Nikon D850 Experience - The Still Photography Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Nikon D850

Nikon D850 Experience

The Still Photography Guide to

Operation and Image Creation with the

Nikon D850

By: Douglas J. Klostermann

Full Stop. good writing for better photography

All rights reserved. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold, file-shared, distributed, sub-licensed, or given away. This book can be printed for your personal use (PDF version) and read on your personal devices. Otherwise no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or in print, without expressed permission from the author. Every effort has been made to make this e-book as accurate as possible, but no warranty of fitness is implied. The information is provided on an as-is basis. The author shall have no liability or responsibility with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information provided in this e-book including but not limited to the use of any of the materials or methods described, the products, retailers, Internet web sites, or links provided. Please read and follow all instructions and use, safety and handling precautions expressed in the manuals provided with your equipment and software, and which take precedence over any content in this work.

All contents including cover design, text, and photographs, with the exception of products, brands, logos, and contents of menus and screenshots, are copyright by the author, except as noted. All products, brands, logos, and contents of menus and screenshots are property of the respective companies and websites. Terms which are trademarks or service marks in this e-book are used in an editorial and educational manner, and should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. Nikon and D850 are trademarks of Nikon Inc. Adobe, Photoshop, and Lightroom are trademarks of Adobe Systems Inc. The author and the contents of this book are not affiliated with or endorsed by Nikon.

Special thanks to Newtonville Camera of Newton, Mass.

http://www.nvcamera.com

Douglas Klostermann is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. (Links are provided to products and accessories mentioned in this guide.)

Copyright 2017 Douglas J. Klostermann / Full Stop Media, LLC - all rights reserved.

Cover design and photograph by the author. All photographs by the author, with the exception of:

Select AI/ Non-AI lens photographs by Andrew Martin of www.smallcirclestudio.com

Select bird and wildlife photographs by Steve Perry of www.backcountrygallery.com

Nikon D850 Experience

The Still Photography Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Nikon D850

by: Douglas J. Klostermann

EPUB Version 1.1e

August 2018

Author’s website: www.dojoklo.com

Author’s blog: http://blog.dojoklo.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FullStopDSLRGuides/

