The D800 is the biggest news to emerge from Nikon since 2008, when they introduced their last all-new full-frame DSLR, the D700. The D800 is not a replacement for the D700, but rather it is a new model in its own right –complementary or alternative to Nikon's own new professional camera, the D4, but at half the price. Author Jon Sparks gives an in-depth guide to using this impressive camera, with hints and tips on how to get the very best from its many functions.
The D800 packs in more resolution than any other full-frame DSLR by a huge margin, with more than twice as many pixels as the D4. Built for today's multimedia photographer, the D800 has a powerful 36.3mp Fx-format CMOS sensor, full HD 1080p video at 30/25/24p with stereo sound, an ISO range of 100–6400, expandable to 25,600, 4fps burst rate and Advanced Scene Recognition System with 91,000-pixel RGB sensor. The camera's extremely high image quality comes from a body that weighs less than any other Nikon full-frame digital camera, making it ideal for landscape, commercial and studio photography, but with the flexibility to appeal to enthusiastic amateurs who can justify its price tag.
The D800E is the same basic camera, but with its anti-aliasing filter removed, so that it is able to offer a modest increase in overall resolution. To combat the increase in moiré effect that the removal of the AA filter can cause, a copy of NX2 is bundled with each camera. This will offer filters have been specifically designed to correct the problem.
• A pull-out reference card gives quick access to the camera's functions.
