Nikon D6 vs. D850

MultiFormat Shooter · Tuesday at 12:14 PM

I've tried searching to forums, but have come-up empty.

I'm a film shooter, but have considered getting a D6, since it's the last-of-the-line, for DSLR's, like the F6 is for film SLR's (i.e. have both of the "last and best"). However, I am curious, for an "everyday" camera, photographing a variety of subjects, from studio work, to active pets, to on-location work, and some night photography, would the D6 or D850 (with the vertical grip), be "best," overall? Video is not really an issue, one way or the other.

koraks · Tuesday at 1:26 PM

Let me preface that I've never touched or been near a D6, so what do I know. I presently have a D850e on loan and it's a great camera. I'd consider dynamic range in your choice, since especially if you come from film, that's still where digital has the biggest challenge IMO. I've very intensively used a Canon 7D, which of course is from a different era (eras progress rapidly in digital space...) It seems that the Nikon D6 performs similarly to the geriatric Canon 7D in this regard (to my surprise). From a real-world user perspective, the difference between a Nikon D850(e) and a Canon 7D in dynamic range is very significant, with the latter just being noticeably restricted. I'm sure I just don't get the proposition of the D6; I guess it relies on aspects like build quality and frame rates that personally don't interest me. It seems like a product with a long R&D phase and sensor technology caught up with it before it even hit the market. Just guessing.

Maybe @gary mulder has something to say on this. It's his d850e I've been using lately and he moved on to Z-series cameras. I'm sure he has looked into performance aspects quite seriously and he probably would have taken into account obvious alternatives as well.

Edit: scratch that, the one I have on loan is a d800e. Goes to show how attentive I am when it comes to camera models. Although in terms of dynamic range in particular, the difference between the two seems to be small.

mshchem · Tuesday at 5:50 PM

I have both cameras. D6 is a beast, D850 is a wonderful camera. I have no interest in video.

The newest mirrorless cameras have Ai like focusing. Basically you show it what to focus on and it stays on it.

I'm a dinosaur. I love both cameras. The D6 in low light is amazing, not sure how it's done.

I still prefer my F5 over my F6. If you love your F6 I would go for the D850

MultiFormat Shooter · Tuesday at 7:33 PM

koraks said:
Let me preface that...

mshchem said:
I have both cameras....

Thanks, to both of you, for the responses! I was curious, as I'd heard some people say that the D6 is somewhat "limited," regarding the sensor. I do LOVE my F6 w/MB-40 grip, and have no intention of giving-up film. It seems that maybe D850 would be the one to look at.

mshchem · Tuesday at 8:36 PM

MultiFormat Shooter said:
Thanks, to both of you, for the responses! I was curious, as I'd heard some people say that the D6 is somewhat "limited," regarding the sensor. I do LOVE my F6 w/MB-40 grip, and have no intention of giving-up film. It seems that maybe D850 would be the one to look at.

I have a Nikon made grip for the D850, it's capable of using AAs, nice to not need a Nikon made battery. No way to use anything other than the en el 18 battery in the D6.

forest bagger · 2025-06-25T10:04:58-0400

MultiFormat Shooter said:
I was curious, as I'd heard some people say that the D6 is somewhat "limited," regarding the sensor.

The sensors "limitation" is: D850 46 MPx / D6 20 MPx.

MultiFormat Shooter · 2025-06-25T18:53:18-0400

mshchem said:
I have a Nikon made grip for the D850, it's capable of using AAs, nice to not need a Nikon made battery. No way to use anything other than the en el 18 battery in the D6.

I think getting a grip that takes AA's would be the way to go.

MultiFormat Shooter · 2025-06-25T18:56:31-0400

forest bagger said:
The sensors "limitation" is: D850 46 MPx / D6 20 MPx.

I guess the trade-off is better low-light performance. You would think they could have made 30MPx sensor with good low-light performance. I just wonder how low the light needs to be, and how big you have to print, before you see a difference between the two..

mshchem · 2025-06-25T22:22:29-0400

One important thing, the D6 is heavy. D850 is lighter and cheaper. My two D6 bodies are made in Japan which is important to me. I've been using Nikon SLRs since I was a kid. I'm a dinosaur, buy a Z, even though mirrorless lacks some of the charm.

koraks · 2025-06-26T02:50:25-0400

MultiFormat Shooter said:
I guess the trade-off is better low-light performance.

Beyond ca. ISO3200 the D6 seems to have a slight edge over the D850, but the question is how relevant that difference is. And especially if it justifies the considerable difference in dynamic range at low ISO's. For me this would be a no-brainer, not even talking about price and weight.

MultiFormat Shooter · 2025-06-26T09:25:31-0400

Weight doesn't really bother me, I lug around an F6 with the MB-40 grip. Like you, I'm a "dinosaur," I started with SLR's in 1989/90 and don't have any interest in mirrorless.

Based upon the graph, it looks like Nikon should've stuck the D850 sensor in the D6 body, best of both worlds. Seriously, I wonder why they didn't.

Chan Tran · 2025-06-26T09:36:59-0400

MultiFormat Shooter said:
Weight doesn't really bother me, I lug around an F6 with the MB-40 grip. Like you, I'm a "dinosaur," I started with SLR's in 1989/90 and don't have any interest in mirrorless.

Based upon the graph, it looks like Nikon should've stuck the D850 sensor in the D6 body, best of both worlds. Seriously, I wonder why they didn't.

No it's about speed. If they put the D850 sensor in the D6 they can't get the speed. The D6 is for speed both in focusing and frame rate (but the new mirrorless would beat it by a large margin in this respect). If you have time to take the shot and don't mind a made in Thailand camera then the D850 is better.

MultiFormat Shooter · 2025-06-26T11:17:14-0400

Chan Tran said:
No it's about speed. If they put the D850 sensor in the D6 they can't get the speed.

So, basically, the EXPEED 6 processor would be able to process a 46MPx file fast enough to get 14 frames per second?

Chan Tran · 2025-06-26T13:31:06-0400

MultiFormat Shooter said:
So, basically, the EXPEED 6 processor would be able to process a 46MPx file fast enough to get 14 frames per second?

I don't think so. I don't think the EXPEED 6 can do 14fps with a 46MP sensor. The EXPEED 7 can though. What the D6 has going for is tough built quality, highest focusing and frame rate for a Nikon DSLR and being the last Nikon made in Japan. The D850 has going for is the highest image quality overall of all Nikon digital DSLR and Mirrorless. The Z8, Z9 and Z7 are rated just a bit lower and the Z7ii is rated as same.

Nikon D6 vs. D850

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Nikon D6 vs. D850

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