Nikon D800/800E Come True

Time to say good-bye to Medium Format by now?
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Nikon raises the bar again leaping across the threshold from 24.5MP to whooping 36.3MP!



Nikon D800/D800E has 36.3MP and with or without the AA filter would definitely further dampen Medium Format's already tiny market sales around 5,000 - 7,000 cameras per year globally, all brands combined



A 50 mm for 6x7 medium format, merely equivalent to a 25 mm lens in 135 mm FX format, considered as a super-wide angle lens, with a bulky 95 mm ø (diameter) front lens mount, and it was not always available in the medium format world
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I totally disagree with "D800/D800E sacrifices its low light performance in order to cram so many super tiny pixels in ," some quoted. That judgement seems stuck in a "sub-30MP" and an "135 mm DSLR" mind-set to me.

As of the time of this writing (when Nikon D800's initial reverie-like rumors started floating around), with the 135 mm format digital camera CMOS technologies to date. Squeezing in extremely high resolution of megapixel counts into a 24x36 mm chip is, a) a new breed apart from nowadays 135 mm DSLR format, b) for "studio" or "controlled environment" (in the ambient daylight on location outdoors), as a citation noted in Nikon web site put it, c) considered on its merits in the ballpark of a crossover medium format, d) an insurmountable problem for medium format manufacturers* and, e) a viable substitute for all of editorial and much of advertising work.

A 200 mm of the 6x7 medium format, merely equivalent to a 100 mm lens in 135 mm FX format, considered as a tele photo lens, with a bulky 82 mm ø (diameter) front lens mount, and it was not always available in the medium format world
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*Medium Format's Achilles Heel
The insurmountable difficulty for the MF camera manufacturers

Sensor-wise,
a) they can not possibly parameterize sensor designs with such scanty orders, differently from DSLR manufacturers,
b) they rely on outdated, industrial standards, CCD sensors (compared to mind-blowing CMOS products of DSLRs).

A 2x (double power) teleconverter fitted to the medium format camera between the 6x7 body and the 200 mm lens to achieve the 400 mm reach, merely equivalent to a 200 mm lens in 135 mm FX format, considered as a super-tele photo lens in the medium format world
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Handling-wise,
a) lack of third party advantages,
b) its real-world ISO range and flash sync speed are so limited,
c) immense camera (mirror) shake, which can be prevented by mirror lock-up, I know,
d) spend tens of thousands of dollars for restricted selection of lenses, and strobe power,
e) its bulkiness and extra costs for chunky and unwieldy tripod and support systems, also, the clunky workflow.

Not an imminent out but at some future time maybe
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I had been deploying a combo of both Nikon 135 mm format and medium format bi-systems professionally way back from 1988. A Pentax 67 and a Mamiya 6x7 as kickoff, then soon all replaced by an elegant beloved Bronica GS-1 (6x7 format) system exactly 2 years later.

I am definitely not a Medium-Format-basher but it is a no-brainer when planning your purchase on the photo gear (and its peripheral gadget) to its best advantage of shooting super high megapixels on a friendly DSLR, money-wise. Medium format still absolutely holds its place against DSLR today when you are in desperate need of insanely high resolution pixel counts for the job.

The latest Nikon D800/800E lineup might not indicatively jeopardize Medium Format's niche markets as some previous full frame DSLRs already have but notably large in pain.




Nikon D800/800E Availability
The Nikon D800 will be available in late March for the suggested retail price of $2999.95. The D800E version will be available in mid April 2012 for a suggested retail price of $3,299.95.


Japan (amazon.co.jp)

Nikon D800 – March 22, 2012
Nikon D800E – April 12, 2012

France (amazon.fr)

Nikon D800 – April 18, 2012
Nikon D800E – camera not listed

US (amazon.com)

Nikon D800 – availability not yet specified
Nikon D800E – availability not yet specified

Germany (amazon.de)

Nikon D800 – availability not yet specified
Nikon D800E – availability not yet specified