February Poll - Nikon D800

[kiwi]

With the Nikon D800 out in 7 days by all accounts, what decisions are you making ?

[knumbnutz]

Hi Darren,
Its gonna be a nice camera - no doubt.
But having the D700 means that low light and focusing are pretty decent and apart from MP and video (which i'm not keen on anyhow) there's not a whole lot that can tip me into buying it - certainly not the price.
I would rather they -
1. made VR/IS/SR on-board in-camera so that lenses that don't have VR get stabilized
2. screen overlay of some functions like horizon
3. In camera PANORAMA function
4. Live histogram

But since that won't happen I dont see the upgrade as being enough to warrant it.
If they implement some of these functions then i will be interested though.

Cheers Neil

[maccaroneski]

What will you do after D800 is available ?

Get up, have breakfast, shower, go to work....

[Wayne]

Possibly sell my D700 and upgrade, but if earlier rumours are true and it will be a slower body with higher resolution sensor, but no better AF or ISO performance than the D700, I will just keep the D700.

[Tannin]

Rejoice!

If the rumours are true, it will mean that Nikon, finally, are offering:

• (1) a full frame camera
• (2) at an (almost) affordable price
• (3) with a modern hi-rez sensor
• (4) a quality focus system

..... all in the same unit. This is a major first. Until the D800, you could have:

• 1 and 2 (Canon 5D Mark I)
• 1 and 4 (Nikon D3)
• 1, 2 and 3 (Canon 5D Mark II)
• 1, 2 and 4 (Nikon D700)
• 1, 3 and 4 (Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 1Ds Mark III, Nikon D3X)
• 2, 3 and 4 (Canon 7D, depending on where you want to draw the "hi-res" line you could include the Nikon D300 also)

but no matter what you did, you couldn't have all four good things in one camera.

Until now.

If the rumoured spec turns out to be true, and there are no unexpected stuff-ups, the D800 will mark a watershed in the development of digital photography. It will go down in history as one of the cameras which changed the photographic landscape - or rather, as a camera which signposted a sea-change, for unless I miss my guess there is a very similar product likely to be announced by Canon any time now - another one that nails all four criteria instead of only three. And because there will be two great, more-or-less affordable full frame cameras, the two companies will have to work very, very hard on pricing, on quality control, and on further improvements to remain competitive. What's not to like?

-----------------------------------------

Oh, and what will I do? Nothing. I have no present need for another camera body. I don't need a high-spec focus system for the landscapes I use full-frame for, and don't use full-frame for the birds I have high-spec focus systems for, so there really wouldn't be a lot of point in me upgrading to either of these excellent new cameras. In a perfect world, I suppose I'd get a D800 to go with a Nikkor 14-24/2.8 .... but then in a perfect world that much sought-after lens would take filters .... so I suppose I'll let the old 50D soldier on for a few years longer. The 10-22 is still just as sweet as ever, and money just can't buy a full-frame substitute for the excellent Tokina 10-17 fish (the Canon fisheye zoom was only invented so that the term "brain dead" would not feel lonley) .... so it's gravy for me.

[arthurking83]

From what I understand of the Sony A900, it's focus system was pretty good.

It's (D800's) video ability will be the clincher for me.
If it's as good as the D4's specs,then I'm in!

I'd personally prefer fewer pixels, and better high ISO ability .. ISO204K would make for interesting possibilities ...

D3x would make a sub par fast action camera due to the low(er) frame rates it was capable of shooting.
I've seen you guys(birders) at work and y'all tend to shoot at 10fps or so .. D3x is only a 5fps camera in 12bit mode and drops down to an effective 1.5fps if you prefer to shoot in 14bit mode.
(an issue with the Sony sensor .. D300 has the same issue @ 14bit)

[jim]

Well, since I'm thinking of upgrading from my D300 which is well past its best, the spec. for the D800 looks pretty tempting. Probably the best landscape solution available unless you move up to a larger format, and better for birding than what I have now. It would suit my lens collection better than the FX D300 too.

Hugely tempting.

