Using Nikon DX lenses on the D850 body: After much hesitation about the price I finally plunked down the money for a new Nikon D850 body. So far I am very happy with it, but I am a...

tuschapa

After much hesitation about the price I finally plunked down the money for a new Nikon D850 body. So far I am very happy with it, but I am a long way from exploring all of its features. I have a question that some of you might have faced: I still have some of my favorite DX lenses ( e.g. a Tamron 18 -400 mm zoom, which is very compact and light and pulls in distant objects similar to a much bigger FX zoom would). The D850 can be used in DX mode, but naturally one loses some of the megapixels by cropping the sensor. Does anybody know the size of the remaining sensor in terms of Mp-s? I don't think its the same as a 24 MP DX camera would have

BebuLamar

It's 19.4MP in DX crop mode. You could use it in the non crop mode and likely the long end is OK. The short end would have vignetting but you can crop later and may have a larger area than the DX crop mode.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

I don't know the answer to your question.
But I do know that if I used an 850, It would never be in DX mode.
That's just me.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

19.4 is correct. That said, I would never shoot any mode other than the native mode on any camera. Reason being, you are constrained by having to keep your subject in the central portion of the frame. Better to utilize the entire frame & crop in post.

alx Loc: NJ

tuschapa wrote:

After much hesitation about the price I finally pl... (show quote)

If you are unhappy with the results using the lens in FX mode, there is an option under "Image Area > Auto DX crop > ON" that will automatically set the camera to DX mode when a DX lens is attached.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Kmgw9v wrote:

I don't know the answer to your question.
But I do know that if I used an 850, It would never be in DX mode.
That's just me.

Yes, spoils the idea of spending big bucks to get ultimate quality ......

Just use DX lenses in normal mode and crop later for maximum versatility - but I would cringe at the idea of using a 18-400 on the 850 8-(

..

par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.

tuschapa wrote:

After much hesitation about the price I finally pl... (show quote)

Interested to know the FF glass you do have?

tuschapa

I have the Nikon 28 -300 Fx, the Nikon 24 -120 Fx, the Nikon 50 mm f/1.4 and the Nikon 85 mm f/1.8. I will soon be traveling in the Alps and cruising on the Rhine river. Two years ago we were in Denali in Alaska and the 300 mm was not enough to pull in the grizzlies and especially the snow white sheep that live way up in the mountains. I can't afford a really expensive lens right now, so I thought I do the best with what I have.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

tuschapa wrote:

I have the Nikon 28 -300 Fx, the Nikon 24 -120 Fx, the Nikon 50 mm f/1.4 and the Nikon 85 mm f/1.8. I will soon be traveling in the Alps and cruising on the Rhine river. Two years ago we were in Denali in Alaska and the 300 mm was not enough to pull in the grizzlies and especially the snow white sheep that live way up in the mountains. I can't afford a really expensive lens right now, so I thought I do the best with what I have.

You have FX lenses stuck on your 850---why shoot in DX mode---seriously?

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

tuschapa wrote:

I have the Nikon 28 -300 Fx, the Nikon 24 -120 Fx, the Nikon 50 mm f/1.4 and the Nikon 85 mm f/1.8. I will soon be traveling in the Alps and cruising on the Rhine river. Two years ago we were in Denali in Alaska and the 300 mm was not enough to pull in the grizzlies and especially the snow white sheep that live way up in the mountains. I can't afford a really expensive lens right now, so I thought I do the best with what I have.

Kind of an off-the-wall question: If you use an FX lens on a crop-sensor camera, the "effect" will be a focal length increase of 1.5x as compared to its use on a FF. If he uses his 28-300mm on the D850 in DX mode, will he get results like he used a 450mm?

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

tuschapa wrote:

I have the Nikon 28 -300 Fx, the Nikon 24 -120 Fx, the Nikon 50 mm f/1.4 and the Nikon 85 mm f/1.8. I will soon be traveling in the Alps and cruising on the Rhine river. Two years ago we were in Denali in Alaska and the 300 mm was not enough to pull in the grizzlies and especially the snow white sheep that live way up in the mountains. I can't afford a really expensive lens right now, so I thought I do the best with what I have.

Your best lenses on the D850, in descending order are the 85, then the 50, then the 24-120, and a very distant last, the 28-300. You will not be thrilled by the performance of the last lens on a full frame camera. It was ok with a 12 mp D3S but your camera exceeds the resolution of that lens, especially in the corners and edges. Though I haven't tried it, I suspect the 18-400 will leave you similarly underwhelmed.

A DX lens on a FX camera is really no different than an image cropped in post processing to give you the same angle of view.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Using a FX camera like your D850 in DX mode is not precisely what I would recommend. FX bodies perform better with FX lenses.
If you had all DX lenses and I would have been in your shoes I would have selected the D7200 or for better low light and faster AF the D500 but that is me.
Now you have to buy FX optics to make your D850 shine.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

tuschapa wrote:

After much hesitation about the price I finally pl... (show quote)

Why did you feel the need for the D850??

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

tuschapa wrote:

After much hesitation about the price I finally pl... (show quote)

If the price plunge into new FX lenses is too much for you, think about buying some used Nikkor IA-S lenses. Those should not kill the bank on eBay or Amazon or other reputable used source. I you want something not so vintage, look at used current Nikon lenses.

Fotomacher Loc: Toronto

traderjohn wrote:

Why did you feel the need for the D850??

In your situation with DX and FX lenses I may have opted for the D500.....