Nikon D850 - Owners Thread

snerkler said:
Ordered it at the time of the original D850 but been waiting for stock. Sold my 24-120mm f4, Sigma 85mm f1.4 and Olly 45mm f1.8 to fund it ;) I've always favoured the 24-120mm over the 24-70mm due to the extra reach, but I gain more effective reach with the D850 so decided to get the 24-70mm instead.
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Is it the 24-70 2.8 VR
 
I have an original 24-70 and really only use it for my studio stuff, but cracking lens all the same. I looked at the VR, which is something I don’t need, but optically wasn’t really much better.
 
Livin The Dream said:
I have an original 24-70 and really only use it for my studio stuff, but cracking lens all the same. I looked at the VR, which is something I don’t need, but optically wasn’t really much better.
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I think the new one is supposed to be slightly worse optically isn’t it?
 
Livin The Dream said:
From memory, it is marginally better, but so little that it just wasn’t worth the extra.
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I've not used it was just going on DXO scores for what they're worth ;)
 
So what’s people’s thoughts for motorsport, my 70-200mm f2.8 VRII with a 1.4x TC, or the 300mm f4 D? 200mm isn’t enough reach for Donington, and I can’t stretch to the pf version of the 300mm. My 150-600mm is too unwieldy for me to get a good hit rate of slow panning shots (1/50 and below) due to the weight and the fact the hood acts as a kite if there’s a breeze.
 
snerkler said:
So what’s people’s thoughts for motorsport, my 70-200mm f2.8 VRII with a 1.4x TC, or the 300mm f4 D? 200mm isn’t enough reach for Donington, and I can’t stretch to the pf version of the 300mm. My 150-600mm is too unwieldy for me to get a good hit rate of slow panning shots (1/50 and below) due to the weight and the fact the hood acts as a kite if there’s a breeze.
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Take the Olympus (you already have the lenses), your arms and shoulder will thank you, leave the boat anchor at home :D:D:D
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Given the quality of your New York Pictures, IQ is more than adequate, and you know that panning doesn't require fast AF. Your list of excuses isn't good enough, try again :D:D:D
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Thanks for the compliment (y)

Not that I have to justify my decision of camera choice of course ;) but the New York pics were mostly taken with the 12-40mm f2.8, a lens that really isn't suitable for motorsport, especially Donington where you are quite far from the track in places. I'm more than happy with the Olympus for landscapes and the like, but images don't have the same level of 'pop' as they do with my Nikon, which I like for sports (as well as other things), especially the 40-150mm R. Even at 300mm eq I sometimes crop quite a lot, and we know how much better FF crops compared to m4/3, and on top of that I've now got a 45mp FF vs 16mp m4/3. Lastly I don't just take panning shots, I also get head on and cars going away and you need good AF for this ;)
 
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snerkler said:
Thanks for the compliment (y)

Not that I have to justify my decision of camera choice of course ;) but the New York pics were mostly taken with the 12-40mm f2.8, a lens that really isn't suitable for motorsport, especially Donington where you are quite far from the track in places. I'm more than happy with the Olympus for landscapes and the like, but images don't have the same level of 'pop' as they do with my Nikon, which I like for sports (as well as other things), especially the 40-150mm R. Even at 300mm eq I sometimes crop quite a lot, and we know how much better FF crops compared to m4/3, and on top of that I've now got a 45mp FF vs 16mp m4/3. Lastly I don't just take panning shots, I also get head on and cards going away and you need good AF for this ;)
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Quality
 
Been playing with mine today, actually reading the manual and learning about the camera!

Part of this was doing some buffer tests as the grip has now arrived and I think I’ve found an issue. The buffer is smaller if you have an SD card installed in the camera!

