Nikon D800 36.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (OLD MODEL)

The features and performance of the D800 is unsurpassed in my opinion. Very very good camera. Very happy with the resolution. You can virtually crop to the smallest detail ( in RAW format ) without fear of losing detail. Beware of two major points: 1)Get a large memory card when shooting in RAW. Some images for me have exceeded 50MB plus. I have carried at least three cards of 64GB when travelling. On a recent two week trip overseas I shot through three cards without so much as blinking. Came within 20 images of running out of memory at the end of the trip. That was over 1200 plus images for me at the time. Also beware of something more troublesome, however from a maintenance standpoint. You may see this in other reviews as well. Dont know if this is unique to Nikon or not. There appears to be an "over-lubrication" of the shutter mechanism on this camera, maybe other Nikons as well, though my D7000 does not exhibit this issue. You will see the results in your images with small annoying dark grey specks or dots on your images. This is not dirt but oil droplets. The "splatter" of the excess oil shows up due to lodging onto the sensor. These will NOT "blow" off or clean off with the camera self-cleaning feature. They have to be removed with sensor cleaning. Will get worse as time goes on to a certain point of around 10,000 images shot as I read on other websites. I have already cleaned my sensor twice in just 5000 images. They are gone after cleaning but then re-appear again with additional shooting. Frustrating if you are picky about your photography, and who wouldnt be with a camera of this price-point. The cleaning of the sensor can be a daunting task if not approached carefully and with confidence. Many experts say not to do this yourself but really it is not a big deal if done properly with the correct cleaning tools. I will leave that for the experts to delve into on other websites. Anyway, just beware of this is an issue with the Nikon D800 so you will not be surprised when it happens. Really annoying to deal with, but the image specks are removable in Photoshop (clone tool) or in other software applications. Just shouldnt have to deal with this issue and Nikon should address it seriously. If under warranty, you can send back in to Nikon to clean the sensor of the oil specks but you will do this more than once if you dont learn to clean it yourself.

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it attracts way too much dust on the sensor. My D200 was never this bad with dust. Granted, Im changing lenses quite a bit (6 of my 7 lenses are primes), but the sensor cleaner DOES NOT WORK AT ALL! It is completely useless, a feature that should not be included unless they can get to work properly. I was very disappointed about this because it was one main features that I looked forward to. I love the 100% viewfinder and recommend getting the DK-19 Eyecup. This helps in bright conditions and if you wear glasses of any sort. I love the large files, and the movie quality is great! Battery life is OK, I get 500-600 photos and videos on each charge shooting RAW+JPEG. I recommend getting the fastest memory card that you can afford because those massive files take some time to render. Sometimes you might miss a shot if the card is too slow. Also, using the live-view can be a problem when shooting in the highest FPS setting. Ive had the camera lock-up on me multiple times. Not happy about that from a $3,000 camera. For long exposures and mirror lock-up, I use an older MC-20 cable release. You can find used ones on Ebay for $25 or less.

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I am a pro photographer and purchased this camera with great enthusiasm! Initially, I was very impressed with the image quality, exceptional low light performance, and pro feature set. The ergonomics are terrific (typical of Nikon DSLRs), and it has full manual control - with live previewing, of aperture, shutter speed, and exposure compensation during Live View video mode. This is a GREAT camera for video enthusiasts or pros. Keep in mind that some reviews mention the moire patterns that occasionally occur during video or still capture, which I havent noticed yet but do not anticipate to be a deal breaker based on what Ive seen. The D800 focuses easily in very low light and the high ISO noise levels and color rendition are among the best of any camera - from any maker, at any price. It has a top shutter speed of 1/8000, flash sync up to 1/250, and an exceptional level of customization via menus and function buttons that is a step up from the D600, which is nearly equivalent in image quality. The only real downside of the D800 are the massive files. The resolution is really too high for most users needs. A single RAW file is about 50MB! There are good solutions to dealing with these large files, however, and I posted a full review of the D600 vs. the D800, with sample images and a workflow solution for the large D800 files on my blog if you want more information. KevinKubotaBlog dotcom. After working out a good post-processing solution, I am very happy with this camera and the stellar image quality and pro feature set. Nikon D800 36.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

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Update - 2/25. At last...long last I believe that I have a copy of the D800 that is defect free! I love this camera and did not want to give up on it...it just feels right and takes amazing pictures. I went through 8 copies - starting with my first purchase back in June from BB stores.....it had the left focus point issue. I returned it and purchased from Amazon...proceeding to exchange twice and all three from Amazon had the left focus point issue much to my dismay! I decided to give up on the D800 and ultimately ended up trying the D600 out. Compared to the D800, the D600 felt cheap and not nearly as intuative - I hated the dials and missed the layout of the D800...not to mention the focus area was limited and also mine had the dreaded oil spots on the sensor. It went back and I gave the D800 another try from Amazon....on my 6th exchange from Amazon (which arrived in early February) I finally got a body that rocks! (Serial number is 3056XXX). Admittedly I was a little jaded and after a quick test assumed it had the LF issue. I even went so far as to purchase a refurb from BH (at a $300 savings) assuming that the refurb would have been corrected. Well I did an in depth compare between my 2 Amazon bodies (that were purchased new serial 304 and 305xxxx) and the refurb and I realized a couple of things: The refurbished body had not been refurbished at all...it was the worst performer of the three...and with a shutter count of only 7 when I received it, it was clear not a lot of diagnostics were done by Nikon...if any at all! The 304xxxx that was my original (2nd time) purchased D800 from Amazon did in fact have the left forcus issue. The 305xxxx body from Amazon did not! For sure the left side focused noticeably sharper in live view than in using the left autofocus point, but so did the right side....they were equally better in live view than they were in standard autofocus....AND THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED!! Live view (especially when using the outer focus points) is always more acurate than standard AF! (it is also far slower). Needless to say, I am happy I stuck it out and I truly believe I have a defect free body. I am happy with the results and am really enjoying shooting with this camera. It is an amazing camera with INCREDIBLE dynamic range! I wont give it five stars just due to the extreme hassle I had with so many of these bodies, but I am bumping my review to 4 stars and I absolutely think that if you get one of these cameras today and if it is in the 305xxxx, it would be a five star for you too! Enjoy! This is an amazing AMAZING camera, with (for me) very intuitive controls and a dynamic range beyond belief. Although some from both sides of the AF issue might argue "why three stars", I am in the middle of the arguement....my thoughts are even with the AF issue, there are so many other great things about the camera, that it still ranks 3 stars. This is partially why I have not given up on getting a good copy. This was number 5 for me...it was an exchange for defective copy number 4. The fourth one was better than the 5th, so I kept number 4, and am waiting until the end of my return period to hopefully get a 305xxxx camera that is error free.

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