Speculation about an imminent Nikon D800 release is reaching a fever pitch.
We have already had several strong hints at a February or March Nikon D800 release date, and a quick history lesson by Nikon Rumors shows February indeed is Nikon's favoured month for big announcements.
So while we wait for a Nikon announcement of a Nikon D700 replacement, we thought in the meantime we'd put together a wishlist of features we not only would like to see, but expect will be included among the Nikon D800 specs.
Nikon D800 release date and price
Amazon has revealed a delay in the publication of two Nikon D800 user manuals, possibly suggesting a delay to the Nikon D800 release date.
The online bookseller has revealed on its UK site that Obtenez le maximum du Nikon D800, by Jean-Baptiste Guges, will not be released until 4 May 2011. Originally, Guges' manual was due for release on 9 February.
Likewise, an alternate manual, also called Obtenez le maximum du Nikon D800, but penned by an author named Bernard Rome has had its release date delayed on Amazon's French website. Rome's Nikon D800 manual was originally set for release on 9 March 2011, but has now been pushed back to 7 September.
Of the two authors, only Rome has any prior publications, having penned several user manuals for past Nikon cameras ? including a manual for the Nikon D700.
Both Nikon D800 manuals are listed as being 320 pages. It should also be noted that both manuals appear to have the same ISBN, yet they have different authors and release dates.
The Nikon D800 has long been rumoured to be the Nikon D700 replacement, and as we reported previously when Amazon first hinted at a Nikon D800 release date, the French online bookseller Librairie Decitre suggested in its listing for Guges's Nikon D800 manual that the Nikon D800 will double the sensor of the D700, increasing from 12 to 24 megapixels.
The company also suggested that the Nikon D800 price will fall between 2,000 and 2,500 euros.
UPDATE - FEBRUARY 2011: There are now reports that some Nikon offices have barred staff from booking holidays in the last two weeks of August 2011. If indeed this is a harbinger of a Nikon D800 release date, it would coincide nicely with CliQ (formery known as PMA), which is scheduled for the first week in September.
Nikon D800 manual
A 320-page guide entitled 'Obtenez le maximum du Nikon D800' (or 'Get the most out of your Nikon D800'), by Bernard Rome, is set for release on 9 March 2011, according to a new listing posted on the Amazon France website.
Rome has written previous manuals on the Nikon D700, Nikon D5000 and Nikon D3000. Amazon is listing the Nikon D800 guide at 27.07 euros. The manual will be written in French and its ISBN is 978-2100541027.
A second Nikon D800 manual by the same title and ISBN has been posted on the Amazon UK site with a release date of 9 February 2011. The Amazon UK page, however, lists Jean-Baptiste Guges as the author.
The Nikon D800 has long been rumoured to be the Nikon D700 replacement. The French online bookseller Librairie Decitre gives more details in its listing for the Guges manual, claming that the Nikon D800 will double the sensor of the D700 and increase from 12 to 24 megapixels on the D800. "The D800 is likely to be sold between 2,000 and 2,500 euros,' it says.
Nikon D800 rumours
Given that the online bookseller Amazon is already listing a guide book for the Nikon D800 and the guide can be ordered as of February and March (according to which Amazon site you visit), it seems inevitable that we will not only see a Nikon D800 release date in 2011, but perhaps quite early in the year.
Of course given Nikon's recent naming structure changes there's no guarantee that whatever replaces the D700 will be called the D800. Perhaps Nikon will start using its D-double-digit name for it's lower-end professional or sem-pro level kit. Maybe we could even see a reprise of the D80 name?
A replacement to the popular 12MP Nikon D700 is certainly overdue. Although the full-frame Nikon D700 remains the camera of choice for Nikon's legion of prosumer photographers, since its launch in 2008 it has been progressively overshadowed by its competitors. Cameras like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Sony's Alpha A850 offer higher resolution sensors and (in the case of the Canon 5D II) significantly more advanced feature sets.
Expect Nikon to respond to the threat of the as-yet-unreleased Canon 5D II successor, which means higher resolution, enhanced live view and ? of course ? the addition of a versatile movie mode. Our money is on the Nikon D800 having a 24MP sensor, adapted from the CMOS sensor of the professional Nikon D3X, and 1080p video.
2011 Nikon D800 release date probability: 75% ? either just before or soon after Canon releases its 5D II successor.
Nikon D800 likely spec and features:
- 24-megapixel sensor
- EXPEED 2 image processing engine
- Enhanced Live View with full time AF
- 1080p video
- Full-time AF in video mode
- 2,016 RGB metering sensor
- 95% field of view videwfinder
- Full HD (1080p) video
- Sensitivity expandable to ISO 102, 400
- 8fps contiuous shooting
UPDATE: 31 JANUARY: the Nikon Rumors website reports that a number of camera retailers around the world are claiming that the NikonD700 has been discontinued. A store in Belgium has sent an email to customers saying the D700 has been discontinued, while a US retailer reports it is out of stock in the D700 and has no plans to order new units.
Nikon D800 review
Once the Nikon D800 release date is announced, we will be first to bring you an in-depth Nikon D800 review that tests in full all of the D800 specs and features. So bookmark this page and watch this space, because we have a feeling that a Nikon D800 review will be appearing here very soon!
PhotoRadar's head of testing, Angela Nicholson, tells us that she hopes to see a replacement to the Nikon D700 quite soon, and when the Nikon announcement comes, we could see the 10 Nikon D800 features listed in the photo gallery above.
"And if I can I have 11 features on the Nikon D800," Angela adds, "it's about time we had built-in wireless flash control using radio waves!"
Nikon D800 - what we want
1. Higher resolution sensor, at least 24 million pixels2. New faster processing engine for at least 8fps continuous shooting3. 100% viewfinder AND sensor cleaning
Nikon cracked this with the D3S, so it's time it came down the lines a little.
4. An articulated LCD
Canon has brought this into the main arena with the EOS 60D and it makes shooting from unusual angles much easier.
5. Improved full-time AF in Live View and Video mode for faster smoother AF
This would complement the articulated screen perfectly.
6. Enhanced metering
The D7000 has Nikon's most advanced metering system with a 2,016 pixel RGB sensor, this could be incorporated into the D800, but I'd like to see the over exposure of mid tones that troubles the D7000 dealt with at the same time.
7. Full HD (1080p) video
"This is a no-brainer that will make the Nikon D800 more attractive to professional photographic journalists who are now often called upon to shoot moving pictures as well as stills," Angela says.
8. The ability to record the angle at which the camera was held at the point of capture
This would allow the horizon to be accurately levelled post-capture.
9. ISO 102,400?
Nikon has been winning the high sensitivity setting battle so far. "Could the company push the Nikon D800's sensitivity beyond ISO 102,400?" Angela asks.
10. In-camera image rating, such as on the EOS 60D
This makes chimping (reviewing images in-camera) really worthwhile and speeds up finding the best images once they are downloaded to the computer.
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