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Review Summary
2019-08-29T08:50:32
A great camera for any level photographer. High quality output images with great dynamic range.
TERRY H.
2016-01-15T14:11:17
The D800 series of Nikons got my attention when they were released a few years ago. I just found myself finding reasons to not purchase one. Price, oil issues, moire and the large file size which demanded more storage space etc. I always considered Nikon refurbished for a lens purchase and was pleased by the one I made. When I saw Adorama was offering factory refurbished D800e a few hundred below the Nikon site I pulled the trigger. I was mostly concerned with past usage, i.e. shutter actuations. I promised myself I'd return any copy with a count of 4-5k. The copy I received had only 1,200 actuations on what seemed a pristine body. A new fresh battery, cable and user guide all included. However, the plain 'Nikon" branded, (and not Nikon d800" emblem is on the new neck strap, a non-issue for me. Overall, I guess you take your chances. These all all 'benched' by technicians with their initials on it. Of course time will tell if I will have issues in the future but that is with everything. Friends, if you are on the fence about a factory refurbished D800e at a measurable savings-do it.
John F.
2013-05-21T21:00:00
I have only had this Nikon D 800E camera body for 2 weeks. I was going to wait awhile longer to write an evaluation. Today however, I really tested the resolution by photographing flowering plants with my 105mm F2.8 Micro Nikkor AI lens. I had chosen the E model as I had heard it was sharper than the D 800. In my 30+ years as a pro I have used every flim format from 8x10 sheet film to 35mm. This camera is like having a medium format or a 4x5 sheet film camera in a 35mm body. I still have to see how the camera and Nikon NX2 software handle the issue of morie. I am told that you can eliminate the problem by use of the software when importing the still images from the camera. I also understand that this problem is not resolved when shooting Video. I have shot some amazing available light HD Video clips I will have to experiment more but I am pleased with the initial results. If you are shooting more video I would suggest that you look to the D800. If you are shooting stills and do not mind a bit more post processing and has plenty of memory to store the HUGE Nef Files. BUY this camera!
FRANCIS J.
2013-05-19T21:00:00
My only complaint with Nikon is: It has been over a year, and I expected that by now they would have fixed the green tint issue. Well, they haven't, and while as a photographer I am beginning to get used to it - there are a number of times when we have to show the pictures being clicked to the client and a green tint does not help to inspire their confidence in you or your equipment. Yes, I understand I can send my camera to Nikon and they will fix it. Why will I send my camera - pay shipping and be without it for whatever time it takes them to fix it? Other than that - it is a great camera - I have no issues. This is my 6th Nikon and 8th overall camera.
Sunny
2013-02-04T19:00:00
I had a D700 that I had grown very familiar with, and that I loved the performance of. Then a friend of mine got the D800 last year and I did notice a distinct difference in image clarity. We even did side by side shot comparisons, and I did see a big difference between the two. I have purchased a refurbished Nikon product before and was very satisfied, so I was comfortable buying this. I have only had this out a couple of times so far, but I am very happy. I am noticing great depth, clarity, and fantastic detail to my shots. I am going out tomorrow to get some winter waterfall shots in southeastern Ohio and can't wait to see the results.
PJ O.
2013-02-04T19:00:00
First FX camera since moving to digital; the weight difference is immediately apparent. The richness in features is impressive.
STEVE C.
2013-02-04T19:00:00
I've been shooting professionally (now part time) for over 30 years. I've never had a more impressive piece of equipment. It's low light performance, astounding resolution, fast autofucusing and almost infinite customization make it an ideal camera for all professional needs.
WILLIAM G.
2013-02-04T19:00:00
It's an awesome camera for those that need the extra detail and megapixel. Would highly recommend this camera for detail shots/ studio and another lower megapixel as back-up if you're shooting weddings, events, or sport because this camera will take a long time to buffer in rapid shooting sessions. It's an awesome camera for the price. 8gb memory will get you about 100 raw, 14 bit.