Using a Lexar 2933x 64GB XQD card, camera set at 1.2x crop and 9fps I’m getting around 50 frames before it slows down, with the Sandisk Extreme Pro SD card (95MB/s) installed, it drops to around 40. Camera is set for Raw lossless compressed with overflow set for the SD card so nothing is being written to it. If the camera was writing to both cards then I would expect it to slow down but as it it isn’t I’m wondering is this a bug in the firmware or is bandwidth being taken by the SD card even though it’s not being used?

Whilst it shouldn’t be too much of an issue for my usual style of shooting, from now on, if I’m shooting wildlife it’s XQD only.

If anyone has tried this with a faster SD card I’d be intersted in your results!
 
Unlocker said:
Been playing with mine today, actually reading the manual and learning about the camera!

Part of this was doing some buffer tests as the grip has now arrived and I think I’ve found an issue. The buffer is smaller if you have an SD card installed in the camera!

Using a Lexar 2933x 64GB XQD card, camera set at 1.2x crop and 9fps I’m getting around 50 frames before it slows down, with the Sandisk Extreme Pro SD card (95MB/s) installed, it drops to around 40. Camera is set for Raw lossless compressed with overflow set for the SD card so nothing is being written to it. If the camera was writing to both cards then I would expect it to slow down but as it it isn’t I’m wondering is this a bug in the firmware or is bandwidth being taken by the SD card even though it’s not being used?

Whilst it shouldn’t be too much of an issue for my usual style of shooting, from now on, if I’m shooting wildlife it’s XQD only.

If anyone has tried this with a faster SD card I’d be intersted in your results!
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I haven't tried 1.2x crop, but I've got nothing like the claimed figures from Nikon, however I've only tried the M series Sony (150mb/s) and lexar 1440 xqd cards and the figures are quote with the much faster Sony G series (440mb's write). I can't comment on whether having an SD card slows it down but I can try when my replacement camera arrives.
 
Well my replacement D850 has arrived today and it has the same issue, it's frozen on me several times already in the space of an hour. Now when I have seen this issue the most is when checking lens calibration so taking a shot and then reviewing it, taking a shot and then reviewing it so I don't know if this causes an issue for some reason. It seems strange that I would get two lemons so I can only assume it's an issue with the D850 (as it would appear is the case for several people at least on DPR) or there's issues with certain memory cards. I've tried both the Sony M series and Lexar 1440 XQD cards, but always used the Sandisk Extreme Pro Memory Cards. I'll try with another make of SD card and see if it still occurs.

Now the decision is do I keep the D850 and put up with the minor annoyance, or return it for a refund and keep the D750? I really like the D850 and in the real world it never missed a beat at the marathon, and has only locked up once when using the Tamron, but this was different as I had to take the battery out this time, which is the same as I have had with the D750 and the Tamron. I shall ponder on this.
 
snerkler said:
Well my replacement D850 has arrived today and it has the same issue, it's frozen on me several times already in the space of an hour. Now when I have seen this issue the most is when checking lens calibration so taking a shot and then reviewing it, taking a shot and then reviewing it so I don't know if this causes an issue for some reason. It seems strange that I would get two lemons so I can only assume it's an issue with the D850 (as it would appear is the case for several people at least on DPR) or there's issues with certain memory cards. I've tried both the Sony M series and Lexar 1440 XQD cards, but always used the Sandisk Extreme Pro Memory Cards. I'll try with another make of SD card and see if it still occurs.

Now the decision is do I keep the D850 and put up with the minor annoyance, or return it for a refund and keep the D750? I really like the D850 and in the real world it never missed a beat at the marathon, and has only locked up once when using the Tamron, but this was different as I had to take the battery out this time, which is the same as I have had with the D750 and the Tamron. I shall ponder on this.
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That really is odd for the 2nd to be the same!
I don't keep reviewing my shots but I have certainly reviewed some shots almost every time I have been out taking photos and have not experienced what you are.
I am using Sony G Series XQD and Sandisk Extreme Pro 95Mb/s SD (though only as overflow and/or video so it doesn't regularly get written to).
Do you have anyone who could loan you a faster XQD card to check if you still get the problem ... I'm thinking the card may be causing an issue?
 
