Coming soon: the long-awaited Nikon D800

Way, WAY overdue, the successor to the long-lived, entry-level full frame Nikon D700 is on the way. Will it be worth the wait? So far the prognosis looks good.

Here at Last: the Nikon D800 Full-Frame DSLR

A full-frame DSLR was always a planned purchase for me. But I never dreamed it would give medium format a run for its money. The D700 was certainly worthy, but it made sense to see what the next generation would bring. And as it turns out, it brings us the highest resolution DSLR on the market at this time. And this puts it on a par with medium format.

On a par with, but not in the same class as. The size of the sensor makes all the difference. And higher resolution does not a larger sensor make. But happily, the D800’s enormous resolution apparently does not detract from its high ISO performance.

What it does do is make this camera ideal for those of us with an investment in DX lenses. With a DX lens, it will capture a 15.3MP image as opposed to the D700’s 5.1, and that makes it well worth the wait, and a most versatile camera. Weighing in at 3.3 oz less than the D700, it’s lighter and physically smaller. The removable battery grip keeps the size down when needed, giving it an edge over the D4.

The control layout is basically the same, the biggest change being the focus mode lever to the lower left of the lens. It now only selects between manual and automatic modes, with a concentric pushbutton used to select between AF-C and AF-S with the command dial.

Stylistically, the D800 has a lot in common with the new D4, its rakish lines keeping it in style, yet not overdone. The outgoing D700 had more in common with the D300.

A couple of months back, I pointed out that 2012 promises to be a good year for cameras, and the Nikon D800 pretty much sums that up.