Wetpixel Nikon D810 review
Introduction
Nikon announced the D810 FX SLR camera in late June, with a shipping date of 17 August. Thanks to Ryan Canon of Reef Photo and Video and Alex Tattersall of Underwater Visions/Nauticam, I was able to take a D810 to Mexico in late July to shoot the annual whale shark aggregation with the 2014 Wetpixel Whale Sharks expedition.
The D810’s elder siblings, the D800 and D800e, set a new standard in camera performance for Nikon users. Despite producing huge files and more resolution than most users would ever need, it has rapidly become a benchmark camera. It is not an easy camera to shoot and is demanding in terms of both lens quality and technique, yet it offers amazing creative control and performance.
In underwater terms, the D800/e offered a significant improvement in dynamic range, an enhancement in autofocus (AF) performance and a lesser but still noticeable improvement in image quality at high ISOs.
The D810.
The D810 features a new 36.3-megapixel FX-format (7360 x 4912 resolution) CMOS sensor, and is supplied without an optical low pass filter (OLPF). This approach was pioneered with the D800e and the idea is that its removal makes for sharper images at a pixel level. The new sensor is combined with Nikon’s EXPEED 4 image processing engine, which adds an ISO 64 setting, gives better noise reduction and suppresses moireé.
AF in the D810 takes the Multi-Cam 3500-FX sensor from the flagship D4s with its group AF mode and 15 cross type sensors, with 11 that can be used to f/8. The system has a detection range of –2 to +19 EV (ISO 100, 20°C/68°F). This means that it will focus at 0.52 lux. To put this in perspective, a full moon on a clear night provides between 0.27–1.0 lux.
The camera’s metering and AF both utilize Nikon’s Advanced Scene Recognition system. This “recognizes” types of scenes and adjusts the parameters for exposure and autofocus to suit. In terms of metering, it now has a Highlight Weighted mode that “assigns greatest weight to highlights, for example when photographing spotlit performers on a stage.” (1)
The D800/e was not the quickest camera in terms of frames per second (fps). The D810 has aimed to rectify this somewhat with a 30% increase in performance and a respectable 5 fps in FX mode.
Other refinements include an improved LCD monitor (3.2-inch with 1299K dots). It now features an RGBW panel for brighter reproduction and customizable color. It is designed to incorporate a gel resin between the cover glass and the screen itself to combat the fogging that may result from sudden changes of temperature, and also makes use of a light sensor to allow for automatic adjustment of the screen’s brightness, contrast, gamma and color saturation. Lastly, it has a split screen option in Live View, allowing it to be split with different displays on either side.
In video mode, the D810 offers full HD movie capture at five different frame rates (24/25/30/50/60fps) and two quality levels. Additionally, 720p is also available at 25, 30, 50 and 60fps; and again at two quality settings. New to the D810 is a ‘flat’ Picture Control mode for producing the greatest dynamic range possible, and “Zebras” for checking for blown highlights.
Another change is that it will only record a maximum of 10 continuous minutes of video at 1080 50/60, compared to 20 minutes at all other resolutions and frame rates. Nikon are releasing an SDK for software development with this camera, so the hope is that this may be modified by a third-party developer!
Controls:
Any user of a recent Nikon SLR camera will recognize the layout of the controls on the D810. Main and sub command dials are identically placed to those on the D800 (and many other Nikons), as are ISO, AF ON, image review, shutter release, on/off, focus, multi-selector and many of the other controls.
An i button has been added above the Live View selector, that gives the option of various control and menu selection options via LCD shortcuts. This should be useful in video mode. The Metering mode control has been shifted from the top right hand rear of the camera onto the top of the released mode dial, with the AE-L/AF-L button staying in its original position.
In order to add the Metering mode control, the bracket button has been moved to the position of the Flash EV control button, with the latter being moved further down the front left of the camera towards the lends release. These controls will present a challenge for housing manufacturers! It is also worth mentioning that the grip on the camera is noticeably deeper and slightly higher than that of the D800, and it is this difference which precludes the majority of housings from being compatible with both cameras.
The D810 has dual card slots with one for Compact Flash and one for SD cards like its predecessor and it is powered by the same (and excellent) Nikon EN-EL4 battery.
(1) Nikon D810 user manual p.114.