Some Images of the D800 Camera

<p>As a lot of you know, I received photo.net's Nikon D800 test sample yesterday. Here are some images of the camera itself, with some comparisons with the D700. Clearly they look similar.</p>

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One obvious difference is that the AF controls are different. In fact, the D800 uses the same design as the D7000 (DX format D7K). The C/S/M switch some people have problems changing accidentally is gone, so is the AF area mode selection switch on the back. Instead, similar to the D7000, you hold down the AF/M switch and then use the main and sub command dials to change AF modes.

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On the top side of the camera, next to the shutter release, there is a new button with a red dot in the center; that button controls video capture. Since yesterday I tried to test many memory cards on the new D800, I had to format them all, and I already had problem pressing the video button instead of the mode button to format the memory cards.

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And of course the 24mm/f3.5 PE-C lens works fine on the D800, with simiar minor restrictions as on the D700, but there are work arounds so that there is no issue at all.

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<p>Drooling! Shun, why do you have to show off your D800 and 24mm PE-C? :D</p>

<p>There has been questions about whether the 24mm PC-E works on the D800 without restrictions: <a href="../nature-photography-forum/00a1Hf">http://www.photo.net/nature-photography-forum/00a1Hf</a></p>

<p>Again, it is not my D800; it is a loaner from Nikon. The good news for me is that I don't have to pay for it, not even shipping. The down side is that I am obligated to produce a review, and most likely I'll eventually buy one myself anyway, but I am leaning towards the D800E instead.</p>

<p>I am sure that Nikon loans us one for testing is to help generate demand and eventually their sales, not because I am a great person. :-)</p>

<p>The lens is mine, though, so is the D700. The D700 is still working fine and captures good pictures as long as the photographer behind it is up to the task.</p>

<p>The left turret looks to be closer to the strap (like on the D7k). The turret`s locking pin seem more obvious. Looks like ergonomics has been improved in this area. Another good thing.</p>

<p>Yours is looking a little naked...:-) Here is mine ready for a night aerial mission, we had to cancel last night due to high winds...</p><div></div>

<p>I see that the MF/AF switch now has a locking button. Good to see that Nikon has admitted to the design flaw and corrected it.</p>

<p>Sanford, it is not a locking button, but a good design re-work in that I no longer accidentally move the AF from single to continuous. For example, when the lever is on AF, you can select AF-S or AF-C from the rear command dial / button and the amount of dynamic focus points from the front or sub command dial / button combo.</p>

<p>At first I did not know if I were going to like it but now I love it, big improvement.</p>

<p>Daniel, <br>

the Gyro-thingy looks like a weapon of mass destruction...<br>

Nice lens!</p>

<p>Sanford - that's not a locking button, that's to choose between AF-S and AF-C, and also to choose the AF area mode (the switch that's on the back of the D700). Shun - I'm assuming that, as the manual suggests, this means that *none* of the autofocus controls are accessible when you're holding a heavy lens in your left hand? From perusing the manual it appeared that you can't map this button (or ISO) to any of the programmable buttons which the right hand can reach. If so, I'm not best pleased - this would surely have been an easy software feature, and I've not been alone in complaining about it to Nikon for a while.<br />

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Edit: Daniel got in first, but I have the same question for him!</p>

<p>Looking forward to your review! I unfortunately missed the first Nikon shipment of D800s. I am keeping my fingers crossed...</p>

<p>Thanks Shun for the info on the 24 PC-E. It's a bit strange that even the manual (page 371) states it cannot shift or tilt when used on the D800. I have been using my 24 PC-E on the D700 with the stated work around. It's just tricky to laterally shift the lens in portrait mode because that too small locking screw is a bit snug under the housing.</p>

<p>This may be a better angle with the 24mm PC-E on.<br>

<br /><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/15434212-lg.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Do want!</p>

<p>BTW, I cringe when I see a DSLR with an open lens mount (dust magnet!!!!!).</p>

<p>No worries, my house is clean. We have a few air filters.</p>

<p>I don't want any lens cap in the images. As soon as I was done with capturing the images, I put the lens cap or a len back on.</p>

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<p>"The C/S/M switch some people have problems changing accidentally is gone...."</p>

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<p>Aah great! Another menu item to fart around with! What's wrong with "direct access" to these important switches? Just because some people have clumsy fingers, now the rest of us have to suffer.</p>

<p>Strange that nobody previously complained about the switch on the F801, F801s (N8008s) and F4, etc, etc.</p>

<p>@Daniel. Does that gyro work well? What's the cost? (I know I could Google it, but hey!)</p>

<p>To be more accurate, there were some bitter complaints about the C/S/M switch on the D300, not necessary on the D700. Apparently the positioning of that switch on the D300 is a bit different, thus causing the issue. Personally, I have never had that problem on any Nikon body, D300, D700 or otherwise. I think the "problem" is due the way some people hold the camera, but that is a debate that we have gone over and over. I don't mean to start it again.</p>

<p>In any case, Nikon now changes that switch completely. I guess that is an improvement, but again, that is not new to a lot of us who have the D7000.</p>

