Nikon's new D800 is a game-changer. On some level this camera is evolutionary, on another it is absolutely revolutionary. The D800 (and D800E) have set a new standard for the DLSR market. But more importantly, for photographers of all genres.
This new Nikon now leads the pack in full frame sensor resolution with a whopping 36.3 megapixels that mimics medium format in terms of resolution. The camera feels great to us and among many improvements, features a newly redesigned auto-focus system.
With our tongue deep in cheek, our new advertising campaign calls attention to the following reality: In order to maximize the potential of the D800 (or any high performance DSLR) the body must first be tuned to each lens using the camera's AF Fine-Tune feature--And this procedure requires a tool such as the LensAlign Focus Calibration System.
As the designer of LensAlign, I am intimately involved with the process of auto-focus adjustment, which I call AFA (Nikon calls it AF Fine-Tune; Canon calls it AF Micro-Adjustment). Since the introduction of the D800 (which includes the D800E), the blogasphere has been ablaze with discussions about this breakthrough camera, and my in-box has been inundated with questions about the D800 vis-a-vis AFA. "Does the new camera's advanced AF system negate the need for AFA?" If you read Nikon's D800 Technical Guide you would think so. You get the impression that you'll have to jump through hoops to get a sharp picture using every trick in the book; which is true. Yet fine-tuning the camera's auto-focus system, which is in fact a necessity with many lenses, seems to be omitted. Read any of the reviews of the new D800, and you'll see (almost to person), that the reviewer is emphatic that using AFA is a prerequisite to achieving the results that the D800 is capable of.
I'll have a lot more to share in upcoming posts, but for now take a look at these 2 test shots using my new D800. The first one is out-of-the-box with no AFA, and the one below is after a -12 AFA adjustment that this particular body/lens combination required. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
More to come.
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