Nikon D800 & D800E Digital Field Guide

From the Author: Sample Nikon D800 Photos (Click on images to enlarge)

The first thing I did when I got my D800 was head down to the University of Texas because I knew that I could get a good variety of shots to test out my new camera with. After a quick photo shoot with my friend Doa (you will see her in the book), I wandered around shooting various things, one of which was this church steeple. The D800's high resolution captures the textures with stunning detail. Shot using a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 for 1/160 @ f/11, ISO 200. For this shot, I went the opposite direction, lo-fi. I know a lot of people think it's counter-intuitive to take a $3000 high-resolution camera and put a cheap lens like a Lensbaby on it, but I love the effect. So, for this shot I used my old Lensbaby 2.0 with a close up lens filter on it and snapped a shot of this Lantana flower in my backyard. Photography is very much about personal choices. It isn't wrong to use any type of accessory you want to achieve your own artistic vision. Shot using a Lensbaby 2.0 50mm for 1/1000 @ f/2, ISO 100I snapped this shot of some candles to see how the D800's dynamic range compared to the D700, and as you can see it holds up pretty well. The D800 can capture shadow detail as well as keeping the highlights well exposed. I didn't use any Active D-Lighting or Noise Reduction on this shot. Shot with a Nikon 50mm f/1.4G for 1/125 at ISO 400.

From the Author: Top Six New Features of the D800/E

J. Dennis Thomas, Author There are a number of new features on the D800/E that are improved among the D700 and D300/s series of cameras.

1. Higher resolution
   Of course this is the most obvious feature, 36MP is triple what and of the previous Nikon DXXX series have. This is even a step up from the 24MP D3x which comes in at $5000 more than the D800/E. This is great for studio photographers who command higher resolution and even allows you to shoot in DX mode with an impressive 15MP, which is 10 more MP than the other cameras in this series.
2. 100% viewfinder display
   The D700 had a 95% viewfinder coverage which meant that your image composition was looser than it appeared in the viewfinder. The D800/E's 100% viewfinder allows you to compose your images more accurately.
3. Improved Auto-ISO
   The Auto-ISO feature is now able to set the minimum shutter speed automatically according to focal length. For someone who has grown to love Auto-ISO, this gives it much more flexibility. If you haven't tried Auto-ISO I encourage you to do so. You can also turn Auto-ISO on and off by pressing the ISO button and rotating the sub-command dial instead of going through the menu system, very helpful.
4. Video
   The D700 had no video at all; while the D300s had video it was only 720p. The D800/E offers full 1080p HD video, but the even bigger improvements are the ability to completely control the settings manually, the live HDMI out, the stereo microphone input, and the headphone output so you accurately monitor the sound. Finally, professional video from a Nikon DSLR.
5. Metering system
   The D800/E ups the 1005-Pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering system to a whopping 91,000-pixel system. This allows for more accurate exposures when using P, S, and A modes.
6. Image processing engine
   The D800/E inherits the same processor as the D4, the EXPEED 3. With two processors this speeds up autofocus and data transfer times as well as allows the D800/E to have an expanded dynamic range and cleaner images at higher ISO settings that other cameras with high megapixel counts.