Yep! I’ve just ordered mine and they tell me that it should be getting to me around June.
As Nikon has brought out 2 almost identical versions of the D800 (the D800 and the D800E), I had a good long think about which version to get and there were a lot of points to consider.
Firstly was moiré (pronounced MOY-RAY or MOR-AY if you’re lazy). So what is moiré? Nikon describes it like this:
When we take a photograph of a subject that has a pattern, the image will sometimes show moiré, which is simply a new pattern that is created when two patterns overlap. In such an example, the subject is the first pattern, and the image sensor adds the second pattern. The third pattern is the moiré.
Notice in the illustration below, the round, circular patterns (on the right) created as the two grids are combined; this is moiré.
The internet is going CRAZY (in a bad way) about this and as a result there are far less people ordering the ‘E’ version. I have read up a lot about this and it is moire more common than what most DSLR users think. You see, every DSLR made up til now has had an Optical Low Pass Filter (OLPF) fitted over the Censor to offset this moiré pattern from occurring. In a bold move, Nikon has decided to remove the (OLPF) on this ‘E’ version, therefore making its images sharper yet more susceptible to these patterns. But they don’t just appear out of nowhere. They only ever occur when you have sharp focus on things like fabrics with fine patterns. Here is another example from Nikon on the effects of removing this filter.
This example makes it look pretty bad but look how small this patch of fabric is on the actual image. Not a biggie.
I have come to the conclusion that I do not take many photos where this would effect me. I would love all the extra resolution I can get!
The second thing I had to consider was whether I NEED just a little more resolution. 36 megapixels means a huge amount of resolution anyway, so am I just being greedy and risking moire more by wanting that little bit more?
We’ll see…
Here’s a D800E sample straight from camera. This is what I want my camera to do!
WARNING! After viewing these images at full size you may find yourself ordering this new camera.
Click on image to see the AWESOME full size, high res image.
Click on image to see the AWESOME full size, high res image.
Click on image to see the AWESOME full size, high res image. BOOM !
Comparing the D800 (left) and the D700 (right)
The D800 now has 2 memory card slots! Hallelujah!
