Here it is: the Nikon D800/D800E follow up photographers have been waiting for, the Nikon D810. The camera comes with an ever so slightly bumped up 36.3MP full frame sensor with no Anti Aliasing filter or Optical Low Pass Filter.
The new model also features Nikon’s EXPEED 4 image processor, which the company promises is 30% faster, more energy efficient, and requires only a single processor compared to the EXPEED 3 engine. On the autofocus front, the D810 has been given the Nikon D4s’ Multi-Cam 3500-FX AF sensor offering up 15 cross-type and 51 overall focusing points in total. Coupled together the D810 is now capable of shooting at five frames per second or up to seven-fps in DX mode (15.4-megapixel).
While high-resolution is the D810’s main strength, Nikon has introduced a new RAW Size Small format. These new bite sized RAW images are only 14-bit files at half the resolution and take up a quarter of the data storage space—potentially a great feature for photographers who need more space or to offload their photos immediately.
On the back of the camera photographers will find a new 3.2-inch 1229K-dot LCD, a resolution so high it challenges some mirrorless camera EVFs. What’s more the LCD can now be fully customized on a red, green, blue, and white scale. Plus the back display comes with a new Split Screen Display Zoom function allowing the user to check two separate points of focus on a horizontal line to confirm how much of the frame is in focus.
For a few other upgrades, Nikon has expanded the camera’s ISO range to a D4s-esque 64 to 12,800 that’s also expandable to 32 and 51,200. The Nikon D810 can shoot movies in Full-HD 1080p all the way to 60fps (plus 30fps and 24fps). One thing movie shooters will love is the live-view mode includes zebra stripes for spotting overexposed areas in the frame.
Overall the Nikon D810 might just have enough bells and whistles to mildly interest D800e owners. Nikon D800 users will want to make a double take on this upgrade and everyone else seriously looking to get into a full frame Nikon system should gird their bank accounts. The full frame DSLR will be available in late July for of $3299.95.