D800E User Thread

[Tachyon]

Since there isn't a D800E thread yet, may I start one?

Sorry to start off by the following senseless shot - but they are to test the resolution and have no artistic value whatsoever!

Shot is taken with 14-24mm on a tripod and triggered with remote cable. ISO 100, f/16, 20 sec. Shot in RAW and no adjustments were made except as otherwise indicated.

#1: Resized, converted to JPEG, and added the "green box".

#2: Cropped to approximately the size indicated in the green box in #1.

#3: Sharpened using LR4.

p.s. Sorry if it was your boxers which was shown here. I just randomly chose a spot.

 

[Umeiko]

I suggest you try f8. F16 is resulting in diffraction and will cause the image to be less sharp.

 

[crazypaladin]

Isn't this place Telok Blangah?

 

[Tachyon]

Isn't this place Telok Blangah?

Yes it is!

 

[Tachyon]

I suggest you try f8. F16 is resulting in diffraction and will cause the image to be less sharp.

Yes, I will try later.

 

[Tachyon]

Used the D800E for the photo shoot today.

The color rendition is superb (and of course, I couldn't resist cropping the eyes and hair to see the resolution)!

#1: Converted to JPEG, slight vignetting

#2: Cropped, slight sharpening (2:1)

#3: Converted to JPEG, cropped, otherwise untouched

#4: Cropped, slight sharpening (2:1)

 

[recap]

so far, all i have to say with regards to this camera is this:

STUNNING dynamic range
BRILLIANT image quality
PHENOMENAL colors

and i shoot primarily with a Hasselblad H4D-50

 

[recap]

zero edits. just exported from lightroom 4 RC 2.

 

[recap]

STUNNING dynamic range. And I really mean it.

zero edits. The ONLY things that were clipped in the highlights are the fluorescent tubes. and can be recovered with the highlights slider.

i am very very impressed with this camera. skin tones are great. color is great. detail is exquisite. this camera is a major game changer.

 

[recap]

zero edits. direct convert from lightroom with default settings.

virtually no highlight clipping and negligible clipping in the blacks.

 

[recap]

no edits

maximum shadow recovery, -50 on highlight recovery, contrast boosted, white balance adjusted. curves left the same. trying to push the 14 bit file here.

all i have to say is that, its very close to my H4D-50 for the exact same scene. I give the nod to the Hasselblad for skin tones and color rendition and dynamic range. But this is 10x easier to shoot than a hasselblad digital.

 

[recap]

so, i set my AF to AF-C by accident, using the group automatic setting. its amazing.

basically once its locked focus on a target, if the subject moves, it will track it and display it in the viewfinder.

what's more is that if i MOVE my composition/framing, it will still continue to track the target until it exits the limits of the AF array.

reminds me of the true focus by hasselblad. and i have to say with all honesty as much as i sound like a fanboy (i shoot nikon, canon, leica, hassy, phase one), there really is a discernible improvement in the dynamic range of this camera. I rate it at about 10.5+ stops. Definitely better than the D3X and D3S, both which I have owned previously.

it combines the best of both systems - anchored dark tones that that shadow recovery exceptionally well. great dynamic range, great color of the D3X.

great noise control, color fidelity at higher ISOs and tracking speed of the AF array of the D3S.

its no brainer. sell your D700, D3S, D3X bodies and buy this guy.

no edits on the image above. direct converted in lightroom again. there is NO clipping in the highlights or the shadows. a testament to both its metering prowess and the dynamic range of the sensor.

I've been shooting digitally for almost 9 years now and this camera is the best I've ever used.

 

[recap]

again, no edits on this image.

when i was using the D3X, it was very difficult to get used to it at the beginning because of the strong mirror slap vibration and the demands of its 24 megapixel sensor.

in my opinion. the whole 1/focal length shutter speed guide needs to be thrown out of the window. you'll need at least 2 or even 3 times a shutter speed increase in order to get sharp images with this camera.

it is VERY demanding on photographic technique. anything sloppy and it will showcase it straight away.

you also need to use the very best lenses. I'm lazy so I stuck to the 24-70/2.8. not a shabby performer either, stopped down from f/5.6 to f/7.1

f/7.1 is the diffraction limit of sharpness for this sensor. And strangely enough, setting things on [P]rofessional mode, it never really seems to set aperture below f/7.1 - so maybe Nikon has programmed this in as well.

