The Nikon D800 is on the horizon if pictures emerging on the Internet are to be believed. The front and rear images, albeit with names and numbers obscured, claim to be of the new Nikon D800. 

The Nikon D800 looks like an update or replacement for the Nikon D700, which was launched way back in 2008. Camera manufacturers being creatures of habit, there is a compelling reason to think these are legitimate. The Nikon D700 is an FX model, full frame, sitting on the professional side of Nikon's DSLR offering. 

The rumoured specs for the new Nikon D800 include a 36-megapixel sensor giving you images up to 7360 x 4912 pixels. Also on the rumour list is the Expeed 3 processor, as recently seen in Nikon's new Nikon 1 cameras. 

The camera is pictured with a battery grip which would be an accessory (unlike the integrated approach on the D3 models), so it's suggested that the Nikon D800 will be smaller and lighter than the D700, which would follow the trend of other recent DSLR updates.

The rear display is listed simply as larger than 3-inches and the viewfinder to give you 100% field of view, along with the combination of CF and SD card slots.

Video is highlighted, claiming to be "better than the D3s", with a range of Full HD capture modes and formats.

We don't have a date for the launch of the new Nikon D800 camera, but Nikon are going to have to move fast if this is going to be a 2011 release. Previous rumours suggested a price range of around £2400, which fits with the D700's original launch price.