Minhvisual
2013-01-29T19:00:00
The D800 was an upgrade to my aging D300. I am simply astounded by the image quality and features this camera provides over my previous camera. The video quality alone is worth the purchase. Also, for those worried about buying refurbished, don't hesitate getting one from Adorama. My D800 came without the dreaded left focus issue, no green LCD and only had 8 shutter actuations. All this at the greatly discounted refurbished price. Join Adorama's VIP program and you can get a 1 year warranty on it for $8. Can't beat that for this awesome camera.
Bryan G.
2013-01-28T19:00:00
I stepped up from a Nikon D300 and very little has moved on the D800...it felt like a familiar friend right out of the box. I love this camera.
Karen P.
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Browse our FAQ
Nikon F bayonet mount
36.3 million
CMOS sensor, 35.9 x 24 mm; Nikon FX format
36.8 Million
Image sensor cleaning
Yes
FX-format (L) 7,360 x 4,912 (M) 5,520 x 3,680 (S) 3,680 x 2,456
1:2 format (30 x 20) (L) 6,144 x 4,080 (M) 4,608 x 3,056
5:4 format (30 x 24) (L) 6,144 x 4,912 (M) 4,608 x 3,680 (S) 3,072 x 2,456
DX-format (L) 4,800 x 3,200 (M) 3,600 x 2,400 (S) 2,400 x 1,600
JPEG: JPEG-Baseline Compliant with fine (approx 1:4), Normal (approx 1:8) or Basic (approx 1:16) Compression
NEF (RAW): lossless compressed 12 or 14 bit, lossless compressed, compressed or uncompressed
TIFF (RGB)
JPEG: JPEG-Baseline-Compliant; can be selected from Size Priority and Optimal Quality
Landscape - Monochrome - Neutral - Portrait - Standard - User-customizable Settings Vivid -
CompactFlash½ (CF) (Type I, compliant with UDMA) - SD - SDHC - SDXC
1 CompactFlash (CF) card and 1 Secure Digital (SD) card
Compliant with DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) 2.0
DPOF (Digital Print Order Format)
EXIF 2.3 (Exchangeable Image File Format for Digital Still Cameras)
PictBridge
Eye-level Pentamirror Single-Lens Reflex viewfinder
FX (36x24): 100% Horizontal and 100% Vertical Approx.
1.2x (30x20): 97% Horizontal and 97% Vertical Approx.
DX (24x16): 97% Horizontal and 97% Vertical Approx.
5:4 (30x24): 97% Horizontal and 97% Vertical Approx.
Approx. 0.70x
Built - in (-3 to +1)
19.5 (-1.0)
Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VIII with AF Area Brackets (grid lines can be displayed
Quick-return type
Yes
Instant-return type
Yes
AF-S or AF lenses fully compatible Metering with AI lenses
AF NIKKOR other than type G or D*2: All functions supported except 3D Color Matrix Metering III
AI-P NIKKOR: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering III
DX AF NIKKOR: All Functions Supported Except FX-format (36x24)/5:4 (30x24) Image Size
Type G or D AF NIKKOR: All Functions Supported
Non-CPU: Usable in [A] or [M] mode Center-Weighted or Spot Metering; Electronic Rangefinder can be used if Mazimum Aperture is f/5.6 or faster
Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
1/8,000 to 30 seconds, bulb
Up to 1/250 sec.