Published by Full Stop Media. good writing for better photography

Arlington, Massachusetts, USA

www.fullstopbooks.com

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION to the D850

1.1 Take Control of Your Camera

1.2 Using This Guide

1.3 Getting Started

1.4 New Features and Hidden Features of the D850

2. CAMERA CONTROLS

3. MENUS and CUSTOM SETTINGS

3.1 Setting Up the D850

3.2 Setup Guide Spreadsheet

3.3 Playback Menu

3.4 Photo Shooting Menu

3.5 Movie Shooting Menu - Intro

3.6 Custom Setting Menu

a - Autofocus

b - Metering/Exposure

c - Timers/AE Lock

d - Shooting/Display

e - Bracketing/Flash

f - Controls

g - Movie

3.7 Setup Menu

3.8 Retouch Menu

3.9 My Menu

4. PLAYBACK, INFORMATION DISPLAY, and IMAGE FILE FORMATS

4.1 Image Playback

4.2 Information Display and i Button Menus

4.3 JPEG, NEF (RAW), and TIFF

4.4 File Sizes and Maximum Continuous Burst

5. AUTOFOCUSING

5.1 Using Autofocus

5.2 Autofocus Modes

5.3 Autofocus AF-Area Modes

5.4 Locking Focus

5.5 Back-Button Focusing

5.6 Focus Points and Image Composition

5.7 Trap Focus

5.8 Autofocus Auto Fine-Tune

6. RELEASE MODES

7. EXPOSURE Part 1

7.1 Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO

7.2 Aperture-Priority Auto Mode and Shutter-Priority Auto Mode

7.3 Full Stops

7.4 Manual Exposure Mode, Bulb, and Time

7.5 Programmed Auto Exposure Mode

8. METERING MODES

8.1 Matrix Metering

8.2 Center-Weighted Metering

8.3 Spot Metering

8.4 Highlight-Weighted Metering

8.5 Manual Metering

8.6 Metering Modes and Exposure

9. EXPOSURE Part 2

9.1 Exposure Lock

9.2 Histograms

9.3 Exposure Compensation

9.4 Auto Bracketing

9.5 HDR (High Dynamic Range)

9.6 Active D-Lighting

9.7 Multiple Exposures

10. ADDITIONAL CAMERA FUNCTIONS

10.1 White Balance

10.2 Picture Controls

10.3 Interval Timer Shooting

10.4 Sensor Cleaning

10.5 Putting It All Into Practice

11. FLASH

11.1 Flash Control Modes

11.2 Flash Modes

11.3 Flash Custom Settings Options

11.4 Wireless Flash

12. THE IMAGE TAKING PROCESS

12.1 Still Subjects

12.2 Moving Subjects

13. LIVE VIEW

13.1 Live View Features and Settings

13.2 Live View and Movie Autofocusing

13.3 Live View Exposure

14. VIDEO

14.1 Introduction to Video

14.2 Movie Shooting Menu Options

14.3 Movie Shooting i Button Menu

14.4 Movie Exposure Settings

14.5 Movie Playback and Editing

14.6 Time-Lapse Movie

15. BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi, and SNAPBRIDGE

16. COMPOSITION

17. LENSES

17.1 Lens Compatibility of the D850

17.2 Using AF and AI Lenses With the D850

17.3 Nikon (NIKKOR) Lens Notations

18. PHOTOGRAPHY ACCESSORIES

18.1 Nikon D850 Accessories

18.2 Digital SLR Photography Accessories

18.3 Digital Photography Books

19. CONCLUSION

Future Updates to the Text

About the Author

1. INTRODUCTION to the D850

The introduction of the Nikon D850 has resulted in tremendous excitement for Nikon photographers, with features, capabilities, and improvements that have exceeded expectations. This full-frame (FX) dSLR offers both high-speed shooting and a high resolution 45.7 megapixel sensor, as well as great image quality at high ISO settings for low-light shooting. The camera boasts a responsive 153 point autofocus system, with 99 cross-type points and 55 selectable AF points spread widely across the central area of the viewfinder. Plus all of the AF points are capable of focusing in very dim lighting. This superb autofocus system, combined with a fast 7 frames per second (fps) continuous frame rate and extremely large buffer capacity, will allow you to maintain this rapid frame rate for several dozen images in a continuous burst, making the D850 ideal for sports, action, bird, and wildlife photography. The frame rate can even be improved to 9 fps with the addition of the Nikon MB-D18 Battery Pack and an EN-EL18b battery.

In addition, the D850 includes the Group-Area AF Autofocus Area Mode, where several autofocus points work together to focus on a subject that may elude a single point, and the Highlight-Weighted Metering Mode, which can help retain highlight details on brightly lit subjects such as in theater and concert scenes.

Figure 1.1 - Detail of the Nikon D850 digital SLR.

The D850 also includes some new controls compared to the D810, including the Sub-Selector joystick and a touch screen. The Sub-Selector is used to quickly select the desired autofocus point while shooting, and can be used as a focus lock and exposure lock button when pressed straight in. It can even be customized to perform powerful functions such as temporarily switching to a different autofocus AF-Area Mode during shooting. The touch screen can be used for menu selection, image playback, as well as for focusing and shutter release in Live View shooting mode. And the high-resolution 3.2" rear monitor tilts to assist shooting from unique high and low vantage points. The inclusion of the i Button, now standard on current Nikon models, allows photographers to quickly access mode-specific settings, whether shooting through the Viewfinder, working in Live View or Movie mode, or during image playback. Plus the camera buttons are now illuminated for use in low-light shooting situations.

Filmmakers will be able to take advantage of the numerous video improvements, including 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) video in addition to Full HD and HD frame rates and sizes, and the 4K UHD video makes use of the entire width of the sensor. Plus the D850 includes focus peaking for manual focusing, Electronic Vibration Reduction for HD video, uncompressed output to an optional external recorder, and built-in stereo microphones with selectable frequency ranges and a new attenuation option. The Flat Picture Style is designed to retain shadows and highlights for post-production, and Highlight Display zebra stripes can be enabled for displaying overexposed areas of the scene when viewed on the camera’s LCD Monitor. And you can now select different styles of zebra stripes. The Power Aperture feature will allow cinematographers to smoothly change the aperture size while recording to either an external device or to the camera’s memory cards. The D850 also offers slow-motion video options as well as 4K time-lapse movie shooting.

Figure 1.2 - Snowy Egret - Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Chincoteague Virginia. (c) Steve Perry, www.backcountrygallery.com. Nikon D850, Shutter speed 1/4000, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 500.

