Click Thumbnails to Enlarge
The D800 and D800E arrive from Nikon
By PA News Team
Product news
07 February 2012 04:30
Nikon’s eventful start to 2012 took another step forward today with the launch of two enthusiast D-SLRs. The eagerly awaited D800 and sister model, the D800E (an adapted version of the D800) arrive a month after the launch of the Nikon D4 and become the natural stepping-stone or upgrade choice for full-frame D700 users.
Rather than replacing the D700 altogether, Nikon claims the D800 will sit alongside its forerunner in the product line and is built around an all-new 36.3Mp FX-format sensor that delivers a standard ISO range of 100-6400 that can be expanded to an ISO 50-25600 equivalent - in keeping with its predecessor’s low-light characteristics.
The sensor produces a massive 7360x4912 pixel resolution and whopping 76.5MB RAW files making it the largest resolution produced by a Nikon D-SLR to date and adopts similar internal architecture from the recently launched D4.
An advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX AF sensor module and an EXPEED 3 image processor are two similarities, while it also features Nikon’s Advanced Scene Recognition metering system with a 91K-pixel RGB sensor to produce more accurate exposures with every shot. AF coverage is similar to the D700 using a layout of 51 AF points with 15 cross-type sensors in the center and four AF-area modes (Single AF, Dynamic-area, 3D tracking and Auto-area AF) are quickly selected using the D800’s new button within the AF/MF switch.
Designed to be 10% lighter than the D700, the magnesium alloy construction is fully weather sealed for maximum protection and at the rear it packs in a 3.2in, 921k-dot LCD display with the viewfinder offering 100% frame coverage. As an FX format D-SLR, the D800 shoots continuously at 4fps but this rate can be increased to 6fps in the DX format mode when it’s coupled with the new MB-D12 battery grip (£379).
The D800’s card slot accepts one CF card and one SD card, allowing JPEG and RAWS to be recorded separately and the redesigned EN-EL15 Li-ion battery’s stamina supposedly lasts for over 900 shots.
Ergonomics changes have also been made to the buttons. The shutter release button lies at a steeper angle for increased comfort and as well as a movie-rec button to start and stop Full HD video recording at 30,25 or 24fps, a bracketing button has been added to the top deck.
Body only the D800 will cost £2399 and will be available from the 22nd March.
Nikon D800E
Nikon has also unveiled the D800E – an adapted version of the D800 specially designed for those who’d like to squeeze as much detail out of their images as possible. By removing the anti-aliasing filter in front of the sensor the D800E is designed to pull more detail out of scenes at the cost of moire (an unwanted pattern of lines) appearing in some shots. Development to Nikon’s NX2 software is designed to help remove any moire and the D800E is expected to cost £290 more than the D800, arriving in early April.
Nikon Press Release
Nikon has announced a groundbreaking new 36.3 megapixel FX-format professional D-SLR, the Nikon D800.
Designed to answer the needs of tomorrow’s photography and video today, the masterful Nikon D800 is packed with new technology that delivers unprecedented levels of depth and detail in photography, and offers all the flexibility necessary to shoot broadcast quality video.
Firmly establishing a league of its own, the Nikon D800 offers imaging potential to rival medium format cameras, but with all of the agility of the D-SLR format — giving professionals who demand attention to detail the freedom to create monumental images.
In an industry first, this exciting launch includes a special edition of the D800 – the Nikon D800E. With a modified optical filter, the D800E offers a unique alternative for those seeking the ultimate in definition.
Kentaro Kusakari, Product Planning Manager, Nikon UK says: "The D800 sets a new benchmark for photographers shooting both still images and video. The combination of the powerful 36.3 megapixel resolution that records detail like never before, and the comprehensive video options will captivate photographers and moviemakers of all disciplines. He adds: "We’re excited about the D800 and know it will help to shape the future of the way we capture images and movies."
The big picture
The groundbreaking 36.3 megapixel FX-format (full-frame) CMOS sensor incorporates key technologies that enables unprecedented levels of detail and tonal range.
12-channel readout with 14-bit A/D conversion and high signal-to-noise ratio: delivers images of remarkable quality with low noise and wide dynamic range.
Broad ISO: offering an ISO range of 100–6400, extendable up to 25600 (equivalent) and down to 50 (equivalent), the D800 will set a new benchmark for D-SLRs with this level of resolution. The camera’s intelligent noise reduction systems manage noise without sacrificing fine details, allowing superb flexibility under all lighting conditions: images are crisp and clean, even at higher ISO settings.
