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d850 vs d810

robdeszan

Member
Hello All,

I've been pondering a d810 or d850 purchase to complement my MF DB setup. I used to own a d810 but sold it a few years ago due to frustrations with AF inaccuracies and loose QC/discrepancies on Nikon lenses.

About a year ago I bought a Nikon df (for travel, with a bunch of manual focus Zeiss ZF lenses) but then added some Sigma Art primes (35, 50, 85) for a more modern look when doing commercial portrait work. This is the first time ever I actually enjoy AF lenses, mainly due to the fact that Sigmas can be calibrated at different distances to make the focus 100% accurate with their usb dock.

With that positive experience, I am now thinking of revisiting the d8xx series.

Has anyone done a similar switch (d810>d850) with sigma art lenses. Bearing in mind that it is going to be used for a lighter set up (lighter than MF), for shooting outside a studio environment and doing portrait work, did you find the switch to be a worthwhile (resolution, hilight rendition, skin tones). AF speed is good enough on the df for the type of work so is not really valid in this comparison. It is mainly about the image rendering.

It would be great if someone could make some raw files available if they happen to shoot this setup.

Many thanks!

Pat
 
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Photon42

Well-known member
Just want to throw in one more thought. You were mentioning two things which I feel should make you look towards the Z7: Portrait work and AF accuracy.

  • Nikons Z7 AF is dead accurate. Try for yourself with Sigma lenses and compare against your DF for speed.
  • Nikon did announce Eye tracking AF as an upcoming firmware release. Even today, it has proper face detection with works surprisingly well for portraits.

The Z viewfinder is really awesome. Just in case you say you prefer optical finders - try it. I have a DF and a d810 myself. I bought the latter early last year used in anticipation that Nikon did announce the Z line for late 2018. The AF of the 810 in some areas is better, but honestly for my work it doesn't matter - street portraits and the occasional landscape.

While the Z is lighter and smaller than the d810 and the DF, it feels grown up and operates like a Nikon. Whatever that means for you.
 

JohnBrew

Active member
Trying a Z7 now. If I needed a new Nikon this would be it. But I don’t and I wouldn’t ditch my 810 for it.
 

jdphoto

Well-known member
The D810's are an incredible buy right now and probably has one of the best sensors I've ever used in terms of dynamic range. I think the D850 has a much more robust feel and tighter tolerances in build quality though. However, I did demo the Z6 and while not the same sensor, it's build quality and ergonomics are identical to the Z7. It's an outstanding camera! I used my Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AI-s on both the D810 and Z6. MF on the D810 at f/1.2 was a joke - on the Z it was exact and perfect as the Z's are focused directly off the sensor, so no need for any calibration. I'm considering both the D850 and Z7 for my portrait work, but the lack of an additional card slot on the Z outweighs the benefits of mirrorless for me. Nikon is also offering $200 off new D850's, approximately $300 cheaper than a new Z7. You can find a low mileage D810 for around $1500. Good time to buy!
 
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Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
D850 is better, more refined for most applications with better AF, more resolution and the tilt-out rear LCD, along with some video enhancements if that's your thing. However it isn't quite as good at high ISO as the D810 and there are very few lenses out that can take full advantage of the D850 sensor -- in fact most of the current best lenses can only exceed the D810 sensor in the central ⅓ of the image. Also, IMHO the D810 still has outstanding AF and great overall image quality and as such, it remains a pretty incredible camera and is tough to beat at its current used pricing. So in the end, I think it really boils down to your needs. Me personally, I've resisted the "upgrade" and continue to shoot a pair of D810's -- and more importantly, they continue to deliver more than I need 90% of the time.

On a side note, I just bought my wife a new P&S -- she's taking a long trip and her old Panasonic P&S was, well old. I got her a new Panasonic ZS200 -- she wanted the small form factor, I didn't want to teach her a new UI and the little Panny's all have Leica lenses which historically have been excellent. Frankly, it turns out to be an incredible little imaging device; 20MP, 24-360mm effective zoom with OS that works, impressive high ISO (up to 25K but remarkably clean at 6400), a built-in panoramic function (that works superbly), 4K video and all the other facial recognition, etc that have been in these cams for several generations. And all that for the cost of what a couple spare batteries and case full of new cards for the D850 would have cost me. My point is, the digital imaging world is perhaps changing faster than our ability to maximize what we already own... /rant
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
What Jack said. In many ways, the D810 is the last fully photo centred camera from Nikon. And the image quality is to die for.
 

DougDolde

Well-known member
My three Nikon f1.8 G lenses (20mm, 28mm, 85mm) are absolutely spectacular on my D850
 
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robdeszan

Member
Many thanks for your thoughts.

It sounds like image quality advantage of d850 over d810 is not pronounced. Given the price advantage £1000 more for d850 is a tough act to beat.

It would be great if I could get hold of some raw files of d810 and sigma art (35 50 or 85 ideally).

I do enjoy shooting with OVFs so the Z series is not on the cards.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Many thanks for your thoughts.

It sounds like image quality advantage of d850 over d810 is not pronounced. Given the price advantage £1000 more for d850 is a tough act to beat.

It would be great if I could get hold of some raw files of d810 and sigma art (35 50 or 85 ideally).

I do enjoy shooting with OVFs so the Z series is not on the cards.
Between the D850 and D810 I would definitely go with the D810 - has the much more quiet shutter - this was a real step back in the D850. Also IQ is almost identical so if you do not need the higher resolution go for the D810. Was one of my most loved DSLRs.