Autofocus speed is very fast - rivals the D3S, tracking is great and resolution is incredible. I will share some crops soon enough.

 

[recap]

edited for fun. the files so far can take reasonably good post processing in lightroom. so far, not as extreme at the 16 bit digital medium format files, but i don't think 95% of us needs that level of exquisite bit depth to save ourselves from bad exposures.

a 100% crop. i'm actually posting to clubsnap. my goodness.

like i said, its very demanding on photographic technique. any sloppy work will show straight away. the car is not even in focus. the wall is!

 

[recap]

its shot at 24mm, f/6.3. base ISO 100. It should all be sharp throughout the frame right? WRONG!

the only thing sharp in this picture is the "Tong Seng Coffee Shop" signboard plus the immediate vicinity.

whether its field curvature or something else, the take away point is this

you need to nail your depth of field properly, even at smaller apertures or else the subject you desire to be in focus will not show!

everything on the left and right of the frame is not sharp. that's all of suntec city and all of mr seng huat's tiger beer

excellent photographic technique is a must in order to extract the full on image quality of this camera for print.

 

[crazypaladin]

Anyone spotted GSS screen protector for the D800E? Can't seem to find it.

 

[slacker123]

Anyone spotted GSS screen protector for the D800E? Can't seem to find it.

it comes with a nikon screen protector? why would you need to add another one?

anyway. from experience, the screens themselves are reasonably scratchproof.

 

[dniwkh]

it comes with a nikon screen protector? why would you need to add another one?

anyway. from experience, the screens themselves are reasonably scratchproof.

yup. I used to put screen protectors on my phones, cameras but not anymore.

Ever since my screen protector for my Galaxy S phone got badly scratched after a few days, I tore it off in disgust and used the phone naked.

The phone did not get scratched in over a year of usage. Since then, I thought it is just a waste of time and money to buy screen protectors.

Especially the case of nikon DSLR which comes with the clip on protector. Unless you are thinking of removing the clip on protector... but why?

 

[tomcat]

Taken wth the AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G wide opened.

1/100s f/1.8 at 85.0mm ISO 2500

1/80s f/1.8 at 85.0mm ISO 6400

1/100s f/1.8 at 85.0mm ISO 1000

This lens is sharp wide opened. Really good value for money at less than a third of the price of the f/1.4 version.

 

[recap]

dark tones in this camera are reminiscent of the D3X. truly excellent.

badly put, even the 5D Mark II (of which I got one of the earliest sets back in 2008) has truly awful noise in the dark tones, there's no secret about this

so far I can see when you lift the shadows even after strong underexposure, there is very little noise in it - this is consistent with image quality from the D3X files.

in terms of absolute sharpness and image quality, the nikon glass CANNOT deliver full performance to the sensor. even stopped down.

it is my opinion that the Leica M Primes are indeed the best - sharpness, micro contrast, color, contrast, details, clarity. edge to edge performance, hands down Leica wins in this regard. there is more natural "bite" to the Leica glass, even with its 18 MP sensor.

there is generally excellent sharpness with the majority of lenses in my stable - 24/1.4, 35/1.4, 50/1.4, 85/1.4G, 24-70, 70-200 VR II, 200/2.0, 14-24 mostly in the central 2/3rds of the image circle, quality degrades towards the edges and corners of the frame. the sensor is brutal, it reveals all the flaws in the nikon glass, even the best ones.

See for yourself - http://i.imgur.com/QLEHx.jpg Leica M9, 21/3.4 Super-Elmar @ f/4. No sharpening. In my honest opinion, no fight in terms of actual per pixel quality.

serious users for ultimate, optimal image quality should invest in ZF.2 prime lenses, used on a heavy tripod with the Live View to confirm exact focus. Even AF, as awesome as I have gushed out it - cannot deliver true consistent performance across the board at the wider apertures. but for all practical photography purposes. doesn't really matter.