Synchronizes with shutter at 1/320s or slower (flash range drops at speeds between 1/250 and 1/320s)
Continuous low-speed [CL] mode; 1-4 frames per second
Continuous high-speed [CH] mode; 4 frames per second
Mirror-up [Mup] mode
Quiet Shutter Release
Self-timer mode
Single-frame [S] mode
FX-format: CH: Up to 4 frames per second CL: Up to 4 frames per second
FX-format CH: Up to 4 frames per second CL: Up to 4 frames per second
DX-format CH: Up to 5 frames per second CL: Up to 5 frames per second
1:2 format CH: Up to 5 frames per second CL: Up to 5 frames per second
4 frames per second at full resolution
2, 5, 10, 20 sec. Timer duration electronically controlled
TTL full-aperture exposure metering using 1,005-pixel RGB sensor
Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8mm circle in center of frame
Matrix: 3D color matrix metering III (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering III (other CPU lenses)
Spot: Meters 4mm circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point
0 to 20 EV (3D color matrix or center-weighted metering)
0 to 20 EV (spot metering)
Combined CPU and AI
Aperture-Priority (A)
Manual (M)
Programmed auto with flexible program (P)
Shutter-Priority (S)
+/-5 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
2 to 9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 o
Yes
Yes
ISO 100 - 6400
Lo-1 (ISO 50)
Hi-1 (ISO 12,800)
Hi-2 (ISO 25,600)
100
6400
Lo-1 (ISO 50 equivalent)
HI-2 (ISO 25,600 equivalent)
Lo-1 (ISO-50 equivalent), Hi-1 (ISO-12,800 equivalent), Hi-2 (ISO-25,600 equivalent)
Yes
Low - Normal - High - Off
Auto - Extra High - High - Normal - Low - Off
2 frames using selected value for one frame
3-5 frames using preset values for all frames
Yes
Number of AF points: 9, 21, 51 and 51 (3D-tracking)
Yes
Nikon Advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection
-1 to 19 EV (ISO 100, 68½F/20½C)
Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); Continuous-servo AF (AF-C); auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A);
predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status
Manual focus (MF): Electronic rangefinder can be used
9, 21 or 51 point Dynamic-area AF
Auto-area AF
Single-point AF
3D-tracking (51 points)
Focus can be locked by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF)
Auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A)
Continuous-servo (AF-C)
Face-Priority AF available in Live View only and D-Movie only
Full-time Servo (AF-A) available in Live View only
Manual (M) with electronic rangefinder
Normal area
Single-servo AF (AF-S)
Wide area
51
-2 to +19 EV (ISO 100, 20½C/68½F)
Yes
Yes
2 to 9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 1 EV
39 ft. (ISO 100)
TTL: i-TTL flash control using 91,000-pixel RGB sensor are available with built-in flash and SB-910, SB-900, SB-700, or SB-400; i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR is used with matrix and center-weighting metering, standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR with spot metering
1) Front-curtain sync (normal), 2) Slow sync, 3) Rear-curtain sync, 4) Red-eye reduction, 5) Red-eye reduction with slow sync
-3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Lights when built-in flash or optional flash unit such as SB-910, SB-900, SB-400, SB-80DX, SB-28DX or SB-50DX is fully charged
Yes
Yes
CLS Supported
Auto (2 types) - Choose color temperature (2500K 10000K) - Cloudy - Direct Sunlight - Flash - Fluorescent (7 types) - Incandescent - Preset manual (up to 4 values can be stored) - Shade
2 to 9 exposures in increments of 1, 2 or 3 EV
Live View Shooting Photography Live View Mode
Movie Live View Mode
Live View Lens servo Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); full-time-servo AF (AF-F)
Manual focus (MF)
Face-priority AF - Wide-area AF - Normal-area AF - Subject-tracking AF
Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected)
TTL exposure metering using main image sensor
1280 x 720 (30p): 30 fps (29.97 fps) - 1280 x 720 (60p): 60 fps (59.94 fps) - 1920 x 1080 (24p): 24 fps (23.976 fps) - 1920 x 1080 (30p): 30 fps (29.97 fps)
20 minutes at highest quality
29 minutes 59 seconds at normal quality
MOV
H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding
Linear PCM
Built-in monaural microphone - External stereo microphone (optional)
HD 1,920x1,080 / 30 fps - HD 1,920x1,080 / 24 fps - HD 1,280x720 / 30 fps - HD 1,280x720 / 24 fps - HD 1,280x720 / 60 fps
Built-in microphone, monaural - External stereo microphone (optional)
3.2 in. diagonal
921,000 Dots
Wide Viewing Angle TFT-LCD
