that attempts to squeeze the full dynamic range of the sensor into JPEGs. Active D-lighting works “on the fly”, before the in-camera processing engine converts the raw image data into JPEGs. The available settings are Off, Low, Normal, High and Extra High.

Off

adl_01.jpg
 
Low
adl_02.jpg
 

Normal

adl_03.jpg
 
High
adl_04.jpg
 

Extra High

adl_05.jpg

HDR Capture

The Nikon D850 offers the ability to shoot two differently exposed images in rapid succession, which are then blended in-camera to form a single, high-dynamic-range image. The exposure differential can be 1, 2 or 3EV, and you can choose from three different levels of smoothing (low, normal and high; with normal and high producing more realistic results than the low setting). Note that this feature is only available when shooting JPEG.

Off

hdr_01.jpg
 
1EV
hdr_02.jpg
 

2EV

hdr_03.jpg
 
3EV
hdr_04.jpg

Picture Controls

Nikon's Picture Controls are akin to Canon's Picture Styles in being preset combinations of sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. All Picture Controls can be tweaked to your liking, then saved and transferred to other cameras.

Standard

picture_controls_01.jpg
 
Neutral
picture_controls_02.jpg
 

Vivid

picture_controls_03.jpg
 
Monochrome
picture_controls_04.jpg
 

Portrait

picture_controls_05.jpg
 
Landscape
picture_controls_06.jpg
 
Flat
picture_controls_07.jpg

Crop Modes

The Nikon D850 is an FX camera but it can also shoot in one of four crop modes, including a 25-megapixel 1.2x crop mode, a 15-megapixel DX crop mode, a 30-megapixel 5:4 mode that uses the full height of the sensor but trims the sides, and a new "1:1" square mode. The boundaries of the cropped areas are denoted with thin black lines in the viewfinder, which otherwise continues to show the full FX view, allowing you to see what's happening outside the cropped frame - perfect for sports and action shooting.

FX
crop_mode_01.jpg
 

1.2x

crop_mode_02.jpg
 
DX
crop_mode_03.jpg
 

5:4

crop_mode_04.jpg
 

1:1

crop_mode_05.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon D850 camera, which were all taken using the 45.7 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Nikon D850 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Nikon RAW (NEF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 12 second movie is 196Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 25 frames per second. Please note that this 10 second movie is 166Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 24 frames per second. Please note that this 10 second movie is 169Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 11 second movie is 61Mb in size.

This is a sample slow-motion movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 53 second movie is 195Mb in size.

Product Images

Nikon D850

Front of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Side of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Side of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Rear of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Rear of the Nikon D850 / Image Displayed

 
Nikon D850

Rear of the Nikon D850 / Live View

 
Nikon D850

Rear of the Nikon D850 / Info Screen

 
Nikon D850

Rear of the Nikon D850 / Quick Menu

 
Nikon D850

Rear of the Nikon D850 / Main Menu

 
Nikon D850

Rear of the Nikon D850 / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Nikon D850

Rear of the Nikon D850 / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Nikon D850

Rear of the Nikon D850 / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Nikon D850

Top of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Top of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Bottom of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Side of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Side of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Front of the Nikon D850

 
Nikon D850

Memory Card Slots

 
Nikon D850

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

Offering a compelling balance of size and speed, the Nikon D850 is the best all-round DSLR camera that we've ever had the pleasure of reviewing. This is really the one camera that can do it all, from landscapes to action, reportage to weddings, the D850 handles it all with aplomb - only sports photographers who need the even faster frame rate of something like the D5 will likely pass on the amazingly well-rounded D850. There are a few flies in the ointment - auto-focusing during live view is still frustratingly slow, especially if you've ever used a decent mirrorless camera, SnapBridge urgently needs some further refinement, you've got to budget for some XQD cards, and videographers may be underwhelmed by the lack of options - but overall your £3,499.99 / €3,899.00 / $3299.95 buys you a heck of a lot of camera.

After a difficult couple of years, Nikon are certainly back with a bang with the new D850, which for the moment at least is our DSLR camera of choice... 

5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 5
Features 5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 5
Value for money 4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Nikon D850.

