Nikon D850 Image Quality

Above we compare the new 45.7-megapixel Nikon D850 to its predecessor, the 36.3-megapixel D810 at base ISO. It's easy to see that the D850 definitely resolves more detail than the D810, as it should. Noise levels from the D850 appear to be similar if not a touch lower, which bodes well for high ISO performance. The D810 produces better contrast in our tricky red-leaf swatch, however there are also much stronger moiré patterns. Neither camera has an anti-aliasing filter and aliasing artifacts will of course vary with resolution, distance and subject matter, so this is not really a surprise. Processing remains similar, with both cameras producing very sharp, crisp images but with visible sharpening halos around high-contrast edges. Colors are pleasing from both cameras, though the D850's are a bit warmer and saturation of most colors is a bit higher.

Although the Nikon D850 offers a ~50% higher pixel count than the 30.4-megapixel Canon 5D Mark IV, we decided to compare them anyway, since they are similarly priced and can both shoot 4K video. (Below we compare the D850 to the higher resolution Canon 5DS R.) Here we see the D850 easily out-resolves the 5D Mark IV, though noise levels are a bit higher from the Nikon. The Nikon image is also a lot crisper, mostly thanks to better default processing. Once again, the lower resolution 5D IV shows stronger moiré patterns in our red-leaf swatch despite having an optical low-pass filter, however the D850 shows stronger aliasing in other areas of our test scene. Both cameras produce pleasing colors, though the Nikon's colors are generally more saturated and warmer.

Here we can see the tables are turned with the 50.6-megapixel Canon 5DS R capturing a bit more detail than the Nikon D850, however the Nikon image is crisper with higher contrast, though sharpening halos are more evident. Noise levels are roughly similar except in the deep shadows where the Canon is noisier. Both cameras produce pleasing color, however the Nikon's is again more saturated and warmer.

We've decided to include the 51.4-megapixel medium format Fuji GFX as sort of a benchmark here, even though it is roughly twice the price and doesn't offer nearly the type of performance that the D850 does. Also be aware that the GFX's sensor has a 4:3 aspect ratio while the rest in this group have a 3:2 aspect ratio, so the GFX has more of a resolution advantage over the others than their relative pixel counts would imply here, as we frame this shot vertically. (The D850 and GFX both produce images with 8256 pixels in the horizontal axis, but the Fuji yields 6192 pixels in the vertical, versus 5504 pixels for the Nikon.) As you can see, the GFX handily out-resolves the D850 and has lower noise levels as well. Both offer very crisp images, but the Fuji generates less obvious sharpening halos around high-contrast edges. The Nikon produces higher contrast though, particularly in our tricky red-leaf swatch. Both cameras offer pleasing, vibrant color though again the Nikon is a bit warmer and overall the Fuji's colors are a little more accurate.

Here we compare the D850 to the 42.4-megapixel Sony A7R Mark III. Although the D850 has slightly higher resolution, both resolve very similar amounts of detail and produce very crisp images, however the Sony image contains fewer sharpening artifacts due to its more sophisticated sharpening algorithm. Contrast is noticeably higher from the Sony in our tricky red-leaf swatch as well. Both produce good color, however the Nikon's is a bit warmer overall.

Here we jump up to ISO 6400 to get an idea of how high ISO performance compares. At ISO 6400, luminance noise appears to be a bit lower from the D850, while chrominance noise is much lower than the D810. This is likely why the D810 holds onto a lot more detail in our troublesome red-leaf swatch than the D850. In most other areas, the D850 still manages to resolve more detail, however its resolution advantage isn't as much as it was at base ISO. Still, a very nice improvement over the D810 overall.

Noise levels are lower from the Canon 5D Mark IV as expected, however the D850 still manages to resolve more detail with better clarity in most areas. Both struggle with our difficult red-leaf swatch, however the Canon holds onto more of the leaf pattern while the Nikon still retains some of the thread pattern. Again, colors are a little warmer from the Nikon.

Luminance noise is much higher from the 5DS R here at ISO 6400 though the Canon manages to retain a bit more high-contrast detail than the Nikon. Noise reduction artifacts are however more apparent from the Canon giving fine detail a somewhat crunchy, stippled appearance. The Nikon does slightly better with our red-leaf swatch, though both blur most of the leaf pattern away, however the Canon retains more detail in the pink fabric.

The Fujifilm GFX easily bests the Nikon D850 here at ISO 6400, with much better detail, lower noise and a tighter noise "grain," though contrast is a bit higher from the D850. However, as mentioned in our GFX review, the Fuji requires about 2/3 EV longer exposures than most cameras so keep that in mind. Still, even when comparing to the D850 at ISO 3200, the GFX comes out ahead thanks to its larger pixels and more sophisticated processing.

The Nikon D850 image is softer and less detailed here at ISO 6400 with slightly higher luminance noise, however chroma noise is lower, some low-contrast edges are better defined, and colors are warmer than from the Sony A7R III. Overall, we'd say the Sony comes out ahead here, though it's really up to personal preference.