The Nikon D810A DSLR will open up new horizons

Feb 10, 2015 09:43 GMT  ·  By

Perhaps saying a camera will open new horizons is not altogether accurate when referring to the sky. After all, when shooting stars you aren't likely to include any part of the ground in the picture.

And by shooting stars we mean taking a photo or two of the night sky. Or three. Or a dozen. It ultimately depends on how much you like gazing up at night.

Normally, it is very hard to actually take a picture of the night sky. Impossible actually, with most photo and video capture devices, from smartphones to cameras.

The reason is simple: while the light of stars is easily enough perceived by our eyes, the same cannot be said about camera sensors.

It takes a very, very high light sensitivity (ISO rating) to capture even the largest starlights, and only specifically designed and tuned devices can do more than that. Nikon has just released such a camera, the D810A DSLR.

Nikon D810A camera

The newcomer has a 36.1 megapixel image sensor and an ISO range of 200 – 12,800, which would normally not indicate an all too exceptional low light visibility.

However, what the D810A has that other cameras lack is a modified infrared filter that makes the stars show up clearly in the photo.

You can even see exactly what the picture will turn out like thanks to the live view mode which uses electronic brightening in previews on the viewfinder screen.

The shutter speed can be set to any duration between 4 and 15 minutes, so that you may put together time-lapse videos of a night if the mood strikes you.

Another interesting perk is the electronic front curtain shutter mode, which minimizes vibration, though the moisture-sealed magnesium alloy body is a good asset as well, especially given how much dew can pile up during the night.

Availability

The Nikon D810A has a price of around $3,800 / €3,300 and should start selling in late May. Before you buy it, however, you should note that the infrared filter will distort normal pictures, so you won't want to take shots of anything other than nighttime skies. Nikon itself says it's not recommended for general photography.

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Nikon D810A (3 Images)

Nikon D810A
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