DSLR Reviews

The Nikon D850 has certainly earned its fair share of accolades since it was launched in August 2017. We named it our favorite camera of 2017, and it also made the Technical Press Association International’s (TIPA) list as the Best Pro DSLR of 2018. Now two photographers and prominent YouTube personalities say the Nikon D850 could be the best camera of all time.

The Nikon D3100 ups the D3000’s megapixel ante from 10.2 megapixels to 14.2, adds Live View, video capture, and support for all functions of AI-P Nikkor lenses except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II.

My contention has always been that a real live camera affords superior image quality over any smartphone. But you know that already, especially when it comes to optical options, low-light capability, high ISO, video capability, and, perhaps most importantly, the experience of being able to see what you are shooting (through the optical finder of a DSLR) in bright light.

The new D4 is a typical Nikon professional system: it’s extremely massive, very heavy, and all function buttons, card slots, and any other notches are sealed to prevent the intrusion of dust or rain. The camera offers two high-speed modes and is able to record 10 or 11 images per second in full 16MP resolution. In our tests the camera was able to consistently achieve this high speed. The camera uses a new shutter system based on Kevlar fibers that allow up to 400,000 exposures. With its high speed, robust shutter system, and robust body, the Nikon D4 is a clearly aimed at photojournalists and sports photographers.

The Nikon D4S is a professional SLR system for sports and action photography. It has a full-frame sensor (36x23.9mm) that Nikon calls the “FX” format. In combination with the new EXPEED 4 image processing system, the new sensor offers an extended ISO speed range: the “native” range is between ISO 100 and 25,600, with an additional high mode equivalent of ISO 409,600 (!). The noise results are impressive in the native ISO range, while images with ISO 102,400 and ISO 204,800 show nearly the same noise artifacts as APS-C cameras in the ISO 12,800 to ISO 25,600 range.

The Nikon D500 is the “little sister” of the company’s flagship D5 professional DSLR system. The prosumer/enthusiast-focused Nikon D500 is the long-awaited successor to both the D300, which was shipped in 2007, and the upgraded D300S from 2009. The new camera offers an APS-C-sized sensor with a little more than 20MP in resolution. (The D300/D300S had a 12.3MP chip.)

The D5200 follows Nikon’s D5100 and offers a new sensor with higher resolution (24MP instead of 16MP in the D5100). The new camera has an APS-C-sized CMOS sensor and uses a fast and reliable AF system with 39 focus sensors, including nine cross-type sensors. The photographer can toggle between different AF modes with nine, 21, or 39 points with dynamic-area mode and use predictive focus tracking for moving subjects.