I played with a D800 yesterday...

[mrbeal]

and BOY is it nice! My cousin is in from San Fransisco and brought his practically brand new D800 to learn while he's here visiting. I taught him a BUNCH about his new camera (that I've never even seen before) but do you think I can take a well thought out photograph on my own?
Give me a Nikon camera and I can teach you how to use it with very little fumbling around on my part but ask me to compose a photograph and light it properly I just can't get myself to do it. I can use the camera and lighting apparatus properly but just am never happy with my results.
I really need to go out and practice...

 

[Chris101]

Cool Steve. It helps to not focus on the camera itself when learning composition and style. Yep, practice helps!

 

[Bunsen Honeydew]

and BOY is it nice! My cousin is in from San Fransisco and brought his practically brand new D800 to learn while he's here visiting. I taught him a BUNCH about his new camera (that I've never even seen before) but do you think I can take a well thought out photograph on my own?
Give me a Nikon camera and I can teach you how to use it with very little fumbling around on my part but ask me to compose a photograph and light it properly I just can't get myself to do it. I can use the camera and lighting apparatus properly but just am never happy with my results.
I really need to go out and practice...

You're in trouble, you need a D800 they are amazing :biggrin:

 

[mrbeal]

I need a D800 like I needed a D2x...

 

[vinman]

I've rented the 800E twice. I like it a lot, but I ended up using my D700 for more shots during each shoot. I was leaning heavily towards getting one for a long time, but I finally decided that the extra resolution wasn't as important to me as having something more practical for constant carrying. I picked up a Fuji X-E1 and 35/1.4 earlier this week and I'm in love. Full frame is awesome, and I recommend going in that direction, but you can get equal mileage from a nice D700 or a new D600.

 

[Bunsen Honeydew]

I've rented the 800E twice. I like it a lot, but I ended up using my D700 for more shots during each shoot. I was leaning heavily towards getting one for a long time, but I finally decided that the extra resolution wasn't as important to me as having something more practical for constant carrying. I picked up a Fuji X-E1 and 35/1.4 earlier this week and I'm in love. Full frame is awesome, and I recommend going in that direction, but you can get equal mileage from a nice D700 or a new D600.

Either way, it's called NAS. Put a lock on your bank account, but resistance is futile. :biggrin:

 

[Maestrodawg1]

It's a tremendous camera which demands the best technique. It's unforgiving to an extreme. But when everything comes together, good Gawd, the results are amazing.

 

[nephets0]

i haven't had the opportunity to play with a d800 really, but just looking at the images and the uber detail that all that resolution provides has me wanting to put my cc in a bucket of water and in the bottom of the deep freeze...

 

[nuclearjock]

It's a tremendous camera which demands the best technique. It's unforgiving to an extreme. But when everything comes together, good Gawd, the results are amazing.

I've heard this time and time again. I keep my shutter speed up and try to use good long lens technique and have never had a problem with my D800. Even more interesting is that the D7100 is never mentioned as being unforgiving and its pixel density is even greater than that of the D800 . The D800's matrix metering and awesome AF can really go a long way towards capturing beautiful images.

 

[Iscariot]

I've heard this time and time again. I keep my shutter speed up and try to use good long lens technique and have never had a problem with my D800. Even more interesting is that the D7100 is never mentioned as being unforgiving and its pixel density is even greater than that of the D800 . The D800's matrix metering and awesome AF can really go a long way towards capturing beautiful images.

I agree with this. Generally Im a not an especially good photographer when it comes to technique but I do nothing overly special and have no trouble obtaining nice sharp images. Its just the composition that tends to the boring side of things :biggrin:

 

[Maestrodawg1]

I've heard this time and time again. I keep my shutter speed up and try to use good long lens technique and have never had a problem with my D800. Even more interesting is that the D7100 is never mentioned as being unforgiving and its pixel density is even greater than that of the D800 . The D800's matrix metering and awesome AF can really go a long way towards capturing beautiful images.

When you look at it, the D7000's pixel density is higher too. Not by much but it is. I'm no expert on the D800 and am still learning how to use the darn thing a year after I bought it. Just before that I decided to start shooting RAW as well. I just seem to see a lot more imperfections on the D800 when I get lazy. No idea why. They're also imperfections that I see and not everyone I know sees my pictures the same way either.

 

[roar]

I've heard this time and time again. I keep my shutter speed up and try to use good long lens technique and have never had a problem with my D800. Even more interesting is that the D7100 is never mentioned as being unforgiving and its pixel density is even greater than that of the D800 . The D800's matrix metering and awesome AF can really go a long way towards capturing beautiful images.

