Both Nikon D810 and Nikon D800 have 36.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon D810's sensor is Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) and Nikon D800's sensor is Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ).
Since Nikon D800's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Nikon D810.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon D810's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the D810 and D800 sensor size comparison.
Nikon D810 and Nikon D800 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Nikon D810 and Nikon D800 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D810 has scored 97, 2 points higher than D800.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D810 |
97 |
25.7 bits |
14.8 Evs |
2853 ISO |
Nikon D800 |
95 |
25.3 bits |
14.4 Evs |
2853 ISO |