photoman43

I have both the D810 and the D850 and use both. And I have a D500. The first full frame body I now use is the D850.

If $$ is not a real issue, go for the D850 as it has newer features that make it a "better" camera and its commands and features are closer to the D500, especially AF and flash.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Both the D810 and D850 are great cameras and I've owned them both. Honestly, I upgraded to the D850 because I found the D810 useless for sports, my main focus. The D850 is more useful for sports, but nowhere near the D5, which was my main sports camera until the D6. When using the D850, I often set the file size to medium yielding @ a 24MB file. If I had to pick one it would be the D850, if only for the focusing system and $$ dependant. If you are having, or expecting, a slowdown because of computer hardware, time to upgrade. I am currently using an iMac PRO with a TB3 card reader (good for XQD and CFE) and a massive amount of attached TB3 storage. One day the D850 might actually use CFE cards, at least that's what Nikon keeps saying. Best of luck.

ELNikkor

I would take the D810, as at least one of my cameras should have a built-in flash, which the D500 and the D850 do not.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

D850 without a doubt.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

OK...now you have to decide. You didn't tell us much about what you shoot and what you would like for your full frame camera to do for you. And there are a couple of significant things that I didn't tell you about the D850. The first is that quantitatively, the difference between 36 and 45 Mp is not really a thing, no matter what anyone tries to tell you. Yes, it's about a 25% increase in the total number of pixels, but it's about 10% more on each row, and about 10% more rows. Not a big deal. The sensor difference is not a big deal in real life either. It's nearly impossible to tell whether an image is from a D810 or a D850.

BUT...the D850 offers the choice of solid masking in the viewfinder when you choose a format other than 24x36mm. If you set it to DX, it is a "twin" to your D500...almost identical sensor density. So you also get a second D500 in the deal. Again...I'd challenge anyone to pick which image came form which camera.

If you are serious about wide angle photography, there is no question around expanding to include full frame. There are some DX lenses that purport to provide extreme wide angle performance, but they are neither fast enough nor good enough if you are really serious about it.

My full frame cameras supplanted a D300 and D300s. My D500s came later. But they are now my primary general purpose cameras. The full frames come out when there is a need for them. The simple truth is that there are many, many legitimate photographic situations where both 36MP and 45MP are more headache than benefit.

Good luck as you consider and as you decide.

neillaubenthal

I would wait until the Z6s and Z7s arrive to see if they improve their AF performance...and if so consider mirrorless as it will be the future...the D500 will be fine until you know that.

therwol Loc: USA

To me, this is a no-brainer. If you're buying new, the D850 is the only choice. While I feel that the difference in IQ between the D850 and D810 probably isn't great, the features and speed of the D850 make it a winner. The only reason to invest in the older technology would be to save money, and depending on what kind of photography you do, you may regret it in the long run.

Bill McKenna

Bob,

I own a D500 and a D850. I can't speak about the D810. I've never owned it. I can tell you though that the D850 is the finest camera I've ever owned. The resolution is incredible. I don't even like using my D500 now except when I need more speed (fps).

reverand

I started with a D650, moved up to a D750, and finally to a D850. I'm using an external hard drive with 7 Tetrabytes of storage, so I have no problem with large file sizes. The D850 is stunning.

I started traditional film photography with 35mm, then gradually moved up until I was doing landscapes, primarily, with a 4 x 5, and making prints up to 16 x 20. I never thought I'd get to this point, but I have to admit, 16 x 20 prints with the D850 are every bit as good as 16 x 20 prints with the 4 x 5. There are differences. Both are sharp, but film sharpness tends to be smooth, while digital sharpness simply looks different, because it's achieved with sharp-edged pixels, not with microscopic clusters of silver. The digital technology also results in a greater range of values in the Zones II-III area, where film generally goes right to black at II or I. In short, I can tell film prints from digital prints, but one isn't better than the other. They just look different. I see no reason to go back to the 4 x 5 if I can get results like this with a hand-held camera.