The D850 also offers a wide native ISO sensitivity range (64 to 25,600 ISO, expandable down to 32 and up to 102,400 ISO), with exceptional improvement at higher ISO settings, enabling photographers to capture clean images in low light situations. The absence of an anti-aliasing optical low pass filter in front of the new backside-illuminated sensor will further increase image sharpness, especially when working in controlled situations and with high-quality lenses. And the camera includes the XQD high speed memory card slot, along with a UHS-II SD card slot. The D850 boasts a ruggedly built, weather-sealed magnesium alloy body, a big and bright 100% coverage viewfinder, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities through Nikon’s SnapBridge app, and numerous customization options. A new Focus Shift Shooting mode allows you to automatically shoot up to 300 images of a scene at varying focus distances, and a totally silent Live View shooting mode enables you to discreetly capture images in sensitive situations such as weddings and performances.

The powerful Expeed 5 processor provides faster processing capabilities and improved image quality with better noise reduction at high ISO settings. The camera’s high-resolution image sensor along with its highly versatile and customizable 153 point autofocus system, 180K-pixel RGB metering sensor with subject and face detection and improved Auto White Balance, and the fast frame rate and large buffer will serve the needs of dedicated photographers of every level, from enthusiasts to professionals. The advanced features and customizable controls of the Nikon D850 will enable photographers to consistently capture sharp, clean, and well-exposed images in most any shooting situation, and the camera will truly excel in sports, action, bird, and wildlife photography.

But the D850 is merely a tool. It is up to you to make use of its features and capabilities to create the images you envision. While the camera’s manuals can tell you about all the settings and controls, how to change them, and their intended functions, this guide will build upon that and explain when and why you may wish to use them. All of the buttons, dials, menu items, and Custom Settings of the D850 are there for a reason: to help you consistently capture the images you want. Some of them are more useful to different types of photographers and shooting situations, and you don’t necessarily need to learn and use them all immediately, but this guide will help to give you the knowledge to confidently use the features that turn your Nikon D850 into an image capturing tool that works best for you.

1.1 Take Control of Your Camera

Since the camera is a tool to take the images you want to take, you obviously can’t always allow the camera to make decisions for you. You have to take control of the camera to ensure that you capture exactly the images you intend - by autofocusing precisely where you intend, setting the aperture or shutter speed that you want, and obtaining the exposure you desire. While the D850 is an intelligent camera, it cannot read your mind and your intentions and does not know that you wish to focus on and properly expose the white flowers at the upper-right in the foreground, while making the background appear out of focus, and the flower petals to be caught still and not be blurred from the motion of the wind, on this bright, sunny day (see Figure 1.3).

Figure 1.3 - Flowers, Concord, Mass. - Autofocus modes, exposure metering mode, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance all considered, even in creating this simple image. Shutter speed 1/1600, Aperture f/4.5, ISO 100.

You have to tell the camera to do all of this, through the various controls and settings, such as the Autofocus Mode and AF-Area Mode (lock focus on the desired flower), the exposure metering mode (properly expose the petals and the scene), the aperture setting (the out-of-focus background), the shutter speed (freezing the motion of the flowers from the wind), the ISO (bright day) and the white balance (sunny day). Taking control of all of these functions and settings will enable you to consistently create the dramatic and compelling images you envision.

Learning to use and get the most out of an advanced digital SLR (dSLR) camera like the D850 takes time, practice, patience, mistakes, and experimentation. If you have upgraded from a previous Nikon dSLR such as the D810, D7500 or D300s (or one of their predecessors), you are in for a treat. Its additional features and capabilities will help you to successfully capture scenes and situations that you may have been limited in consistently attaining before. The camera’s sophisticated and accurate autofocus system coupled with the fast continuous shooting speed, plus its exposure metering system and high ISO capabilities will help you get sharp images of subjects and moments that previously you may have missed, especially in lower light situations.

If you are still in the process of learning all the controls of a dSLR and the exposure concepts of digital photography, you have perhaps jumped right into the proverbial deep end of the pool by choosing the highly advanced D850! But don’t worry, this book will help guide you through its features, controls, and capabilities. Be sure to take it slowly and patiently as you learn the features and concepts that I will explain. With practice and experience you will soon be shooting with confidence and can begin to take advantage of the camera’s more advanced functions. Even if you are an intermediate or experienced photographer, don’t expect to just pick up all the new information at once, in one reading of a single book. (In fact, you wouldn’t want to, as the never ending journey of learning and mastering photography is a big part of what it’s all about!) Try not to become frustrated if you don’t quite understand something or aren’t always getting the results you desire. Instead learn the controls, functions, settings, and concepts bit by bit, try them out in real life shooting situations, and return to this guide, the Nikon D850 User’s Manual, and other photography books to address questions and problems you encounter. Continue to learn and to photograph often and it should all begin to come together, sometimes slowly and sometimes in rapid bursts of discovery and understanding.