Canon EOS 1D X Mark II

The Canon EOS 1D X Mark II is a brand new flagship DSLR camera for professionals. Aimed at sports, press and nature photographers, the 20 megapixel 1DX Mark II builds on the success of the previous 1D X camera with a wealth of improvements, including 4K video recording, a new 20.2 megapixel sensor, 16fps continuous shooting and an expanded ISO range. Can the Canon EOS 1D X Mark II justify its £5,199.99 / $5,999.95 price-tag? Find out by reading our in-depth Canon EOS 1D X Mark II review...

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

The long-awaited Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR has now arrived, improving on its predecessor, the incredibly popular 5D Mark III, in almost every way. Does the new 5D Mark IV offer enough to justify the £3629 / $3499 asking price? Read our Canon EOS 5D Mark IV review to find out...

Nikon D5

The Nikon D5 is a brand new flagship DSLR camera for professionals. Aimed at sports, press and nature photographers, the 20 megapixel D5 builds on the success of the previous D4s camera with a wealth of improvements, including a new 20.8 megapixel sensor, 4K video recording, touch-screen control, and an expanded ISO range. Can the Nikon D5 justify its £5,199.99 / $6,499.95 price-tag? Find out by reading our in-depth Nikon D5 review...

Sony A7R II

The Sony A7R II is a hotly-anticipated full-frame compact system camera that promises to outclass the DSLR competition. Is this the best full-frame camera on the market? Read our Sony A7R II review to find out...

Sony A9

The Sony A9 is a lightning-fast full-frame compact system camera that is clearly taking aim at the Nikon and Canon DSLR competition. Is this the best professional action camera on the market? Read our Sony A9 review to find out...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Nikon D850 from around the web.

techradar.com »

Whether you're shooting weddings, landscapes, portraits, action or wildlife, the D850 won't leave you wanting. A much more versatile proposition than the D810 (and its closest rivals for that matter), the D850 is a brilliant DSLR, and perhaps the most well-rounded camera we've ever tested.
Read the full review »

ephotozine.com »

The Nikon D850 updates the Nikon D810 from 2014 and is a significant upgrade, with an all-new 45.7mp full-frame BSI CMOS sensor, fast continuous shooting at 7fps (up to 9fps with battery grip), 4K UHD video recording, a tilting 3.2inch touch-screen, and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The camera is also capable of creating 4K timelapse videos in-camera.
Read the full review »

pcworld.idg.com.au »

The Nikon D850 DSLR has just hit the market to an initial round of applause that - on initial tests - is more than deserved. The long-awaited replacement for 2014’s D810 - a good camera in its own right - has a stream of improvements and pluses with very few negatives.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Type

Single-lens reflex digital camera

Lens mount

Nikon F mount (with AF coupling and AF contacts)

Effective angle of view

Nikon FX format

Total pixels

46.89 million

Dust-reduction system

Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (Capture NX-D software required)

Image size (pixels)

FX (36x24) image area, (L) 8256 x 5504 (45.4 million), (M) 6192 x 4128 (25.5 million), (S) 4128 x 2752 (11.3 million), 1.2x (30x20) image area, (L) 6880 x 4584 (31.5 million), (M) 5152 x 3432 (17.6 million), (S) 3440 x 2288 (7.8 million)
DX (24x16) image area, (L) 5408 x 3600 (19.4 million), (M) 4048 x 2696 (10.9 million), (S) 2704 x 1800 (4.8 million), 5 : 4 (30x24) image area, (L) 6880 x 5504 (37.8 million), (M) 5152 x 4120 (21.2 million), (S) 3440 x 2752 (9.4 million), 1 : 1 (24x24) image area, (L) 5504 x 5504 (30.2 million), (M) 4128 x 4128 (17.0 million), (S) 2752 x 2752 (7.5 million)
FX-format photographs taken during movie recording, (L) 8256 x 4640 (38.3 million), (M) 6192 x 3480 (21.5 million), (S) 4128 x 2320 (9.5 million)
DX-format photographs taken during movie recording, (L) 5408 x 3040 (16.4 million), (M) 4048 x 2272 (9.1 million), (S) 2704 x 1520 (4.1 million)

Storage file formats

NEF (RAW): 12 or 14 bit (lossless compressed, compressed, or uncompressed); large, medium, and small available (medium and small images are recorded at a bit depth of 12 bits using lossless compression)
TIFF (RGB)
JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1 : 4), normal (approx. 1 : 8), or basic (approx. 1 : 16) compression; optimal quality compression available
NEF (RAW)+JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats

Picture Control System

Auto, Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape, Flat; selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls

Card slot

1 XQD card and 1 Secure Digital (SD) card. Either card can be used for primary or backup storage or for separate storage of NEF (RAW) and JPEG images; pictures can be copied between cards.

File system

DCF 2.0, Exif 2.31, PictBridge

Viewfinder

Eye-level pentaprism single-lens reflex viewfinder

Frame coverage

FX (36x24): Approx. 100% horizontal and 100% vertical, 1.2x (30x20): Approx. 97% horizontal and 97% vertical, DX (24x16): Approx. 97% horizontal and 97% vertical, 5:4 (30x24): Approx. 97% horizontal and 100% vertical, 1:1 (24x24): Approx. 97% horizontal and 100% vertical

Magnification

Approx. 0.75x (50 mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, –1.0 m-1)

Eyepoint

17 mm (–1.0 m-1; from center surface of viewfinder eyepiece lens)

Diopter adjustment

-3 to +1 m-1

Focusing screen

Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VIII screen with AF area brackets (framing grid can be displayed)

Reflex mirror

Quick return

Depth-of-field preview

Yes, pressing Pv button stops lens aperture down to value selected by user (A and M modes) or by camera (P and S modes)

Lens aperture

Instant return, electronically controlled

Compatible lenses

Compatible with AF NIKKOR lenses, including type G, E, and D lenses (some restrictions apply to PC lenses), and DX lenses (using DX 24 x 16 image area), AI-P NIKKOR lenses, and non-CPU AI lenses (exposure modes A and M only). IX NIKKOR lenses, lenses for the F3AF, and non-AI lenses cannot be used. The electronic rangefinder can be used with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster (the electronic rangefinder supports 15 focus points with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/8 or faster, of which 9 points are available for selection).

Shutter type

Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane mechanical shutter; electronic front-curtain shutter available in quiet shutter-release, quiet continuous shutter-release, and mirror up release modes

Shutter speed

1/8000 to 30 s, in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV, bulb, time x 250

Flash sync speed

X=1/250 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/250 s or slower; Auto FP High-Speed sync supported

Release mode

S (single frame), CL (continuous low speed), CH (continuous high speed), Q (quiet shutter-release), QC (quiet continuous shutter-release), Self-timer, MUP (mirror up)

Self-timer

2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 s

Exposure metering

TTL exposure metering using RGB sensor with approximately 180K (180,000) pixels

Metering method

Matrix: 3D color matrix metering III (type G, E, and D lenses); color matrix metering III (other CPU lenses); color matrix metering available with non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data
Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 12 mm circle in center of frame. Diameter of circle can be changed to 8, 15, or 20 mm, or weighting can be based on average of entire frame (non-CPU lenses use 12-mm circle)
Spot: Meters 4 mm circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point (on center focus point when non-CPU lens is used)
Highlight-weighted: Available with type G, E, and D lenses

Metering range (ISO 100, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C/68 °F)

Matrix or center-weighted metering: –3 to +20 EV. Spot metering: 2 to 20 EV. Highlight-weighted metering: 0 to 20 EV

Exposure meter coupling

CPU, AI

Mode

Programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M)

Exposure compensation

–5 to +5 EV, in increments of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV

Exposure lock

Luminosity locked at detected value

Active D-Lighting

Can be selected from Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, or Off

Autofocus

Multi-CAM 20K autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, fine-tuning, and 153 focus points (including 99 cross-type sensors and 15 sensors that support f/8), of which 55 (35 cross-type sensors and 9 f/8 sensors) are available for selection

Detection range

–4 to +20 EV (ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F)

Lens servo

Single-servo AF (AF-S), Continuous-servo AF (AF-C): predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status, Manual focus (M): Electronic rangefinder can be used

Focus points

153 focus points, of which 55 or 15 are available for selection

AF-area mode

Single-point AF, 9-, 25-, 72-, or 153- point dynamic-area AF, 3D-tracking, group-area AF, auto-area AF

Focus lock

Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing the center of the sub-selector

Flash control

TTL: i-TTL flash control using RGB sensor with approximately 180K (180,000) pixels; i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR is used with matrix, center-weighted, and highlight-weighted metering, standard i-TTL fill-flash for digital SLR with spot metering

Flash modes

Front-curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync, slow rear-curtain sync, off

Flash compensation

–3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV

Flash-ready indicator

Lights when optional flash unit is fully charged; flashes after flash is fired at full output

Accessory shoe

ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock

Nikon Creative Lighting System

i-TTL flash control, radio-controlled Advanced Wireless Lighting, optical Advanced Wireless Lighting, modeling illumination, FV lock, Color Information Communication, Auto FP High-Speed Sync, AF-assist for multi-area AF, unified flash control

Sync terminal

ISO 519 sync terminal with locking thread

White balance

Auto (3 types), natural light auto, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual (up to 6 values can be stored, spot white balance measurement available during live view), choose color temperature (2500 K to 10,000 K), all with fine-tuning.

Bracketing types

Exposure, Flash, White balance, ADL

Live View - Modes

Photo live view, Movie live view

Live view - lens servo

Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S), full-time-servo AF (AF-F); Manual focus (M)

Live view - AF-area mode

Face-priority AF, Wide-area AF, Normal-area AF, pinpoint AF, Subject-tracking AF

Live view - autofocus

Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected)

Movie - metering

TTL exposure metering using main image sensor

Movie - metering method

Matrix, center-weighted, or highlight-weighted

Movie - file format

MOV, MP4

Movie - video compression

H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding

Movie - audio recording format

Linear PCM, AAC

Movie - audio recording device

Built-in stereo or external microphone; sensitivity adjustable

Movie - ISO sensitivity

Exposure modes P, S, and A: Auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 64 to Hi 2) with selectable upper limit
Exposure mode M: Auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 64 to Hi 2) available with selectable upper limit; manual selection (ISO 64 to 25600 in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV) with additional options available equivalent to approximately 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, or 2 EV (ISO 102400 equivalent) above ISO 25600

Other options

Index marking, time-lapse movies, electronic vibration reduction

Playback

Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images) playback with playback zoom, playback zoom cropping, movie playback, photo and/or movie slide shows, histogram display, highlights, photo information, location data display, picture rating, and auto image rotation

USB

Hi-Speed USB, with Micro-USB connector; connection to built-in USB port is recommended

HDMI output

Type C HDMI connector

Audio input

Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5 mm diameter; plug-in power supported)

Audio output

Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5 mm diameter)

Accessory terminal(s)

Ten-pin remote terminal: can be used to connect optional MC-30A/MC-36A remote cords, ML-3 modulite remote control sets, WR-R10 (requires WR-A10 adapter) or WR-1 wireless remote controllers, or GP-1/GP-1A GPS units

Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) standards

IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g

Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) operating frequency

2412 to 2462 MHz (channels 1 to 11)

Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) maximum output power

8.5 dBm (EIRP)

Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) security

Authentication: Open system, WPA2-PSK

Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) range (line of sight)

Approximately 10 m (32 ft) without interference; range may vary with signal strength and presence or absence of obstacles

Bluetooth standards

Communication protocols: Bluetooth Specification Version 4.1; Operating frequency: Bluetooth: 2402 to 2480 MHz; Bluetooth Low Energy: 2402 to 2480 MHz

Supported languages

Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Marathi, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

Battery pack

Optional MB-D18 multi-power battery pack with one rechargeable Nikon EN-EL18b Li-ion battery (available separately), one rechargeable Nikon EN-EL15a Li-ion battery, or eight AA alkaline, Ni-MH, or lithium batteries. A BL-5 battery-chamber cover is required when using EN-EL18b batteries.

AC adapter

EH-5c/EH-5b AC adapter; requires EP-5B power connector (available separately)

Tripod socket

1/4–in. (ISO 1222)

Operating environment - temperature

0 °C to 40 °C (+32 °F to 104 °F)

Operating environment - humidity

85% or less (no condensation)

Supplied accessories

BF-1B body cap, EN-EL15a rechargeable Li-ion battery with terminal cover, MH-25a battery charger (comes with either an AC wall adapter or power cable of a type and shape that varies with the country or region of sale), HDMI/USB cable clip, UC-E22 USB cable, AN-DC18 strap

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