Peak performance
Equipped with Nikon’s next-generation EXPEED 3 image-processing engine, the D800 makes light work of data-rich tasks without sacrificing the speed and quality that professionals are accustomed to.
16-bit image processing: offering richer colours and tones than ever before, this cutting-edge image processor delivers smooth gradations with abundant detail and tone all the way up the scale to pure white, even when shooting in JPEG.
Broadcast quality video
For professionals whose workflow demands video, the D800 offers all the flexibility required for a wide variety of movie applications. It’s large format movie shooting at its best, with a comprehensive variety of frame rates.
Frame rates: Full HD (1080p) movies can be recorded in 30p, 25p and 24p, with 60p, 50p and 25p options at 720p. Movie clips can be up to 29:59 minutes long.
Multi-Format Full HD D-Movie: as introduced with the D4, Full HD recording is possible in both FX and DX based formats, enabling exceptional freedom of expression.
High-fidelity audio control: responding to feedback from the industry, the D800 sets a new standard for D-SLR audio recording, enabling your movies to sound as good as they look. Aside from the external stereo microphone input, an audio out for external headphones lets you fine tune audio in isolation, both before and during movie recording. A line input setting for PCM linear recorders is also provided.
Uncompressed HDMI output: for those who need the purest video output for professional quality editing, the D800 offers the possibility to output the uncompressed live view to external recorders and monitors. As with the Nikon D4, this data is output at the designated image size and frame rate, and is clean of the information overlay that can be simultaneously displayed on the camera’s TFT monitor.
Convenient custom controls: have been implemented for live view operation. Instead of rotating the command dial, power aperture enables smoother aperture control using assigned buttons on the front of the camera. Index marking helps you tag important frames in the timeline by attaching markers during movie recording, which makes for easy location during editing.
Advanced scene recognition with 91K-pixel RGB sensor
Nikon’s revolutionary Advanced Scene Recognition System now incorporates a newly designed 91,000-pixel RGB sensor that meticulously analyses each scene for outstanding accuracy. It can detect human faces with startling exactness even with exclusive use of the optical viewfinder, and recognises a scene’s colours and brightness with unprecedented precision.
This level of detailed scene analysis is also utilised to support more accurate autofocus; auto exposure and i-TTL flash exposure results in a diverse range of compositional and lighting situations. For example, 3D-subject tracking is particularly improved when shooting smaller subjects.
Implementing Nikon’s highly-acclaimed Multi-CAM 3500FX AF system — with individually selectable or configurable 9-, 21- and 51-point coverage settings — the autofocus sensor module and algorithms have been re-engineered to significantly improve low light acquisition sensitivity capabilities down to -2 EV (ISO 100, 20°C/68°F). The overall performance is similar to the latest flagship of Nikon, the D4: AF operation is even possible under a combined aperture value of f8 (e.g. a 600mm f/4 AF-S lens combined with 2x-teleconverter TC-20EIII) with 11 AF sensor involved, and with 15 AF sensors between f/5.6 and f/8.
Simplified AF and AF-area mode selection is now possible without taking your eye away from the viewfinder.
Responsive and intuitive
The Nikon D800 responds as quickly as you do, with secure, conveniently placed, buttons and controls that quickly become an extension of your hand.
Fast response: start-up is approx. 0.12 seconds, release time lag is minimized to approx. 0.042 seconds (equivalent to that of the D4), with continuous approx. 4 fps capability in FX-format and crop modes, pushed to approx. 6 fps capability in DX-format Crop mode with the optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D12.
Precision 8-cm (3.2-in.), approx. 921k-dot, wide-viewing-angle LCD monitor with automatic monitor brightness control: delivers bright, crisp image playback with a much wider color reproduction capacity. LCD brightness is automatically adjusted according to the viewing environment and images can be magnified up to 46x during playback, which can be a big help for spot focus confirmation.
Glass prism optical viewfinder with approximately 100% frame coverage and 0.7x magnification (50mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, -1.0m-1).
Dual-axis electronic virtual horizon offers accurate confirmation of level shooting by letting you check the LCD monitor, or the viewfinder, for both the camera’s position in relation to the horizontal plane and its pitch (forward or rear rotation).
Enhanced ergonomics: buttons and dials have been strategically laid out for fluid operation. Improvements around the shutter-release button mean your index finger can rest comfortably for longer periods of time, while the designated movie record button means you’re ready to trigger movie shooting in an instant.
Release mode dial: mode visibility and operability has been improved via a four-button layout and release mode dial on the camera’s top panel, along with dedicated buttons for ISO, White Balance and Image Quality. A new bracketing button has been strategically placed to aid such features as HDR.
