Pentax 645D vs Nikon D800E

Nikon D800E advantages over Pentax 645D

• Lens selection
  Excellent vs Limited
  Better lens selection gives you more options
• Less expensive
  $3300 vs $9996 (MSRP)
  Save money for lenses or accessories
• Fast startup
  ~0.30 vs 0.7 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  D800E test data on DxO Mark 645D test data on DxO Mark
  2,979 vs 1,262 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  D800E test data on DxO Mark 645D test data on DxO Mark
  14.3 vs 12.6 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Internal flash
  Internal flash vs None
  Useful in a pinch for fill flash
• Thinner
  81 mm vs 119 mm
  Thinner
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• More cross-type AF points
  15 vs 11
  Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
• Higher max flash sync
  1/250 vs 1/125 sec
  Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• Lighter weight
  1008g vs 1480g
  Lighter weight
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• More AF points
  51 vs 11
  More AF points improve autofocus
• Headphone jack
  Yes vs No
  Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
• Faster JPEG shooting
  4.0 fps vs 1.1 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  54 vs 19 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Faster RAW shooting
  4.0 fps vs 1.1 fps
  Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  25600 vs 1600 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility