It's been three years since Nikon released the D810, its image-quality flagship full-frame camera. Its successor, the D850, looks like it's been updated enough to get it through the next three, with a new 45.7-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor (which typically deliver faster readout), Nikon's most recent autofocus and metering systems, 4K video and more.

Nikon plans to ship the D850 in September at $3,300 for the body, which is in line with the D810's launch price. I don't have UK or Australian pricing yet, but that converts directly to about £2,575 and AU$4,170.

What's new

Sensor. Nikon jumps on the full-frame BSI bandwagon, incorporating a 45.7-megapixel version into the D850, still without a blurring antialiasing filter. The sensor in the D810 has been lauded as one of the best ever, so it will be interesting to see how well this one stands up in comparison -- Sony has been producing terrific and getting-better full-frame BSI sensors, so it's possible this one could potentially be a record breaker. (Nikon has not said whose sensor it's using, that's just an educated guess.) It does gain a stop more native low-light sensitivity. And of course, there's the resolution. While it's not quite at the same pixel density as the Canon EOS 5DS and 5DS R



Nikon jumps on the full-frame BSI bandwagon, incorporating a 45.7-megapixel version into the D850, still without a blurring antialiasing filter. The sensor in the D810 has been lauded as one of the best ever, so it will be interesting to see how well this one stands up in comparison -- Sony has been producing terrific and getting-better full-frame BSI sensors, so it's possible this one could potentially be a record breaker. (Nikon has not said whose sensor it's using, that's just an educated guess.) It does gain a stop more native low-light sensitivity. And of course, there's the resolution. While it's not quite at the same pixel density as the Canon Autofocus and metering systems. The D850 inherits the excellent autofocus and metering systems that were introduced in the D5, along with the Expeed 5 processing engine. It's a big jump forward from the D810 if you shoot things that move or need low-light sensitivity. Speaking of which...



The D850 inherits the excellent autofocus and metering systems that were introduced in the D5, along with the Expeed 5 processing engine. It's a big jump forward from the D810 if you shoot things that move or need low-light sensitivity. Speaking of which... Continuous shooting speed. 7 frames per second is pretty good, especially at the D850's resolution. With the battery grip, it can do 9fps -- not quite up to the 12fps of the D5 or the 20fps of the Sony A9, but it's at a much higher resolution, and according to Nikon is independent of card speed. 7fps is sufficient for a lot of action.



Design. The body is essentially the same as the D810's, but with important updates. It now has slots for XQD and SD cards; an SD slot is important given the prevalence of readers and can be a lot cheaper if you don't need the speed of XQD. (However, the fastest versions of comparably sized SD cards can be much more expensive than XQD.) It also gets a tilting touchscreen LCD, which has become essential as Live View shooting is now common. The updated viewfinder has 0.75x magnification, the highest in a dSLR (though not as high as the 0.78x electronic viewfinders in the latest Sony full-frame models). Nikon says it has a deeper grip -- the camera's about 0.2 in/3 mm bigger -- but it didn't feel that different. D5-like illuminated buttons are welcome as well. The camera loses the flash, though, in order to improve its dust and moisture resistance.



The body is essentially the same as the D810's, but with important updates. It now has slots for XQD and SD cards; an SD slot is important given the prevalence of readers and can be a lot cheaper if you don't need the speed of XQD. (However, the fastest versions of comparably sized SD cards can be much more expensive than XQD.) It also gets a tilting touchscreen LCD, which has become essential as Live View shooting is now common. The updated viewfinder has 0.75x magnification, the highest in a dSLR (though not as high as the 0.78x electronic viewfinders in the latest Sony full-frame models). Nikon says it has a deeper grip -- the camera's about 0.2 in/3 mm bigger -- but it didn't feel that different. D5-like illuminated buttons are welcome as well. The camera loses the flash, though, in order to improve its dust and moisture resistance. Video. All the video capabilities of the D5

All the video capabilities of the Features. A first for Nikon (and dSLRs), the D850 has a Focus Shift bracketing mode similar to the one in Olympus' cameras: it automatically takes a series of shots at different focal planes which you combine using focus-stacking software to create infinite depth-of-field (sharp everywhere) images. You can specify either up to 300 frames or up to 30 interval increments, and it can use electronic shutter to conserve battery life and shutter cycles, and probably to minimize vibration.



A first for Nikon (and dSLRs), the D850 has a Focus Shift bracketing mode similar to the one in Olympus' cameras: it automatically takes a series of shots at different focal planes which you combine using focus-stacking software to create infinite depth-of-field (sharp everywhere) images. You can specify either up to 300 frames or up to 30 interval increments, and it can use electronic shutter to conserve battery life and shutter cycles, and probably to minimize vibration. Accessories. The aforementioned battery grip (the MB-D18 Multi Power Battery Pack, for $400) more than doubles rated battery life from 1,840 to 5,140 shots, and Nikon's releasing a film-digitizing adapter (the ES-2 for $150) which attaches to a macro lens and can automatically convert negatives to positives in-camera. (About AU$510/AU$190 and £310/£120 directly converted.)



My take

The D850 sounds like a promising follow-up to the D810 and is probably updated enough to take it through the next three years. Its one major weakness remains, though: autofocusing while shooting video still lags compared with Canon and Sony.

You can tune into Nikon's livestream discussion around the D850 on August 29 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Comparative specs