RightOnPhotography Loc: Quebec,QC

I was reading people's reply's to OP and I was waiting for somebody to mention Z7 as an alternative to D850. You were the first one and I am surprised nobody else did. I know many people who switched from D850 to Z7. I have Z6 for 18 months now and love it. I haven't touched my D750 since I got Z6. One day, I hope, I will have some extra funds to replace D750 with Z7 as a second body.

pego101

Z 6 Z60

therwol Loc: USA

There are some variables that we don't know. Does the OP have any screw drive lenses and hope to use them with the autofocus intact? Does the OP want to use the camera for sports? (Faster autofocus capabilities the D850) It is said that the new Z lenses outshine the older F mounted lenses. Does the OP want to invest in a new lens arsenal? There is no question that mirrorless is the future. We are in a transition period to that end. I wonder if Nikon will survive long enough to take this much farther. The pandemic isn't helping things.

baron_silverton Loc: Los Angeles, CA

The short answer is:

If you have the funds, the D850 is a definitively better camera in every respect. You will later regret getting the D810 but you will not regret getting the D850 (as long as you are set on a DSLR).

The long answer is:

If you are not set on a DSLR, it might be wise to wait and see what the Z6S and Z7S bodies bring to the game.

They are rumored to have 2 card slots - one will definitively be a CF Express (which on the D850 it is XQD - and supposed to be upgraded but nobody knows when). They are rumored to be adding a fully functional vertical grip and they have updated the battery already to be 20% more capacity. If the AF is significantly improved which we are hoping will be the case as they are rumored to also have dual Expeed processors - one can only hope this means that AF will be much improved. If so, then a Z7S may well be a worthy replacement for the D850 - it basically has the same sensor and with the other features upgraded to match you would then be getting all the benefits of mirrorless as well (EVF, IBIS) - and there are others. With the FTZ adaptor all your modern Nikon lenses will work perfectly - in some cases better. For example shooting the Nikkor 105mm F/1.4 lens is better on my Z camera with the FTZ than it is natively on my Nikon DSLR.
It acquires focus just as fast and focus can be obtained from all over the viewfinder - it is also easier to confirm good focus with 100% magnification in the viewfinder, and of course you can use Eye Detect AF - which is good now, but should become excellent with the dual Expeed processors (hopefully). I personally find shooting with my 105mm 1.4 more enjoyable when I shoot with it on my Z camera than when I shoot on my DSLR and I get as good and often better results.

If you have 3rd party lenses, all the Tamron lenses except the 90mm Macro (firmware to come soon to fix this) and most the Sigmas work well now with the FTZ.

Additionally, in the mirrorless Nikon world, there is also rumored to be a flagship, fully pro level high megapixel / high frame rate mirrorless coming early next year )Z8/9 - the rumors are not sure). This camera may be Nikon's answer to the Canon R5 - with very high MP and also blazing frame rates - it is rumored to have the 61 MP sensor that is in the Sony A7R4, but I don't know if you really need 61MP over 45MP - really depends on what you are doing. The good news is that Nikon offers RAW in Large, Medium and Small, so even the 61 MP camera in Medium RAW may be something like 30MP which is a nice compromise giving a little higher resolution than a typical 24MP (which is already very good).

Finally, there is also supposed to be a D880 coming early next year to replace the D850, and it is supposed to also have the 61MP sensor from the Sony - again you can shoot Medium RAW if this is too big for you. For example, shoot Medium RAW for portraiture, events etc and then use Large RAW for landscape, architecture and product (if need be) etc. The D880 will likely otherwise be everything that a D850 is through the optical VF and with the live view it will be most everything (almost - no IBIS,EVF) that a Z7S is.

I am guessing (just a guess) that the D880 will be the last DSLR that Nikon makes and probably the ultimate Full Frame DSLR ever to be made (from any manufacturer). Also, once it comes out, even if you are satisfied with the D850, the price on the D850 may well drop - certainly in the used market - as it will no longer be the newest / latest and greatest.

My guess is that you are better off waiting (if you can) until April / May of next year and then assessing all of your options - as there will likely be many more options by that time than there are now.

If you must get a camera now, and it is definitely between D810 and D850 - then it is really a no brainer for the D850.

Hope this helps,
-B

aellman Loc: Boston MA

You should let NASA know about this. They need an upgrade.

henrycrafter Loc: Orem Utah

Only if you can not use your present camera to its' fullest capacity should you consider buying another one so you have to learn all over. I still get great results from my T5i and have no intention of replacing it.