Nikon Nerds - today is the day...

[Lost Canadian]

This is now the most enviable piece of kit for the landscape photographer. :sport_box

Your move canon...

I could argue that Nik's 14-24mm is the most enviable piece of kit considering the number of Canon shooters that use it with an adapter, cough ...Marc Adamus...cough, but pair it with the high res of the D800E,...holy cow!

 

[Honu]

going to be a nice camera for sure

 

[Lost Canadian]

Joy Ride by Sandro

Here's a behind the scenes video by the famous Sandro.
[video=vimeo;36306101]http://vimeo.com/36306101[/video]

...and the film itself shot exclusively with the D800.
[video=vimeo;36305675]http://vimeo.com/36305675[/video]

 

[arlon]

Money saved and waiting to be spent on the D700 replacement. Hoping it comes today, I thought signs were pointing to 'yes' all D700s are out of stock.

There will never be a replacement for the D700, it's going to go down in history as one of the best ever digital cameras. Like the D50, there are just some things that no newer camera can do. If and when the D800 comes out it will be something completely different to the D700. I see it as a killer companion to the D700, not a replacement. My funds for a D800 are allready set aside but the D700 is probably still going to get a LOT of use. My D90 is what the D800 is going to replace..

 

[greg mgm]

What a great movie. Amazing how big of a production it is for a short film.
So much I like about it. Camera points of view, lighting and especially the face shots.
I love the reason for the fast riding....didn't expect that.
Makes me want to order a D800. :sombrero:

 

[Lost Canadian]

There will never be a replacement for the D700, it's going to go down in history as one of the best ever digital cameras. Like the D50, there are just some things that no newer camera can do. If and when the D800 comes out it will be something completely different to the D700. I see it as a killer companion to the D700, not a replacement. My funds for a D800 are allready set aside but the D700 is probably still going to get a LOT of use. My D90 is what the D800 is going to replace..

Spec for spec the D800 blows the D700 out of the water, it just does...and I'm a very happy D700 user. If I owned both at the same time I'd probably never pick up the D700 again, and here's why.

1) The D800 is smaller and lighter by 100 grams.
2) The D800's improved AF system with subject tracking and AF detection in light levels of -2 EV is pulled straight out of the $6000 D4. AF users should see noticeable improvements over the already great AF on the D700.
3) The D800 viewfinder is 100% compared to the 95% on the D700.
4) Dual card slots on the D800 vs single on the D700.
5) Low light performance is on par, according to Nikon, despite the increased pixel density. (We'll see about that one.)
6) Incredible video capabilities vs none on the D700.
7) The D800 is pushing into medium format territory in terms of resolution, especially the 800E model.

I could go on but I think it's pretty evident, the D800 is a big step forward from the D700 and will prove to be a very worthy successor.
There are a number of drawbacks to the D800 however. The biggest is going to be file size. Going from 15- 25MB 14 bit RAW files on the D700 to 70-85mb on the D800/800E is going to be a kicker, and will likely require a greater investment in memory. Another is the demands the sensor will place on lenses. Lens flaws will likely be a lot more pronounced on the D800. Owning really good glass will be a must to take advantage of what the camera can really do. Lastly, ones shooting technique will have to be sound. Missing focus or choosing the wrong aperture will reveal itself to viewers much easier with the D800.

 

[arlon]

My D800 is bought and paid for but I still don't expect it to replace my D700. What it's going to replace is my D90 (when the D800 gets here in March/April).
I hope it's high ISO performance blows my D700 away but I wouldn't bet a box of chocolate (even cheap chocolate) on that happening. There are just going to be some places where nothing but the D700 and an F1.4 lens are going to get the job done for me. The D800 with it new 28-300mm companion is going to be my D90/28-200 replacement. Currently I use the D90 about 80% of the time. I'll pass the D90 down the food chain as soon as I'm convinced the D800 is all it's been cracked up to be. I hope it is, I've literally been saving lunch money for a year to get this camera (since the first rumors). Even if the D800 doesn't live up to my expectations, I lost 12 lbs saving up for it so it won't be all bad.. (-:}

I just can't really see comparing it to the D700. If anything, it's just a full frame d7000 in a stronger housing..

