Now its introduction, the Nikon D810 has quickly become a fan favorite among amateur and professional photographers. However, the D810 has since been succeeded by the superior D850. The Nikon D810 continues to be a well-rounded full-frame DSLR and will now have better value than ever; nevertheless, if you want the best, you shouldn’t hesitate to get the Nikon D850; you won’t be sorry.
Nikon unveiled the D800 and D800E in February 2012; it was met with tremendous excitement. The cameras’ revolutionary 36 million pixel count significantly contributed to this excitement.
The only difference between these two full-frame DSLR cameras is that the sensor in the D800E has a weaker anti-aliasing (AA) or optical low-pass filter (OLPF), which allows it to produce crisper details directly from the camera without the need for any post-processing.
Because of the remarkable detail resolution both cameras offer, they have quickly risen to the top of the wish lists of many professional and amateur photographers. This is especially true for photographers interested in purchasing a lightweight camera for shooting landscapes, still life, or macro photography. Since then, they have consistently been people’s first choices, and their resolution has become the standard against which other cameras are evaluated.
Nikon D810 Features
It should not come as a surprise that the Nikon D810 has the same amount of pixels as the Nikon D800, given the high pixel count of the Nikon D800; however, we have been informed that it employs a freshly developed sensor, which typically results in more significant noise reduction.
It has also been linked with Nikon’s EXPEED 4 processing engine rather than the EXPEED 3 engine found in the D800, and this should also be excellent news for the camera’s picture quality.
Other improvements over the D800 include an LCD panel with a more excellent resolution, the ability to capture raw photos that are smaller, similar to what is seen with the Nikon D4S, and the addition of a Group-area AF mode, which is also identical to what is seen with the D4S.
The upgrade to the EXPEED 4 processing engine also makes it possible to boost the maximum continuous shooting rate at full resolution to 5 frames per second, up from the previous maximum of 4 frames per second. As a result, the D810 can record photos at 15.3 megapixels in DX format and shoot at seven frames per second.
The buffer capacity of the D810 has also been increased, and it is now possible to capture more raw files in a single burst than previously likely with the D800. For instance, it can shoot 47 lossless compressed 12-bit raw files as opposed to 21 and 23 uncompressed 14-bit raw files as opposed to 16. This is a huge step forward in making the D810 more of an all-rounder; however, you must be prepared for the memory cards to fill up rapidly to take advantage of this feature.
Nikon D810 Build Quality
Due to a few pretty slight design modifications included with the new model, any Nikon D800 user who picks up a Nikon D810 is likely to find themselves ideally at home because of the similarities between the two cameras’ bodies.
For example, the grip on the back of the camera is slightly more protruding, the front is more ergonomically designed, and the memory card door seems more sturdy.
There isn’t much difference between the new camera and the D800 that it replaces, but the grips have been improved, so the new camera feels more comfortable and secure in your hand.
Nikon D810 Performance
Images taken directly from the Nikon D810 do not appear to be very different from those taken with the Nikon D800, even though they contain more detail if you look for it carefully. When the Matrix metering system is employed, the colors are generally pleasing and bright, and the exposure is satisfactory in most lighting circumstances.
The noise is typically well controlled, and images produced at the higher sensitivity levels appear quite excellent when viewed and printed at sizes typical for those activities. However, when seen at 100% on screen, these photographs indicate that the noise produced by the D810 has a finer texture than the noise produced by the D800; there is less smoothing and clumping. It appears that this makes the noise more noticeable to the testing equipment in our laboratory, but it improves the perception of detail.
Nikon D810 Image Quality
When set to its maximum resolution, the Nikon D810 creates photos with a dimension of 7360 x 4912 pixels. These may be printed at 300 PPI to make precise 24 x 16-inch copies without interpolation. As a result, the amount of detail that can be obtained with this camera is breathtaking and on par with that of many medium-format digital cameras and backs. On the other hand, the image quality of the Nikon D810 is not solely determined by its resolution. In addition, the photographs, particularly those captured in NEF format, have an excellent dynamic range and, for the most part, very little noise.
They may appear noisier than most other full-frame DSLRs when examined up close at 1:1 View, particularly at ISO 6400 and beyond; however, due to the insanely high levels of detail captured, you can apply quite a bit of noise reduction to them and still end up with a sharper and more detailed final image than if you had used a cleaner but lower-resolution photograph, to begin with. This is because the insanely high levels of detail captured allow you to apply quite a bit of noise reduction to them and
Because of this, noise only becomes an issue when shooting in DX crop mode at high ISO settings, and even then, it is equivalent to what you are used to seeing from top-of-the-line 16-megapixel APS-C digital SLR cameras.
The built-in flash produces even exposures with no detectable redeye, and the camera is also very well suited to night photography and long exposures in general. In addition, Nikon’s Active D-lighting and HDR technologies work well in light with a lot of contrast, and the built-in flash also produces even exposures.
