D800 successor - any info, tips, rumors?

ErikssonRobin

All I've heard lately are rumors about an updated D4, D3200 and the D600 which just got replaced. But no info on the D800 update, I haven't seen any info here on the blog neither.
Is it still too early to get info on the successor? From what I understand the camera is scheduled for release in 2015? I've been collecting lenses, filters, tripod etc. and all I want now is an FX-body but I feel like waiting for the D810/D900 or whatever the name is going to be.

The D800 got shipped in March 2012 and the rumors started out a couple of months before that.
The D5300 just got released with the new chip Expeed 4, and wifi, GPS included. I guess they will include wifi, GPS, larger buffer, possibly a raise in the megapixel count to stay ahead of the competition but most of all I'm hoping that they will include a 4K-resolution movie mode.

If you don't have any reliable intel, what do you assume will be in the updated version of the critically acclaimed D800?
Merry christmas to you all and happy new years!

Msmoto

I would hope we would see a D400 first.

As to a "D810"…the "E" version could possibly have the absent AA filter issue resolved as in the D7100,i.e., not have any filter rather than one which splits the beam and then restores it as I believe it does now.

I cannot see more pixels as I recently did a shot with some folks who have a D800E, and it was processed and the print was fused into aluminum (totally unforgiving) at a size of 65 inches tall, and was quite sharp.

My "D810E" will be one as described above…

Now, I have no knowledge of anything so do not get carried away. These are only my guesses…

And, the real good tips, with some reliability, will come on the Main Blog by our administrator.

Golf007sd

@ErikssonRobin: I do NOT foresee a replacement for the D800/D800e in 2014. So if I was you and wanted to take advantage of all your goodies....get yourself one and start having fun. We all KNOW these bodies will be replaced at some point, that is just the nature of the beast.

Your 24 1.4G and 105 Macro will produce image that are going to blow your mind. Hence, buy now

snakebunk

In my mind it is a good thing to buy a camera that is not a brand new model. It is less expensive and it is hopefully free of bugs. I bought a D800 a few months ago and I don't regret it.

About the D800 replacement, I am not sure that Nikon will make one. If they do I hope it's a little bit faster and that they give us a proper focus points switch (like on the D700 and D300), otherwise it is pretty great as it is.

In other words, listen to Golf007sd.

Sports

Nikon seems to be replacing models that don't need replacing, and not replacing models that need it.
So you should expect a D810 real soon :-)
No, seriously, image quality took quite a jump a couple of years ago, but nothing much has happened since on the sensor side (except for 24 Mp DX dropping in price), so even a D810 wouldn't necessarily be much better than D800.
I hope Nikon consequently work on other products that are more needed.....

Or from a different angle:: don't wait for a feature, unless you know that it'll be in the next model. Here, 4K video is unknown - even D810 itself is in all possible ways completely unknown.

shawnino

@msmoto: I hope you're right about the MP. I don't need more. I do like the feature set of my 800E and I hope, going forward, Nikon offers a sub-line of similar products in the 24-36 MP range if they do resume racing Canon with the MP.

Paperman

The topic made me think about how Nikon or other SLR manufacturers ( there were more than 10 ) made money in the days when models were updated every 6-8 years ( +40 years from Nikon F to F6 ) and not every couple of years since everything turned digital. One also wonders if the total number of SLRs sold in 45 years since their invention has already been surpassed by total DSLR sales in the last 8-9 years.

I am under the impression that the top of the parabola has been reached and everything should start cooling down from now on. How much better can a D800 really get ? Maybe one more jump to the 50Mps and then what ? And how are these camera manufacturers who have been mostly dependent on new releases going to survive the coming years ? ( One reason why everything can slide towards mirrorless ). What is going to happen once DSLR owners start clinging to their latest models for 6-8 years because there is no more improvement that makes a difference ?

PB_PM

That and fix trap focus, so it works as it did on earlier pro models.

spraynpray

No more Mp necessary thanks Mr Nikon, just keep improving the low light noise.

snakebunk

With the D4X we might get the first camera that has both lots of MP and lots of FPS. After that I hope we get a cleaner lineup with a pro fx, entry level fx (maybe), pro dx and entry level dx. And that Nikon continues to work with incremental improvements like better AF and less noice. It would not be the end of DSLR but the beginning of a focused product lineup that is easy to understand. In this regard I am hoping more for a D400 than a D800 replacement.