Direct access to Picture Controls via a new, dedicated button, rather than via the menu. Picture Controls let you customise the look of your stills and videos by fine-tuning parameters such as sharpness, saturation, and hue.
Durability
Despite its light weight and compact size, the D800 is as tough as Nikon’s professional single digit cameras, with extensive weather and dust sealing throughout to ensure you can keep working when the going gets tough.
High-precision, high-durability shutter: the shutter unit has been tested to well over 200,000 cycles of release to prove durability and precision. Boasts a speed range of 1/8000 to 30s; features an intelligent self-diagnostic shutter monitor and, for the first time, a drive unit designed to reduce the demand on power when the shutter is raised for extended periods during movie shooting.
Efficient power management: a re-working of the D800’s circuits now enables approx. 850 shots of still image shooting or approx. 60 min. of movie live view. All on one charge of a Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL15.
Build quality: as reliable on the road as it is in the studio, the D800 boasts a weather- and dust-sealed magnesium alloy body that weighs in at approx. 10% lighter than the D700.
Storage media: high-speed CF (UDMA 7) and SD (SDXC and UHS-1) dual card slots.
High-speed data transfer with USB 3.0.
Nikon D800E - The ultimate alternative
The Nikon D800E is a special edition of the D800, specifically designed for those seeking absolute definition.
Incorporating an optical filter with anti-aliasing properties removed in order to facilitate the sharpest images possible, this is an ideal tool for photographers who can control light, distance and their subject to the degree where they can mitigate the increased risk of moiré and false colour. Aside from the optical filter, all functions and features are the same as on the D800.
Creative expansion tools
The D800 incorporates a variety of creative and practical tools for those too busy to spend time in excessive post-production.
Time-lapse movies: the D800 extends the popular time-lapse photography function by saving images as a movie file in the camera. With playback rates from 24 to 36,000 times faster than normal.
HDR (High Dynamic Range) shoots one overexposed and one underexposed frame in a single shutter release. The range can be widened by up to 3 EV for different looks, full of saturation and tonal gradation, while the smoothness of the edge where the two exposures meet can be adjusted for a more natural appearance.
Refined colour temperature control enables minute control over white balance. The monitor hue of live view and the resulting image’s white balance can be adjusted so that the two are aligned. Colour temperature can be manually set in 10-Kelvin increments, or in mired units.
Auto shutter speed control for auto ISO sensitivity control: a new auto option for minimum shutter speed, which automatically controls the balance between shutter speed and ISO sensitivity based on the focal length of the lens being used.
Four image area options: for the first time in a camera of this class, you can choose from a variety of image crop modes, all visually masked in the viewfinder. 5:4 (30.0 x 24.0 mm), 1.2x (30.0 x 19.9 mm), and DX-format (23.4 x 15.6 mm).
In-camera editing: captured images and movies can be altered and edited in camera and on the fly if required. Retouch menus include an array of useful features such as NEF (RAW) processing, resize, distortion control, fisheye, miniature effect, red-eye correction, filter effects and image overlay — as well as the ability to designate the start and end point of movie clips all at once, in order to save them more efficiently.
Accessories
Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D12 (optional) accommodates a variety of batteries (see specifications) and utilises the same integral magnesium alloy construction and weather sealing as the D800 body itself. You also get approx. 6 fps continuous shooting speed in DX-format. The MB-D12 has its own dedicated shutter-release button and command dials for vertical composition shooting.
Nikon SB-910 (optional) — unparalleled lighting performance: Nikon’s SB-910 offers versatile i-TTL for on-camera or wireless flash control, refined operability and a powerful guide number of 34/112 (ISO 100, m/ft, STD, FX format, zoom 35mm). Menus and controls have been improved for more operational ease. Hard-type incandescent and fluorescent colour filters are included, which can adjust your D800‘s white balance instantly.
Capture NX 2 (optional) — Fast, powerful and creative image processing: to accommodate the imaging power of the D800’s 36.3 effective megapixels, the latest Capture NX 2 is faster than before and 64-bit compatible.
Camera Control Pro 2 (optional) — Versatile remote camera controls: aside from controlling exposure mode, shutter speed, and aperture, the software now offers numerous improvements to make the D800’s live view operation exceptionally smooth. New creative controls include remote start and stop for movie shooting and switching between live view for stills and movies.
ViewNX 2 (supplied) — Browse, edit, share and more: this bundled, all-in-one software implements an easy-to-use interface and an array of editing functions, including basic editing of RAW files and D-Movies. Seamlessly integrates with my Picturetown, Nikon’s photo sharing and storage service.