Nikon D810A Announced, Price $3,799 !

Nikon D810A

Nikon has officially announced the new Nikon D810A, the first full-frame astrophotography-specific camera. This is the largest sensor to appear in a consumer astrophotography camera, bringing improved light capture capabilities to the discipline. It’s essentially a Nikon D810 with a modified IR-cut filter to ensure the camera can capture light emitted by nebulae and additional features to support long exposure photography. The price for Nikon D810A is $3,999.95, will be released in late May, 2015.

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Features:
  1. Equipped with an optical filter designed for astrophotography for capture of the vivid reds of nebulae that emit H-alpha lightAs common digital SLR cameras are designed with consideration of portrait and landscape photography, the transmission of light nearing the red range of visible light is suppressed for optimal reproduction of colors in those types of scenes. Therefore, images of nebulae and galaxies that emit H-alpha light often appear pale when captured with these cameras. In response to this issue, the optical filter (IR-cut filter), positioned on the front surface of the image sensor, adopted for the D810A has been modified with revision of transmission characteristics for four times greater transmission of H-alpha light than that used with the D810. This enables astrophotography with clear reproduction of the vivid reds emitted by nebulae and galaxies.
  2. Offers smooth and enjoyable shooting with new functions specialized for astrophotographyLong-exposure manual (M*) mode that supports shutter speeds as slow as 900 s
    In addition to the usual P, S, A, and M exposure modes, the D810A is equipped with a new long-exposure manual (M*) mode. The shutter speeds available in long-exposure manual mode differ from those available in normal M mode in that the 100-shot limit with continuous shooting is eliminated with exposure times of 4 s or longer. Users can select a shutter speed of 4, 5 ,8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300, 600, 900 s, or Bulb or Time, all of which support an unlimited number of shots with continuous shooting. Because the selected shutter speed represents the actual exposure time, calculation of total exposure time is simple, making this mode especially convenient for creating composite images using a lighten blending mode.

Viewfinder display that considers nighttime photography
Information necessary with shooting is displayed in the viewfinder so that images can be framed without taking your eye off the subject. In addition to shutter speed and aperture settings, a virtual horizon, which is always illuminated in red when enabled, can be displayed to help keep the camera level. Features like this allow the user to focus on shooting.

A live view preview function that makes focusing and composing images easier with display of a preview at a shutter speed of 30 s when exposure time is longer than 30 s
When exposure times longer than 30 s common with astrophotography are specified, a preview at a shutter speed of 30 s is shown in the live view display (preview exposure is not the same as that of the actual image). What’s more, just as with the D810, the live view display can be enlarged up to 23x, making precise focusing easier.

  • The best image quality in the history of Nikon digital SLR cameras for incredibly sharp astrophotographyThe D810A offers the same effective pixel count of 36.3-million pixels and Nikon FX-format CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter as the D810. The best image quality in Nikon digital SLR camera history combined with the latest image-processing engine, EXPEED 4, achieves sharp and vivid colors, as well as rich tones that render the nuances of delicate and smooth shading in three dimensions. The D810A also supports a broad range of standard sensitivities, from ISO 200 to ISO 12800, with additional reduction as low as the equivalent of ISO 100 (Lo 1) and expansion to the equivalent of ISO 51200 (Hi 2). A broad dynamic range is preserved at each sensitivity setting, and noise is effectively suppressed and the detail possible with the effective pixel count of 36.3-million pixels is demonstrated even when high sensitivities or long exposures are applied for shooting subjects exhibiting little contrast.
  • Features convenient for astrophotography inherited from the D810
    • An electronic front-curtain shutter that effectively suppresses internal mechanical shake that can be troublesome with astrophotography, especially when photographing the surface of the moon
    • When a shutter speed of 4 s or longer is specified, the number of shots possible with continuous shooting is limited only by memory card capacity and battery charge. As images can be captured in rapid succession, photos that can be used to create composite images of smooth star trails can be taken.
    • The superior performance of the Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL15 reliably supports astrophotography with shooting of many photos over an extended period of time. A power-saving design has been adopted, enabling capture of up to 3,860 still images with a fully charged battery.*
      • *When the built-in flash is not used, and images are not viewed immediately after capture.
    • Nikon Integrated Dust Reduction System that includes the Clean Image Sensor function, which vibrates the optical filter at various frequencies to remove dust and foreign matter that may have adhered to it
  • A rich variety of accessories that support creative astrophotography
    • The Remote Cord MC-36A (sold separately) can be used to apply interval timer and long time-exposure settings, and is especially effective with continuous shooting with exposure times of 4 s or longer.
    • The Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D12 (sold separately) enables capture of up to approximately 10,660 still images*
      • *When one EN-EL15 is inserted in the D810A, and one EN-EL18a is inserted in the MB-D12. When the built-in flash is not used, and images are not viewed immediately after capture.
    • The GPS Unit GP-1A (sold separately) records the latitude, longitude, and altitude at which photos were taken, as well as the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC; the primary standard by which the world regulates clocks and time) at which they were taken, as Exif data embedded in images
    • The new Picture Control system is supported, and the Capture NX-D software application (free download) can be used to process and adjust RAW images for full-scale photofinishing with simple operation

