One of the best things about Nikon DSLRs is the comfortable feel and repeating button layout. I have the d810,d500 and d850 . Having the buttons in the same place every time is such a must for me. The iso button change from the d810 to the d500 and 850 messes me up at times when going fast shooting video on a tall tripod . Many times I liked the iso where it was and not so close to the video record button. When in a hurry and the iso button is hit instead of the record has cost me some video footage. Not good for a paying gig. But I´m used to that now and am actually liking the new button layout.
Now on to the limited one month use of the d850. Im not a landscape shooter per say. But I had a wedding in Colorado to go to . I´m from Illinois by the way. While out there I thought I´d give the d850 (KING) of landscape camera a go. All I can say is wow! I love the true to life colors from this camera and the dynamic range . With minimal amounts of editing the pictures just popped off the screen. I´m sure I´d be able to do the same with the wonderful d810 also but never tried it out. Im a professional live music photographer and videographer. So I don´t get a chance to shoot much nature photography that I love .
As soon as I got back to Illinois I had a live music video to shoot with all three cameras. The d850 coupled with the Nikkor 70-200 e fl vr had beautiful video footage. The very next day I had an album cover shoot . I also shot mostly with the Nikkor 70-200. What gorgeous photos. Like I said it seems like the colors are different than the d810. More true to life to me . The d810 has a more saturated look to the photos to me and I desaturated quite a bit in post with live music photos. I haven´t shot live music stills yet with this new d850 but cannot wait.
Thanks Nikon for such a great dslr. I´m not digging the new mirrorless cameras you just came out with . I started to preorder the Z7. Changed my mind when it didn´t have dual card slots and the grip isn´t going to be a fully functional grip. A few other things stopped me also. Dial in the cameras to have almost the same button layout also as the DSLRs. You will pull in all the Nikon loyalists and many many new customers.
I purchased the d850 over the Z7 just for the fact of instant usability for work. Professional photographers need fast hard working tools. We can´t be fumbling around in front of our clients. And we cannot be missing the oh so important moments they demand of us at a shoot. Please make it so both lines of cameras work synonymously together.
Thanks Nikon and please listen to your users .

Great camera. The best I ever had. I took D850 to Dominican Republic to explore different places of the country, and it amazing! the low light its crazy and battery last for a long time. view finder is great. Most of the time, you don´t need a flash, the low light setting is amazing . I set it with my table via SnapBrige and automatic download all the picture to my table super fast, great feature if you need to see more detail on a larger screen. Actually, the pictures on the camera LCD screen it looks better than my computer screen. Highly recommend this product for serious photographers

I absolutely love this camera. It is probably (in my opinion) the most capable DSLR camera out there. Its lowlight performance is outstanding, great for night photography. It also is great for sports photography. Wish it came with 9 fps, but 7 is not bad. You can always get the grip and the D5 battery for it. It is a heavy camera, which is one of the downsides, but it comes with a lot of perks. Its multiple exposure mode is very impressive and the ability to shoot in low light handheld is incredible. I have owned this camera since March of 2018 and have had no complaints. Absolutely amazing for anything that you need it for. Defeats Canon´s 5D MKIV, Sony´s A7R3.

I have had this camera for little over a month. I have been doing photography for over 60 years. at this point I am a semi-pro. I have owned Nikon s since I was in college. I have also used 2 1/4 cameras in my past. This camera can do all that and still more. Perfection in photography.

Before you read this review, please know that I am very pleased with my D850. I am happy to have it, and I am using it more and more, especially in extreme lighting situations. I sincerely believe, however, that it is important that reviews be objective, and that they consider shortcomings in design or execution, even if those shortcomings are only perceived and related to the way that I work to do photography. Almost every review of this camera that I have read over the past year has failed to point out what I feel are some obvious design misses that make a real difference (at least to me) in its use. With all that in mind, here goes:

The D850 is a really nice camera. It has good balance and feel...my right thumb fits the back of this body better than any other that I have owned. It seems to be a little bit thinner front-to-back than my D810, but to me, the D810 still has an overall nicer feel, some of which I attribute to its all metal body and overall dimensions. Any weight reduction resulting from the switch to the hybrid body is negligible. Still to be seen is how the new design holds up under use and over time.

I appreciate the addition of lighted buttons on the rear of the body, but to me, this is a job that was only half done. Unfortunately, the really important controls on the right side of the body, some of which have been significantly relocated, are still dark. And these are the controls that are actually likely to be accessed while shooting. I do night sky and other extremely low light shooting, and since critical controls have been moved from their location on the D810, the D850 will not become my primary body for these situations for some time to come.

