Nikon D850 previews, commentary - first reviews

[Eddie Draaisma]

No. In cameras with built in flash, if I recall correctly. the CIPA test requires that the flash is used for every other shot. The D850 has no built in flash which increases the number of shots you can get. But if you performed the CIPA test on the D810 without using the flash you would get a higher number as well.

You are right, according to CIPA every other shot requires full power flash. The comparison between D850 and D810 therefore doesn't make that much sense.

Question remains why a new EN-EL15a battery, at least performance between EN-EL15a and current EN-EL15 is claimed to be the same.

[Eddie Draaisma]

Please keep in mind that lithium Ion batteries like the battery in your car do not do well when it is fully discharged. If the test says 1840 think 920 as it's best not to deplete the battery more than 50% on a regular basis. Even NiMH batteries should not be regularly discharged below 50%.

If one thinks they need two batteries then buy three or maybe four. At the end of the day recharge any battery that is between 40% and 80%. There is no harm in charging a battery early. Before a major shoot top off every battery you carry.

This is the best place I've found for battery information...

Battery University

Dave Hartman

Thanks for the link Dave.

Two batteries normally get me through the day with the D800e, I still use the original and spare bought in 2012. They still function well.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

If I recall correctly the new EN-EL15a gives more consistent power in the cold. The capacity is the same.

[Eddie Draaisma]

If I recall correctly the new EN-EL15a gives more consistent power in the cold. The capacity is the same.

Sounds plausible, looks the same as what happened switching from D70 to D200 when the battery also went from black to grey (EN-EL3 to EN-EL3e). One or two spares it will be, good that they also can be used in both my D800e and D500.

[arthurking83]

What I find exciting is that the negative scanner supports in camera conversion to positive. Meaning it is a one-step-process. Plus the 2.8/60 micro is mentioned as the recommended optic for the ES2, so I can have my slide scanning solution and negative scanning solution and can sell all the stuff that I just bought to interested parties...

....

I found this interesting too(having previously done it with a PB-4/PS-4 setup too).
The only concern with the new feature is that it appears to be limited to jpg only.

I tried my best to set up a Picture Control(D300 and D800E) to do the conversion, but Picture Control tone inversion process only works on the brightness/tone channels, not on the colour channel.
That is, you can invert the image in camera, but only the brightness, not colour reversal. Close but not close enough.

So I'm now curious as to Nikon's engineering thinking... the camera obviously can do colour reversal(if this new feature works as described) .. so why not just allow the process to work as a Picture Control?
Once again Nikon's thinking process appears to be distorted and backwards!
 

[chris dees]

A few from last night.
Processed NEFs by Ann (thanks

D850, 70-200E, ISO16000, F4.5
No noise reduction

[Frank Fremerey]

I found this interesting too(having previously done it with a PB-4/PS-4 setup too).
The only concern with the new feature is that it appears to be limited to jpg only.

I tried my best to set up a Picture Control(D300 and D800E) to do the conversion, but Picture Control tone inversion process only works on the brightness/tone channels, not on the colour channel.
That is, you can invert the image in camera, but only the brightness, not colour reversal. Close but not close enough.

So I'm now curious as to Nikon's engineering thinking... the camera obviously can do colour reversal(if this new feature works as described) .. so why not just allow the process to work as a Picture Control?
Once again Nikon's thinking process appears to be distorted and backwards!
 

As I recall most color negative are not simply negative but have some orange mask to take into calculation.

[chambeshi]

Feedback on dpreview with a few images from sports photographer Andrew Hancock testing a pre-production D850 shooting sports action and portraits in low light

https://www.dpreview.com/articles/2645101104/exclusive-nikon-d850-high-res-samples-and-pro-shooting-experience

[arthurking83]

As I recall most color negative are not simply negative but have some orange mask to take into calculation.

