Nikon D800 Pre-orders ‘Unprecedented’

Nikon D800 Top View

Demand for the new Nikon D800 has exceeded Nikon’s expectations. Jeremy Gilbert, marketing manager for Nikon UK, reveals, “The pre-orders are unprecedented.”

Since Nikon’s announcement of the D800 on February 7, retailers have been flooded with customers eager to obtain the 36 megapixel digital camera. In an interview with TechRadar, Gilbert explained, “People have been asking for the D800 for the past two years, and the excitement has been building and building.”

Although its $2,995 price is the as same as the D700 at the time of introduction, Nikon has made it clear the D800 is not a replacement for that camera. Its high resolution places the D800 in an entirely new category closer to medium format cameras. The D700 will remain in the lineup for the foreseeable future.

In addition to the standard D800, a special version D800E was announced. Landscape specialists seeking the greatest detail possible in their photographs choose the D800E because it lacks an anti-aliasing filter. The camera delivers unmatched sharpness but may not be suitable for everyone. The lack of the filter can introduce unexpected artifacts into images with repeating patterns usually found in textiles and man-made objects.

Nikon D800 Sensor

Demand for the D800E has been higher than anticipated. Gilbert urges consumers to “Try before they buy so that consumers understand the positives and drawbacks of using the camera.”

The Nikon D800 is set to arrive at retailers in about two weeks, with a delivery estimate of March 22, 2012. The D800E is due to follow in early April with a release date of April 12, 2012.

Canon 5D Mark III Announcement

Canon 5D Mark III

The highly anticipated Canon EOS 5D Mark III was officially announced today and along with the Nikon D800, the major DSLR players have set the stage for the next generation of full frame enthusiast DSLR. The Mark II brings many improvements to the popular 5D Mark II, including expanded sensitivity up to 102,4000 ISO, 6 fps continuous shooting, 61-pt autofocus, and 63-area metering and 100% viewfinder. Its resolution improvement is only modest, raising to 22.3MP from 21.1MP. The list price is $3,499 and will be available at the end of March 2012.

Nikon D800 vs Canon 5D Mark III Comparison

Nikon D800 Digitutor

Nikon D800 DigitutorThe Nikon D800 Digitutor provides a brief overview of the features and functions of the D800. Even if you can’t get your hands on the real thing right now, the tour provides a hands-on look at the most important features and will get you up and running when the D800 arrives.

The D800 Digitutor integrates video and text, although the speed of narration and background music may not help keep you awake for the entire tour.

If you want to get the Nikon D800 and don’t have it on on order yet, check out the D800 pre-order information to find how to get it.

Nikon D800 Built to Rival Medium Format Digital Cameras and Digital Camera Backs

Nikon D800 DesignersThe Nikon D800 is the result of extensive development and design aimed to raise DSLR image quality to a new level. An interview with Nikon product designers Shinya Hara, Hiroshi Murakami, Eiji Yoshimatsu provides insight to the design process behind the D800. They share their perspectives on photography and how the D800 fits the specific needs of landscape and studio photographers.

“Our goal was image quality a step above – far superior to any existing D-SLR camera – compressed into a compact camera body,” designer Shinya Hara reveals. The D800 was designed from the beginning to beat their best camera at the time, the 24-megapixel D3X. Hara describes their concept was to build “a camera with image quality, tone reproduction, and sharpness that were a match for high-resolution medium-format cameras.” The task was to put outstanding image quality beyond the D3X into a camera the size of the D700.

Image quality is more than pixel count. Murakami explains they acheived such high resolution by “increasing the precision of the image sensor, improving the performance of the optical low-pass filter to match that of a 36.3 megapixel sensor, and developing the high-speed processing technology.” Hara added these advances required “considerably more time on development than we have for other models.” Such improvements include increasing the memory buffer to deal with the enormous amount of data the 36-megapixel sensor provides, and using the technology of the D4 advanced autofocus and 91,000 pixel RGB metering sensor.

Eiji Yoshimatsu says the D800 will appeal to photographers wishing for medium format quality in a more managable size and weight. To that end, the D800 is both lighter and smaller than previous Nikon full-frame cameras. The 100% viewfinder and 3.2-inch LCD viewfinder provide unmatched visualation to take full advantage of the camera’s 36-megapixel resolution.

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