Figure 1.4 - 1960 Chevrolet Corvette - Great Bay Corvette Club Car Show, Newington, New Hampshire - Nikon D850, Shutter speed 1/640, Aperture f/5.6, ISO 400, Exposure Compensation +1.

1.2 Using This Guide

There are many different ways to use a dSLR camera and its controls to capture images, and many diverse situations in which photographers work. I’m going to concentrate on the techniques that I believe are the most practical, useful, and effective for the majority of enthusiast photographers using the D850, while also explaining how settings can apply to specialized uses. The settings and techniques I discuss can apply to various types of photography including general photography, action, wildlife, portrait, and travel photography. Once you have a firm grasp of the controls, settings, and basic techniques you will have the tools and knowledge to address different issues, specific situations, and challenging scenes. I encourage you to then experiment and continue to learn, and to find the techniques that work best and are most comfortable or intuitive for you.

The D850 is a highly sophisticated tool that deserves to be used to its full potential, and that involves taking control of the camera and its numerous functions. While this may be challenging at first, these are the techniques that are necessary to take full advantage of the capabilities of any dSLR including the D850, and will lead you to having more control and consistency over your image making. Hopefully this will inevitably lead to better images!

This guide is intended to be used with the camera in your hands. That is the best way to directly follow and understand the controls, functions, and settings as they are being explained. (All of the controls, menus, and functions are fully illustrated, to assist those readers still awaiting their D850.) It is also intended to be used in conjunction with and in addition to the camera’s manuals, not to completely replace them, so every bit of information in the Nikon D850 User’s Manual and Nikon D850 Menu Guide will not be repeated here. Among the often brief descriptions and sometimes frustratingly incomplete and disjointed explanations in the manuals, there is some very valuable information, as well as the basics for buttons, controls, menus, and how to access and change all the settings. And I will refer to the manuals for very specialized or rarely-used functions that are well-explained there. Note that the page number references to the manuals given in this text will sometimes be for the Menu Guide vs. the User’s Manual, as will be indicated. The D850 User’s Manual and the D850 Menu Guide can also be obtained as PDF files from the Nikon website, at the webpage below.

http://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/359/D850.html

Figure 1.5 - Nikon D850 dSLR shown with 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens.

As you can see, there is a lot to make sense of regarding terminology and controls, so I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the controls and displays of the camera body, as shown on pages 1-8 of the D850 User’s Manual and explained in the Camera Controls chapter below, as well as read through the manual at some point and attempt to understand or absorb as much as possible. Yes, much of it may be complicated or unclear at first, but this guide will explain and clarify the numerous buttons, controls, menus, and settings and explain when and why you will want to use them in your photography.

Various settings of the Nikon D850 can be controlled in multiple ways including using the buttons and Command Dials on the camera body while reading the settings on the top LCD Control Panel, in the Viewfinder, or on the rear Information Display. Or they can be changed through the menus accessed with the Menu Button and the Multi Selector thumb pad or touch screen and read on the rear LCD Monitor. Explore the options (which will be explained throughout this guide) and find the ways that work most quickly and intuitively for you.

Any time I capitalize something in this text it is a proper term that can be looked up in the Nikon D850 User’s Manual or D850 Menu Guide. I will capitalize the names of actual buttons, controls, camera parts, and menu items, such as Preview (Pv) Button, Main Command Dial, Monitor, and White Balance. Words that are capitalized and bold refer to chapters and sections within this guide, such as Menus and Custom Settings. Access the bookmarks, contents navigation panel, or the Table of Contents of your e-book reader if you wish to quickly navigate to these different sections.

Many of the functions and controls of a dSLR such as the D850 are closely inter-related, such as the exposure modes, exposure settings, and the metering modes. As a result of this I must sometimes indicate that a previous or upcoming section of the text has further explanation of a related function. However, there is no need to jump ahead or behind in the text - this is merely a heads-up that the feature will be fully explained in the appropriate section. It is best to read through the entire text, in the order it is organized. The Menus and Custom Settings chapter is particularly prone to referring to upcoming chapters, but this initial menu walkthrough is needed at the front of the guide in order to help set up your camera before use. Most all of the features and functions introduced in that chapter will be addressed in detail in the applicable sections of the text.

After reading the text you may then wish to return to specific sections for further study. It may take multiple readings followed by experimentation and practice to fully understand both the individual functions and the relationships between functions. 