 

[DiploStrat]

Sigh! They finally announce the D800 just as I place an order for a camper! Grrr! The D800 is going to make my D200 feel really old!

 

[Lost Canadian]

Sigh! They finally announce the D800 just as I place an order for a camper! Grrr! The D800 is going to make my D200 feel really old!

Hey man, nothing wrong with the D200, if it took great images before I'll bet it still takes great images. These things are just expensive toys for most of us, or should I say tools...:ylsmoke:

My D800 is bought and paid for but I still don't expect it to replace my D700. What it's going to replace is my D90 (when the D800 gets here in March/April).
I hope it's high ISO performance blows my D700 away but I wouldn't bet a box of chocolate (even cheap chocolate) on that happening. There are just going to be some places where nothing but the D700 and an F1.4 lens are going to get the job done for me. The D800 with it new 28-300mm companion is going to be my D90/28-200 replacement. Currently I use the D90 about 80% of the time. I'll pass the D90 down the food chain as soon as I'm convinced the D800 is all it's been cracked up to be. I hope it is, I've literally been saving lunch money for a year to get this camera (since the first rumors). Even if the D800 doesn't live up to my expectations, I lost 12 lbs saving up for it so it won't be all bad.. (-:}

I just can't really see comparing it to the D700. If anything, it's just a full frame d7000 in a stronger housing..

Hey arlon, not trying to be argumentative but I'm not following your logic. In what way does the D800 not replace/best/do better/compare to the D700? Would you mind clarifying those statements for us,...I can be a little daft at times.

As for the lens choices you mentioned above, would it not make more sense to place the 28-300mm on the D700 where it's lower resolving power and optical shortcomings won't be so noticeable and put the prime lenses on the camera (D800) that can actually take advantage of their full, high resolving potential?

 

[arlon]

Hey man, nothing wrong with the D200, if it took great images before I'll bet it still takes great images. These things are just expensive toys for most of us, or should I say tools...:ylsmoke:



Hey arlon, not trying to be argumentative but I'm not following your logic. In what way does the D800 not replace/best/do better/compare to the D700? Would you mind clarifying those statements for us,...I can be a little daft at times.

As for the lens choices you mentioned above, would it not make more sense to place the 28-300mm on the D700 where it's lower resolving power and optical shortcomings won't be so noticeable and put the prime lenses on the camera (D800) that can actually take advantage of their full, high resolving potential?

I like Ken Rockwell and he claims the new 28-300VR is one of the best possible lenses for the D800. Maybe he lied. End of that discussion.
The only thing that the D800 has that compares to A D700 is it's made by Nikon.
D800 is 3x as many pixels. Pixel size is almost identical to the D7000 in fact I bet that box of chocolate it is the D7000 sensor only stretched to full frame. ISO performance is identical to the D7000, but very different than the that of the 3 times larger pixels of the D700 (who's pixels are basically the same size as the old D50).
AF of the D700 and 800 are basically the same.
D800 has dual media slots like a D7000, battery same as D7000
D800 is a video camera like a D7000.. etc etc.. I just feel that the D800 is more like a full frame D7000 than a D700 replacement.
The D800 isn't a step above the D700, it's a quantum leap. It's in another league. It's the first of a new platform, not just an upgrade of an old one. They should have called it a D8000...

The D700 is like the D50. There was never really a replacement for it. It still does things that NO other Nikon DSLR can do. I still have a D50 and on rare ocassions call on it to do what only it can.. I imagine I'll be saying the same for my D700 but the D90 is the one being "replaced"..


Just read a comment in Rockwells blurb on the D800, he says ditch your D7000, the D800 is it!... He didn't say anything about replacing the D700.. (-:}

 

[Lost Canadian]

I smell what you're stepping in,...sort of.

I like Ken Rockwell and he claims the new 28-300VR is one of the best possible lenses for the D800. Maybe he lied. End of that discussion.

Ken Rockwell says a lot of silly things, like "real" pros use program auto, and that jpg is better than raw, and that VR eliminated the need for tripods,...but goes on to tell readers elsewhere that they should buy some cheap $30 Chinese tripod from Adorama, but not a Benro tripod because it's a Gitzo rippoff made in China. He's claimed about 100 different cameras as being the best cameras ever and that a mega-zooms with slow apertures are just as good as XYZ fast aperture pro grade lenses. Rockwell makes some good points some of the time but more often than not makes claims and recommendations that are so out in left field it's hard for most people to take anything he says seriously. He even reviews products without touching or seeing them. The guy really is a joke.

