At 36 megapixels the Nikon D800 ($2,999.95 list, body only) is not only the company's highest-resolution camera—it's the highest-resolution camera you can find anywhere without moving up to digital medium format. Event photographers will appreciate the fast, accurate autofocus, excellent performance at ISO 6400, and compatibility with Nikon's Speedlight flash system. It doesn't quite manage to oust its more-expensive sibling, the Nikon D4 ($5,995.95, 4.5 stars) as our Editors' Choice for full frame D-SLRs, but is a very capable camera in its own right.

Design and Features

Unlike the D4, the D800  doesn't have an integrated vertical grip—although there is one available as an optional add-on. This makes the camera a bit smaller, putting it in the same ballpark as the Canon EOS 5D Mark III ($3,499, 4 stars). The D800 measures 4.8 by 5.7 by 3.2 inches (HWD) and weighs just under 2 pounds. The 5D Mark III  is 4.6 by 6.0 by 3.0 inches and is only slightly heavier, although that camera doesn't include a pop-up flash, something that isn't usually found on pro cameras, but is included in the D800. And, as a full-frame camera, all of your Nikkor lenses will retain the same field of view that they do on a 35mm film body.

As you'd expect with a camera this advanced, the D800's body is rife with physical controls. There are buttons and switches to control ISO, White Balance, Exposure Bracketing, Autofocus, Metering, and other common functions. If there's a setting that you need during a shoot, chances are you won't have to dive into a menu to adjust it. You can monitor shooting settings in the large, bright viewfinder—it provides 100 percent coverage, an improvement over the 95 percent finder found in the $2,700 Nikon D700 —adjusting them via either the camera's two control dials.

The rear LCD is 3.2 inches and features a 921k-dot resolution. It isn't quite as good as the display found on the rear of the Canon 5D Mark III, but is still sharp enough to allow you to confirm critical focus when reviewing shots. The D800 supports Live View during still recording—and requires it when recording video—but the display is fixed, so you'll have to stay behind the camera when using these functions. The articulating display on the Sony Alpha 77 ($1,999.99, 4.5 stars), a camera with a smaller APS-C image sensor, is more useful for Live View use—and that camera can focus faster when using the rear LCD thanks to a fixed-mirror design that allows it to use Phase Detect AF at all times.