Paperman

I might have sited the example of Mps but that is not what I'm only talking about. How much high ISOwise and dynamic-rangewise performance difference is there between D3s and D4 ? Think of the improvements around 2006-2010 and compare it to the differences between D7100 & D7000, D5200 & D5100 ..

I used to upgrade notebooks maybe every 1.5 years as everything was doubling in speed/capacity every 6 months ... Not anymore . The only reason I will is probably because I might give a try to Touchscreen ones.

Just saying the manufacturers will have to be more creative as improvements won't be that notable from now on - nothing else ...

Ade

Can you imagine what you could do with 24 stops of dynamic range in post? One of the reason photos can't look like what you see is that the eye is variable ISO (different parts of your eye's frame can be at different ISO values).

Hi PitchBlack, I don't think that description is accurate. Our eyes are indeed dynamic and can adapt to different lighting conditions, but at any given time, parts of our eyes cannot be at different ISOs.

Within any given lighting condition, our eyes can "only" see about 6.5 stops total (called the "static contrast ratio"), which is much less than the dynamic range modern sensors (12+ stops).

As the light condition changes, our eyes will begin to adapt. The total range our eyes can see is around 24 stops, but we can only see around 6.5 stops at a time.

Photobug

At one point film SLR's were optimized and when a new model came out it was not a break through, just a refinement of the previous model. Then near the end they added the lcd top panels and rear panel for the top of the line.

I think that the DSLR's have hit the mega pixel wall and only the top of the line pro body will be increased. I do feel that some refinements are still needed in the middle of the consumer line and pro consumer DX bodies, i.e. buffer size, AF, spread of the AF points, and fps. Give it 8 to 10 more years and DSLR's will be optimized. Then I expect the mirror to disappear and new AF systems.

WestEndBoy

I think Photobug is correct in his approach. Looking back to the camera industy in the early 90s will provide insight into there it is going today. Though, it might be a more appropriate analogy to look back to the early 70s. I have a feeling that we "havn't seen anything yet".

henrik1963

The D800 is a damn good camera as is. Sure we could all come up with a list of things we want in the next model - WiFi, GPS, radio triggers for flash and better AF just to name a few things.

But if I had the lenses and the money I would not wait for the next model. Ask yourself what is preventing you from getting stunning pictures with a D800. In my case it is only lack of skill :-) My D800 is a joy to use. Very responsive and very forgiving - in short the best all-round camera ever build in my humble opinion. Go get one.

WestEndBoy

Agreed. Don't wait for an upgrade. I plan on getting 7 plus years from my D800 as a primary camera.

FreezeAction

To me, 36mp is great. I'd take more, but I'm greedy. What I would really like to see is 100,000 ISO noise free and 24 stops of dynamic range at 15fps. Can you imagine what you could do with 24 stops of dynamic range in post? or photos?

But as for a D800 successor, forget it. The only near-term improvements needed are more coverage in the autofocus, more consistently accurate autofocus, and more FPS. FPS increases are more likely to be seen in a D4x with a D800 sensor.

I'd take a pair of those. And for landscape work I'd really like 64 mp while they are at it. That should eliminate a lot of stitching or allow a lot of the unnecessary clutter to be cropped. With the saying first things first, improve on the DR and ISO and frames per second. I can still guess that in the end there still will be a body optimized for landscapes and one for action. Nikon has come a long way since the D70.

kanuck

I actually wouldn't be surprised if Nikon did not replace the D800 or D800e at all and simply went another direction altogether or rehashed the D700 body line. They certainly will have their hands full completing the order demands for the DF in 2014 and releasing the D4s and D4x bodies next year. Also, as we all know people have been demanding the D400 for soooo many years now as well. I also think Nikon will put a lot of research and development into A7r ( compact full frame) type bodies to stop the loss bleeding in sales to companies such as Olympus and Sony. Just my thoughts..

tc88

I want a 54MP "D900". Though I don't expect it to show up before second half of 2015 at the earliest.

TaoTeJared

I have a feeling that Nikon will slow down the refreshes of the D800 line to a full 4-5 years. That puts a refresh maybe in late 2015. If a D4s is out for the Olympics (as usual) then we have 2 years left till the next generation of system is released. It isn't rocket science to see Nikon always releasing the pro bodies for Olympics and the Summer Olympics is always has a new "Flagship" body released.

The only few things I would like is 16bit color (same as high end MedFmt systems), a couple more FPS, built in Wifi (or something cheaper than the $900 solution they have now), clean 3200 files with 10-stop DR, and a radio (RF) flash system. I wouldn't expect any of that (maybe wifi) in the next release anyway. We may see some of that in the next 10 years. I honestly can't see the need for more MP in anything that I do(and many times I would prefer less.

spraynpray

To me, 36mp is great. I'd take more, but I'm greedy. What I would really like to see is 100,000 ISO noise free and 24 stops of dynamic range at 15fps. Can you imagine what you could do with 24 stops of dynamic range in post? or photos?

But as for a D800 successor, forget it. The only near-term improvements needed are more coverage in the autofocus, more consistently accurate autofocus, and more FPS. FPS increases are more likely to be seen in a D4x with a D800 sensor.

I can still guess that in the end there still will be a body optimized for landscapes and one for action.

They already have - D800 is landscape optimised and D4 is action optimised.

ErikssonRobin

Great input from all of you guys, I think most of us are hoping on too much of an upgrade next time. My personal thought is that it would be just an moderate update like Expeed 4, wifi, GPS, a couple more focus points and possibly one extra frame per second. The leap from D700->D800 was BIG.

But as you said Golf007sd

@ErikssonRobin: I do NOT foresee a replacement for the D800/D800e in 2014. So if I was you and wanted to take advantage of all your goodies....get yourself one and start having fun. We all KNOW these bodies will be replaced at some point, that is just the nature of the beast.

Your 24 1.4G and 105 Macro will produce image that are going to blow your mind. Hence, buy now

I've tried the D800 out in a couple of stores with my lenses and love what I got out of it. And the guest posts from people with D800 like the one from the Arctic and the other one in Africa was stunning. I'd be happy with my current camera for a few more months but planning an upgrade sometime in the near future. Would be quite disappointing to wait for a few months and then buy a D800 when suddenly a D900 comes out 2 months after that...

ThomasHorton

That and fix trap focus, so it works as it did on earlier pro models.

From your post to Nikon's eyes.

To fix it on the 800 would it take a firmware patch or an actual physical change in the camera?

WestEndBoy

I've tried the D800 out in a couple of stores with my lenses and love what I got out of it. And the guest posts from people with D800 like the one from the Arctic and the other one in Africa was stunning. I'd be happy with my current camera for a few more months but planning an upgrade sometime in the near future. Would be quite disappointing to wait for a few months and then buy a D800 when suddenly a D900 comes out 2 months after that...

Why would you be disappointed? The D800 is a great camera. Is it only going to be a great camera until the "let's call it the D810 comes out". Personally, as long as my D800 is shooting strong, it will suit me. Let's say the D810 comes out in 2016 and it is a more substantial upgrade than the 600-610, with 48 megapixels and the new "Aegis Auto Focus" that will be introduced next year at the Olympics on the D4x. My D800 will still be a great camera and I won't upgrade. Then in 2020 the D820 will come out and not only will it have 48 megapixels with clean images to 24,000 ISO and the "Aegis Auto Focus", but it will have the "Intelligent Subject Capture complete with subject detector (utilizing the Aegis Auto Focus) and grappling system" (beware of lawsuits). Now that might cause me to upgrade. Not only will it take a picture of my subjects, it captures them so I can take them home. That would be a disruptive technology to say the least.

Just buy the D800. We all know you want it and you won't be sorry. Then concentrate on taking great photoes and if you do that right, you won't care when the D810 comes out.

Photobug

Yup agree with Jshickele...buy it now and don't wait. The number of the camera buyers who wait and wait on camera model xxxx are doing nothing but missing photo opportunities. You continue to shoot older models when you can be using a great DSLR body like the D800. Just get on with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )

ErikssonRobin

That's true @jschickele and @Photobug one shouldn't wait for too long because there will always be updates and different models coming out each year. I will probably go for a D800e this spring and keep it for a long time. Just curious to hear about the D900. I've only had the D5100 since mid 2011 but feel like I've grown out of it, 100% viewfinder, dedicated buttons, 2 wheels and most of all "full frame" for wider angles are what I'm looking for most.