The only thing that the D800 has that compares to A D700 is it's made by Nikon.
D800 is 3x as many pixels. Pixel size is almost identical to the D7000 in fact I bet that box of chocolate it is the D7000 sensor only stretched to full frame. ISO performance is identical to the D7000, but very different than the that of the 3 times larger pixels of the D700 (who's pixels are basically the same size as the old D50).

AF of the D700 and 800 are basically the same.
D800 has dual media slots like a D7000, battery same as D7000
D800 is a video camera like a D7000.. etc etc.. I just feel that the D800 is more like a full frame D7000 than a D700 replacement.
The D800 isn't a step above the D700, it's a quantum leap. It's in another league. It's the first of a new platform, not just an upgrade of an old one. They should have called it a D8000...

The D700 is like the D50. There was never really a replacement for it. It still does things that NO other Nikon DSLR can do. I still have a D50 and on rare ocassions call on it to do what only it can.. I imagine I'll be saying the same for my D700 but the D90 is the one being "replaced"..


Just read a comment in Rockwells blurb on the D800, he says ditch your D7000, the D800 is it!... He didn't say anything about replacing the D700.. (-:}

OK, but drawing similarities between cameras or a cameras IQ based on pixel density alone is a hard sell. While the D7000 and D800 may share this one trait in common its far too early to claim equal ISO performance; they have different processors, different pipelines, are different formats etc. In the same token that you compare the D50 to the D700 in terms of pixel size, one could hardly argue that on a pixel by pixel basis they perform anywhere close to each other. These guys know a thing or two about that. As for the D700 and D50 doing things no other Nikon can do, I'm not sure what those "things" would be.

You pointed to AF of the D800 and D700 as being pretty much the same. While both share the same number of focus points they are two different systems. The new system in the D4 and D800 tie AF to the new 91000 pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering III which is the core of the new face detection capabilities, which is also part of the exposure calculation process as well as the automatic selection of active AF point(s) when the AF mode is set to AF-A.

And finally, as for Rockwell's comments about ditching the D7000,...what an idiotic statement. The D7000 is a cropped frame camera (1) so unless you're DX user with all full frame glass, you'll be forking out a huge sum of $$$$ to move into that D800. (2) The D7000 is $1200 the D800 $3000, while people are at it Ken why not just ditch Nikon altogether and invest a $100000 into a medium format system.

 

[arlon]

Right, I'll go back to my brownie. I've learned where to keep my mouth shut.

 

[Colorado David]

I was on the verge of placing a pre-order for the D4, but held off and wondered why I was. Now I know why. I'm still debating between the D4 and the D800, but I'll have to make up my mind pretty soon and get on the waiting list.

 

[Lost Canadian]

Where can you order it from? Checked amazon and b&h and I can't find it. The d800 vs d800E makes a tough call. Hmm.

Ryan, which route did you go 'E' or no 'E'? I placed my order for the 'E' but now I'm having second thoughts. A lot of videographers are saying to stay away from the 'E' for video because colour banding is known to be a bit of a problem with regular DSLR's and will likely be an even bigger problem with the 'E'. Moire is easy enough to handle with stills but I'm hearing it's a major headache when it comes to video. Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

[Ryanmb21]

My wife an I have decided to go with the regular D800... But we have seen basically brand new D700 cameras on craigslist which is very tempting. In short we haven't placed the order yet.

For the camera $3000 seems fair... But we'd also have to upgrade our three year old MacBook. The 36 mp is going to create just huge files. That really is our biggest hold up.

Ryan, which route did you go 'E' or no 'E'? I placed my order for the 'E' but now I'm having second thoughts. A lot of videographers are saying to stay away from the 'E' for video because colour banding is known to be a bit of a problem with regular DSLR's and will likely be an even bigger problem with the 'E'. Moire is easy enough to handle with stills but I'm hearing it's a major headache when it comes to video. Anyone have thoughts on this?