The upcoming Nikon D850 could be a two-in-one monster of a camera

Raymond Hui
Jul 25, 2017 · 2 min read

On its 100th birthday, Nikon announced only one future product —the D850. The details about this much anticipated successor to the D810, which is arguably the best full format camera available, appear scant. The teaser video, shot using the new camera itself, showcases beautiful astrophotography and one technical spec: 8K time lapse.

True 8K resolution implies a minimum horizontal resolution of 7,680. This suggests the D850 will likely sport a 42MP sensor similar to the one in Sony’s A7Rii (if not the same one), although the name may hint at a 50MP sensor. Either way, this continues the tradition of the D8x0 bodies being Nikon’s high resolution line.

The teaser video also suggests that this could be a good sports camera too. D810 owners would tell you that, while they think their camera is the best when it comes to image quality, it falls short of others when it comes to sports. Is it realistic for D850 to be different?

In crop mode, the D850 would offer either 18.7MP (if full resolution is 42MP) or possibly 22MP (full res of 50MP). That’s in the same range as Nikon’s D500 camera, which is regarded as a powerful and versatile sports camera. Imagine the same Multi-CAM 2K AF system and Expeed 5 processor found in the D5 and D500, then it is conceivable that the D850 could shoot at 10 FPS in DX mode.

In other words, D850 would have D500-like performance with better than D810 resolution. Best of two worlds. The key word is “would”. Nikon would be unlikely to give the D850 such versatility as it would not only cut into sales of D500, but also that of D5. Enticing possibility, nonetheless.

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