DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

This video shows that Nikon D850 autofocus tracking is as bad as everybody feared

Sep 20, 2017 by John Aldred 38 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

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.

It almost feels like Nikon have taken a step backwards. My Nikon D5300 can facial track better than this. Sure, it’s only 1080p, but it’s supposedly a much less advanced autofocus system. So, why can’t the D850 keep up?

I’ll give Nikon some credit, at least, when it comes to the old D90. Back then there was some serious innovation. It was, after all, the first DSLRs to even shoot video, followed a short time later by the Canon 5D Mark II. The D90 was only 720p, automatic exposure, and it would only focus when you half-press the shutter, but it could shoot video. Other than stepping up to 1080p, then 4K, and giving us manual exposure control, not much seems to have changed for the better when it comes to Nikon video.

That being said, I learned video with big Sony DSR-500 broadcast cameras. The lenses I used then were all manual focus. For the types of video I typically shoot, manual focus often does the job fine. But there are times when I really wish I had a camera for video with a decent autofocus system. And that’s never been Nikon.

Canon’s dual pixel autofocus technology has become a hot favourite for DSLR video shooters. And Sony’s A9 is just ridiculous. I suppose, at least when the D850 footage is in focus (and correctly exposed), it doesn’t look too bad.

I guess us Nikon shooters will just have to keep manually focusing video for a while longer.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

The Nikon D850 has the same autofocus system as the D5 but it’s not as good Specs leak shows upcoming Canon EOS M50 mirrorless will have eye-tracking autofocus Eye-tracking autofocus on Sony a9 is pretty impressive, here’s how it works Here is the Sony a6400 you’ve all been waiting for with Real-time Eye Autofocus and Tracking, and timlapse mode

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: Clifford James, D850, Nikon, Nikon D850

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Here are 5 ways to change the color of anything in Photoshop
How to make creative abstract photos with a kettle of boiling water »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Watch: How good (or bad) is an $8.50 tripod?
  • How to light and photograph Lego building interiors
  • Lighting Setup: How to light your portraits with £50 LED tubes
  • Review: Insta360 announces its first gimbal – The AI-tracking Insta360 Flow
  • World Press Photo 2023 regional winners show why AI will never kill photography

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy