Verdict
Nikon D810 review – Verdict
It’s easy to look at the Nikon D810 and dismiss it as a small upgrade to the D800/D800E. However, what Nikon has done is take some of the slight issues from the previous cameras, fix them, and then add a host of new features. The LCD screen has been greatly improved and the colour accuracy is far better than on the earlier models.
The D810’s body feels more comfortable in the hand and the buttons have been tweaked to give a more intuitive handling experience. The 9-million-pixel S Raw format goes some way towards tackling the issue of huge image files, though it would have been nice to have a file of around 16 million pixels that isn’t a digital crop.
For landscape photographers, the combination of extremely high resolution and a large dynamic range should allow them to record a huge amount of detail all the way from highlights to the deepest shadows. Fashion and studio photographers will also be pleased with the 36.3-million-pixel sensor, as well as the native sensitivity of ISO 64. For these kinds of photographers, low-ISO shooting is their staple, so it’s encouraging to see them being catered for.
Serious wildlife and sports photographers could well be hindered by the large file size and for many, 5-7fps shooting may not be fast enough. However, the D810 isn’t really designed for this and should be perfectly sufficient for the enthusiast wildlife photographer, as will the very fast 51-point AF system.
It was clear to see with the positive response to the D800E that there was a big demand of a full-frame camera without an optical low-pass filter. Equally, it proved that many photographers value the added resolution gain over the prevention of moiré patterning. Therefore, the D810 is likely to be a very well-received camera.
