Nikon D4S or D850: I have been watching the price of the Nikon D4S dropping more lately. That being said I shoot sports mainly night time at high school fields and high school gyms. I...

farwest Loc: Utah

I have been watching the price of the Nikon D4S dropping more lately. That being said I shoot sports mainly night time at high school fields and high school gyms. I currently have Nikon D4 & D500. I was wondering what those that have the D4S and the D850 think about the noise levels between them. To shoot on most the fields I'm on your at 10,000 or 12,800 ISO to shoot 1/1000 shutter speed at F2.8. I'm looking at the cost difference and if the Nikon D4S keeps falling it may be a good deal.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Plug in both cameras into this link which will show you the DR and low noise high ISO performance of each (and be sure to look at the tables under the chart). It’s only one factor in your decision, but a good data point.
http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm

Bill_de Loc: US

I hope when you figure it out you report back. I have a D4s and it is the best of my cameras when it comes to low noise. The others are DX, but I'm at the stage where I am thinking about the D850. I'm in no hurry as I spent my camera money on something else.

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rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

With the D850, you get the benefits of the CPU and sensor which is excellent for low light.

farwest Loc: Utah

TriX wrote:

Plug in both cameras into this link which will show you the DR and low noise high ISO performance of each (and be sure to look at the tables under the chart). It’s only one factor in your decision, but a good data point.
http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm

Nice chart, it looks like some of the camera's are real close but I can tell you in shooting the D4, D500 and D800 the D4 surpasses the other two in less noticeably noise. Thats why a worry about the chart. I guess I'll just have to rent a D850 and shoot it along side the other three and see how it works out. Hopefully someone here shoots both and we can get there input.

tomcat

The D4s would be better for the low light photography. I had a D800 and a D3s and the D3s was much better at low light. The D800 captured too many darkness pixels...

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

farwest wrote:

I have been watching the price of the Nikon D4S dr... (show quote)

I used D4s for years and liked it. I did however switch to the D500 cause it had nearly the same FPS 10 vs. 11, but also had the exceed 5 processor vs. the exceed 4 for the Nikon D4s. I felt that the D4s did great in low light but I found that my D500 could produce similar results and costs a lot less money. I did get my D500 when they offered the free battery grip and the feel is similar to the D4s. All that said I still thought that D4s was a sweet camera. I do not miss it though.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

farwest wrote:

Nice chart, it looks like some of the camera's are real close but I can tell you in shooting the D4, D500 and D800 the D4 surpasses the other two in less noticeably noise. Thats why a worry about the chart. I guess I'll just have to rent a D850 and shoot it along side the other three and see how it works out. Hopefully someone here shoots both and we can get there input.

Thanks. Your observation agrees with the data table under the chart that shows that the D4 is a bit better than the D800 and substantially better than the D500. (And the D4S is better than the D4). Note that I was referring to Low light high ISO performance and not necessarily dynamic range. All excellent cameras btw

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

I'm still shooting with the D4s. It was $6500 at the time I bought it but there were no better alternatives for me then but the 36MP D800 at half the price. D4s is a great camera but my main regret is the fact that it is only 16MP. In fact, I had thought about upgrading to the D5 because it has 4 more MP.

Now you are having the same dilemma I faced when I bought the D4s. The choice you stated is between a 16MP camera and an overkill 46MP (D850). My thought was that if one needs that many MPs for cropping in then you may be doing something wrong.

farwest Loc: Utah

farwest wrote:

Nice chart, it looks like some of the camera's are real close but I can tell you in shooting the D4, D500 and D800 the D4 surpasses the other two in less noticeably noise. Thats why a worry about the chart. I guess I'll just have to rent a D850 and shoot it along side the other three and see how it works out. Hopefully someone here shoots both and we can get there input.

That's exactly how I felt but for someone looking at charts you wouldn't think there would be that much difference in low light but there is.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

farwest wrote:

I have been watching the price of the Nikon D4S dr... (show quote)

I think the D4s is the better performer when it comes to these two models, as the D 850 suppose to be a rather poor performer in low light!

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Reading the charts is one thing but real world experience when you shoot tells you more. First thing I noticed with my D4s is that the noise pattern when ISO is pushed high is very tight (my term). What I mean is that the spaces between noise that occurs are so small as to render the effect very uniform and less noticeable. And it responds well to noise reduction programs too to make nearly any shot usable in terms of noise at least as far up as I have taken it (12,800 ISO). My main objection is the D4s is great when you fill the frame, but don't try to crop in too much.

Robeng Loc: California

farwest wrote:

I have been watching the price of the Nikon D4S dr... (show quote)

I have the D4s, D850 & D500.

This is my basic experience with the D4s and D850.

I use the D4s for shooting models and wildlife mostly hand held with fast glass with high ISO. I rarely see any noise when I shoot in high ISO. The camera is amazing fast and a joy to work with. Drawback is it's heavy especially with a 70mm-200mm or worse 200mm-400mm.

I took the D850 out last week to give it a test run shooting Sandhill Cranes at sunset and shot the cranes at ISO 64000. There were signs of noise and chromatic Aberration, where as the D4s didn't have it as bad as the D850. Also the shutter on the D850 is nosier than the D4s when shooting high continuous mode. This only matters when shooting wildlife.

I think if you're shooting fast action stuff in low light the D4s is hard to beat, But if you're shooting landscape stuff and need focus stacking like famous photographer George Lepp, the D850 is in my opinion better.

Rob

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

I love my D850, but for the scenario you describe, the D4s is the better choice. When it comes to low light, the D850 is OK, but the single digit pro series bodies are made for it. As long as you're (at least mostly) filling the frame, you'll like the D4s. The only real downside I can see for sports shooting is that the D850 does have the newer, better AF system, but the D4s is no slouch. If it were me in that scenario, I'd get the D4s.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Steve Perry wrote:

I love my D850, but for the scenario you describe, the D4s is the better choice. When it comes to low light, the D850 is OK, but the single digit pro series bodies are made for it. As long as you're (at least mostly) filling the frame, you'll like the D4s. The only real downside I can see for sports shooting is that the D850 does have the newer, better AF system, but the D4s is no slouch. If it were me in that scenario, I'd get the D4s.

Having used the D4s before I upgraded to the D5, I would have to agree wholeheartedly with Steve's comment. I also use a D850 for sports, which I find to be much more useful that my D810 (former camera). I will admit that I will sometimes use my D500, but I agree with the others on here that it has nowhere the low light capability of the D3/4/5 series, which were essentially designed and built for sports action work. Best of luck.