selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

I take it that you did not yet look at Camera Lens Ratings by DxOMark.

While some might argue with the way they measure the effective pixels of a lens, the method is at least good enough for ranking the sharpness one lens against another.

When you get to that screen, select "Nikon F FX" in the "MOUNT TYPE" section. Then click once on the heading of the "Sharpness" column to get the listing into descending order.

You will find (today) the Carl Zeiss Milvus 1.4/85 ZF.2 Nikon tested on a Nikon D800E with an effective sharpness rating of 36MP. This means that that particular lens will not degrade a 36 MP sensor. Until they use a D850 to retest all of their lenses we will not know how much higher that lens (and three others that scored 36) might reach.

Every other lens will soften the image for a 36 MP sensor, some more than others.

Now select "Zoom" as the lens type and sort the lenses again. You will find that the sharpest tested zoom (today) is the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR which scores at 30 MP. It significantly downgrades the 36 MP of the D800E and it will do likewise with the D850. You will also see (in the circled number under the sharpness score of 30) that it ranks 84th among all of the lenses that DxOMark tested. It's a safe bet that nearly all of those are prime lenses or that they were tested on the Canon EOS 5DS R or the Sony A7R II.

It appears that the neither the Sygma 150-600 nor the Nikon 200-500 yet been tested. Stay tuned.

therwol Loc: USA

A lot of people on this forum love this lens. It is quite versatile, but it isn't pro quality glass, as evidenced by numerous independent tests. I was initially going to say that you're wasting your money buying a D850 if you're going to use consumer glass on it, but then I thought about it and realized that the features (improvements) of this camera make it worth considering regardless of what you choose to mount on it.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I have found the 200-500 to be just as sharp as my two Nikon Pro Lenses. The 300 3.8 and 200-400 f4. Plus, the 200-500 is much lighter than my two heavy weights. Numerous independent tests could be misleading. I have tested all three over a 6 month period using the lenses EVERY DAY. I have found the 200-500 equal to the 300 and 200-400.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Too bad you didn't check "Add Attachment" so we could get an idea of the camera's capability. So much detail is lost when this box is not checked it doesn't do the camera justice.

therwol Loc: USA

He was referring to the 28-300. I suppose both his post and my reply didn't address the original question. It does raise the question of which lenses, if any, will be able to take full advantage of the D850s sensor. I suppose this will become apparent over time. I suspect (without evidence) that the difference in IQ between the D810 and D850 will be small, but the difference in speed and other features make the new camera a worthy upgrade.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

As I pointed out a couple of posts back, there are only about four prime lenses (and no zooms) that might exceed the resolution of the D810.

When they get tested on the D850, that number will probably drop.

Mark M USN RET

Just wanted today thanks to everyone for the input. No decisions yet, but as soon as I get the D850 and test it out I'll let you know and share some shots

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I agree, if obsessed with optical performance this is the review site (DXO) that will give the best answer. However they fall short in at least two areas. First, for mechanical characteristics, such as focusing speed, accuracy, build, etc.(ex:what good are optics if it misses focus). Second is timeliness. By the time they publish there are newer lenses available and it leaves you wondering if they might be a better choice.

Never make your decision on just a few opinions or reviews. Look at as many reviews as is practical. Admittedly its difficult to sort the valuable from the worthless sometimes.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

If someone has a one-dimensional view of a camera's qualities, it's easy to slip into the trap that megapixels are the most important measure. That's not true by a long shot. But there are so many factors to be considered that it would be impossible to rank them all without creating a confusing mess. Simplicity and quick answers appeal to some.

As for timeliness, I think they can be forgiven for not lavishing a lot of manpower to keep up with the sporadic releases of bodies and lenses. The prudent photographer waits until most of the reviews are in before jumping on a product. Early adopters can get burned.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

However, some zooms, like the Tamron G2 and the Sigma Sport (150-600) optimize their sharpness at the focal lengths they anticipate will be most used. I am quite pleased with the performance of my Sigma Sport, and did find it to be noticeably sharper at max focal length than the 200-500 was. If the Sigma was not around, I'd probably had gotten the 200-500, but would not have been thrilled at it's fair-weather-lens limitations as I stated earlier.