Having said that, if money was no constraint then I would choose a Z7 today and try to go with mirrorless lenses from the beginning.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
My three Nikon f1.8 G lenses (20mm, 28mm, 85mm) are absolutely spectacular on my D850

I'm sure they are; in the center ⅓. But I have the 21 and 24, and the outer ⅓ to corner can't even hold up to the D810 sensor, so I know it isn't holding up to the D850. The one lens I own that may hold on the D850 sensor is my 85/1.4G; also a Sigma ART 50 I sold probably would have too.
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
I'd second the rec for the D810, but if it were me, I'd go with the Z7....especially if the goal is a "lighter than MF" setup to complement MF. I found when I was complementing my MF setup with a Dxx, the size/weight savings weren't that big.

If AF is a concern, I also have found I prefer the AF of mirrorless to the D8xx series. With mirrorless, on-sensor AF with more AF points gives better coverage, and WYSIWYG means a better hit ratio for me personally, but YMMV.
 

Shashin

Well-known member
If you want a light alternative to your MFD, why not a Fuji GFX 50R? Then you can stay in MFD. I imagine a D8XX is not going to be much lighter or smaller.

However, I can see the appeal of the D8XX series cameras. I certainly the optical finder is actually a plus for me. But after using a MFD optical finder, the 35mm finder just seemed small. I think I used the read LCD more.
 

Fredrick

Active member
I have not used the D810. I did however use the D800E.

The D850 is superior in every regard to the D800E. I’m regards to the difference between the D810 and D850 I would imagine it not being that huge, except for shadow recovery performance on the D850 being better.

It is costly to use these high resolution DSLR systems. I only run lenses which have high resolving power. It’s not cheap. The next time I upgrade I will be going for a MF system.

Take a look at the Z System if you are interested in doing tilt/shift. I wish I had done so before I bought my D850.

Btw I have two sigma art lenses. A 35mm and a 135mm. I just got the 35mm from repairs after a decentering issue. PM if you would like full resolution samples from any of them.
 

robdeszan

Member
Thank you for the file Fredrick, the IQ look impressive with the D850. I did not have the Sigmas when I used to own a d810.

Shashin, while the idea of a new MF camera is exciting, I do not want to add the expense associated with purchasing a new set of lenses. Gotta leave some $ for travel :) I want to add a body based on the glass I have rather than swapping systems entirely. My current MF system ticks the box for ultimate IQ if I need it.

As an aside, portability is not THE deciding factor here. It would still be for portrait work (faster, eye level shooting with AF where my Mamiya RZ and its WLF won't cut) rather than travel. I have a Df+ a custom focusing screen and a set of small Zeiss ZF lenses that fit in my ThinkTank Rotation bag for that (that bag defined the portability limit in a way). I find the rendering of that combination of glass and sensor exceptional, despite some IQ shortcomings those non-corrected lenses inherently show. Some gear-heads/testers would call those lenses utterly useless, I am sure, I find them beautiful. I do not do landscapes professionally, this is purely personal stuff, mind you, so the objective, technical sharpness is not paramount in this case.

The Sigmas represent a different rendering, suited more for commercial work and modern look. I have no intention of using the ZF lenses with the d8XX body in this context anyway.

Hmm, it 's interesting that some of you who own the D850 wish they had gone with a Z7 camera. Is this a case of the grass is greener or actual shortcomings of the d850? Personally, every time I look through an EVF it does not feel right. Personal preference.
 
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Fredrick

Active member
Thank you for the file Fredrick, the IQ look impressive with the D850. I did not have the Sigmas when I used to own a d810.

Shashin, while the idea of a new MF camera is exciting, I do not want to add the expense associated with purchasing a new set of lenses. Gotta leave some $ for travel :) I want to add a body based on the glass I have rather than swapping systems entirely. My current MF system ticks the box for ultimate IQ if I need it.

As an aside, portability is not THE deciding factor here. It would still be for portrait work (faster, eye level shooting with AF where my Mamiya RZ and its WLF won't cut) rather than travel. I have a Df+ a custom focusing screen and a set of small Zeiss ZF lenses that fit in my ThinkTank Rotation bag for that (that bag defined the portability limit in a way). I find the rendering of that combination of glass and sensor exceptional, despite some IQ shortcomings those non-corrected lenses inherently show. Some gear-heads/testers would call those lenses utterly useless, I am sure, I find them beautiful. I do not do landscapes professionally, this is purely personal stuff, mind you, so the objective, technical sharpness is not paramount in this case.

The Sigmas represent a different rendering, suited more for commercial work and modern look. I have no intention of using the ZF lenses with the d8XX body in this context anyway.

Hmm, it 's interesting that some of you who own the D850 wish they had gone with a Z7 camera. Is this a case of the grass is greener or actual shortcomings of the d850? Personally, every time I look through an EVF it does not feel right. Personal preference.
The D850 has no shortcomings for my use. The reason I would rather go with the Z7 today is the ability to adapt a wide array of lenses and have tilt/shift on all of them - provided the IC is big enough. The D850 lacks this feature. Most of my work is landscape.
 

jdphoto

Well-known member
The D850 has no shortcomings for my use. The reason I would rather go with the Z7 today is the ability to adapt a wide array of lenses and have tilt/shift on all of them - provided the IC is big enough. The D850 lacks this feature. Most of my work is landscape.
Fredrick,
Would the Focus stacking feature in the D850 be more useful than tilt/shift lenses or is this more about perspective?
 

Fredrick

Active member
Fredrick,
Would the Focus stacking feature in the D850 be more useful than tilt/shift lenses or is this more about perspective?
More about perspective. I've tried doing some focus stacking, but the focus breathing on my two lenses are significant. This makes it hard to stack.
 
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