The Nikon D800 – The Landscape Shooter’s DSLR?

Andrew Nadolski

Andrew Nadolski is a professional designer and photographer based in Exeter. His series 'The End of the Land' has been exhibited in museums and art galleries across England and has been published as a book by Headon House.

F16 3sec ISO 100. Raw file processed in Lightroom and Photoshop. Nikon 24-70 f2.8 focussed manually. No filters

It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that the Nikon D800 has been hotly anticipated. Since the rumours of a 36mp Nikon DSLR started to appear on the internet last year interest in this class-leading camera has been steadily building. Landscape photographers, probably more than most, have been eager to get their hands on it and find out if cramming 36mp into a 35mm format body can live up to expectations.

If you are like me you are always searching for the ‘goldilocks’ camera - the one that isn’t too large or too small, the one that can deliver the resolution to make exhibition size prints yet be small enough and light enough to be truly portable. I want a camera that I am comfortable working with on a tripod and one that I can use handheld for my urban landscape/documentary work. And to add more to the list of desirous features; can it deliver good results in low light and if needed can it work as an ‘action’ camera for sports etc. All this would seem to be an impossible ask but on paper it looks like the D800 could deliver the goods. The length of the waiting lists seems to point to the fact that a number of photographers feel it might be ‘the one’.

Luckily for readers of On Landscape, and even luckier for me is the fact that I have had one for over a week now. I have managed to get out and about with it and to use it in situations that are relevant to landscape shooters. Rather than a ‘button-by-button’ review this is aimed at seeing just how useable this camera is in the field.