Demand for Nikon D850 Outpaces Supply

February 5, 2018 Donald Scarinci 0Comment

If you didn’t preorder the Nikon D850, it likely didn’t arrive in time for Christmas.  Even now the Nikon D850 is hard to find in stock anywhere.  It is perhaps the hottest camera body Nikon has ever made. 

According to Nikon Rumors, below are the latest shipping dates for existing pre-orders in the top three US retailers (shipping dates were last updated on December 21th):

  • Amazon: now shipping to pre-orders placed on December 5th
  • Adorama: now shipping to pre-orders placed on December 11th
  • B&H: now shipping to pre-orders placed on October 17th

The retail price for the body only is $3,299.95. Yet, despite the steep price tag, the D850’s impressive features have convinced many photographers to upgrade.

The most notable upgrade is the camera’s back-side illuminated (BSI) FX-format full-frame CMOS image sensor with 45.7 megapixels. The new censor really excels when working in low-light conditions at high sensitivities. The elimination of an optical low-pass filter further improves sharpness and resolution. 

The D850 also features the EXPEED 5 image processor, which is also used in the D5. At ISO 64, the D850 boasts the lowest base ISO of any DSLR or mirrorless camera. The camera’s 153 focus points with 99 cross-type sensors, 15 of which support f/8, provide 130 percent more frame coverage than D800/D800E or D810. At 45.7 MP of resolution, the camera captures up to 51 consecutive shots in 14-bit RAW (NEF) or up to 170 frames in 12-bit lossless compressed RAW (NEF). 

Not surprisingly, the Nikon D850 has already won several awards. It won TCSTV’s Camera of The Year. DPReview also recently named the D850 its winner for best high-end ILC of 2017. “It’s hard to imagine how much more advanced a DSLR could be. Offering a combination of incredible resolution, speed, equal best-in-class dynamic range and excellent autofocus, the D850 is a winner whichever way you look at it,” the website wrote.