My first pics with the D800
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One thing to note, my d800 exposure is abit not so accurate on hazy day with dull background last Sunday, it tends to overexposed by 0.5-1eV. But the indoor shoot and night shoot are perfect. I call up Nikon center yesterday, the tech support asked me to switched off the Active Dynamic Light function. Need to test again this weekend.
Any kind soul can share some experience? I am experiencing this issue on a Nikon 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 (non VR). My 50mm f1.8 is showing less issues.
Any kind soul can share some experience? I am experiencing this issue on a Nikon 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 (non VR). My 50mm f1.8 is showing less issues.
Just curious, do you shoot RAW or JPEG? Why need Active Dynamic Light function?
I practically off every "auto" thing like "active d-lighting", "auto vignetting correction" etc since I shoot RAW and I prefer to correct it myself in LR.
My first testing on D 800 with lens 24-70. Amazing camera in details.
Great to see another satisfied D800 user. Enjoy the details
I can still remember vividly one year ago when I received a call from the shop telling me that my D800 has arrived. Some 30,000 clicks later, I am still as excited today as 1 year ago about the capabilities of this camera as well as the potential it provides to all keen photographers - hobbyist, serious enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Early on, there were much discussions about the large file size, slowish FPS, left side focus issues, green tint on LCD etc but I had no issues with these. Actually the large file size was a god sent excuse for me to upgrade to a higher spec computer and display I couldn't better happier with what I have now.
The ergonomics and all the direct access buttons are just great. In practical use, there are probably only 2 areas where I am not 100% happy with. But to be fair, they are not directly related to the camera body.
1) the focus point selector on the original battery grip. It is too small and fiddly. I just couldn't use it properly
2) slowish focusing with the AF-S 50mm & 85mm f1.4 in lower light conditions, such as in studio environment. l believe this is more a characteristic of these 2 lenses than the body.
As far as the WB is concerned, yes it had some difficulty getting it right in mix light conditions but I believe it is a challenge for most cameras. However, I feel that it has improved with the new firmware. It is now more consistent. Some also complained about the WB tending towards yellowish/greenish in default setting but to my eyes, it is actually an accurate representation of the lighting condition. Many a times, accuracy does not equal to nice looking.
So all in all, I am still very satisfied with the D800. Although I shoot portraiture mainly, I have put it through it's paces shooting events, sports, travel. The D800 can do more than what I can do. It is definitely a case where a good tool helps to create better results.
There are quite a number of CS forumers who would have used the D800 for around a year as well. Would love to hear your assessments here.
In the meantime, here are a number of photos taken on the first anniversary date. Cheers.
1)
2)
Early on, there were much discussions about the large file size, slowish FPS, left side focus issues, green tint on LCD etc but I had no issues with these. Actually the large file size was a god sent excuse for me to upgrade to a higher spec computer and display
I couldn't better happier with what I have now.The ergonomics and all the direct access buttons are just great. In practical use, there are probably only 2 areas where I am not 100% happy with. But to be fair, they are not directly related to the camera body.
1) the focus point selector on the original battery grip. It is too small and fiddly. I just couldn't use it properly
2) slowish focusing with the AF-S 50mm & 85mm f1.4 in lower light conditions, such as in studio environment. l believe this is more a characteristic of these 2 lenses than the body.
As far as the WB is concerned, yes it had some difficulty getting it right in mix light conditions but I believe it is a challenge for most cameras. However, I feel that it has improved with the new firmware. It is now more consistent. Some also complained about the WB tending towards yellowish/greenish in default setting but to my eyes, it is actually an accurate representation of the lighting condition. Many a times, accuracy does not equal to nice looking.
So all in all, I am still very satisfied with the D800. Although I shoot portraiture mainly, I have put it through it's paces shooting events, sports, travel. The D800 can do more than what I can do. It is definitely a case where a good tool helps to create better results.
There are quite a number of CS forumers who would have used the D800 for around a year as well. Would love to hear your assessments here.
In the meantime, here are a number of photos taken on the first anniversary date. Cheers.
1)
2)
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Agreed. I have my D800 since July 2012, and it had gone to quite a few places with me (India, US, Indonesia), scaled mountains and dived the oceans. Shot portraits, landscapes, city scapes, underwater wide-angle, macro, birds, wild life, people, events, etc. The only thing I haven't really done is shooting sports.
2 things happened:
- I lost interest in m4/3. Suddenly the size advantage is not an attraction anymore. The "poor" performance of the m4/3 (ok to be fair my experience is up to E-P3) put me off using the m4/3 unless it is absolutely not-quality critical, like attending conference and having a few casual shots.
- I became more conscious of good shooting techniques. Using good support like lugging a tripod to India, US was not something I'd considered earlier - always been a f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2 or f/2.8 prime whenever I travel and live within the (proudly) steady hands and large aperture with moderate to high ISO to tackle poor lighting. With a good tripod I was doing ISO 100 and f/8, getting shutter speeds of 15s regularly, but boy were the shots worth it! Delayed release, critical focusing, slowly setup became a habit. Something I was not doing much of earlier. But of course the 28mm f/2, for example, still shines in poor light handheld. The results are truly amazing - sharp and beautiful colours!
What was surprising was that the "quality" of lens issue didn't really bite me, not yet at least. All my primes that I have tested are up to the mark, including K type converted to Ai, Ai, AiS, AF, AFD, and AFS (20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 50mm, 85mm, 60mm micro, 105mm micro, 180mm). Ok, some lenses had more distortion and more light fall-off, but all manageable and correctable. Zooms I have tried, including E75-150, Ai 80-200mm f/4.5, AFD 20-35mm f/2.8, AFD 80-200mm f/2.8, AFS 24-120mm f/4VR, were all up to the mark as well. Even the Tokina ATX DX 10-17mm FE zoom (used as FX from 15mm onwards) is sharp and flaws (CA mostly) easily correctable.
Still to be tested are some primes (e.g. 28mm f/2.8, f/3.5, AF 35mm f/2, AFS 50mm f/1.4, AF 85mm f/1.8, AFD 200mm f/4 Micro, etc), some zooms (e.g. AiS 80-200mm f/4, Tokina AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6, etc).
The D800 is really a revelation and the camera I enjoy the most so far (maybe only slightly more than my FE2 as it was my first camera)!
2 things happened:
- I lost interest in m4/3. Suddenly the size advantage is not an attraction anymore. The "poor" performance of the m4/3 (ok to be fair my experience is up to E-P3) put me off using the m4/3 unless it is absolutely not-quality critical, like attending conference and having a few casual shots.
- I became more conscious of good shooting techniques. Using good support like lugging a tripod to India, US was not something I'd considered earlier - always been a f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2 or f/2.8 prime whenever I travel and live within the (proudly) steady hands and large aperture with moderate to high ISO to tackle poor lighting. With a good tripod I was doing ISO 100 and f/8, getting shutter speeds of 15s regularly, but boy were the shots worth it! Delayed release, critical focusing, slowly setup became a habit. Something I was not doing much of earlier. But of course the 28mm f/2, for example, still shines in poor light handheld. The results are truly amazing - sharp and beautiful colours!
What was surprising was that the "quality" of lens issue didn't really bite me, not yet at least. All my primes that I have tested are up to the mark, including K type converted to Ai, Ai, AiS, AF, AFD, and AFS (20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 50mm, 85mm, 60mm micro, 105mm micro, 180mm). Ok, some lenses had more distortion and more light fall-off, but all manageable and correctable. Zooms I have tried, including E75-150, Ai 80-200mm f/4.5, AFD 20-35mm f/2.8, AFD 80-200mm f/2.8, AFS 24-120mm f/4VR, were all up to the mark as well. Even the Tokina ATX DX 10-17mm FE zoom (used as FX from 15mm onwards) is sharp and flaws (CA mostly) easily correctable.
Still to be tested are some primes (e.g. 28mm f/2.8, f/3.5, AF 35mm f/2, AFS 50mm f/1.4, AF 85mm f/1.8, AFD 200mm f/4 Micro, etc), some zooms (e.g. AiS 80-200mm f/4, Tokina AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6, etc).
The D800 is really a revelation and the camera I enjoy the most so far (maybe only slightly more than my FE2 as it was my first camera)!
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Bro diediealsomustdive, even with only 4fps, D800 is alright for shooting sports. AF tracking works quite well.
(Not the ideal body for sports but still, it is capable).
Frozen action
Panning
Cheers
allow me to share my first time lapse (lousy setup and technique) but i am hooked, will experiment and practice more
[video=youtube;TwC7dtMlSP8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwC7dtMlSP8[/video]
[video=youtube;TwC7dtMlSP8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwC7dtMlSP8[/video]
Bro diediealsomustdive, even with only 4fps, D800 is alright for shooting sports. AF tracking works quite well.
(Not the ideal body for sports but still, it is capable).
Cheers
No doubt it is capable, if I may recall the days when high speed meant 5 fps on a F2AS or F3, and FM2/FE2 can only do 3.5fps on MD-11, 3.2 fps on MD-12.
Technique bro, technique, and bro you showed you have technique!
Some day I will try.
D800, even with 4 fps is also capable for wild life action photography.
The lower FPS just gives less chance of getting the "money shot" but with composure and pulling the trigger at the right moment, wth some luck, it can be done.
The catch phrase is "with some luck" so consistency is not there but it doesnt mean it cannot be done.
The lower FPS just gives less chance of getting the "money shot" but with composure and pulling the trigger at the right moment, wth some luck, it can be done.
The catch phrase is "with some luck" so consistency is not there but it doesnt mean it cannot be done.
I hope/wish someone from Nikon Sg is following this thread and noticing how we are "trying to sell" D800
Cheers
Andy
And reward us all with a promo pricing for nikkor lenses sometime soon
Wow! You have certainly shot wide and far and photographed many different subjects. Your comments coming from nearly a year of practical usage are defintely valuable information for people considering the D800/E. :thumbsup:
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I finally got my own D800. As I put the camera through its paces and having just upgraded from a D600 and a D7000 before that; I can see the difference in the beast and I am reassured I made the right choice. Aside from the higher resolution there are quite a few good improvements from the already very good D600. I am happy and I looked forward to a good time ahead with this camera. The details and ability to crop is simply out of this world. Here's a simple quick snapshot I took yesterday. Minimal PP except for cropping the shot.
Thanks. A lot of shooting during work trip so not truly serious photography trips, except when diving. Now at Bali diving so camera in housing all day.
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