Not sure what this entails, but when I did my lot of negs, I used CaptureNX2 to process them.
CNX2 didn't have any 'one click' method to reverse negatives, but someone commented that reversing the curve may do the trick.
In CNX2 it did .. perfectly(if exposure was within a decent range), and from that point I saved in CNX2 as a batch process, and applied to all neg to NEF captures.
ViewNX2 didn't have the ability to do tone curves, but it seemingly did via the Picture Control add on.
But what that did, was simply reverse the brightness/tone curve, and leave the colour channels as is. So your darks would turn bright, but your greens wouldn't turn red, or blues turn yellow .. etc.
An interesting Picture Control setting, but definitely not colour reversal. So CNX2 was my only way forward from there.

Never touched any colour masks .. orange or any other colour.

So if the D850 has this one click colour reversal feature, then obviously it can be done in camera.
My assumption when trying to use the Picture Control software was that the camera simply couldn't do the colour reversal.
D850 obviously can, but I would have preferred to see it done as a Picture Control variable.

[Jan Anne]

The NPS guy said that the EN-EL18a delivers 12,4V, I just looked it up. Not true. 10.8V is the real number. I will give it a try.

You are both right, all li-ion batteries label the resting voltage (3.6-3.7V per cell) and not its max voltage when fully charged (4.2V per cell).

The EN-EL18a uses three li-ion cells so the volt range is between 9 and 12.6V.
- 3 x 3.6V = 10.8V on the sticker
- 3 x 4.2V = 12.6V when fully charged
- 3 x ca 3V = 9V when empty

The EN-EL15 uses two li-ion cells so the volt range is between 6 and 8.4V.
- 2 x 3.6V = 7.2V on the sticker
- 2 x 4.2V = 8.4V when fully charged
- 2 x ca 3V = 6V when empty

With 8 AA NiMH batteries, the volt range is between 6.4 and 11.6V
- 8 x 1.2V =  9.6V on the sticker
- 8 x 1.45V = 11.6V when fully charged
- 8 x 0.8V = 6.4V when empty

So the EN-EL18a starts at 12.6V and keeps it well above 9V which is above the 8.4V maximum of the EN-EL15. The AA pack starts in the volt range of the EN-EL18a but midway will drop below 9V into the lower volt range of the EN-EL15, so the camera should still work but the lower voltage isn't enough to drive the higher FPS.

[chambeshi]

compares D850 ISO performance and also against D800

http://www.danvojtech.cz/blog/2017/08/nikon-d850/

Feedback on dpreview with a few images from sports photographer Andrew Hancock testing a pre-production D850 shooting sports action and portraits in low light

https://www.dpreview.com/articles/2645101104/exclusive-nikon-d850-high-res-samples-and-pro-shooting-experience

[paul_k]

Shot a series of high ISO JPG's at the D850 introduction party organized by NPS Netherlands

When I asked if I could put an SD card in the body, to my surprise that was OK, since it apparently already was a full production (so not a pre production, yet to be perfected) copy

Didn't go for RAW's as there I have no software for post processing those files yet, so instead shot a number of JPG from 500 to 12800 ISO

Downloaded with Nikon Transfer, opened in Nikon NX 2.4.6, no postprocessing, no sharpening, no fiddling with contrast etc (guess that amounts to SOOC)

Tried uploading some pictures, but the IQ has gotten compromised in the process,
while pictures are not shown under the below captions, so the links are also included

500 ASA 100% crop
(Shot in A mode, which resulted in a shutterspeed of 1/15th, so sorry for the blurry picture
http://m2.i.pbase.com/g10/20/670620/2/166085592.qttHEWwc.jpg

iso12800 100% crop of 1/500)
http://m8.i.pbase.com/g10/20/670620/2/166085608.dgokb48V.jpg

You can find the whole set (500-1000-2000-4000-8000-12800 ASA, didn't care to go any higher)
of full images, crop of 100% enlargements, and the Exif data over here
http://www.pbase.com/paul_k/d_850

[Akira]

When I asked if I could put an SD card in the body, to my surprise that was OK, since it apparently already was a full production (so not a pre production, yet to be perfected) copy

At japanese retailers, D850 is announced to be delivered on September 8th.  So, it would not be surprising that the tested sample was the full production model.

[chris dees]

According to the reps I spoke they where production cameras (I guess that's why I was allowed to put a card in it).

[bobfriedman]

Nikon D850 is made in Thailand

i am definitely waiting until March/April