Showing posts with label nikon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nikon. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Nikon woos the pros with long-awaited D800



(Credit: Nikon USA)


CNET - Because of its lack of video capabilities and its relatively low resolution, the Nikon D700 never attained the level of buzz the Canon EOS 5D Mark II did, despite being an excellent camera. With the D800, Nikon looks poised to catch up to, if not overtake, Canon in the hearts and minds of full-frame devotees.

With all the information about the D800 having leaked in advance, it’s easy to tell what’s been most attention-grabbing: the high-resolution sensor and the D800E sibling model which incorporates a modified low-pass filter system that results in little to no antialiasing. There’s no doubt that the combination should appeal to professionals like studio and wedding photographers.

However it’s notable that the sensor’s pixel size is 4.88 x 4.88 microns (compared to 6.4 x 6.4 for the 5DM2) and hits a comparatively low maximum sensitivity of ISO 25,600. That said, cameras for this target market don’t need the really high, gain-pushing ISO sensitivities of more action-oriented models; they need the highest clean setting. And Nikon has a history of clean high ISO images for its pro models. But even if the D800 manages impressive video, I suspect that the D800E will be less video friendly–aliasing can be a real problem in video and it’s much harder to correct in post-production, so you need that low-pass filter. Medium-format cameras and AA-filter-free models like the Fujifilm X100 usually don’t support video or don’t produce professional-quality results.          More