gramps said:
That really is odd for the 2nd to be the same!
I don't keep reviewing my shots but I have certainly reviewed some shots almost every time I have been out taking photos and have not experienced what you are.
I am using Sony G Series XQD and Sandisk Extreme Pro 95Mb/s SD (though only as overflow and/or video so it doesn't regularly get written to).
Do you have anyone who could loan you a faster XQD card to check if you still get the problem ... I'm thinking the card may be causing an issue?
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No, I don't know anyone else with XQD's tbh. But I can't see why the speed would be the issue as the card isn't being written to at the time. My only thoughts were that I know SD cards have caused issues for folk in the past with bodies, particularly ones that have been used with other cameras. I always format mine in camera but I'm still wondering whether it is this that is causing the issue. I don't profess to understand why we get these gremlins with electronics though. It's even crossed my mind that it's some compatibility with them being grey vs UK, but as far as I'm aware they all come off the same production line so can't see why that would be an issue. I'll definitely monitor it as this new one has frozen more than the old one. I don't want to not have a D850 in my life so I'm hoping it settles down/I can get to the bottom of it.
 
snerkler said:
No, I don't know anyone else with XQD's tbh. But I can't see why the speed would be the issue as the card isn't being written to at the time. My only thoughts were that I know SD cards have caused issues for folk in the past with bodies, particularly ones that have been used with other cameras. I always format mine in camera but I'm still wondering whether it is this that is causing the issue. I don't profess to understand why we get these gremlins with electronics though. It's even crossed my mind that it's some compatibility with them being grey vs UK, but as far as I'm aware they all come off the same production line so can't see why that would be an issue. I'll definitely monitor it as this new one has frozen more than the old one. I don't want to not have a D850 in my life so I'm hoping it settles down/I can get to the bottom of it.
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I can't believe it's a Grey v UK issue.
For me there are two aspects about your cards that might be causing an issue, the first is the speed (when reviewing you are not writing to the card but are you reading from it?) and second is the make, Lexar ... now I had Lexar XQD in my D500 without issues but my Lexar SD UHS-II had to be replaced.
Lexar cards have caused issues to others and now Lexar no longer exists ... does Lexar figure in the discussion over at DP Review?
 
gramps said:
I can't believe it's a Grey v UK issue.
For me there are two aspects about your cards that might be causing an issue, the first is the speed (when reviewing you are not writing to the card but are you reading from it?) and second is the make, Lexar ... now I had Lexar XQD in my D500 without issues but my Lexar SD UHS-II had to be replaced.
Lexar cards have caused issues to others and now Lexar no longer exists ... does Lexar figure in the discussion over at DP Review?
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I'm not sure whether others have been using Lexar or not, but as I mentioned earlier I also have a Sony XQD which is the one I've been using today. I appreciate what you're saying about the speed affecting the reading of the card but wouldn't that make it slow to display the image? It's not that that's the problem, it's just sometimes I go to focus and the camera is unresponsive, at this time it appears that menus etc are unresponsive. Sometimes the camera has been asleep for a while, sometimes it's several seconds after reviewing an image. When it freezes the green 'write led' on the back isn't illuminated so nothing is being written to the card at that time.

The likelihood of me having two lemons is pretty low, and the fact other users have experienced this issue suggests that there is some underlying issue with the D850. Now whether it's a card issue, combination of card (eg Sony XQD with Sandisk SD), whether the cards have been used in other cameras before that's causing the issue, or something else I have no idea. I really can't see that I've been unlucky enough to have 2 faulty cameras though so I'm wanting to look into this more. I really don't want to send my camera in to Nikon for them to have a look as I'm 99% sure they'll say that the camera is working as expected as the issue is so unpredictable. As I said, I shot 5 hours at the marathon last week without a glitch.

