Crazy!!
Is
Nikon off their collective rocker?
Today
Nikon introduced the D700 replacement.
Is the mega pixel war
on again. I thought we would see an increase in quality pixel instead of
a numeric increase. Is this kin to shoehorning a 454 ci V8 into a Vega?
Is this a combination that is only great in a straight line?
The D800 does have
some other great numbers "91,000-pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering III
and the Advanced Scene Recognition System, coupled with an improved 51-point AF
system"**. Add to this 1080p video at 30/24p with HDMI output and
the feature add up to a fine offering. Native ISO is better, "the
D800 features a wide native ISO range of 100-6400"**.
The mega megapixel
does make its mark in the continuous frame rate. The rate is down to 6
frames per second in DX mode and 4 frames per second in full resolution FX
mode. This is rolling back to the days of the D70s (a great little
camera) and far from the 7 frames per second of the D300s without the battery
pack.
Not all is bad here.
Many photographers (Wedding, Fashion, Landscape, Commercial, etc.)
will find good use of those 36.3 Megapixels. It want be a fit for every
photographer and the QUALITY of those pixels will need to prove out the
features for the D800 to become the right fit for the curves in your
photography.
The fit for the D800
is the controlled subject photography where we craft the image to fit with our
client’s needs. The samples
Nikon is making available demonstrate really good clarity and sharpness. The import thing here is the samples show
more of the type
of images that Nikon believe the market will produce. The market for the D800 is the photography of
the clients wedding, the car for the trade magazine and the product advertising
shots. Landscape, Architecture and some
wildlife photographer will find their stride with this new offering.
The talk has started
on the optional “D800E” variant. Will this be the go to camera? The offer of
increased sharpness
in your project be practical. Incorporating an “optical low pass
filter (OLPF) without anti-aliasing”** has benefits yes. But the margin for introducing unwanted digital
monster increases. In general the patterns where these monster lurk are can be controlled.
For me and many I do not know if the risks will out weight the reward. The ROI on the “D800E” will need some proving
so its benefit is understood.
The D800 Video
quality is amazing. That said I do not have the experience to judge it
performance. Go to the video samples
at NikonUSA and judge for yourself.
The more you look
into the D800, the more you find that will excite you. Yes I believe Nikon got off the rocker and
produced and exciting camera. I am
looking forward to seeing the D800 handle the curves.
** Information cited
from Nikon USA.
