Nikon D810 has a 36.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features EXPEED 4 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D850 has a 46.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor.
Nikon D850's sensor provides 10MP more than Nikon D810's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Nikon D850 and Nikon D810 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the D810 and D850 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D810 and Nikon D850 Cameras
Nikon D810 and Nikon D850 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Nikon D810 and Nikon D850 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D850 has a better overall score of 100, 3 points higher compared to D810's score of 97.
| Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
|
Nikon D810 |
97 |
25.7 bits |
14.8 Evs |
2853 ISO |
|
Nikon D850 |
100 |
26.4 bits |
14.8 Evs |
2660 ISO |