I really want to keep a D850 too so I could do with doing some real world shooting over the next week or so to see if it's going to affect shooting in the field, or whether it's just an issue when I'm shooting/reviewing, shooting/reviewing.
 
snerkler said:
Well my replacement D850 has arrived today and it has the same issue, it's frozen on me several times already in the space of an hour. Now when I have seen this issue the most is when checking lens calibration so taking a shot and then reviewing it, taking a shot and then reviewing it so I don't know if this causes an issue for some reason. It seems strange that I would get two lemons so I can only assume it's an issue with the D850 (as it would appear is the case for several people at least on DPR) or there's issues with certain memory cards. I've tried both the Sony M series and Lexar 1440 XQD cards, but always used the Sandisk Extreme Pro Memory Cards. I'll try with another make of SD card and see if it still occurs.

Now the decision is do I keep the D850 and put up with the minor annoyance, or return it for a refund and keep the D750? I really like the D850 and in the real world it never missed a beat at the marathon, and has only locked up once when using the Tamron, but this was different as I had to take the battery out this time, which is the same as I have had with the D750 and the Tamron. I shall ponder on this.
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Wtf! Load of [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER] mate.shambles and I'm fuming on your behalf for such a capable camera.

Ditch it and go back to the d750.honestly remember what I said.

Get fooled twice and don't give them a third try
 
jonneymendoza said:
Wtf! Load of b****x mate.shambles and I'm fuming on your behalf for such a capable camera.

Ditch it and go back to the d750.honestly remember what I said.

Get fooled twice and don't give them a third try
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Well I'd rather try and get to the bottom of the problem first tbh in case it's something simple/obvious. Weird thing is tonight I've tried to recreate it and can't, very frustrating. I know what you're saying and part of me agrees, but I'm not sure I could go back to the D750 after using the D850 tbh.
 
snerkler said:
Well I'd rather try and get to the bottom of the problem first tbh in case it's something simple/obvious. Weird thing is tonight I've tried to recreate it and can't, very frustrating. I know what you're saying and part of me agrees, but I'm not sure I could go back to the D750 after using the D850 tbh.
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is a sony a7r3 or even the canon 5ds completely out of the equation?
 
jonneymendoza said:
is a sony a7r3 or even the canon 5ds completely out of the equation?
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Both are too expensive to swap, and the A7Riii didn't float my boat anyway.

The freezing isn't the biggest deal in the world, it sorts itself out after a couple of seconds. However, it shouldn't do it and I guess if you're a pro it could be the difference between getting the shot and not getting it. That being said, as I mentioned out in the field the camera actually behaved itself.
 
snerkler said:
Both are too expensive to swap, and the A7Riii didn't float my boat anyway.

The freezing isn't the biggest deal in the world, it sorts itself out after a couple of seconds. However, it shouldn't do it and I guess if you're a pro it could be the difference between getting the shot and not getting it. That being said, as I mentioned out in the field the camera actually behaved itself.
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Then in your case i would just grab a d750 and wait till some other high res camera comes out because i wouldnt be happy with that.

Me personally i would switch if a brand new tool failed on me twice.

I almost gave up on sony remember when i had A9 issues. 2nd copy was perfect but had that been a dud too i would have binned it and opt for a 1dx2 instead
 
jonneymendoza said:
Then in your case i would just grab a d750 and wait till some other high res camera comes out because i wouldnt be happy with that.

Me personally i would switch if a brand new tool failed on me twice.

I almost gave up on sony remember when i had A9 issues. 2nd copy was perfect but had that been a dud too i would have binned it and opt for a 1dx2 instead
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I'm not going to be too quick to throw in the towel, especially considering that it might be something I can solve. We shall see. I certainly won't put up with a fault that affects day to day shooting.
 
snerkler said:
I'm not going to be too quick to throw in the towel, especially considering that it might be something I can solve. We shall see. I certainly won't put up with a fault that affects day to day shooting.
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The lab coats will get worn out.

