When we reflect upon history, we often use significant events as markers that serve as starting and stopping points for eras. However, the reality is that there is often a period of overlap between what came before and the new status quo.
We are in the midst of one such time with Nikon as D850 is the hinge between the past and present of the Nikon shooting experience. All that you know and love about Nikon is perfected in this body but, its centennial sensor currently demands more resolving power and overall performance than most of the existing lens lineup can muster. However, “most” is not “all”; so there is hope for you to make the most of your new D850. Here is the official list Nikon recommends for use with the D850.
[REWIND: The Nikon D850 Scores 100 on DXO | Here Are A Few Things You Should Think About When Considering This]
Official Nikon D850 Lens List
Primes
20mm f/1.8G – $796.95
28mm f/1.4E – $1,996.95
105mm f/1.4E – $2,196.95
200mm f/2G – $5,696.95
400mm f/2.8E – $11,196.95
Zooms
14-24mm f/2.8G – $1,896.95
24-70mm f/2.8E – $2,396.95
70-200mm f/2.8E – $2,796.95
80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G – $2,296.95
Specialty Lenses
8-15mm f/3-5-4.5E – $1,246.95
19mm f/4E PC – $3,396.95
[REWIND: Canon Announces New List of Recommended Lenses For New 5DS]
Canon faced a similar challenge when releasing its high-resolution monsters, the 5DS and 5DSR. It is a reality all camera manufacturers will face as they scale the mountain of megapixels the market demands. But, for those invested in “inferior” optics, it will undoubtedly cause some to question whether the new body is worth it.
The D850 plus premium lenses are a lot to ask and furthermore, we photogs tend to get attached to our lenses. “Favorite lens” won’t always mean sharpest, fastest, or most expensive. Still, if you want to make the most of the new Nikon experience, these are your best options according to Nikon.
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I wonder how bad 135 mm f2 DC will look on D850
Why would it look bad.
I’m not sure if it will look bad, but new glass will probably perform better.
I think too many people don’t understand that practically every lens will benefit from more megapixels. Don’t believe me? Go to DxO and compare the (s***ty) EF 50mm f/1.4 on the 5D, the 5D Mark IV, and the 5Dsr. You’ll see that it continually gets better (resolves more detail) as the pixel density goes up. The return is diminishing (especially from the IV to the sr), but it’s there. Better lenses fare better.
A better example is the 35mm f/1.4L. On the 5D/IV/sr,the sharpness score is 11, 18, and 26, respectively. But many people said it was necessary to upgrade to the 35L II if you went with the 5Dsr (a lens I love, by the way, and which is substantially sharper too as it scores a 37 on the 5Dsr). But clearly this shows that there are gains to be had simply by increasing the megapixels.
That’s true more MP helps if sharpness is my number one concern, but personally I’d weigh spending my money on better glass that I’d keep for a 10 years over a body I’d upgrade in 3-5. I’m not a MP chaser, I’d happily “settle” for maxing out a D750 24MP sensor instead of get 36 out of 46 on the D850.
Don’t know why the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.8G ED
is not on the list, it is the sharpest wide prime….
Thats a good question. I haven’t used the 24mm but I’ve heard it was a nice lens that Nikon didn’t appear to skimp on optically.
Hi Wendell, That is amazing list if I may say myself. I read here in comments that Nikon 24mm f/1.8g should be on the list and I agree, I own it myself and I had used it for more then two years on my Nikon D850 and it does great job of capturing all the details in a photo, and yes, it is sharp lens. Not the sharpest since there are few that are better, but for the price it is great.
Choosing lens is not an easy factor and there is no single best lens, otherwise there wouldn’t be such a high number of choices on the market. I do believe there is a lens for anyone, and you should consider many factors such as which type of photography you are mostly into, what is your camera, experience, needs, expectations etc… I made a few mistakes when I was first buying lenses, I didn’t do to much research and just went with most popular option.. Then I get to test a cheaper lens on the same camera and it delivered photos I liked better etc. Point is to make smart decision, lenses are expensive, do your research, make sure the lens fits perfectly with your camera, it is best if you can go in a local lens shop and test them personally, that will be best way. Otherwise, you might try to do some googling, there are many tutorials online such as https://lensespro.org/best-lenses-for-nikon-d850/ which might help you out further. Also make sure to read reviews on Amazon from other users for each lens, they usually explain stuff very well and go into many details. Hope that helped guys! And once more wendell, this is great read as always, I really enjoyed it!
Hi Wendell, That is amazing list if I may say myself. I read here in comments that Nikon 24mm f/1.8g should be on the list and I agree, I own it myself and I had used it for more then two years on my Nikon D850 and it does great job of capturing all the details in a photo, and yes, it is sharp lens. Not the sharpest since there are few that are better, but for the price it is great.
Choosing lens is not an easy factor and there is no single best lens, otherwise there wouldn’t be such a high number of choices on the market. I do believe there is a lens for anyone, and you should consider many factors such as which type of photography you are mostly into, what is your camera, experience, needs, expectations etc… I made a few mistakes when I was first buying lenses, I didn’t do to much research and just went with most popular option.. Then I get to test a cheaper lens on the same camera and it delivered photos I liked better etc. Point is to make smart decision, lenses are expensive, do your research, make sure the lens fits perfectly with your camera, it is best if you can go in a local lens shop and test them personally, that will be best way. Otherwise, you might try to do some googling, there are many tutorials online such as https://lensespro.org/best-lenses-for-nikon-d850/ which might help you out further. Also make sure to read reviews on Amazon from other users for each lens, they usually explain stuff very well and go into many details. Hope that helped guys! And once more wendell, this is great read as always, I really enjoyed it!
Don’t know why the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.8G ED
is not on the list, it is the sharpest wide prime….
Thats a good question. I haven’t used the 24mm but I’ve heard it was a nice lens that Nikon didn’t appear to skimp on optically.
I think too many people don’t understand that practically every lens will benefit from more megapixels. Don’t believe me? Go to DxO and compare the (s***ty) EF 50mm f/1.4 on the 5D, the 5D Mark IV, and the 5Dsr. You’ll see that it continually gets better (resolves more detail) as the pixel density goes up. The return is diminishing (especially from the IV to the sr), but it’s there. Better lenses fare better.
A better example is the 35mm f/1.4L. On the 5D/IV/sr,the sharpness score is 11, 18, and 26, respectively. But many people said it was necessary to upgrade to the 35L II if you went with the 5Dsr (a lens I love, by the way, and which is substantially sharper too as it scores a 37 on the 5Dsr). But clearly this shows that there are gains to be had simply by increasing the megapixels.
That’s true more MP helps if sharpness is my number one concern, but personally I’d weigh spending my money on better glass that I’d keep for a 10 years over a body I’d upgrade in 3-5. I’m not a MP chaser, I’d happily “settle” for maxing out a D750 24MP sensor instead of get 36 out of 46 on the D850.
I wonder how bad 135 mm f2 DC will look on D850
Why would it look bad.
I’m not sure if it will look bad, but new glass will probably perform better.