Nikon Unveils the D800: A DSLR That Tips the Scales at 36.3 Megapixels

The months of rumors and speculation are finally over: Nikon has announced its long-awaited D800 FX-format DSLR. As was revealed back in October 2011, the camera offers a staggering 36.3-megapixels — the world’s highest in a 35mm DSLR. Other specs include an ISO range of 100-6400 (expandable to 25,600), 91k RGB 3D color metering, a speedy 51-point AF system, a 3.2-inch LCD screen, 4fps continuous shooting (5fps for DX shots), 1080/30p HD video recording, and… in-camera two-shot HDR.

Here’s a quick product tour of the new camera:

There will also be a second camera called the Nikon D800E that eschews the lowpass (anti-aliasing) filter found in the D800. This leads to slightly sharper photos at the expense of introducing color moire and chroma noise.

Here’s a short film titled “Joy Ride” by Sandro that demonstrates the filmmaking capabilities of the D800:

The Nikon D800 will be available starting in March 2012 with a price tag of $3000, though you can already start preordering them over at Amazon. The D800E will arrive in April for $3,300.