<p>Just because there are "workarounds" with the tilt-shift lenses, I do not agree that it is not a problem. If it came without autofocus, there would be a workaround, just focus it manually. But that would be a major detraction, wouldn't it? For photographing architecture, where one generally must shift the lens up, having a constrained upward shift range is a problem. For one of their close to top-of-the-line cameras to not be able to take full advantage of one of their top-of-the-line specialty lenses is stupid. Nikon should be called out on it rather than given a pass, so maybe with the D900 (or the next 24mm PC-E) they'll address it.</p>

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<p>For photographing architecture, where one generally must shift the lens up, having a constrained upward shift range is a problem.</p>

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<p>John, there is no constrain to the upward shift range when you use the 24mm PC-E on either the D800 or D700. (On the D200, there is, but that is another story.) Any kind of movement you can perform on the D3, you can also make on the D700 and D800.</p>

<p>The type of minor restriction I am talking about is that, e.g., you want to rotate to make a 180-degree turn, on the D3, you can rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise, on the D700/D800, you are "restricted" to clockwise only, but the end result is the same. We are <strong>not</strong> even talking about holding the camera upside down to achieve certain shift; in that case it would have been highly inconvenient.</p>

Shun, that's good to know about the PC-E lenses. Thanks.

<p>Shun,<br>

I am eagerly awaiting your thoughts on real ISO performance compared to the D700. DxO site suggests that it is better and closer to the D4. I have some difficulty believing this so just wondering.</p>

<p>Steven, I am very interested in the D800's high-ISO performance as well, but that is something that I need to spend some time to evaluate before I would post any results. I do have a high-tech day job in the Silicon Valley so that my free time during the week is quite limited.</p>

<p>I did a quick test between the D700 and D800 at ISO 3200. My initial impression is that the D800 is not quite as good. Hopefully this coming weekend I'll have time to test the D700, D7000, and D800 side by side. I would expect the D7000 and D800 to be quite close since they have similar pixel density and both are quite new. The D800 is over a year newer, of course.</p>

<p>Shun, there have been some complaints about the color tint being off on the D800 screen when previewing an image. Have you noticed that? Thom Hogan also mentioned it as one of the complaints from some owners in his column today. I transferred an image to my D3s card and looked at it on both screens. The only difference I noticed was that the D800 image seemed to be slightly more saturated. Other than that the colors on both seemed accurate.</p>

<p>Barry, sorry, I haven't paid attention to that yet.</p>

<p>I was surprised by the amount of interest on the PC-E lens. Here is an image of it at the maximum shift position. Even with the lens raised. There is still about 2mm left before it would hit the viewfinder overhang.<br>

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And Nikon added the option to adjust the amount of time for the Exposure Delay mode. On the D2/D200, it was fixed at 0.4 sec. On the D3/D300/D700, it is 1 sec. Now you can choose among 1, 2, or 3 seconds.</p>

<p>Curiously, Nikon also swaps the positions for the + and - buttons for image enlargement and redution. Compare that to the D700. On the D800, + is now on top of -; I guess that makes sense.<br>

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<p><em> Any kind of movement you can perform on the D3, you can also make on the D700 and D800.</em></p>

<p>Well this is not strictly speaking true of the D700 where certain diagonal shifts have limitations (if you are not willing to mount the camera upside down). Diagonal shifts can be useful when controlling both horizontal and vertical convergence at the same time, and where camera position is limited.</p>

<p>I did check that at least 45 degree diagonal shift is not limited on the D800; didn't try a more upward oriented (e.g. 60 degree) shift. Anyway, this aspect of the camera is fine - no complaints from me.</p>

<p>Ilkka, I tried diagonal shift, which I normally don't use, on the D700, and at maximum shift, it barely touches the viewfinder. On the D800, I set the 24mm PC-E to maximum shift and rotate the lens from horizontal to vertical (while it remains at maximum shift); there is no problem at all during the rotation. In other words, you can have maximum shift at any angle you want.</p>

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The image above shows the top view of the D700 and D800 side by side. On the right side (top of the image), there is the video capture button we already mentioned. On the left side, the D700 has 3 buttons for QUAL (RAW/JPEG selection), WB and ISO. On the D800, there is a 4th button BKT, which is a huge welcome.

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On the D300 and D700, there is no dedicated bracketing button, and in the first week of two when I had my D300, I unintentionally get into the bracketing mode and I was wondering why my exposure was so inconsistent. The dedicated BKT button should solve that problem.

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The image below shows the new implementation for Virtual Horizon. I am sure that you are already familiar with the green line showing whether the camera is level. On the D4 and D800/D800E, virtual horizon covers another diamention for any pitch type tilt. You may notice that circle inside the virtual horizon. I suppose to blue area on top represtens the sky and the ground area in the bottom the earth. So if your camera is tilted downward as in this case, you see less sky (blue) and more earth (brown). That blue/brown transition line gradually moves downward as you level the camera; it'll be right in the center if the camera is completely level.

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