via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Thanks so much for your personal insight on the subject.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Thanks for your personal insights.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Thanks for your personal insights.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Thank you.

BebuLamar

Of course as in my first post I can't recommend the OP either way. But if I were to buy either the D5 or the D850 I would certainly buy the D5 and not the D850. The reason is simple and of course nobody would agree with me. The D5 is made in Japan and the D850 is made in Thailand.

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

Hi Connie!

The truth is, there's not perfect solution here, other than to use both as I do. I use the D850 all the time in the states, especially with well lit wildlife subjects (shorebirds, wildlife in open meadows, etc). A gripped D850 was the only camera I used last November in FL - I was there for a month and the D5 never left the bag. The D850 is also a much better choice for landscapes than the D5 - the D5's low ISO dynamic range isn't the best, it's optimized for higher ISOs.

On the other hand, the D5 is my go-to for low light, really fast action scenarios. High ISOs are better and it has more DR at those higher ISOs. Of course, performance is second to none - at least in the Nikon lineup.

So, some thoughts...

A gripped D850 sort of has a D500 built right in and can of course replace the D800 as well. So, you'd have the best of both worlds in one body if you got the D850.

OTOH, you could go D5 and keep the D500 and D800 - using the D500 when you needed pixel density and the D800 for landscape work. This setup would give you the best in pixel density (D500), landscape. (D800) and low light / performance (D5). However, there's a lot of body swapping here, where going the D850 route gives almost does it all, only falling a little short in sheer performance and low light capabilities(D5).

Ideally is to have both. You could always sell the D500 and D800 to help finance the deal too, since a D850 in your bag will make them both obsolete.

stevetassi

If you need to use your camera all day every day in all type of weather conditions, get the D5. Otherwise get the D850.

mham6608 Loc: Birmingham, AL

I agree with most of the answers but would like to add. I own both and both are great cameras. However i find myself useing the D850 more for just about everything except sports or setting up for a portrait. In sports you can’t match the D5’s tracking and shutter speed, especially not with a mirrorless. With portraits the iso low light capibilities and smoothness is unmached. This is not to say the D850 is slow or will not perform in low light because it is also one of the best on the market in those areas. Saying all that , if i had to buy just 1 new camera i would go with theD850 because of its abilities. Good shutter speed, good high iso capabilities, great pixel count and just a great camera. Last it is smaller, lighter than the D5.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your input on this. When shooting with you in Costa Rica I used the D500 for most everything, except the night shots. My D800 is not functioning correctly so I'm thinking I need to replace it. You may recall that I held it up and showed you how the buffer was not filling correctly? Looks like maybe I'll end up getting the D850. I really do love my D500. Connie

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

If I were only picking one - and getting rid of the D800 (I do remember that buffer thing) - then I'd say gripped D850. Although, the pixel density is about the same, so the D500 will probably see more bag time than before :)

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Thanks!

Robertl594 Loc: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and Nantucket

I have both. Here is my experience. For low light hand held, I use the D5. Tripod, D850. I never worry about high ISO on my D5. Not so much on my D850. While the noise is good on the D850, I still like to keep it on the low side. Since the resolution is so good on the D850, it really shows inadequacies of your lenses. You need late pro glass. I just traded my 200-400mm VR for the new 180-400mm because I began the see the inadequacies of the older lens on the D850. Huge difference between the two. You will also need to watch your shutter speeds on the D850 if you are hand holding. Increased resolution is not forgiving to minor movement and will make your images appear blurry.

I’m not even going to enter the discussion about size and weight. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Both are exceptional cameras and I recommend them both, however, if you don’t need the resolution, D5 is absolutely tops.

gwilliams6

Good post burkphoto. OP, I would follow his advice in the first paragraph. Wait until August 23rd when Nikon will officially announce their new fullframe mirrorless cameras. If leaks are correct about both a 45 megapixel one and a 24 megapixel one you need to pay attention.

Any 45 megapixel one would have all the dynamic range and resolution of the D850 BUT ALSO have all the distinct advantages of mirrorless cameras, like EVF, Eye-AF, IBIS (Five-axis In body Image Stabilization), real silent shooting, weight savings, better video, and more. No DSLR can ever physically have these features, at any price. This is the future direction for all of the big three Canon, Sony and Nikon, towards the advantages of mirrorless. I would not spend a small fortune on old outdated DSLR tech. Yes you can still make good photos with DSLRs, but you can do so much more, easier and faster with mirrorless IMHO. It will make it easier to create your art. I know , I switched from 40 years of DSLR use to mirrorless back in Jan. 2017 and have never looked back. I enjoy all the distinct advantages of mirrorless every single time I use my camera. Cheers

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

The D5 has a low light EV DxO mark of 11.03, just behind the D5 is the D4s with a score of 10.51. Actually, the D850 is not bad coming in third with a score of 10.46, 4th goes to the Df with a score of 10.42 (cause it has the guts of a D4), and the D500 comes in seventh place among the Nikon's with a score of 9.7.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Thanks so much for your input.