Andrew JK Tan
- Oct 29, 2017
- 2 min read

Nikon D850 - 2017 Sepang MotoGP action

The 2017 Sepang MotoGP where you have the powerful 1000cc class motorcycles ridden by the top riders in the world and racing over 20 laps at the Sepang International Circuit. Plenty of top class action to photograph.

Note : all images were photographed from the spectator grandstands and the hillstands.

Took the Nikon D850 for a spin at this event , setup was as follows:

Nikon D850

Nikkor 80-400mm f4.5-5.6

Nikkor 1.7x Teleconverter

ISO400 to ISO3200

1/20s to 1/50s (for panning)

1/320s to 1/4000s (for frozen action shots)

Aperture f7.1 to f14

Focal lengths between 80mm to 975mm

JPEG FINE

All shots hand-Held

AF setup

Depending on scene , single , Group & Dynamic Area 9, 25 were used

AF lock on set to 1 (Quick)

AF-C priority set to Focus + Release

Summary of Findings

The Nikon D850 with Nikkor 80-400mm + Nikkor 1.7x TC was a nice combo to use. I could hand-hold the entire day.

Auto Focus wise was pretty good , keeping with all the action. If I compare to the D500 , I find the D500's AF a tad more sensitive (with the same settings)

Images from the D850 were detailed when AF was locked on. In this area , the D850 images to me were better than the D500 (but that was what I expected). However overall sharpness (for both cameras) were impacted by the addition of the 1.7x Teleconverter...... its time Nikon upgraded this teleconverter with a better one !!!

Overall , the Nikon D850 has no issues keeping up with world class MotoGP action , another feather in the cap for the D850.

Highlights from the event

ISO1000 , 1/320s , f10 , 600mm focal length