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Nikon D800E · Nikon USA product photograph with attached lens; lens excluded from body specifications

Nikon D800E
Photo 1 of 12

Nikon D800E · Nikon USA product photograph with attached lens; lens excluded from body specifications

Nikon · Nikon DSLR

D800E

Released April 2012

A 36.3-megapixel full-frame DSLR with cancelled low-pass filtering, 51-point autofocus and 1080p video.

Type
DSLR
Sensor
Full frame
Megapixels
36.3
Lens
Nikon F mount
Video
1920 × 1080 at 30 fps
Body weight
900 g

What reviewers say

Both praise high detail, dynamic range and responsive handling, finding a small sharpness advantage over the D800. Photography Blog recommends the premium for maximum resolution and finds moiré uncommon outside fine patterns. DPReview stresses optimal apertures and meticulous technique, finding the difference largely disappears when stopped down; it also criticises slow live-view autofocus and limited burst speed.

From photographyblog.com and dpreview.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Image and sensor

Camera type
DSLR
Sensor format
Full frame
Sensor type
CMOS
Sensor dimensions
35.9 × 24 mm
Effective resolution
36.3 MP
Largest image
7360 × 4912
RAW recording
Yes
Standard ISO range
100–6400
Sensor detail
FX CMOS with 36.3 million effective pixels and 36.77 million total in Japan, rounded to 36.8 million USA; Optical low-pass filter stack cancels the aliasing/moiré reduction effect rather than removing all filter glass; Nikon warns of more noticeable moiré and false colour with some subjects. IR/anti-reflection coating remains the same as D800. Image Sensor Cleaning and Image Dust Off reference data. FX 7360 × 4912; 1.2× crop 6144 × 4080; DX 4800 × 3200; 5:4 crop 6144 × 4912
Image formats
12-bit or 14-bit NEF RAW, uncompressed, lossless-compressed or compressed; TIFF RGB, JPEG Fine/Normal/Basic with size-priority or optimal-quality compression, simultaneous RAW/JPEG; adjustable/custom Picture Controls and in-camera RAW processing
ISO detail
Standard ISO 100–6400 in one-third, half or whole stops; Lo expansion down to ISO 50 equivalent and Hi expansion up to ISO 25600 equivalent; automatic sensitivity control
Image processor
EXPEED 3

Lens and shooting

Lens mount
Nikon F mount
Stabilisation
Optical lens stabilisation
Maximum continuous burst
4 fps
Lens detail
F mount with body AF coupling and contacts; G/D, other AF and AI-P lenses with restrictions; non-CPU AI lenses usable in A/M with registered lens data, DX lenses use DX crop. Non-AI, IX and F3AF lenses excluded
Autofocus
Advanced Multi-CAM3500FX phase detection with 51 points, 15 cross-type and 11 f/8-compatible points; -2 to +19 EV at ISO 100, 20°C; AF-S/AF-C, fine-tuning, single-point, dynamic nine/21/51, 3D tracking and auto-area. Live view uses contrast AF-S/AF-F and face/wide/normal/tracking areas; current USA AF-A listing conflicts with Japan's AF-S/AF-C modes
Shutter
Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter, 1/8000 to 30 seconds and Bulb; tested to 200000 cycles. X-sync 1/250 second, up to 1/320 with reduced flash range
Burst detail
Approximately 4 fps full FX or 5:4; 5 fps DX or 1.2× crop on EN-EL15. DX reaches 6 fps with optional MB-D12 using EN-EL18 or AA batteries, or an AC adapter; 1.2× remains 5 fps. Quiet single-frame, mirror-up and configurable self-timer modes
Stabilisation detail
VR depends on attached lens; no sensor-shift stabilisation
Flash
Built-in i-TTL pop-up flash, guide number approximately 12 m at ISO 100, 20°C; commander for two remote groups, hot shoe, PC sync terminal and compatible Auto FP Speedlights
Exposure controls
P/S/A/M; 91000-pixel RGB matrix, centre-weighted and spot metering; ±5 EV compensation, exposure/flash and white-balance bracketing; two-exposure HDR, interval timer and dual-axis virtual horizon. Japan centre-weighted default is 12 mm and spot range 2–20 EV; USA lists 8 mm and 0–20 EV