Example Images

In the captions to the example photos throughout the text I include the camera settings that were used. With digital photography, while there is typically an ideal exposure, and there certainly are incorrect settings, there are no best settings for any given situation. A dSLR gives you quick access to the basic and essential settings because they often need to be changed to adapt to the subject, the scene, the lighting, and perhaps most importantly your creative intentions. The choices you (or the camera) make depend on a number of variables and relationships as well as the photographer’s desires. Because the settings used for the sample images are based on many variables including the lighting and time of day, the motion of the subject, the lens and focal length used, as well as the overall situation being photographed with a combination of moving subjects, still subjects, and changing lighting, these settings should not be viewed as proper or best settings. In truth, they often more accurately reflect the reality of photography and adjusting (or failing to adjust) to fluid situations.

Figure 1.6 - Barred Owl in Tree - Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. (c) Steve Perry, www.backcountrygallery.com. Nikon D850, Shutter speed 1/500, Aperture f/4.0, ISO 2500, Exposure Compensation +1/3.

Many of the example photographs throughout this guide were taken with the D850, though please note that some example images were taken with various dSLR cameras. Due to the fact that I am usually working with a variety of different camera bodies in my shooting and research for writing, I wish to use images that best exemplify the topic or point I am describing, such as shutter speed, exposure metering, or bracketing. Example photos taken with the D850 are noted in the image captions. Larger versions of the example photographs from this text can also be viewed online (and in color for Kindle readers) here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dojoklo/albums/72157686552770224

Thank you to talented wildlife photographer Steve Perry, author of the e-book guide Secrets to Stunning Wildlife Photography, for providing several D850 bird and wildlife photographs seen in this guide (as noted in those image captions).

Updates to the Text:

Although I have carefully reviewed and edited this text, I may later find typos or wish to make corrections. And sometimes as I use the camera more and answer user questions, I may discover changes I would like to make to the text to clarify an explanation or better describe a process, setting, or function. So I will keep a log of updates, corrections, and clarifications for Nikon D850 Experience on my blog at:

http://blog.dojoklo.com/nikon-d850-experience-updates-page/

You can also sign up to receive notices of any important updates and to be contacted about receiving free e-book copies of updated versions of Nikon D850 Experience (if any major updates are made to the text). For example, Nikon may release future firmware which could add features and menu items, and I would update the guide accordingly. Or I will update the guide if an important addition or correction is made to the text. Please sign up to be notified of these major updates, here:

http://blog.dojoklo.com/ebooks/sign-up-for-full-stop-e-book-updates/

1.3 Getting Started

Batteries: The first thing to do, if you haven’t done so already, is to fully charge the battery. You will probably want a second battery, the EN-EL15a, for extended shooting sessions, traveling, or for those times you forgot to charge the battery.

There is an optional battery pack and grip, the Nikon MB-D18 Battery Pack/ Grip, which will allow you to use an additional EN-EL15a battery, or eight alkaline, lithium, or Ni-MH AA batteries, or an EN-EL18 battery with the use of the optional BL-5 Battery Chamber Cover. The grip also increases the size of the camera which may make it more comfortable for some users, especially when using the camera in the portrait orientation or with larger lenses. It can also allow you to share EN-EL18 batteries with the Nikon D5 if you are shooting with both cameras. The battery pack plus the EN-EL18 battery will also increase the maximum continuous shooting rate to 9 fps.

You will want to make sure that both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are disabled, so that they don’t drain the battery when these features are not in use. You can Enable the Airplane Mode menu item in the Setup Menu, which will turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the wireless feature of an Eye-Fi memory card if one is being used.

Figure 1.7 - Nikon EN-EL15a battery (Li-ion20 version), with XQD and SD memory cards.

At the end of this book I will provide Amazon.com product links to the accessories and items I mention throughout the text, as well as other Photography Accessories and books, if you wish to view or purchase them. There is also a full version of this list, with Amazon links, on my blog:

http://blog.dojoklo.com/2011/02/10/gear-accessories-and-books/

Memory Cards: You will need a couple high speed XQD memory cards, plus SD memory cards if you wish to make use of both memory card slots. If you will be capturing images in the NEF (RAW) format, the files will be very large, and thus a 32 GB or larger card will be most practical. Nikon recommends using the Sony 64 GB QD-G64E XQD card in order to take full advantage of the maximum buffer capacity of the D850 (listed on page 362-363 of the D850 User’s Manual). For the XQD type cards, Nikon also suggests a number of Sony models, as well as the Lexar Professional 1100x, 1333x, and 2933x, all of which can be seen on page 360 of the D850 User’s Manual.

XQD type cards offer faster write speeds, for more quickly clearing the camera buffer, as well as faster transfer speeds for uploading to your computer. The inclusion of the XQD card slot also allows the D850 to be a convenient second camera to the Nikon D500 or Nikon D5 (XQD model), so that you can make use of the same card type. If using SD type cards, you may wish to take advantage of the fast SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II 280MBs SD cards. (The SD card slot is both UHS-I and UHS-II compatible.)