 

Specs:
Body type
Body type Mid-size SLR
Body material Magnesium alloy
Sensor
Max resolution 7360 x 4912
Other resolutions FX: 5520 x 3680, 3680 x 2456; 1.2: 6144 x 4080, 4608 x 3056, 3072 x 2040; 5:4: 6144 x 4912, 4608 x 3680, 3072 x 2456; DX: 4800 x 3200, 3600 x 2400, 2400 x 1600
Image ratio w:h 5:4, 3:2
Effective pixels 36 megapixels
Sensor photo detectors 37 megapixels
Sensor size Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm)
Sensor size notes RAW (NEF) available at 12 or 14-bits, lossless compressed, compressed, uncompressed, large or small size.
Sensor type CMOS
Processor EXPEED 4
Color space sRGB, AdobeRGB
Color filter array Primary color filter
Image
ISO Auto, 200-12800 (expandable to 100-51200)
White balance presets 12
Custom white balance Yes (6 slots)
Image stabilization No
Uncompressed format RAW + TIFF
JPEG quality levels Fine, normal, basic
File format
  • JPEG (Exif 2.3, DCF 2.0)
  • RAW (NEF)
  • TIFF (RGB)
Optics & Focus
Autofocus
  • Contrast Detect (sensor)
  • Phase Detect
  • Multi-area
  • Center
  • Selective single-point
  • Tracking
  • Single
  • Continuous
  • Face Detection
  • Live View
Autofocus assist lamp Yes
Manual focus Yes
Number of focus points 51
Lens mount Nikon F
Focal length multiplier
Screen / viewfinder
Articulated LCD Fixed
Screen size 3.2″
Screen dots 1,229,000
Touch screen No
Screen type TFT-LCD (RGBW)
Live view Yes
Viewfinder type Optical (tunnel)
Viewfinder coverage 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7×
Photography features
Minimum shutter speed 30 sec
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 sec
Exposure modes
  • Program
  • Shutter priority
  • Aperture priority
  • Manual
  • Long exposure
Built-in flash Yes
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
External flash Yes (via hot shoe, flash sync terminal, wireless)
Flash modes Front-curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, redeye reduction, redeye reduction w/slow sync, slow rear-curtain sync
Flash X sync speed 1/250 sec
Drive modes
  • Single-frame
  • Continuous low-speed [CL]
  • Continuous high-speed [CH]
  • Quiet Shutter Release
  • Quiet Continuous Release
  • Self-timer
  • Mirror-up
Continuous drive 5.0 fps
Self-timer Yes (2, 5, 10, 20 secs for up to 9 shots)
Metering modes
  • Multi
  • Center-weighted
  • Highlight-weighted
  • Spot
Exposure compensation ±5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps)
AE Bracketing ±5 (2, 3, 5, 7 frames at 1/3 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV steps)
WB Bracketing Yes (2-9 exposures in 1-3 increments)
Videography features
Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Format MPEG-4, H.264
Videography notes Uncompressed output over HDMI with simultaneous writing to memory card
Microphone Stereo
Speaker Mono
Storage
Storage types SD/SDHC/SDXC, CompactFlash (UDMA compliant)
Connectivity
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
HDMI Yes (mini-HDMI)
Microphone port Yes
Headphone port Yes
Wireless Optional
Wireless notes via WT-5A or Eye-Fi
Remote control Yes
Physical
Environmentally sealed Yes
Battery Battery Pack
Battery description EN-EL15 lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery Life (CIPA) 1200
Weight (inc. batteries) 880 g (1.94 lb / 31.04 oz)
Dimensions 146 x 123 x 82 mm (5.75 x 4.84 x 3.23″)
Other features
Timelapse recording Yes
GPS Optional
GPS notes via GP-1 or GP-1A