Having previously owned the Nikon D90, D7000 and D700, and currently shooting the D7100, I would like to compare the D810 to these bodies, particularly the D700. Obviously, with a five star review, I am really liking my experience so far.
First of all, the D810 is a very solid, well built camera, with a feel very close to the D700. I prefer the size with larger lenses, such as the 24-70 and 70-200 zooms. The smaller bodies are great with smaller lenses, and are lighter for better portability, but the larger lenses don't balance as well for me. Coming from a D700, I can say that the handling is so close that it only took a day or two to become completely familiar with the button layout and menu system. Having the D7100 also helped, since some of its controls are nearly identical to the D810...the focus mode lever and center hub button on the lower left come to mind as one of those similarities.
Auto focus was a concern for me, and kept me from really considering the D800/D800E cameras. The D700 was 98% accurate with AF, and I am happy to say that the D810 seems to have an equal hit rate. I prefer to use the AF-ON button and AF-C mode for focusing, which allows you to be in continuous AF as long as the button is pressed, or having the camera act like AF-S mode by releasing the button. You get both types of operation simply by pressing continuously or pressing to acquire focus and then releasing to keep it set. The D810 snaps into focus quickly and is deadly accurate. I look forward to trying the "group area" AF, as it is reported to work well for locking on and tracking fast moving subjects that may leave your selected point if only using one point. Group area uses 5 points in a circular cluster simultaneously, that may be moved anywhere in the focus array with the multi-selector. My lenses are all highly accurate and sharp, with only minimal fine-tuning needed on some of them. Video is equally impressive, with the 1080/60p setting producing absolutely beautiful quality. Live view focusing seems a bit quicker to lock, with less hunting than even the D7100.
Image quality overall is phenomenal. Super clean with great colors, accurate white balance, and with that beautiful FX look that cannot be matched by smaller sensor cameras. Better in every way over the D700, and I was always very happy with the silky look that D700 images had. The D810 just pushes all those great qualities to another level entirely. Dynamic range is one area that really blows the D700 away. And metering so far is the most accurate of any DSLR I have ever used.
Another impressive feature is the super quiet shutter mechanism. Easily less than half the noise that the clanky D700 shutter makes. I have also used the electronic first-curtain shutter on a few occasions, and found the shots to be very, very sharp. This is intended to eliminate any potential vibration from the shutter mechanism causing slight blur, and it certainly looks as if it works. The few tripod shots that I have taken have been crystal clear, no matter the shutter speed. Seems as though Nikon has effectively addressed some of the complaints that D800/E users had with shutter vibrations affecting image sharpness. Kudos!!
I love the 1.2x crop mode, which both speeds up the frame rate from 5 to 6FPS, and also reduces the files from 36 to 25MP. RAW file pixel count is also reduced, so if you need more manageable file sizes or need to fit more images on your memory card, you can switch to 1.2x crop. There is also DX crop, which cuts the image down to 15MP and gives you 7FPS (with a battery grip), but I will probably not use that very often. The 1.2x mode, however, is going to be a great option for my dance competition shooting, where I am usually pretty far away, sometimes on a balcony, and could use a little more reach from my 70-200 lens. I crop many of these anyway, since the majority are taken at 200mm and still don't zoom in close enough. 84-240mm equivalent is very exciting for what I frequently shoot. Great for speeding up processing times when working with lots of files, too. I can see myself using this quite a bit. And it's easy to switch modes since you can program the top "record" button to be a crop mode button when you are in picture taking mode. You just press the record button and rotate the thumb wheel to change modes, which are visible in the viewfinder. Very cool! And you can set the menu to darken the unused area for a clear view of your image area.
Now for the high ISO comparison (and I can handle some noise, but don't like it to be too rough): none of the DX cameras can come close here. The D90 was ok up to about ISO800, D7000 to ISO1600, and the D7100 can be pretty comfortably used to about ISO2500. And I am comparing RAW output that has been processed with appropriate noise reduction. The D700, with its 12MP FX sensor could do about ISO5000 if shot RAW, but only 3200 if shot JPEG. The older processor did not handle the noise that well compared to ACR. It left too much noise and still smeared the image far too much above 3200. For comparison, I have already used the D810 for actual low-light action (stage show with dancers), and can report that ISO10,000 is about comparable to D700 ISO5000, and both RAW and JPEG are perfectly usable at that high setting. I was so blown away by the great colors and reasonable amount of noise, I nearly fell over when viewing them on my 24" monitor. At 100%, there is noise, but when viewed normally, or moderately zoomed in, the images are just astonishingly good. I would be perfectly comfortable printing a 24x36 poster of even a ISO12,800 JPEG photo right out of the camera. Yes, they are really that good. I believe that the smaller pixels actually create a finer grain that is much less objectionable (and less visible) than the coarseness found in the D700 high ISO images. Quite a feat to go against the common belief that high pixel counts would equal high noise. I'm sure that advances in sensor design, as well as processor performance has a great deal to do with that. This is one amazing camera!
Needless to say, I am very happy that I went for the D810 as a FX replacement for my D700. I was going to wait for the D750 to be introduced before purchasing, but the more information that was "leaked" about it being a D610 sized body, and no AF-ON button, I went ahead and got this one. Yes, it's a pricey camera, but well worth it, as far as I'm concerned. I should be set for a very long time with the D7100 as a lighter everyday, wildlife, and backup camera, and the D810 as my main body for portraiture and low-light work. Really looking forward to putting this combination to work. Both cameras are working perfectly and ideally suited for my intended uses. Well done, Nikon!
Edit, April 13, 2015: Still finding the D810 to be a nearly perfect camera. Great looking files and comfortable to shoot (mostly). Only one complaint after using it for several months. The AF-On button on the back is too stiff and has a shallow travel that makes it a bit uncomfortable to shoot with when doing extended shooting. The amount of force required is too great and the feel of the button is just not as good as it could be. It requires increasing force to keep it pushed in rather than "popping" into place to the point where you can let off the pressure a bit without it coming out. It doesn't seem that bad until you've been using it off and on for an hour or so. Your thumb starts to get cramped and tired. For comparison, I would prefer it to feel like the AF-L/AE-L button on the back of the D7100 (which can be programmed for back-button focus). It is shaped a bit better, requires less force, and sticks out more, giving it a better feel. Issue is not enough to lower the score, but is something that bothers me a little for my type of shooting.
Edit, April 21, 2016: Just picked up a D750 as a companion to the D810. Loving both cameras! Each has shared strengths, with some differences that compliment one another. High ISO is a little better on the D750, but that crisp 36MP is really impressive, even at relatively high ISO, and dynamic range is unbeatable. The D810 has a much quieter shutter for shooting in quiet environments, and the D750 is more portable for when you need to go smaller/lighter. It's great to be able to keep a 24-70 on the D810 and a 70-200 on the D750 for almost limitless coverage of a very wide range of focal lengths without swapping lenses. The D810 continues to impress with its beautiful images and reliable operation. I will be relegating its use to video at this year's dance recital, while the D750 takes its place for stills. Happy camper here. Great work, Nikon!!
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This Item  Nikon D810 FX-format Digital SLR Camera Body | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $1,564.94 | $1,696.95 | $1,896.95 | $899.95 | $2,194.95 | -12% $1,665.00 New Price: $1,896.95 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jul 1 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jul 1 | — | Get it Jul 2 - 7 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jul 1 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jul 1 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | 6ave | Green's Camera World | Adorama | The Pixel Hub | 6ave | Minty Gadgets (we track serial numbers) |
| display type | LED-backlit | LED | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD |
| display size | 3.2 inches | 3.2 inches | 3.2 inches | 3.2 inches | 3.2 inches | 3.2 inches |
| lens type | interchangeable | Close-Up | Fisheye | Interchangeable | normal | Macro |
| zoom type | Optical Zoom | Digital Zoom, Optical Zoom | Digital Zoom | Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom | — |
| shooting modes | Aperture-Priority, Manual, Programmed auto with flexible program, Shutter-Priority | Movie mode, burst mode, manual mode | Fotograma a fotograma, continuo a baja velocidad, continuo a alta velocidad),Obturador silencioso, Obturador silencioso continuo,Disparador automático, Espejo arriba. | Photography Live View mode, Movie Live View mode | Scene | Fotograma a fotograma, continuo a baja velocidad, continuo a alta velocidad),Obturador silencioso, Obturador silencioso continuo,Disparador automático, Espejo arriba. |
| connectivity tech | HDMI, NTSC, USB 3.0 | Wi-Fi | Bluetooth | HDMI, USB | USB, HDMI | 3.5mm audio, Ethernet, Mini HDMI, USB 3.0 |
| video resolution | FHD 1080p | FHD 1080p | 2160p | FHD 1080p | 2160p | FHD 1080p |
| optical zoom | 46 multiplier x | 1 multiplier x | 1 multiplier x | 3.5 multiplier x | 1 multiplier x | 1 multiplier x |
| real angle of view | 43.52 degrees | 43.3 degrees | — | 0.53 radians | 114 degrees | 50.4 degrees |
| magnification | 0.70x | 0.70x | 0.75x | 0.70x | 0.75x | 0.75x |
| wireless tech | Optional, via WT-5A or Eye-Fi | BuiltIn | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
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An amazing camera for wedding photography
I have been using this camera for almost 5 years now mostly for wedding photography, and it is so wonderful that I am about to replace it with the exact same model. This one is coming up to the end of it's shutter-life because I have used it so much and incase you don't know: cameras have life expectancies kinda like a car's mileage. The shutter-expectancy for this one is about 200,000 shutters I believe, and I've started having some issues with it (freezing, stalling, strange lines and things on images here and there) now that I've gotten to about 180,000 shutters, but I also am very often having to subject my camera to hours in direct sun in 100º+ weather so I kind of expect it to poop out on me a little early. That is still a good life for most cameras though, and it has been extremely reliable before now. The lenses you use are extremely important, the difference in image quality between one of $150 lenses and and my favorite 50mm sigma lens (I think it was about $600-$700) is massive, despite being the same camera. The photos in this review are using the sigma lens. Other points of awesomeness: The speed in low-light situations is unmatched by any camera any of my photography friends have, and being able to bump that ISO way up is amazing, especially for sparkler send-offs if you want to keep the ambiance and not use a flash. With my flash on I can freeze motion easily without having to bring the ISO higher than 800-1000 and I love that it keeps the golden tones of background lights unlike some Canon's that I've seen. The quiet mode is really nice when shooting a wedding that is very ..quiet. Sometimes a church will have a lot of echo, and while the quiet mode doesn't make it silent it does slow down the sound and take the edge off which helps a lot with reducing how much attention it draws. The megapixels.. I can shoot a wedding ceremony entirely on a 50mm from far-ish away if I want to and then just zoom in and crop some of them to have close-ups. Shoot on f/2 and they'll be sharp as a tack.
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2014
- Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2014
Top reviews from other countries
- george kongalathReviewed in Canada on November 24, 2014
Fantastic camera - pay attention to the warranty that comes with the package
Fantastic camera. However, be careful on the warranty aspect of the camera provided through Amazon.george kongalathFantastic camera - pay attention to the warranty that comes with the package
Reviewed in Canada on November 24, 2014
The camera I bought was the best price I could find. When they shipped, I realized it was coming from the US - so I raised the issue about warranty. Turns out the warranty was through them, and they are not an authorized Nikon dealer. When pushed some more, they said the warranty was for 1 year, whereas Nikon normally has a 2 year warranty. I returned the camera and purchased it locally, where I could have solutions if a problem arises. In the past I have had problems with my pop up flash, and the spot metering.
The camera itself is a dream. The pictures it takes is absolutely stunning.
Here is a low light picture using a Tokina 100mm f2.8 macro lens.
Images in this review
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Israel GarciaReviewed in Mexico on September 4, 2015
Muy buena cámara, calidad, velocidad y funciones.
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