Nikon D810 Specs
| Body type | Mid-size SLR |
|---|---|
| Body material | Magnesium alloy |
| Sensor | |
| Max resolution | 7360 x 4912 |
| Other resolutions | FX: 5520 x 3680, 3680 x 2456; 1.2: 6144 x 4080, 4608 x 3056, 3072 x 2040; 5:4: 6144 x 4912, 4608 x 3680, 3072 x 2456; DX: 4800 x 3200, 3600 x 2400, 2400 x 1600 |
| Image ratio w h | 5:4, 3:2 |
| Effective pixels | 36 megapixels |
| Sensor photo detectors | 37 megapixels |
| Sensor size | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) |
| Sensor size notes | RAW (NEF) is available at 12 or 14-bits, lossless compressed, compressed, uncompressed, large or small size. |
| Sensor type | CMOS |
| Processor | EXPEED 4 |
| Color space | sRGB, AdobeRGB |
| Color filter array | Primary color filter |
| Image | |
| ISO | Auto, 64-12800 |
| Boosted ISO (minimum) | 32 |
| Boosted ISO (maximum) | 51200 |
| White balance presets | 12 |
| Custom white balance | Yes (6 slots) |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Uncompressed format | RAW + TIFF |
| JPEG quality levels | Fine, normal, basic |
| File format | JPEG (Exif 2.3, DCF 2.0)RAW (NEF)TIFF (RGB) |
| Optics & Focus | |
| Autofocus | Contrast Detect (sensor)Phase DetectMulti-areaCenterSelective single-pointTrackingSingleContinuousFace DetectionLive View. |
| Autofocus assist lamp | Yes |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Number of focus points | 51 |
| Lens mount | Nikon F |
| Focal length multiplier | 1× |
| Screen/viewfinder | |
| Articulated LCD | Fixed |
| Screen size | 3.2″ |
| Screen dots | 1,229,000 |
| Touch screen | No |
| Screen type | TFT-LCD (WRGB) |
| Live View | Yes |
| Viewfinder type | Optical (tunnel) |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.7× |
| Photography features | |
| Minimum shutter speed | 30 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 sec |
| Exposure modes | ProgramShutter priorityAperture priorityManual |
| Built-in flash | Yes |
| Flash Range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| External flash | Yes (via hot shoe, flash sync terminal, wireless) |
| Flash modes | Front-curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, redeye reduction, redeye reduction w/slow sync, slow rear-curtain sync |
| Flash X sync speed | 1/250 sec |
| Drive modes | Single-frame continuous low-speed [CL]Continuous high-speed [CH]Quiet Shutter ReleaseQuiet Continuous ReleaseSelf-timerMirror-up |
| Continuous drive | 5.0 fps |
| Self-timer | Yes (2, 5, 10, 20 secs for up to 9 shots) |
| Metering modes | MultiCenter-weightedHighlight-weighted spot |
| Exposure compensation | ±5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps) |
| AE Bracketing | ±5 (2, 3, 5, 7 frames at 1/3 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV steps) |
| WB Bracketing | Yes (2-9 exposures in 1-3 increments) |
| Videography features | |
| Resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p) |
| Format | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Videography notes | Uncompressed output over HDMI with simultaneous writing to memory card |
| Microphone | Stereo |
| Speaker | Mono |
| Storage | |
| Storage types | SD/SDHC/SDXC, CompactFlash (UDMA compliant) |
| Connectivity | |
| USB | USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) |
| HDMI | Yes (mini-HDMI) |
| Wireless | Optional |
| Wireless notes | via WT-5A or Eye-Fi |
| Remote control | Yes |
| Physical | |
| Environmentally sealed | Yes |
| Battery | Battery Pack |
| Battery description | EN-EL15 lithium-ion battery & charger |
| Battery Life (CIPA) | 1200 |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 980 g (2.16 lb / 34.57 oz) |
| Dimensions | 146 x 123 x 82 mm (5.75 x 4.84 x 3.23″) |
| Other features | |
| GPS | Optional |
| GPS notes | via GP-1 or GP-1A |
Nikon D810 Verdict
The advent of the Nikon D810 has been welcomed with considerable ridicule, in contrast to the reception that the launch of the Nikon D800 and D800E received, characterized by widespread enthusiasm and high acclaim.
Even though it is unfortunate that Nikon did not include Wi-Fi connectivity in the D810 camera, which would have allowed the average photographer to control the camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet, as well as wirelessly transfer an image or upload it to Facebook, the D810 is still an excellent camera and a worthy successor to the D800. Although it is unlikely that many people who already own a D800 would wish to upgrade to the D810, many people continue to view it as a desirable camera to own.
