Nikon D810A DSLR Camera Launched; Aimed at Astrophotography Enthusiasts

If you love shooting the stars (not to be confused with shooting for the stars), Nikon’s latest DSLR – the D810A – could be your best bet. Aiming the camera at astrophotography enthusiasts, Nikon claims that the D810A can capture astronomical subjects that emit the H-alpha wavelengths of light such as nebulae and other distant galaxies in red, which other DLSRs cannot. Nikon hasn’t revealed the price for the camera but said it will be available in stores from May 2015.

The D810A is equipped with a 36.3-megapixel Nikon FX-format CMOS sensor without an optical low-pass filter and uses the EXPEED 4 image-processing engine, which Nikon claims improves noise reduction performance at high sensitivities. The ISO sensitivity in the Nikon D810A ranges from ISO 200 to 12800 and can be decreased to Lo 1 (ISO 100 equivalent), or increased up to Hi 2 (ISO 51200 equivalent).

As previously mentioned, the most important feature added to the D810A includes its capacity to capture nebulae that emit the H-alpha wavelength in red using an optical filter (IR cut filter). This should help astrophotographers capture some stunning details of the night sky which has nebulae, constellations and other celestial objects. In its manual mode, the camera’s shutter speed can be set up to as low as 900 seconds thus allowing for some really long exposure times.

On the announcement, Mr. Hiroshi Takashina, Managing Director, Nikon India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of Nikon D810A, a class-leading, high-definition D-SLR that will bring astrophotographers one step closer to capturing the majestic vastness and beauty of space while offering them a new perspective in stunning detail.”