Both Nikon D800 and Nikon D800E have Full frame sized 36.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon D800E's sensor doesn't have an 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 D800 and D800E sensor size comparison.
Nikon D800 and Nikon D800E 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
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Nikon D800 and Nikon D800E sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D800E has a better overall score of 96, 1 points higher compared to D800's score of 95.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D800 |
95 |
25.3 bits |
14.4 Evs |
2853 ISO |
Nikon D800E |
96 |
25.6 bits |
14.3 Evs |
2979 ISO |