[Tannin]

Cheers Arthur. I take your point about fast action - indeed, so do most birders, it seems, as those who use full frame bodies (not all that many) mostly use 1Ds III which can do 5pfs (no ifs, buts or maybes - any resolution, any bit depth). But most don't, and in the main they use 7Ds and (if they can afford it) 1D IVs - again because of no-compromise 7 and 10fps with good pixel density. The D800 might just change that, and if Nikon release a D300s replacement one day, tht could make things really interesting.

Do we have a frame speed figure for it yet? (Well, a rumour anyway.)

And (most important!) do we have a price?

BTW: I'm still predicting that Canon will NOT replace the 5D II this year, not directly. I'm tipping that they will introduce a 3D (think 7D body, weather sealing, and AF system with a soupled-up 5D II/1Ds III sensor) which will sit a bit higher than the D800 in the overall scale of things and cost just as much or a bit more (but much less than the genuine pro models), AND retain the 5D II as well for another year or so, allowing it to become cheaper and cheaper. Eventually, they'd do a 5D III (think 60D with big sensor) but not until after the 7D II is released.

But just one thing: IF the D800 rumours are correct, what can Canon do to position the D3 above the D800 without (a) making it very expensive, and (b) crippling sales of the 1D X?

And another thing - are we really going to see a 36MP D800? I'm all in favour of upping resolutions, at least in full frame cameras which have lagged a bit behind the APS-C world, but that seems a trifle excessive. But whatever - I should think that they know what they are doing.

[Tannin]

PS: the answer to most of my questions, I very much fear, is "yet more useless damn video junk".

[mongo]

simple - Mongo is making no decisions to do anything but wait to see what it has to offer. Mongo does not make decisions on mere speculation; and there is no shortage of that !

[Darey]

I have a Nikon D7000 and I'm so dam happy with it I will not be changing, so Mint Sauce for me.

[peterb666]

While I have a mix of full-frame and cropped sensor lenses, what I have and would really need would be a replacement to the excellent cropped sensor Nikkor 10-24mm zooom and it doesn't really exist. Yes, you can get a zoom wider than a 15mm full-frame but not without considerable bulk, cost and the loss of front filters.

I am more likely to pick up a D7000 or D400(?) to replace my D90.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[LJG]

Hmm, what decision will I be making - oh wait, I know, get my 5D2 out and use it haha

[arthurking83]

While I have a mix of full-frame and cropped sensor lenses, what I have and would really need would be a replacement to the excellent cropped sensor Nikkor 10-24mm zooom and it doesn't really exist. Yes, you can get a zoom wider than a 15mm full-frame but not without considerable bulk, cost and the loss of front filters.

......

16-35mm f/4 ?

Yeah, 16mm isn't exactly the same as 15mm(equiv) but it's kind'a close .. and you get VR and a constant aperture to make up for the 1mm shortfall at both ends.

[Avalon]

I am perfectly happy with my D700 and can't see any good reason to upgrade right now.
What I would really like is a new wide angle lens to suit it. I have the 20mm, but something a little wider would be very welcome.

[I @ M]

What I would really like is a new wide angle lens to suit it. I have the 20mm, but something a little wider would be very welcome.

There are plenty of choices really, the only limitations are whether you want to be able to screw a filter straight onto the lens or whether you are prepared to spend the extra mony on a an expensive filter attachment system.

Nikkor 16-35
Nikkor 14-28
Sigma 12-24
Tokina 16-28

I am finding the Tokina 16-28 to be a very versatile lens and strangely enough it has become a bit of a favourite for portraits even at 16mm.

[I @ M]

Getting back on the topic.

A D800?

It definitely will be cool bit of gear but I will wait and see what the real world says about it when it is released.

[rellik666]

I do not need to spend anymore money
I do not need to spend anymore money
I do not need to spend anymore money

Yet!

[Avalon]

Thanks Andrew, my ideal wide-angle would be the Nikon 14-24 but price, weight and issues with filters and the fact that I already have a 20mm lens make me inclined to be patient to see if a new prime comes out.
As for the D800, I will be curious to see how the real world reviews come out too, but I have no plans to give in to Nikon Acquisition Syndrome at this stage.

[virgal_tracy]

What will you do after D800 is available ?

Wait for the D700 price to come down or buy a 2nd hand unit off those that must upgrade. The D800 is not such a quantum leap forward that I must have it when the D700 does everything that I want already.