(Editor’s Note: Shutterbug contributor Jack Neubart has been testing the new Nikon D810 pro digital SLR. Here’s his hands-on “first look” at the camera. His full review of the D810 will appear in an upcoming issue of Shutterbug magazine.)
I became a Nikon convert back when the D300 was first introduced in 2007. I appreciated the camera’s handling, but mostly they got me with the Creative Lighting System, or CLS. Specifically, on the D300 it was the fully integrated wireless Commander mode via the built-in flash that grabbed my attention.
But I wasn’t entirely happy in the APS-C sensor realm. I wanted a full-frame DSLR and the affordable D600 made that possible. With it’s built-in flash, the D600 let me continue to enjoy wireless flash photography sans peripherals, other than an SB-900 Speedlight.
The new 36.3-megapixel Nikon D810 ($3,296) full-frame pro DSLR builds on that, sporting its own pop-up flash. I even built up my arsenal of FX-compatible lenses. I was largely done with having to extrapolate focal lengths and handholdable shutter speeds around a cropped sensor.
More importantly, with the full-frame sensor, especially the one in the D810, I have the real estate to crop and still have plenty of image to play with. That’s especially relevant when correcting perspective in architectural shots in Lightroom. With the D810’s 36.3 million pixels occupying a CMOS sensor measuring 35.9 x 24mm (FX-format), you can take in the entire structure with plenty of room to spare to fully correct for converging verticals without fear of chopping off vital structural elements, such as the top of a bell tower. READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW.