Girl Smarts: 4 reasons we love the Nikon D850 DSLR camera

The Nikon D850 is a top tier, full frame DSLR. Even though it is made for professionals photographers, but it has so many minor automatic settings that it is very usable at any photographer level.

I personally have been shooting with all kinds of cameras from digital to film for over 14 years now, and I have had experience shooting with older Nikon and Canon DSLR models.

The Nikon D850 is a top tier, full frame DSLR. Even though it is made for professionals photographers, but it has so many minor automatic settings that it is very usable at any photographer level.

This camera won me over from the very beginning, and it is so much fun to shoot with the new Nikon D850.

Buying a new camera is no easy task. You maybe looking to invest in a new camera because your current setup is growing stale, and there are multiple reasons to upgrade your kit. We were in the market for purchasing some new gear here at Men's Health, but there are so many good options out there so we decided to test things out. We started using the D850 and it is great for portraits, and documentary style photography.

The new D850 has a full frame 45.7 megapixels sensor that can work really well is low light situations. What that means is, it may be super dark but any of the colors captured are super present and saturated in the camera. The camera can even handle video, and has 4K video capability that picks up sound effortlessly without any additional attachments.

To see what else the D850 could do, we tested the camera for 90 days. We photographed everything from athletes working out to products here in our photo studio. The Nikon D850 itself has an endless amount of features, but here are just a few of our favorites.

THE DISPLAY SCREEN IS JUST AS EASY TO USE AS YOUR SMARTPHONE

If you want a user-friendly, professional camera, you're in luck. This Nikon works well for both new and seasoned users because it offers both analog buttons and touchscreen gestures. My personal favorite feature on the Nikon D850 is the screen. The responsiveness of the screen makes swiping through edits easier than ever. You can pinch and expand to fill the display, which allows you to consider altering focal length or even adjust your desired final crop. Another cool smartphone-like feature, the camera itself can connect to WiFi, which allows you to drop files to your computer or device on the same network.

THE D850 CAN TAKE AMAZING PORTRAITS

During our testing, we attached a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4E ED Prime Portrait Lens, sold separately, to the D850. I love using a 28mm lens because it lets you get closer to a subject's face for proper framing. A simple lens change can make all the difference, and this camera and fixed lens combination lived up to and exceeded all expectations I had. The lens easily picks up all the little details, and even tiny color gradients. The smoothness of this lens allows you to play and change the focus without a lot of movement, and I appreciated how it was able to keep up with the fast timing and processing required for capturing those important moments when someone is getting a portrait taken.

Here are some portraits taken here in the Men's Health Rec Room.

Here are some studio portraits of Men's Health Photo Editor Amy Wong

YOU CAN USE IT IN ANY CONDITION

The Nikon D850 sensor's ability comes into play when it is brought into a low light setting and the need to shoot with a fast reaction time is critical. Have you ever tried to capture great photos at a party or of someone in motion? Those situations can be super challenging to pin down the perfect settings. At The Men's Health Workshop event, we captured attendees working out at Dogpound with the D850. To make up for the dark gym, we used the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR Zoom Lens paired with a mounted flash. This specific lens from Nikon has a Vibration Reduction (VR) function which allows the subject to come out clear in the shakiest of hands. And because it's also a zoom lens, we were able to photograph stationed at a great vantage point and zoom in and out without needing to move around so much.

Here are some example photos from the first Men's Health Workshop.

We even took the camera to a bar with little light to see how well it'd work inside, and we were impressed with the quality and punch the camera packs.

SNAPPING STILL-LIFE PHOTOS IS A BREEZE

Still-life photography can be super tricky. You need a huge amount of light and a still hand or a tripod to try to capture the most important details of the product you are shooting. But with the D850, you don't need much of a traditional set-up. As far as lighting goes, thanks to the sensor on the D850, the camera can take solid photos whether you have just a little bit of natural or studio light. For example, we took a few shots here in the Men's Health photo studio, and we were able to capture all the details of each product.

posted by Campus94