The use of an XQD card vs. an SD card will affect the maximum burst capacity when capturing RAW image files with the D850. This will be further addressed in Section 4.4 File Sizes and Maximum Continuous Burst, and the buffer capacity for the various files types can be seen on pages 362-363 of the D850 User’s Manual. The Primary slot selection and Secondary slot function items of the Photo Shooting Menu, as well as the Format memory card item of the Setup Menu below will explain how to configure the dual card slots and how to best use and maintain your memory cards.

Some people advocate the use of several smaller capacity memory cards (perhaps 32 GB) so that if you lose a card or lose all the images on one due to card error, then you don’t lose all your vacation or event photos at once. However, if you are taking many images of an event or activity, smaller cards may unexpectedly fill up, causing you to miss the action as you switch cards (though the dual card slots of the D850 can help prevent this if set up for the Overflow role). So you may wish to take the opposite approach and use larger capacity memory cards (at least 64 GB for the D850), then back up the images in two or three places each night after shooting. But as each lossless compressed (14-bit) NEF (RAW) image from the D850 is about 48 MB to 65 MB in size, and as 64 GB cards are priced at what 32 GB cards were not too long ago, you can begin to see how it is all relative.

Figure 1.8 - Logs and Ferns - Whipple Hill, Lexington, Mass. - Nikon D850, Shutter speed 1/640, Aperture f/5.0, ISO 3200.

Be sure to always insert and remove a memory card only when the camera is turned off. When downloading the images from a card to a computer, use a card reader and simply copy or import the images, then remove the card once the card reader has been stopped and you are sure it is no longer being accessed by the computer. Do not add or delete photos or files to a card via the computer, unless required for Custom Picture Controls or other uses. Only erase or format a card in the camera itself. This will all help to prevent card errors or corruption. If a memory card has functioned properly after several uses, with proper care it is likely to continue to work properly for a long time.

1.4 New Features and Hidden Features of the D850

For those coming to the D850 from a previous, advanced Nikon dSLR, and who are already familiar with the typical features, functions, and controls and wish to immediately learn about the new and upgraded features and buttons, below is a summary of what has been added or improved with the D850. I’ve described some of these features as hidden features, because they can only be accessed in very specific ways, sometimes outside of using the menus or Custom Settings, and may be challenging to find if you are not familiar with them. All of these new and hidden features and items will be discussed in more detail in the applicable chapters and sections of this guide, which are noted in the list below.

New Features of the D850

First, it is important to note that while the OK Button and the Multi Selector Center Button are often interchangeable for completing menu functions, there are some functions that require you to use the OK Button. The most notable example of this is when you are formatting a memory card. You need to press the OK Button to complete this process, not the Multi Selector Center Button as you may be used to!

-Large 3.2" high-resolution (2,359K-dot), tilting, touch-screen LCD Monitor, which can be color customized with the Monitor Color Balance item of the Setup Menu. The touch screen capability allows you to view, zoom, and scroll through playback images, enter text with the on-screen keyboard, as well as select an autofocus area and Spot White Balance area when working in Live View, and to release the shutter in Live View. The Frame Advance Bar for image review enables you to use the touch screen to quickly scroll through images without having to swipe one-by-one (see Figure 1.9 - left). And when viewing a magnified detail of an image, use the touch screen arrows to view the same magnified area of previous or following images (see Figure 1.9 - right), (Section 3.7 - Setup Menu - Touch Controls).

Figure 1.9 - Left: Touch the bottom of the screen during full-image playback in order to access the Frame Advance Bar touch screen feature. Right: When viewing a magnified detail of an image, use the touch screen arrows to view the same magnified area of previous or subsequent images.

-Modified and New Controls, and Illuminated Buttons - As with most current Nikon dSLR models, the D850 includes the AF Mode Button and Focus Mode Selector switch, located on the front of the camera near the base of the lens. If you are not yet used to this control, you will find that it allows you to quickly change the AF Mode and AF-Area Mode by pressing the button and turning the appropriate Command Dial. The D850 includes the Sub-Selector joystick control rather than the AE-L/AF-L Button. This control can be used to select AF Points as well as navigate menus, and the button press can be customized to your desired function, such as focus lock and/ or exposure lock. The Mode Button and ISO Button have been moved compared to earlier models, and the D850 has a Metering Mode Button rather than the small dial of older models. The D850 also has two customizable Fn-Function Buttons, and the i Button which enables quick access to various functions during shooting, Live View, and playback. Many of the buttons and controls can be customized in the Custom Setting f1 menu so that you can quickly access various functions and settings while shooting. The buttons of the D850 are also now illuminated, to help locate them in low light (see Figure 1.10 - left), (Chapter 2 - Camera Controls, and Section 3.6 Custom Settings).

