New Nikon D800

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Dewi
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New Nikon D800

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Peter Betts
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Re: New Nikon D800

Post by Peter Betts »

This is not a wild life camera at all...It needs max 22 m pixels and 6FPS instead of 4 fPS and far better high ISO performance and a much BIGGER RAW Buffer,,,D4 kicks its butt in all these areas as does the D3S and I prefer the D700 for wildlife over the D800 which isa superb landcape and studio camera
:shock:


Grumpy
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Re: New Nikon D800

Post by Grumpy »

For anyone that is into general photography that is willing to invest a substantial amount of cash on their hobby/professional equipment, the Nikon D800 is a superb piece of hardware that, from a general photography perspective, is unsurpassed in the photographic world today. It does most things well and beats many other camera bodies into submission with a BIG STICK. Let me reiterate that, FROM A GENERAL PHOTOGRAPHY PERSPECTIVE, the D800 is unbeatable.

Sure, there are other cameras that may be better suited to wildlife photography, sports photography, news and journalism, just as there are for capturing almost any scene that the eye can see (and some that the eye cannot), but if anyone ever has the intention to photograph scenes beyond just wildlife (and has the budget), this camera should be on your list to seriously investigate.

Be aware, however, that you are likely to have to up-your-game on your photographic technique as the camera is likely to be less-forgiving than other lesser "models" and you will have to live with a four frames-per-second rate in FX mode and about six fps when using it in DX mode. While the D700 is a great camera and beats the D800 with FPS rate, it does not match the D800 in many other areas.

As a general photography package, the D800 should be considered as a worthy replacement to any Nikon (or Canon) camera currently available.


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Peter Betts
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Re: New Nikon D800

Post by Peter Betts »

Grumpy...agree with you about the D800 as a very good general camera..In fact a very good friend of mine and one of the best Wildlife photographers around daryl Balfour is getting one for Landscapes, 2nd Body and very static Wildlife and for 90% of the rest he will carry on using the World champ in low light photography...D3S which I upgraded to from the D700 which by the way the D700 will knock the socks off the D800 in low light Wild life light photography so I would rather have my old D700 with far less noise at higher ISO than the D800..that 12 m pixel FX sensor has been equalled but not overtaken by the 16 m pixel D4 sensor and the 12 m pixel renders such wonderful low light stuff its awesome

With the D800 you will have to invest in ONLY the best Nikon lenses which is the following 4 zooms only : 14-24, 24-70, 70-200 VRII, and 200-400 f4 VRII, Prime lenses....Zeiss 21 mm, Nikon 35 f1.4, 85 f1.4, 105 macro, 200 f2, 300 f2.8, 400 f2.8, 500 f4 and 600 f4 ...sell the rest the D800 wont give good results


Grumpy
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Re: New Nikon D800

Post by Grumpy »

Hi Peter...

While I accept what you are saying, I do not necessarily agree with all of it. It would seem that many people that review these things for a living would disagree with some of your views too.
Peter Betts wrote:.... which by the way the D700 will knock the socks off the D800 in low light Wild life light photography so I would rather have my old D700 with far less noise at higher ISO than the D800..that 12 m pixel FX sensor has been equalled but not overtaken by the 16 m pixel D4 sensor and the 12 m pixel renders such wonderful low light stuff its awesome....
Taking one such example, I quote a few extracts from an article...

"I can say with confidence that the D800 gives better results than the D700 when its image is down-sampled to 12 MP" and from the same article,
"Overall, we should be getting around a full stop of advantage noise-wise with the D800 compared to the D700" and finally,
"you will be able to get superb 36 MP images in daylight and you have the option to down-sample images to lower resolution in low-light."

Have a look at what Jim Brandenburg from National Geographic has to say about this camera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXwfxweN ... r_embedded

Without getting into too much technical detail surrounding the advancements in such equipment and its operational software, there are a number of other issues that need to be considered. These include:
- post-processing workflows undertaken to downscale a 36mp D800 image to to the same size as a D700, as it is only after this has been undertaken that you can start to compare like with like.... (alternatively, upscale the D700 image to a 36mp image and see which would be better). Ultimate end-user print/display size is crucial in determining the end-user experience;
- The quality of the monitor when reviewing images rendered to a screen;
- The quality of the printer and the associated software used when printing photographs.

