Nikon D800 - Who did it?

[Legato2057]

Guilty. I pre-ordered mine already, I'll be selling all my DX stuff in a few weeks. I've had my D90 for a few years now and love it, but it's time to finally make the jump to FX.

[spacemonkey1112]

congrats on the purchase; hope you enjoy it!!

I don't know much about nikon, but a few people mentioned lens compatibility within nikon? whats up with that? Can you elaborate please? I'm a canon user so i really don't know a lot about Nikon's lens besides their camera's specs and such

[MaximusJ]

Any lens within a compatible mount type (F type mount is running for a long time now) is compatible with other cameras that use the same type of mount. The only thing is that some functions didnt exist on the older lenses so they obviously wont have that function even if your camera does. Autofocus is a good example. You can also put some very old CPU lens on; but they require to be registered within the camera (sounds complicated, but it isnt.)

So there is two types of lenses for the cameras I use. DX and FX. DX got a crop factor of 1.5X and FX is full Frame. You still can put a DX lens on a full frame like the D800, but the camera will operate it as a DX camera would.

After writing this, I checked wikipedia, and they tell the whole nine yard about it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F-mount So I cant really add anything on the top of it

[The1]

sorta like canon with EF-S and EF except the full frame canons aren't happy about putting EF-S lenses on.

[spacemonkey1112]

hahah cool thanks for the info

[MaximusJ]

I'm impressed to see a lot of D700 owners that choose not to upgrade.

That means that if the hype is not that high, I will get my order fulfilled sooner then expected ;p

[dcstep]

Looking forward to pix.

[DnA Diesel]

I could see myself getting a D800 in a few years to make the move from DX to FX, but if I already had either a D7000 or a D700, I wouldn't feel inclined to upgrade to the 800 as the difference would be much less than from my 5000. That said, I plan on getting only FX lenses in the future unless there really is a convincing case for a specific DX lens. The 70-300VR is a great amateur zoom, and I'm looking at a 14-24 2.8 as well to stay with FX lenses.

It may be small, but I'm also not a big fan on the "sloping shoulders" of the newer Nikon models (3100, 5100, 7000, 800) over the older 90/3000/5000/300/700...

[secretsquirrel]

Once you go FF, you'll never go back.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by secretsquirrel

Once you go FF, you'll never go back.

Well, maybe except for wildlife and macro.

Dave

[asian010]

i love my d7000. my thing is to just get better glass and learn how to take good photos before i go even further with a fx. what good are the benefits if you dont know how to utilize them.

[The1]

you can still take a better shot, but your learning curve will be a lot lower. And you may lean on the camera like it's a crutch instead of using it properly.

If you don't know cameras, you'd be spending 3k to have a camera that you're only using 10% of it's abilities.

so yes, wise choice to stick with the D7000 for the time being. Besides, you'll be waiting a few months for it anyhow, so no rush

[leJUNd]

I will be sticking with my D700.

[70X200]

Currently using the D700. I would only consider upgrading to a D4 or possibly a D3. Even then I would keep the 700 as a backup.

[The1]

Originally Posted by 70X200

Currently using the D700. I would only consider upgrading to a D4 or possibly a D3. Even then I would keep the 700 as a backup.

talk to rodi, he's thinking of selling his D3, you'll see him talking in the 5DmkIII thread if you have any questions for him. (if he hasn't posted in this thread that is)

[dcstep]

Remember, diffraction limits are very real. I deal with them almost daily with my very dense pixel 7D. My 500mm is excellent, but I generally limit myself to f/8 to minimize visible diffraction. At f/16 it can easily be seen.

So, if you like to shoot landscapes with DOF from the front of your tripod to infiinity and routinely shoot at f/16 or even f/22, forget about it with the D800. The diffraction will ruin all the sharpness that you used to get from tripod, mirror lock up, remote release and small aperture. F/11 is about as small as you'll want to go and, preferably f/8. The 22MP Canon 5D MkIII will be a much better landscape body.

See and calculate visible diffraction limits for various cameras at:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...tography-2.htm

Diffraction is physics that can't be overcome with a better lens or better processor churning the sensor's information. A true sharpening program, not Unsharp Masking, could probably improve detail, but it's simpler to understand how pixel size relates to detail resolution potential and select your sensor accordingly.

Put a big ole 600mm super-tele on the D800 and shoot a bird wide open and the feather detail will rock you back in your seat, but try to put a 17mm on it stopped down to f/16 and you'll prefer the D700 every time.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings for some, but there's no free lunch when it comes to optics and physics.

One camera cannot do everything equally well, so you need to pick based on your needs or carry two cameras, like I do.

Dave

[Chewy734]

thanks for the website Dave. I can't believe it's blocked at work though.

[vachss]

Dave,

Diffraction is real, but focus stacking can be a very effective tool for landscapes as well as macro. Or for the Canonites, just tilting your 17mm TS-E can be a pretty effective way of getting wide DOF w/o objectionable diffractive blur as well.

Also, while diffraction does start to become more evident above f/11 or so on the 7D this isn't a binary effect - it comes on slowly. As a result significantly more detail will still be resolved as pixel density increases beyond this - even at f/11-16. It just won't improve as much as was the case at wider apertures. We won't reach the real point of diminishing returns due to diffraction until over 50MP on APS-C or well over 100MP on FF (though noise issues may become objectionable before then).

Finally the D800 at 36MP on FF has less pixel density than the 7D, so while I agree that there's no free lunch, I believe the D800 still offers an appetizing meal for the landscape photographer. (But I ain't trading in my 5D2).

PS. To strain the free lunch metaphor even further: There may be no free lunch in optics and physics, but optical physics has payed for all my lunches (not to mention cars 'n houses 'n stuff) for the last 30 years.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by vachss

Dave,

Diffraction is real, but focus stacking can be a very effective tool for landscapes as well as macro. Or for the Canonites, just tilting your 17mm TS-E can be a pretty effective way of getting wide DOF w/o objectionable diffractive blur as well.

Also, while diffraction does start to become more evident above f/11 or so on the 7D this isn't a binary effect - it comes on slowly. As a result significantly more detail will still be resolved as pixel density increases beyond this - even at f/11-16. It just won't improve as much as was the case at wider apertures. We won't reach the real point of diminishing returns due to diffraction until over 50MP on APS-C or well over 100MP on FF (though noise issues may become objectionable before then).

Finally the D800 at 36MP on FF has less pixel density than the 7D, so while I agree that there's no free lunch, I believe the D800 still offers an appetizing meal for the landscape photographer. (But I ain't trading in my 5D2).

PS. To strain the free lunch metaphor even further: There may be no free lunch in optics and physics, but optical physics has payed for all my lunches (not to mention cars 'n houses 'n stuff) for the last 30 years.

Well said.

A bag of TS-E lenses is really appealing, other than the cost and weight of carrying them around. I occasionally fixate on the 17mm TS-E as an ideal addition to my bag. I may have CPS send me one to try for a few days.

I think the 5D MkIII will be a stunning landscape body with the 16-35mm, which is also on my short list. Oh yeah, and there's the 8-15mm.

I really, really like having the latest 5D and the latest 7D in my bag, covering all fronts.

It kills me to see the Caon fanboys (I'm one) bemoaning the D800, when the 7D has been around for two or three years. The 7D MkII is going to be even better. With my 5D/7D combo I've got all that I could wish for.

Dave