D800 | a quick view from my angle
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 9:47 AM 
Well, it’s out: the D800 and low-pass-filterless D800e are now part of our official photography landscape. Release expected in March and April respectively. I’m not going to dive into an elaborate exposé — a lot of much better informed websites are already contributing to that party. In fact, I spent the last hour reading many of the previews and/or reviews out there. Wedding photographer Cliff Mautner has some pretty impressive images (he helped shoot the brochure) but these are clearly heavily retouched pictures, so those 100% crops don’t really mean much IMHO.
Pros from my standpoint:
- FX 36MP promises serious resolution detail
- DX mode at 15MP. This is a huge boon if you own some DX-only glass and would be moving to FX (my case).
- Dual-card slots (SD & CF)
Up in the air:
- Glass performance at 36MP. This could make some lenses feel a lot less stellar.
- Operational speed. Although I’d be surprised if this was a problem, max frame rate notwithstanding.
- High ISO performance. The D800 boasts the same high ISO ceiling as the D700 but I’m very curious to see how it actually compares.
Cons: File size. Those 36MP NEFs clock in at 75MB. That’s a lot of drive space for a shoot and could translate in a big system performance hit.
Derek Clark has a bit of a rant about this release on his blog. I don’t disagree. If I was shooting events I’d probably feel the same way. Right now though, the D800 kinda fits with my slowing down mood and it might be what I’m looking for, barring a jump to MF (not in the cards, just dreaming).
The mystery still revolves around the D800e. I’ll be scouring the net for full-rez images and real-world tests of this model, just to see how it performs against the MF posse. But if the problems with moire are really severe, it might end up being too much of a niche camera for my current use.
I’m pleasantly surprised by the price which had been rumoured around $4500: $2999 for the D800 and $3299 for the D800e. That’s D700 prices for D3x killing resolution and video features to boot.
Still not sure what I’m going to do. But these are exciting times.
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Reader Comments (5)
Patrick,
Love your blog!
Am a Fuji X100 lover myself and a Nikon Pro shooter.
I am alarmed myself with this new Nikon.
My D3 is stellar and the D700 an awesome 2nd/backup. So what would one do with a D4 now? Buy another I guess.
Also, how many pixels in that size sensor!!!!! This is not medium format and I question the absolute quality tbh.
This seem's to be playing the "how much can we cram into a body to appease Mr.John Doe public" again, whereas the D700 was more a professional compliment to the D3.
In fact, depending upon the quality of the upcoming Fuji X Pro 1 and the other X series to come, I may even dump my D700 (not D3 as the speed and quality are stellar still) and shorter glass and go X Pro 1.
I am truly perplexed by Nikon's new release.
But undoubtedly it will do well and if you decide to get one I look forward to your images.
For me, I will continue to learn and enjoy my X100 and use my D3 when necessary.
Nick,
I had the same reaction a few months ago when i first heard about the D800 specs. In fact I didn't believe it at first. Then, when it appeared to be true, I was seriously po'd. Since then I've sorta, kinda warmed to the idea and made my peace with this not being a true D700 successor.
Apparently there's some technical stuff going on with this sensor - larger pixels or something - so in theory it's not just cramming more MPs. But… does it hold up to reality. I have to believe Nikon wouldn't release something completely out of whack. Users wouldn't stand for it. This isn't a Coolpix or a D3100. It's geared towards pros and word would get around pretty quickly if it fell short. So I'm hopeful and very much looking forward to tests and sample images.
As I've said in another post, the X-Pro1 is tempting to me as well. A D800 purchase would mean new glass - I'd need a few more prime FX lenses, so more money. If the X-Pro is a contender and performs at a pro level, the entire system including the three prime lenses would be in the same ballpark as the D800e body. But it's a whole new system...
I'm seriously holding until I can actually see these up close.
If I had a D3 I wouldn't be looking either.
I think Nikon have made a good move in releasing a camera that moves in to medium format territory, but it shouldn't be billed as a D700 successor. It should have had a new letter before it's number (Q1 or R1....). But there should have been a 16 megapixel full frame camera with great ISO performance, and that should be called the D800. There's now a gap and the D300's space has been taken by the D7000. So either there will be no D400 or it will have to be pushed up the ranks.
This time next month I should have the X-Pro1. The D800 fiasco has got me wondering if the X-Pro1 could be integrated into my work set-up, instead of just a tool for personal projects, as I first saw it. I was shooting a documentary project at the weekend, following a singer from dressing room to stage. The X100 kicked the D300s,s ass in the low light conditions during the show, and although I ended up using a lot of the photos from the Nikon, it was only because I got close shots with the 85mm 1.4. The dressing room shots are 95% X100. The two Fujifilm cameras would have been perfect.
So I think the D800 might be a great camera for studio and fine art, but it's not going to be an all rounder like the D700. I think the photographers that are disappointed with the specs of the D800, shouldn't jump in to buying anything right away. As I replayed to a comment on my own blog - there is one more chess piece still to be placed on the board.
I spent all last year offloading my DX zooms and buying 1.4 primes, getting ready for the jump to full frame, but I feel that the rug has been pulled from under my feet. I've got 38,735 photos on my Drobo, with two 2TB drives. the Drobo is almost half full, but at 75mb per RAW file from the D800, I'd be through the other half in no time plus another couple of drives too.
Derek.
I've told you before but here it is again: I am REALLY looking forward to your review of the XPro. I'll be seeking your advice on that one.
I just downloaded the D800 brochure (in which all the pictures look extremely dark for some reason - as in crashed blacks on my iPad, weird) and they specifically target and mention medium format by name. That's no small claim. If they get anywhere near that quality with the new sensor it could be a landmark release. But no, it ain't a new D700 and I wonder if they have an actual successor in mind.
I read on a blog somewhere that Nikon had essentially shot themselves in the foot with the D700 by cannibalizing sales of the D3 family. Almost as good for half the price. It's not a crazy argument in light of this move. If differentiation was their goal, it's hard to argue with something that targets the D3x crowd and costs $5000 less (!).
If it does compete at the medium format level... Man, we're talking revolution at this point. But it does leave the D4 as the sole option for high iso/reasonable file size/speed. With its $6000 price tag.
No problem Patrick, I'll give it a good run though and get a review up as soon as possible.
I just ordered the 18mm (27mm) f2. I don't want to take two cameras to Italy in a couple of months and the 35mm (53mm) won't be wide enough. The dealer said that they have taken orders for 19 bodies (compared to 77 D4's), but hardly any lenses (try working that one out).
I decided to get the extra lens as I'll be holding off till the Nikon dust settles. In fact, I'll be holding off to see how I feel about the X-Pro1 too. Could a D800 and X-Pro1 work together or would two different mounts be a pain? I was thinking that the X-Pro1 could stick to the 53mm equivalent and a D800 could have a 35mm, with the 85mm on a belt pouch??? This would just be a running and gunning wedding scenario. A D800 could do the heavy lifting and the X-Pro1 for the low light and reportage stuff.
You're right though Patrick - These are exciting times and very very interesting!
If you get the D800, we can advise each other :o)
Derek.