Swapping the Mode and ISO buttons was, from my perspective, a really bad idea. I am perhaps different from many other photographers in that I do not change ISO ´´on the fly.´´ Choice of ISO to me is a fundamental decision which affects the character of resulting photographs...it is not simply an exposure decision. (I never, ever use Auto ISO.) I do, however, change metering modes in the midst of shooting. This is a change that could have been made with the introduction of a completely new model line, not a new body that I expect to use alongside my D810.

The new joystick puzzles me. This is perhaps because I do not use the D850 to capture video. The only use I have found for it is to use the pushbutton to activate the viewfinder artificial horizon. Similarly, the new F2 button is nice to have. Unfortunately the range of choices to assign a function to this button is too limited. I´m using it to directly access ´´My Menu,´´ but there are a number of functions which would be more useful if available (see the next comment).

I am very disappointed in the elimination of the AE Lock button from its historical spot near the viewfinder. No one else may use this button, but I use it all the time, and its removal is another prime reason that the D810 will continue for now to be my primary body. In fact, it seems to me that with the extremely large number of available autofocus points, the AE Lock button is perhaps more useful than the AF lock button when recomposing images. According to the manual, the old AE Lock function can be programmed elsewhere, but all those other buttons are less accessible, and I have not found the functionality to be actually the same when I do assign it.

Finally, even though I am very careful with my photographic equipment (my D200 purchased in 2006 still looks and works almost like new), I miss the ability to install a polycarbonate protector over the rear monitor. I do not currently use the touch screen functionality, nor do I tilt the screen, and would much prefer the ability to install a non-contact cover over the screen. I do have a direct-contact glass protector installed, but it is not going to be as effective in protecting against an accidental impact in the dark. The design of the top hinges and the groove along the bottom would appear to support the addition of such a protector, but that may not be true, and in any case, none seem to be available.

In general, it appears to me that the designers have tried to squeeze too much into a limited space. Addition of enhanced video capability and features seem to have come at some expense to established still photography layout and functionality.

So in summary, I am happy to have the D850 as a second body. I will recommend it to others, while pointing out what I believe are shortcomings. It will not replace my D810 as my primary camera, at least for now. And it is not for sale...I will keep it. I do wish that I had been able to read a more objective review, especially since it was not available for hands-on inspection before purchase, even currently. But be aware that some of the advances have come at fairly significant cost and consider carefully before you decide.

I have been shooting Nikon cameras for forty years and have always liked the quality of there cameras. This one is the best one I have ever had. I get image quality on par with medium format cameras of today in a DSLR. I had 6X7 medium format years ago that I had to sell. I was thinking about buy another medium format camera until the D850 hit streets. I love level of detail sensor produces and this is good enough for my needs, plus I can use all my Nikon lens. This camera tackles all types photography very well. I use mine for landscape and wildlife most of the time with some street photography. The focus shift function is great for macro and landscapes. I had to buy Helicon software to merge the stacks but the results are awesome. This camera is another great Nikon product. Just like Nikon 200-500 mm lens Nikon will sell a lot of D850´s.

I have owned Nikons for over 50 years -- film-based, on a copy-stand, underwater, and several digital cameras. Each one seems to have been an incremental improvement over the previous one. But moving from the D610 to the D850 was a massive quantum leap (that´s a good thing!). It still amazes me after all these years how much computing power in addition to optical excellence can be packed into such a small space. The camera felt immediately familiar and comfortable even as I began to explore all the new features, new concepts. I had high expectations waiting patiently for the D850 to arrive. Those expectations have been exceeded!

A life time Nikon shooter here…

After 47 years as a full time photographer I have retired from the daily grind to a slower relax grind. I started my career with a twin lens reflex Rollie camera and 120-220 film in 1969.

I´ve owned and used most Nikon DSLR´s since the start of digital photography. I recall the D2H as one of the best at that time… Nikon you´ve come a long way baby!

I never own a D4 or D5 series…most everything else. My D3s is still a great camera. I just sold it, :-( . My D800 was great so I thought I quit buying at that point. Now after owning a D810 for years I purchased a D500 with a 200-500mm for fun stuff… kids playing sports wildlife etc… Then they came out with the D850…. a no brainer! So I´m a one month onwer of a D850 and I can´t put it down.

I´m still learning it´s many functions and features. Go Nikon!

Finally at the end of my photo career they made the best… better late then never for me. I´m just jealous that you younger shooters have so much to look forward to!

PS. Having used battery grips for my all my cameras in the past I opted out this time on my D850…. feels naked. Let´s see how long before I put a jacket on.

Love it. dw

I went from the d610 to the d850. The detail in the d850 is outstanding. Used the camera in a low light situation and found the continuous focus to work great. The recovery detail in the highlights in bright sun was surprising. Only problem I found was in video mode, focus tracking didn´t stay on focus.