LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Either would be a major upgrade for me. I've been reading up on the two and DPReview combines them into a single review.

In a nutshell, what's the upgrade on the D800e? Why spend the extra $s?

Thanks

PrairieSeasons Loc: Red River of the North

What are you shooting now, and why do you want to move up to the D800 or D800e and its 36MP sensor?

The difference between the two can be stated in a sentence or two, but understanding the difference will take an understanding of digital photography and an analysis of hundreds of pix.

The D800 has a device in it called an anti-aliasing filter and the D800e does not. That is the difference.

I'm not always a fan of Ken Rockwell, but he does a pretty good job of explaining the difference between having or not having the anti-alilasing filter.

http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d800/vs-d800e.htm

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

I'm thinking long-term-- as in my final camera purchase. I don't buy the latest every time it comes out. My current model is ancient by digital standards. I have posted many images in the Macro forum and also in the HDR forum as well as the long exposure forum. I know what the AA filter does-- and I'm aware that the D7100 does not have this filter. I believe it's the first DX DSLR without one. DPReview does not seem to see much impact from the removal of this filter. I know the filter is there to handle moire'.

Perhaps I'll pm MTShooter.... I know he has used both....

Thanks

HarryBinNC Loc: Blue Ridge Mtns, No.Carolina, USA

According to Thom Hogan, the slight sharpness advantage of the "e" goes away after f8 due to refraction, and since my primary work is architecture and panoramic landscapes printed large, i want maximum DoF most of the time, which means I shoot a lot at f11 and f16. Therefore, I didn't see any point (for me) in spending the extra few hundred $$ for the 800e.

Plus, I doubt that anyone but a much younger and sharper-eyed person than I am could see the difference anyway. In fact, critical focus, shooting technique, and lens quality are likely to be much larger factors than the slight (potential) difference in IQ. The D800 images are unbelievably sharp OoC - I rarely need to do any sharpening in post. In comparison, ALL of my previous Digital Nikons required significant sharpening before printing.

Also, the JPGs are so good that I rarely work with RAW images anymore - this is also a first for me. And, if needed, you can do a ton of work on the JPGs in Camera Raw without the images falling apart. The D800 is so incredibly good that it is the last high-end camera I will ever buy, unless it has an irreparable breakdown - and if that happens, I will just get a low mileage replacement on eBay!

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Thanks. This is the type of response that I was hoping for....

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Many of the new cameras do not have the AA filter. When I bought my D800e there were no discounts on the D800 and I also considered this my last DSLR - so I wanted the "best" one for me. Also, I watched several YouTube videos and read many reviews comparing with &without the filter. These convinced me to get the e model. MT has commented that he finds the e sharper. With the significant D800 discounts now, the choice is more difficult.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

If you want to print big, then go for the 800E. So far I have not had any problem with moire in > 20,000 images (at least that I have been able to detect).

Mark7829 Loc: Calfornia

The difference is insignificant. But you will always doubt the results and in the back of your mind, you'll be saying, could it have been a little sharper? To avoid this problem, get the e and rest in peace.

sbesaw Loc: Boston

I was amazed when I found out, that unlike what many and I believed, it is not a simple as removing the anti-aliasing filter. It is more or less rendered neutral but not removed. I found this out just last week after a long discussion with the Nikon Rep. DP review summed it up pretty well below. link is to .jpeg diagram

"'Cancellation' of anti-aliasing filter

Nikon uses slightly curious wording about the D800E - that the anti-aliasing effect of the optical filter stack in front of the sensor is 'cancelled' - and the diagram below shows what this means (courtesy of Nikon). Anti-aliasing filters work by using a birefringent material to split light rays into two based upon the polarization of the light; a first layer splits it horizontally, the second vertically. The practical result is a slight blurring of the image, to avoid moiré and aliasing artefacts. In the case of the D800E, the first filter is instead directly counteracted by the second, resulting in no overall blurring.


With the D800, light passing through the lens that is transmitted to the image sensor is separated into four segments using a low-pass filter to prevent moiré and false colour.
With the D800E, the effect of the low-pass filter is removed, and the light is transmitted to the image sensor with no blurring, achieving higher-resolution images.
This seems like an odd way of doing things; why not just remove the filter altogether? Our best guess is that it simply makes manufacturing the two models side-by-side easier: instead of having to make an entirely different filter stack for the D800E, Nikon just needs to change the first low-pass filter in the overall assembly. Crucially, this also maintains the same infrared blocking and anti-reflective properties across the two cameras." dpreview

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-d800-d800e/images/d800e-olpf.jpg

So as strange as it seems the low pass filter is not physically removed on the 800E but the effects of the filter are

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Yes, I did notice that with respect to the D800/D800e, but here's a quote from DPReview on the D7100: "...in a first for Nikon, the D7100 does not have an optical low-pass filter, promising optimal resolution from its 24MP CMOS sensor."

So, I'm curious about the difference here. They also say (in their review of the D7100) that they didn't observe a noticeable reduction in noise.... I believe Pentax has removed it on several models-- but I'm not switching teams.....
;-)

sbesaw Loc: Boston

Read that as well and I believe that the D7100 was treated differently with no filter vs modifications done to D800E. Good question for my Nikon on Monday