Video

Highest video resolution
1920 × 1080 at 30 fps
Video detail
FX- or DX-based 1920 × 1080 at 30p/25p/24p; 1280 × 720 at 60p/50p/30p/25p; MOV H.264/MPEG-4 AVC and linear PCM audio. High quality up to 20 minutes, normal up to 29 min 59 s; time-lapse movies and uncompressed HDMI output. Photography Blog's 1920 × 1280 movie caption conflicts with Nikon's 1920 × 1080 specification; DPReview introductory VGA listing conflicts with the own maker specification
Audio
Built-in mono microphone; 3.5 mm external stereo input and headphone output; adjustable microphone sensitivity

Screen and viewfinder

Viewfinder
Optical
Screen size
3.2″
Screen dots
921,000
Touchscreen
No
Tilting screen
No
Display detail
Fixed 3.2-inch TFT, approximately 921000 dots USA/global or 920000 Japan; 170° viewing angle, approximately 100% coverage and automatic brightness adjustment; top status LCD, BM-12 protective cover and live view
Viewfinder detail
Pentaprism, approximately 100% FX coverage, 97% DX/1.2× and 100% vertical/97% horizontal 5:4 in Japan; USA gives 97% both axes for 5:4. Approximately 0.7× magnification with 50mm f/1.4 at infinity, 17 mm eyepoint, grid display and depth-of-field preview; current USA calls it a pentamirror, conflicting with the combined Japan pentaprism specification

Connections and design

Battery life (maker's claim)
900 photographs
Body weight
900 g
Release detail
April 2012 release month; Nikon Japan records actual first sale on 12 April, with global announcement dated 7 February. The regional day does not establish earliest worldwide sale; this model was co-marketed with D800
Recording media
One Type I CompactFlash slot with UDMA and one SD/SDHC/SDXC slot with UHS-I; overflow, backup, RAW/JPEG split and copying between cards
Ports
USB 3.0 Micro-B, mini HDMI Type C, 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets, PC sync and 10-pin remote/GPS terminal; optional UT-1 provides wired LAN
Wireless connections
No built-in Wi-Fi or GPS; optional WT-4 networking or WT-5 with UT-1, GP-1 GPS and WR-R10 with WR-A10 adapter or WR-1 remote. Current Japan lists later accessory support
Battery life detail
EN-EL15, approximately 900 CIPA shots; optional MB-D12 takes EN-EL15, EN-EL18 with BL-5 cover or eight AA cells. Japan gives 1400 shots for grip EN-EL18 or 1000 with alkaline AA, without simultaneously counting the body's battery
Charging
External MH-25 charger; optional EH-5b AC adapter with EP-5B connector
Dimensions
Approximately 146 × 123 × 81.5 mm Japan; current USA gives 144.78 × 121.92 × 81.28 mm
Weight detail
Approximately 900 g body only; 1000 g with battery and SD card, excluding body cap
Materials
Magnesium-alloy body with dust/water-resistant sealing
Colours
Black
In the box
EN-EL15, MH-25, DK-17 eyepiece, UC-E14 USB cable and clip, AN-DC6E strap, BM-12 monitor cover, BF-1B body cap, BS-1 shoe cover and ViewNX 2 CD-ROM (Japan D800E package)

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Full-frame sensor records 7360 × 4912 images without optical anti-aliasing blur
  • 100% pentaprism viewfinder and dual card slots
  • USB 3.0, microphone, headphone and HDMI connections

Cons

  • Full-resolution continuous shooting limited to 4 fps
  • Fixed screen without touch controls
  • Fine repeating patterns can produce moiré and false colour

Closest rivals

Model
TypeSensorMegapixelsLensVideoBody weightReleased
NikonD4
DSLRFull frame16.2Nikon F mount1920 × 1080 at 30 fps1180 gMar 2012
NikonD600
DSLRFull frame24.3Nikon F mount1920 × 1080 at 30 fps760 gSept 2012
NikonD800
DSLRFull frame36.3Nikon F mount1920 × 1080 at 30 fps900 gMar 2012

Sources

  1. nij.nikon.com/products/lineup/slr/d800d800e/spec.html
  2. nij.nikon.com/products/lineup/slr/d800d800e
  3. nikonusa.com/p/d800e/25498/overview
  4. nikon.com/company/news/2012/0207_dslr_01

Photo: Nikon USA product photograph with attached lens; lens excluded from body specifications

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