Am I reading it correctly that it only freezes up with the tamron. And so did your d750?
 
kingo15 said:
The lab coats will get worn out.

Am I reading it correctly that it only freezes up with the tamron. And so did your d750?
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No the freezing is different to the D750. With the D750 it froze and would not work again until you turned it off, took the battery out and put it back in again. IIRC this only happened with my Tamron 150-600mm although I have seen other users complain of a lock up with other lenses.

With the D850 it temporarily is unresponsive for maybe 2-3 seconds max then it wakes up and everything's fine. That being said it worked flawlessly all evening yesterday, and I've just spent another 30 mins this morning and it's worked flawlessly too.

One thing that's crossed my mind is between the 'session' where it froze a few times and yesterday evening when it's been working fine since is that I did swap the battery. Yesterday afternoon I used an old spare while the new one was charing. Now I'm not saying that that's definitely fixed it, or that it will never freeze again but I did think it worth mentioning. Whilst with the first one I did only use the battery that the camera came with in the body and I got freezing with that, at the London Marathon I used the battery grip which uses a different battery and again it was flawless. It's making me wonder if it could be a battery issue not registering properly or something. It's doubtful but just a thought ;)
 
Touch wood my latest D850 has been behaving itself since the first glitches, I'm more and more convinced that changing the battery has 'fixed' it (famous last words). One thing I've noticed today is that the AF point illumination is not as bright as the D750, and when shooting int bright light you can't really see it flash red at all. Now I don't recall noticing this with the previous D850, what are other people's experiences?
 
Like perhaps a few others in here I have not used my D500 since purchasing the D850 (on release day). I merely switch to DX mode and the semi greyed area around in viewfinder makes it superior than D500 to locate flying birds. It would be nice to achieve the full 9fps but my need is rare but have third party grip, nikon EN-el18 and charger just waiting for BL-5 cap to see if grip achieves the 9fps. Thom Hogan has a thread on a Vello grip that does but is not available in UK.
 
Dave Semmens said:
Was up there a month or so ago - it gets that busy on a weekend that you get too many cars parking on the road in the shot. Much better view midweek as you have here.

Will be nice in August when the heather is in bloom.
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Yeah gets silly busy at the weekend. I couldn’t wait for good light as I had to get back for the footy so I’m not too keen on the colours, I’ll pop back at some point.
 
chrism_scotland said:
Cheers! I’ve been looking at samples form the Sigma 100-400 this morning and decided to pull the trigger, seems a bargain at its current price if the IQ is as good as the reviews suggest.
Picking up the D850 later, 100-400, 28 & 58 coming tomorrow!
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Have you had chance to try the 100-400mm yet? Do all focus points work at 400mm?
 
Since the first day (after swapping the battery) my replacement D850 has been just fine, fingers crossed it stays that way and I haven't just cursed myself :eek: ;)
 
OK so weird finding today. Was getting my gear ready for Donington tomorrow and 9fps wasn't working, there was no difference in frame rate with and without battery pack. However, put it into manual focus and the frame rate noticeably went up. Great I thought, another lemon, it won't shoot at 9fps with AF. Then I remembered I'd put on a two stop ND filter on so I can use slow shutter speeds tomorrow. Tried it without the filter and the frame rate went up so it must be that there was not enough light getting in for the AF to be quick enough to allow 9fps. Put the filter back on and went outside into the sun and sure enough the frame rate was higher, confirming my suspicions that you need good light for the AF system to be quick enough for 9fps shooting.

Now the weird thing, putting into manual sped it up even further, with and without filter. So CL and CH without battery pack shoots at 7ps, with battery pack it increases to (I assume) 9fps, and then with battery pack in manual focus it shoots even faster, sounds more like 10-11fps to me (from memory it sounds faster than the D500). Has anyone else noticed this, how can this be possible?
 
E30 M3 from Donington Historic Festival yesterday


DSC_5911 by TDG-77, on Flickr
 
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