Figure 1.10 - Left: Detail of the illuminated buttons of the D850. Right: Simulated view of the Viewfinder with Group AF Area Mode in use.

-Group-Area AF Area Mode - A group of five large AF Points (and adjacent assist points), configured in a cross-shaped pattern, can all be used together to help focus on a subject, in situations where using a single AF Point may not work as well (see Figure 1.10 - right), (Section 5.3 - Autofocus AF-Area Modes).

-Highlight-Weighted Metering Mode - This mode helps to prevent the overexposure of highlights, such as a subject under bright stage lighting (Chapter 8 - Metering Modes).

-No Built-In Flash - While the D810 has a built-in flash, the D850 requires an optional external Speedlight if you wish to make use of flash. The Flash settings can be accessed as a secondary function of the Zoom-out Button (Chapter 11 - Flash).

-XQD high speed memory card slot - The D850 has one XQD and one SD memory card slot. Making use of an XQD card will allow you to take advantage of the maximum continuous burst capability of the D850, including up to 51 consecutive images when capturing 14-bit lossless compressed RAW L files (with specific settings, under ideal circumstances), (Section 4.4 - File Sizes and Maximum Continuous Burst). With the dual memory card slots, you can choose which slot is the primary one, and the function of the other card, including Overflow, simultaneous Backup, or recording NEF (RAW) to one card and JPEG to the other (see Figure 1.11 - left).

Figure 1.11 - Left: Secondary Slot Function menu item, to select the function of the second memory card. Right: ISO Sensitivity Settings, including the versatile Auto ISO options.

-Expanded Native ISO Sensitivity Range - The native ISO range is expanded to include ISO 64 to 25,600. This can assist photographers capture images with decreased noise at higher ISO settings. You can also select the Lo settings (down to ISO 32), and the Hi settings (up to the very grainy ISO 102,400) (Chapter 7 - Exposure Part 1).

-Auto ISO Options - As with all the other current Nikon dSLR models, the D850 offers a powerful Auto ISO option, which will change the ISO setting if necessary in order to obtain a proper exposure, including when capturing images or recording video in Manual (M) Mode. You can set the parameters of Auto ISO, including the Maximum Sensitivity and Minimum Shutter Speed that the camera will use for Auto ISO (see Figure 1.11 - right). One useful option is that if you set the Minimum Shutter Speed to the Auto setting, the camera will select a shutter speed based on the focal length of the lens. For example, a longer telephoto lens requires a faster shutter speed to avoid blur from camera movement. But, if you are unhappy with the choice that the camera is making, you can continue to press right from the Minimum Shutter Speed > Auto setting, and you can fine-tune this setting so that the camera selects a faster or slower Auto shutter speed. Choosing an ISO setting and taking advantage of Auto ISO will be explained in the Photo Shooting Menu section, as well as the Exposure chapters.

-RAW S and RAW M file types - The smaller RAW S and RAW M formats will allow you to capture smaller RAW images, of reduced file size and resolution compared to full RAW images. However, there are some significant disadvantages which will be explained in Section 4.3 - JPEG, NEF (RAW), and TIFF.

Figure 1.12 - Simulated view of the D850 Viewfinder, showing the location of all 153 AF Points, including the assist points. Note that only the active AF Point(s) will be visible in the Viewfinder. Background image shown at 75% opacity to better see Viewfinder elements.

-Improved Autofocus System - The D850 boasts 153 AF Points, 55 of which are selectable (see Figure 1.12). (The non-selectable points are assist points, typically located between the larger selectable points.) Of all these points, 99 are more accurate cross-type points (with 35 selectable cross-type points). The large number of points, spread relatively widely across the frame, will allow you to more accurately track moving subjects when using AF-C AF Mode. When tracking moving subjects using 3D-Tracking AF-Area Mode, you can choose to make use of face detection (Custom Setting a4). And you can customize new focus tracking parameters to best match the motion of your subject (Custom Setting a3). The autofocus system can achieve focus in extremely low light, down to -4 EV for the center AF Point, and -3 EV for all of the other 152 other points (Chapter 5 - Autofocusing)

-Auto AF Fine-Tune - You can make use of Live View focusing to automatically fine tune the autofocusing of individual lenses, to correct for back-focus or front-focus issues (see Figure 1.13 - left). The data acquired by the process is entered into the AF fine-tune item of the Setup Menu, and registered for the attached lens (Section 5.8 - Autofocus Auto Fine-Tune).

