I
know that the Nikon D800 36.3 MP is not really the replacement model over the D700.
Nevertheless, it did replace my old D700 and the D800 is, I believe, better
suited for my photographic needs than the D700, i.e., studio, portraits, and
landscape.
The
D700 was and still is an outstanding DSLR. The D800 is of course better, but in
a very perceptible way, which was quite a surprise to me.
I
have done over 5000 shots since my purchase on 24 March. So far, no issues to
report: no green cast from the LCD and no problems with the CLS system.
Nikon
has really outperformed with this new DSLR and the clear improvements are:
-
Much improved Dynamic Range, which was my main problem since my first DSLR
-
Better colors straight off the camera: deeper and richer
-
Better AF in low light
-
Highly detailed photographs at full res, 100% magnification and also when
down-scaling the photos.
Let's
not forget a proper and useable HD video feature at broadcasting quality.
On
the negative side (there has to be some):
-
The zoom in and zoom out buttons are reversed from the old models, which is now
more logical, but I am used to the old wrong way! it's a minor problem of
course.
-
D4 has backlit buttons, why not on the D800? This can't be that expensive to
include.
-
Very expensive Battery pack, this is a major drawback for me. But yes, the D800
is well priced at $3000. I just hate ridiculously priced accessories.
-
still wonder the point of having 1 CF slot and 1 SD slot. 2 CF slots would have
been superb. But I guess if you come from a SD card DSLR, that would be
practical for you.
I
just shot a wedding, and I consider the D800 to be an excellent choice for the
job. All the complains about shots being more blurry at 100% magnification are
irrelevant. One has to be precise with his/her settings, at the right exposure
and optimal shutter speed, results can be absolutely mind-blowing. And since
most won't need 36MP for wedding photographs, down-scaling images will
certainly eliminate slight camera-shake or noise.
 |
| Nikon D800 36.3 MP |
One
particular aspect that I appreciate is that my Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G is now
tack-sharp at f/1.4. I had a front focusing issue with my old D700 even with
the fine-tune option set to max. Since I'm no techie geek, I still don't
understand why the D700 gave me problems with the 85mm.
Anyway,
I used to be one of those people saying that digital photography will never
replace film photography. The D800 has changed all that.
