Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Nikon Debuts New Camera

Nikon has announced the D800, which replaces the popular D700, which was the go-to camera for a lot of pros. The D800 has a 36 MP full-frame sensor, which makes it the current champ in terms of pixel count. It, of course, has full HD video capability, an ISO range from 50 to 25,600, and will do 4 frames per second shooting.

The most interesting fact about this camera is that it will be available in two different models. The difference is that you have the choice of buying the camera with or without an anti-aliasing filter. One of the facts of life with digital cameras is that the small segment nature of the image--that is, the pixels in the sensor break up the images into very small chunks--tends to create visual interference in subjects with small, regular details. These can be subjects like window screening, distant corrugated metal, and/or most kinds of cloth. The patterns of these materials combine and interfere with the pixelated digital image, creating false patterns and wave-like colorations called moire. When this happens, it can be very disturbing.

Well, to eliminate moire in digital cameras, manufacturers came up with anti-aliasing filters, which are placed in front of the sensor. They slightly diffuse the image, which gets rid of the moire. However, the cost is that the image is slightly diffused, that is, it is slightly soft or not sharp, in other words. This usually is not much of a problem, because nearly all 35mm shaped DSLRs use anti-aliasing filters, and most people don't think their Nikon D700's and their Canon 5D Mark II's are anything less that great.. The only exceptions to this are the Leica M8 and M9 cameras and the new Fuji X-Pro 1 camera. Those don't use anti-aliasing filters and that is a big part of the reason why the M9 is capable of recording such amazing amounts of detail. There is nothing in front of the sensor to degrade the image at all.

Now, you will be able to get a D800E, which means that it will not have an anti-aliasing filter. This fact coupled with the 36 MP sensor adds up to one seriously high-resolution camera. Fashion photographers, who deal with cloth all the time, will not want this camera, and photojournalists probably won't care, but advertising, commercial, and fine art photographers should really be interested in this one. This is a bold and smart choice for Nikon!