Figure 1.13 - Left: AF Fine-Tune menu, where Auto AF Fine-Tune data is saved and modified. Right: New Auto White Balance options.

-White Balance improvements - You can now choose between three different Auto White Balance options, including Keep white (reduce warm colors), Normal, and Keep warm lighting colors (see Figure 1.13 - right), as well as a new Natural Light Auto setting, which obviously adjusts the colors for what is seen by the eye under natural light. And you can store up to 6 Preset (PRE) White Balance settings, as well as make use of the new Spot WB measurement feature when working in Live View. You can also select a separate white balance for movie shooting while retaining the current photo shooting white balance, or set the movie white balance to be Same as photo settings (Section 10.1 - White Balance, and Chapter 13 - Live View).

-Flicker Reduction - With this new anti-flicker option, the camera will detect the flickering of certain types of lighting often found in stadiums and areas, and will adjust the timing of the shutter release in order to maintain more consistent exposures (Section 3.4 - Photo Shooting Menu).

-Electronic Front-Curtain Shutter - This can help to reduce camera vibrations and thus potential blur in controlled situations such as landscape and macro shots. It is used with the Mirror Up (Mup) Release Mode during either Viewfinder or Live View shooting. The D850 also adds the ability to use this feature with the Quiet (Q) and Quiet Continuous (Qc) Release Modes. With the high resolution 45.7 megapixel sensor of the D850, these slight movements can become more apparent in images (Section 3.6 - Custom Setting d6, and Chapter 6 - Release Modes).

-Picture Controls options - The D850 offers the new Flat Picture Control, which is desired by videographers as it provides the greatest latitude for post-processing by helping to retain details in both highlights and shadows. It can also be used for still images that are going to be heavily processed. Also, the Picture Controls now include a Clarity setting, the Brightness adjustment allows a wider range, and the settings allow finer (0.25 step) adjustment increments, plus an Auto option (see Figure 1.14 - left). As with white balance, you can also select a separate Picture Control for movie shooting while retaining the current photo shooting Picture Control, or set the movie Picture Control to be Same as photo setting (Section 10.2 - Picture Controls).

Figure 1.14 - Left: Picture Control options, including Clarity, and the ability to make adjustments in 0.25 increments. Right: The Focus Shift Shooting menu, used to set up and initiate this feature.

-Focus Shift Shooting - This new feature of the D850 enables you to take a series of images of the same scene, where the focus distance is automatically changed by the camera for each image. You will select the Focus step width to be used, which is a relative distance (see Figure 1.14 - right). The images can then be combined, using optional software, to make use of a technique called focus stacking. This is often used in close-up and macro photography, since it is difficult or impossible to capture the entire subject in focus in a single image, at such a close distance.

-Live View Pinpoint AF-Area Mode - Pinpoint AF is a new Live View AF-Area Mode added on the D850. It is similar to Normal-area AF, except that it makes use of an even smaller focus point, so that you can focus on a more precise area or detail (see Figure 1.15).

Figure 1.15 - Left: Setting the Live View Autofocus Area Mode for Pinpoint AF as indicated by the icon highlighted in yellow at the top-center of the screen. Right: A view of the rear monitor, zooming in on the scene, to show the size of the Pinpoint AF area.

-Silent Live View Photography - This option can be used to completely eliminate the sound of the shutter when working in Live View, as well as reduce internal camera movement which can lead to image blur when working on a tripod with still subjects. The On (Mode 2) option can be used for extremely high frame rates of up to 30 fps for 3 seconds, however you will only be able to capture cropped images of the DX Image Area size, and the Image Quality will be JPEG Normal, Optimal Quality (Section 3.4 - Photo Shooting Menu).

-Negative Digitizer - This new Live View feature of the D850 will enable you to transform your color negatives or black and white negatives into positive images (see Figure 1.16). Nikon also offers the Nikon ES-2 Film Digitizing Adapter Set, which includes holders for 35mm film strips and slides, and attaches to the AF-S Micro 60mm f/2.8 lens. This can be used with the Negative Digitizer feature to more easily scan your negatives and capture them as high-resolution files.

Figure 1.16 - Press the i Button during Live View to access the Negative Digitizer option (left), which reverses a film negative to the positive image, and you can then capture a high resolution photo of it.

-Video Improvements - The D850 now boasts 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) video (3840 x 2160),