The next Nikon upgrade – from D700 to D800

It’s been about a year and a half now since the Nikon D700 was released, so in Digital SLR years it is getting kind of gray around the edges. If the upgrade had been made in 2009 I would have guessed a simple 720p HD video upgrade and the D700s designation but since we are now in a new century and many of the internal components will more than likely have been upgraded, I am going to join the list of “educated” guessers and predict that Nikon will soon be announcing the Nikon D800.

I’m not going to try to predict exactly what the Nikon D800 will have feature wise but it is fairly easy to predict that there will be some sort of Video HD capability, hopefully it will be HD 1028 (not HD 720), so that the Nikon vs Canon HD capabilities debate can be put to rest for a while.

Other upgrades will probably be in the shooting rate, ISO sensitivity, auto focus and I assume a number of software upgrades. Most of this will be the normal evolutionary upgrades that all cameras go through in their manufacturing life time.

As a reminder of what we are talking about, I am including the current Nikon D700 specs below.

Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

The main features of the Nikon D700:

• Nikon’s original FX-format CMOS image sensor with 36.0 (H) x 23.9 (V) mm image size; 12.1 effective megapixels
• Superior picture quality throughout a wide ISO sensitivity range of ISO 200 to 6400; can be set to ISO-equivalent 25,600
• Incorporates Nikon’s original EXPEED digital image processing concept
• Continuous shooting speed is up to 5 frames per second with the included Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e, and up to 8 frames per second when using the optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 and Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a/4 or eight AA-size batteries
• Nikon’s original Scene Recognition System, utilizing the 1,005-pixel RGB sensor, greatly improves autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance performance
• Active D-Lighting automatically compensates highlights or shadows while you shoot, creating images with natural contrast — even in difficult lighting
• Picture Control System for image finishing optimized to match individual preferences
• 3D Color Matrix Metering II for ideal exposures in almost any lighting situation
• Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor module featuring 51 AF points offers fast, efficient and precise autofocus
• Two Live View modes enable shooting while confirming subjects in the LCD monitor
• 3-inch LCD with 920,000-dot (VGA) resolution and a 170° ultra-wide viewing angle
• Built-in flash with 24mm lens coverage and Nikon’s dependable i-TTL flash control
• Magnesium alloy used for the exterior cover, rear body and mirror box reduces weight and provides rugged durability
• Optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 extends shooting capability, enhances stability, and provides the further shooting potential of added controls
• Support for the Wireless Transmitter WT-4/4A (optional) enables direct cable-free image transfer to a compatible computer
• Included Nikon ViewNX software makes browsing and organizing your images easy
• Optional photo-editing software, Capture NX 2 allows users quick and easy photo editing

And the specifications:

Effective pixels		12.1 million
Image sensor		CMOS sensor, 36.0 x 23.9 mm; total pixels: 12.87 million; Nikon FX format
Image size (pixels)		FX format (36 x 24): 4,256 x 2,832 [L], 3,184 x 2,120 [M], 2,128 x 1,416 [S] DX format (24 x 16): 2,784 x 1,848 [L], 2,080 x 1,384 [M], 1,392 x 920 [S]
Sensitivity		ISO 200 to 6400 in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV; can be set to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, or 1 (ISO 100 equivalent) EV below ISO 200, or to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1 (ISO 12800 equivalent), or 2 (ISO 25600 equivalent) EV over ISO 6400
Storage media		CompactFlash (Type I, compliant with UDMA)
Monitor		3-in., approx. 920,000-dot (VGA), 170-degree wide-viewing-angle, 100% frame coverage, low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD with brightness adjustment
Exposure metering		3D Color Matrix Metering II, Center-Weighted and Spot Metering
Exposure modes		Programmed Auto (P) with flexible program, Shutter-Priority Auto (S), Aperture-Priority Auto (A), Manual (M)
Interface		Hi-Speed USB
Power sources		One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e, Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 (optional) with one Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a/4/3e, or eight R6/AA-size alkaline (LR6), Ni-MH (HR6), lithium (FR6) batteries, or nickel-manganese (ZR6) batteries
Dimensions (W x H x D)		Approx. 147 x 123 x 77 mm (5.8 x 4.8 x 3.0 in.)
Weight		Approx. 995 g (2.19 lb.) without battery, memory card, body cap or LCD monitor cover

Specifications and equipment are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer. July 2008