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Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc

Portability
54
Imaging
77
Features
87
Overall
81
Nikon D850 front
 
Nikon Z fc front
Portability
79
Imaging
69
Features
80
Overall
73

Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc Key Specs

Nikon D850
(Full Review)
  • 46MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 64 - 25600 (Expand to 102400)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 1015g - 146 x 124 x 79mm
  • Introduced August 2017
  • Replaced the Nikon D810
Nikon Z fc
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Nikon Z Mount
  • 445g - 135 x 94 x 44mm
  • Released June 2021
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Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc Overview

Below is a in-depth review of the Nikon D850 and Nikon Z fc, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are sold by Nikon. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the D850 (46MP) and Z fc (21MP) and the D850 (Full frame) and Z fc (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The D850 was launched 4 years before the Z fc and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Nikon D850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Nikon Z fc being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short overview of how the D850 grades vs the Z fc with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D850 over the Nikon Z fc

 D850 Z fc 
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution2359k1040kCrisper screen (+1319k dot)

Reasons to pick Nikon Z fc over the Nikon D850

 Z fc D850 
ReleasedJune 2021August 2017More recent by 46 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Nikon D850 and Nikon Z fc

 D850 Z fc 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Nikon D850 enjoys external measurements of 146mm x 124mm x 79mm (5.7" x 4.9" x 3.1") with a weight of 1015 grams (2.24 lbs) while the Nikon Z fc has measurements of 135mm x 94mm x 44mm (5.3" x 3.7" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 445 grams (0.98 lbs).

Check out the Nikon D850 and Nikon Z fc in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the D850 versus the Z fc.

Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the D850 and Z fc is 54 and 79 respectively.

Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc top view buttons comparison

Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements merely by checking specs. The photograph here will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the D850 and Z fc.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The D850 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Nikon D850 will give you more detail utilizing its extra 25MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older D850 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc sensor size comparison

Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D850 Portrait photography factors
Nikon Z fc Portrait photography factors
86
focusing manually
megapixel count high (46MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
has face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
81
manual focus
good MP (21 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Nikon D850 Street photography advice
Nikon Z fc Street photography advice
66
has a tilting screen
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
has touch focus
weather proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
heavier than competitors (1,015g)
74
screen articulates fully
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
has focus by touch
good high ISO (51,200)
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (445g)
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D850 as a Sports photography camera
Nikon Z fc as a Sports photography camera
82
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
megapixel count high (46 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
great battery (1,840 shots)
has phase detect AF
no image stabilization
67
good MP (21 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
has phase detect auto focus
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery life (300 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D850 Travel photography advice
Nikon Z fc Travel photography advice
65
great battery (1,840 CIPA)
weather proofing
connects via bluetooth
has touch focus
megapixel count high (46MP)
heavier than competitors (1,015g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
72
connects via bluetooth
has focus by touch
good MP (21MP)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery life (300 CIPA)
heavier than competition in class (445 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D850 as a Landscape photography camera
Nikon Z fc as a Landscape photography camera
82
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen size is good (3.2")
megapixel count high (46MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
does not have anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
great battery (1,840 CIPA)
has double storage slots
no image stabilization
75
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Nikon Z mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
good MP (21 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no anti aliasing filter
good high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery life (300 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D850 Vlogging info
Nikon Z fc Vlogging info
29
built-in touchscreen
has face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has mic port
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
heavier than competitors (1,015 grams)
73
selfie friendly display
touch screen
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has external mic jack
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (445 grams)
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Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z fc Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D850 and Nikon Z fc
 Nikon D850Nikon Z fc
General Information
Brand Nikon Nikon
Model type Nikon D850 Nikon Z fc
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2017-08-24 2021-06-28
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Expeed 5 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 23.9mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 858.0mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 46 megapixels 21 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 8256 x 5504 5568 x 3712
Maximum native ISO 25600 51200
Maximum enhanced ISO 102400 204800
Min native ISO 64 100
RAW data
Min enhanced ISO 32 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 153 209
Cross type focus points 99 -
Lens
Lens mount type Nikon F Nikon Z
Amount of lenses 309 21
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3.2 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 2,359k dot 1,040k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.75x 0.68x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 7.0 frames per second 11.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Front-curtain sync (normal), Rear-curtain sync, Red-eye reduction, Red-eye reduction with slow sync, Slow sync Front-curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync, off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 1015g (2.24 pounds) 445g (0.98 pounds)
Physical dimensions 146 x 124 x 79mm (5.7" x 4.9" x 3.1") 135 x 94 x 44mm (5.3" x 3.7" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 100 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 26.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.8 not tested
DXO Low light rating 2660 not tested
Other
Battery life 1840 shots 300 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL15a EN-EL25
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10, 20 secs) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) + XQD SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots 2 One
Cost at release $2,997 $949