170-degree wide-viewing angle
Brightness, 5 levels
Virtual Horizon Camera Indicator Yes
Also visible in LiveView Modes
Also visible in Viewfinder
Auto Image Rotation
Full-Frame and Thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar)
Histogram Display
Image Comment
Movie Playback
Movie Slideshow
Playback with Zoom
Slideshow
Highlights
Color Outline - Color Sketch - D-Lighting - Distortion Control -Edit Movie - Filter Effects Fisheye - Image Overlay - Miniature Effect - Monochrome - NEF (RAW) Processing -Perspective Control - Quick Retouch - Red-eye Correction - Resize - Selective Color - Side-by-Side Comparison - Straighten - Trim - Color Balance
Yes
HDMI output: Type C mini-pin HDMI connector - Headphone Connector - NTSC - Stereo Microphone Input - Super Speed USB 3.0
Eye-Fi Compatible - WT-4A
GP-1 GPS unit
Yes
54
Yes with customization
Yes
Arabic - Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) - Czech - Danish - Dutch - English - Finnish - French - German - Indonesian - Italian - Japanese - Korean - Norweigan - Polish - Portuguese - Romanian - Russian - Spanish - Swedish - Thai - Turkish - Ukrainian
Yes
Yes
EN-EL15 Lithium-ion Battery
900 Battery Life (shots per charge) (CIPA)
EH-5b AC Adapter
Requires EP-5B Power Supply Connector
MH-25 Quick Charger
1/4 in. (ISO 1222)
Width 5.7 in. (144.78mm) - Height 4.8 in. (121.92mm) - Depth 3.2 in. (81.28mm)
31.7 oz (900G)
Camera Body only












The Nikon D800 is a 36.3MP professional HDSLR that breaks new ground in resolution and metering technology. More than an upgrade to the just-discontinued 12MP D700, the D800 is a major overhaul. Unlike the D700, which was positioned as a "prosumer" camera, the Nikon D800 is definitely geared towards pro users especially studio, fashion, and wedding and portrait photographers. The D800 has a 91,000-pixel RGB Matrix Metering System, Advanced Scene Recognition, and what Nikon says is an improved 51-point AF system. It has a relatively small form factor for a pro camera, similar in size to the D700. For videographers, the camera can capture 1080p video at up to 30fps with manual control and uncompressed HDMI output.
Unlike the 16MP D4, Nikon's recently-announced new flagship camera that boasts an ISO range of 100-204-800, the D800's native ISO range is 100-6400, expandable to 50 and 25,600. However, Nikon says improvements in light transmission to the sensor photodiodes, changes in sensor design, an enhanced Optical Low Pass Filter (OLPF) and 14 bit A/D conversion with a high signal to noise ratio will translate into outstanding low-light, high-ISO performance. Also unlike the D4, the D800 delivers only 4fps burst rate at full resolution, 6fps in DX mode (see below).
Nikon users who have invested in DX-format lenses will be able to use them on the D800 by using the 15.4MP resolution setting. In this setting, only the pixels that cover a DX-sized portion of the sensor will be active, giving the camera a 1.5x crop.
Other features include Advanced Scene Recognition, which compares the scene with Nikon's 30,000 image database. Face recognition has been refined, with the Color Matrix Meter placing priority on exposures of detected faces. Nikon says it has also improved white balance to better recognize both natural and artificial light.
D800: Tool for serious cinematography
For videographers, the D800 is a serious tool. Able to record full HD 1080p at 30 or 25p and 720p at 60/30p, the D800 records H.264 or MPEG4 AVC format video using the B-Frame data compression method for up to 29:59-minute clips. Rolling shutter distortion a common problem for HDSLRs is said to be minimized thanks to fast data read rates at the sensor. High-ISO performance is said to allow filmmakers to capture footage where previously impossible.
The D800 is available both with and without a low-pass filter (the model without the low-pass filter is the D800E. The D800E cancels anti-aliasing properties and allows light to be delivered directly to the photodiodes. This is said to offer the highest possible color fidelity and dynamic range that, according to Nikon, delivers near-medium-format image quality. Color moire correction ise available within Capture NX2.
Both the D800 and D800E will use UMDA6 and UMDA7 Compact Flash cards as well as SD SDXC and UHS-1 cards in two card slots. The camera is protected from moisture and dust and is constructed of magnesium alloy. Nikon also claims up to 900 image captures and 60 minutes of HD video recording per battery charge.
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