I've had mine for about 14 months and while I'm still learning about it, I have never had an issue as long as I keep good glass mounted and don't do anything foolish!

 

[Randy]

I've heard this time and time again. I keep my shutter speed up and try to use good long lens technique and have never had a problem with my D800. Even more interesting is that the D7100 is never mentioned as being unforgiving and its pixel density is even greater than that of the D800 . The D800's matrix metering and awesome AF can really go a long way towards capturing beautiful images.

+10
it's another urban myth

if anyone was having trouble getting good technicals on their shots they are still having problems:smile:

and learning curve on new bodies and lenses, IMO another urban myth...
exposure is exposure, focus is focus, if a button or menu item moved find it and move on

 

[Randy]

I agree with this. Generally Im a not an especially good photographer when it comes to technique but I do nothing overly special and have no trouble obtaining nice sharp images. Its just the composition that tends to the boring side of things :biggrin:

seriously ?

for me and I suspect many of us that's the best part

 

[Maestrodawg1]

+10
it's another urban myth

Disagree. Urban reality. It's not all about pixel density. It's also about such things as DOF, or on APC sensors the camera grabs the best of light of the lens, and several other things. With one exception and that's exposure. The D800 there is a lot more forgiving than all else.

 

[McQ]

I've rented the 800E twice. I like it a lot, but I ended up using my D700 for more shots during each shoot. I was leaning heavily towards getting one for a long time, but I finally decided that the extra resolution wasn't as important to me as having something more practical for constant carrying. I picked up a Fuji X-E1 and 35/1.4 earlier this week and I'm in love. Full frame is awesome, and I recommend going in that direction, but you can get equal mileage from a nice D700 or a new D600.

Love my X-E1, too.

Still would like to try out a D800 just for fun.

 

[McQ]

+10
it's another urban myth

if anyone was having trouble getting good technicals on their shots they are still having problems:smile:

and learning curve on new bodies and lenses, IMO another urban myth...
exposure is exposure, focus is focus, if a button or menu item moved find it and move on

The posts regarding learning curve on a new body made me wonder how much actually changes from one body iteration to the next. I usually have a two-day period with a new body where I go over the details of buttons and menus in depth. And I take a lot of silly "practice shots" of things around the house. But after that, I'm off to the races and usually never have an issue with menus or buttons again.

I guess if you jumped from a D40 to a D800 there would be a considerable curve though.

Me, I just want to get hold of a rental D800 and mess around with it so I can feel that NAS again!
:biggrin:

 

[Bunsen Honeydew]

The posts regarding learning curve on a new body made me wonder how much actually changes from one body iteration to the next. I usually have a two-day period with a new body where I go over the details of buttons and menus in depth. And I take a lot of silly "practice shots" of things around the house. But after that, I'm off to the races and usually never have an issue with menus or buttons again.

I guess if you jumped from a D40 to a D800 there would be a considerable curve though.

Me, I just want to get hold of a rental D800 and mess around with it so I can feel that NAS again!
:biggrin:

I went from a D300s to a D800, never missed a beat, piece of cake.

 

[sizzlingbadger]

I've rented the 800E twice. I like it a lot, but I ended up using my D700 for more shots during each shoot. I was leaning heavily towards getting one for a long time, but I finally decided that the extra resolution wasn't as important to me as having something more practical for constant carrying. I picked up a Fuji X-E1 and 35/1.4 earlier this week and I'm in love. Full frame is awesome, and I recommend going in that direction, but you can get equal mileage from a nice D700 or a new D600.

I did exactly the same thing, loved my Fuji to start with....

3 months later I sold it and bought the D800, I'd rather carry the brick around and get the shot, the Fuji just didn't cut it for me, I guess I had been spoiled by the D700 AF.

 

[Maestrodawg1]

I guess if you jumped from a D40 to a D800 there would be a considerable curve though.

Me, I just want to get hold of a rental D800 and mess around with it so I can feel that NAS again!
:biggrin:

I went D70 > D200 > D7000 >D800. I wanted always to get the D700 instead but the stars never aligned just right. When I had the D7000 I longed for my return to the same body style as the D200, D300, D700. That series has a lot more features than the prosumer line. And the D7000 made me a bit lazy. The D800 has so many more features that it allows me to push the envelop a lot further than the prosumer line. For me if the stars align while pushing that envelope, I end up with super photos.

I've thought about getting a Fuji XE-1 as well and stick that awesome Zeiss 12mm on it (the "kit" lens is too good to replace with anything) as a walkabout system. But then I still don't see the sense of depth and texture that a D800 makes.