In my view, given the recent advancements in the digital world, the biggest limiting factor will soon become the ability of the human eye to actually see the full capabilities of the digital equipment. Personally, my eyesight has probably gone beyond that point already :D


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Peter Betts
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Re: New Nikon D800

Post by Peter Betts »

Grumpy...what on earth is down sampling...sounds like a bit of a chore If I gota D800 and shot it at ISO 6400 it would have more noise than a D700 at ISO 6400 straight out the camera...sure there are geeks wh can do anything witha computer but at 61 yrs old and born before computers I love a 12 m pixel FX sensor which hasnt been beaten by a 5d MKIII, a D800, a 1DX or a D4 ...maybe the D900 or 5D Mk iv or D4S/D5 will finally top it but its still the best wildlife sensor on planet earth thats why Mr Balfour is keeping his D3S (Not gettinga D4) and gettinga 2nd body (D800).. If I had R30 K to spend ...would I get a D800...you bet as I have the lenses to go with it but my stock wild life camera would still be the 12 M Pixel D3S and the D800 = LANDSCAPE KING :D


Grumpy
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Re: New Nikon D800

Post by Grumpy »

Hi Peter

Firstly, let me commend you on your choice of equipment. I too, am a Nikon user and would give my eye teeth to have the set-up you currently enjoy. I am currently relegated to older technology and lenses that "do the job" rather than the best in the business, but that has not stopped me from doing extensive research as and when the new technologies are released. The internet is awash with various articles and blogs, some good and some clearly biased and misleading, some based on opinions and others based on outputs from laboratory and other controlled research.

Regarding to your question about "down sampling", I offer the following simple justification and explanation. When comparing the images captured by two cameras with all other things being equal, in this case a D700 image to a D800 image, it is a fact that the D700 image will seem to be (and is) cleaner and clearer than a D800 image when "pixel-peeping", or rather, looking at each image at 100% size. That is, however, an inappropriate comparison, much like comparing the quality of a 6"x4" photograph with a roadside billboard of the same image. It would be more fair, technically correct and logically justifiable to compare the captured images at equal size, preferably at the size the image will ultimately be printed and/or viewed. Down sampling is thus a process that every user automatically goes through when they either view or print an image at less than full size. Ultimately, the opinion as to which of these comparable images is "better" is in the eye of the beholder.

Each time an image is viewed on a computer (or printed for that matter) at any size less than full size, the image is down sampled. As such, the quality of your image depends largely on the software used to undertake such down sampling, the software used to display the image, the quality of the monitor displaying the image, the software used to interpret the digitally-stored image and get it to the printer, AND the quality of the printer, paper and ink. All these intermediate "bits of computing power" will ultimately have an impact on the quality of the final image, be it digitally displayed or printed.

You replaced your D700 with a D3s, probably because the D3s gave you some feature or other that you wanted that your D700 lacked, but even that camera swap came at a price somewhere. The acquisition of your D3s did not make the D700 obsolete, or degenerate its images in any way. What you did get is a faster camera with an updated sensor and improved software that surpasses the D700 in many respects. For someone considering a move from a D700 to a D800 will have a similar dilemma, as they will also gain many improvements and lose a few features (such as frames per second). For some considering such a move, the frames per second rate may be a deal-breaker, while for others it may be irrelevant. Horses for courses, but according to the research I have undertaken, if the frames per second rate is NOT a deal-breaker, the D800 seems to surpass the D700 in almost all other respects. Whether most people will actually be able to distinguish the difference in output between the two is another debate for another time.

Take care and enjoy your D3s while I simply dream about one ;-)


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Penga Ndlovu
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Re: New Nikon D800

Post by Penga Ndlovu »

Uhhhhh.

You 2 are way beyond me.

While interesting to read my eyes are going in circles at the moment.

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Glad I only have a Pentax IstD and a Nikon D70S.

More than enough for me.

;-) ;-) ;-)


Grumpy
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Re: New Nikon D800

Post by Grumpy »

Penga, your response of "More than enough for me." resonates with me.

Most people are satisfied with their "Image-capturing" equipment, while others chase technology as far as possible. The first improvement I personally have to make, is my artistic ability in image capturing. Until that is substantially improved, the best equipment in the business will not help my photography one iota. Fortunately I do not have to earn a living from it, or my family would have starved to death many moons ago. :oops:

At the end of the day, it is the ability of the individual behind the equipment that makes the most difference to the captured image...


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Re: New Nikon D800

Post by Grumpy »

Sounds like Nikon are about to release TWO new cameras, namely a D400 (DX) and a D600 (FX). Gonna be interesting to see what actually gets released and the associated specs with each. http://mansurovs.com/nikon-d400-announcement-this-fall and http://mansurovs.com/nikon-d600-release-imminent Looks like this space could become very interesting. PLUS there are two new lenses to consider, this one http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8 ... _5_6G.html I guess will be rather useful as a walk-about lens for DX users.


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