People seem to have been switching over to the Sony A7RIII faster than I can blink. I’ve seen quite a few switching from both Nikon and Canon since its announcement. But it seems there’s one area where Sony still falls somewhat short. Weather sealing. It’s always been their Achilles heel, but people had been hoping it’s improved with the A7RIII. As this weather sealing test from Imaging Resource shows, it hasn’t.
The Nikon D850 has the first DSLR sensor to score 100 points on DxOMark
It probably wasn’t going to be much of a surprise for the new Nikon D850 to do rather well on DxOMark. The pixel peeper’s favourite website rates it as being the best overall sensor on the market, scoring it at a pretty perfect 100.
The 45.7MP sensor contained within the D850 is Nikon’s entry into the world of full frame backside illuminated sensors. It seems to have paid off, for the most part. At base ISO, it’s the best out there for landscapes and second only to the Phase One IQ180 for portraits.
The Nikon D850 has the same autofocus system as the D5 but it’s not as good
We know that the Nikon D850 autofocus system isn’t that great for video. This wasn’t really going to be much of a surprise. But it seems that it’s not as quite good as it could be when it comes to stills, either. The Nikon D850 autofocus is the same as that found in the flagship Nikon D5. And while the D850 does seem to outperform just about every other Nikon out there, it can’t keep up with its big brother.
Matt Granger felt that he was missing more shots with the D850 than he was with his D5. So, he puts the two to the test, side by side in this video. With the assistance of a 4th dan taekwondo black belt subject, Matt sets to work pairing the two off against each other.
I killed a Nikon D850 during this field test and it wasn’t even my camera
I was very excited when I first read about the new Nikon D850 and I knew that this camera would be exactly what I had been waiting for. The larger file size is welcomed from a fine art perspective and in combination with a highly improved focus system, fast processors and better ISO capabilities I could easily see myself using this camera also for wildlife.
Unfortunately Nikon have not been able to ship as many cameras as expected in the first batch and I was not able to get my hands on one before departing on a WildPhoto Travel photo tour to Alaska. That is when my local pro store, Stavanger Foto, stepped up and asked me if I would like to take their one and only demo camera with me to test in the field.
This video shows that Nikon D850 autofocus tracking is as bad as everybody feared
For shooting stills, Nikon’s autofocus system is pretty solid. I’ve thought so for a long time. Even my ageing Nikon N90s could keep up just fine with most everything I’ve thrown at it. Several cameras later, I picked up a D300s. The 51 point predictive 3D autofocus tracking just blew me away. Every Nikon I’ve owned since then has also impressed me.
Why, then, do Nikon fail so damn hard when it comes to video? People had high hopes for the Nikon D850, given the specs. Nikon fanatics were praying it would crush the recently released Sony A9, and in other areas it may. But when it comes to video autofocus tracking, hopes is all they were. And this video from photographer Clifford James just dashed them.
Nikon apologises for pre-order delays due to being sold out of the new D850
Well, it looks like the Nikon D850 is a big hit, if the pre-order is anything to go by. Nikon have actually sold out of all of their pre-order stock, and have issued a notice apologising for expected shipping delays.
I suppose it’s not really much of a surprise that demand for the D850 is somewhat overwhelming. Once the final specs were made public, and the first reviews out, there were a lot of happy people out there. And I heard talk from more than a few people talking about jumping ship from their current brand to switch back to Nikon.
Nikon’s new D850 DSLR features an entirely Nikon designed sensor
One of the biggest pieces of D850 speculation floating around the Internet the last few days seems to be about the sensor. Specifically, who makes it. And no, it’s not Sony. Nikon have actually designed their own sensor for the D850, according to a Q&A session with Imaging Resource. Nikon also promise some pretty significant performance improvements.
This isn’t the first time Nikon have developed their own sensor. Although, many of their past cameras have used Sony and a few Toshiba sensors. But it a Nikon designed sensor is a first for the D8x0 line. The D800 and D810 both contain a 36MP Sony made sensor suspected to be the same one as that in the original Sony A7R.
The Nikon D850 might just be the world’s first hybrid OVF/EVF DSLR
This would be absolutely amazing if it turns out to be true. Nikon have filed a couple of patents for hybrid viewfinders in the past, but eagle eyed Flickr user, Anankhepi believes it may be on the way. Two dark circles above the viewfinder in the leaked Nikon D850 photos are the clue.
On first glance, one might simply believe them to be screw holes, but they don’t exist in any other camera in Nikon’s lineup. And never have. He believes these holes contain sensors to detect when the camera is being held up to your eye. This video from Angry Photographer goes into more detail about how this may work.
