Nikon D800......

[Cagey75]

I haven't yet started the brick wall and target shots.

I hate when people do that. I sold a lens to a guy once, and he turned up with a ruler and began to take pics of it at various angles and apertures ... Zzzzzzz - I'm not such a drama llama. I flick past those sections in reviews. I want to know if it's sharp, has little distortion, and whether it's sealed or not, those kind of practical things.

fine-tune the lenses to the camera, but that also applied to the D700 and D300 for best results.

Any tips on how to do this? I'll probably look up some vids on youtube when I get it, or whatever. But any quick tips to make it easy? For someone who's new to FX

 

[Laudrup]

I did think about it, but what if I find I have a problem? I'll probably worry myself silly instead of taking photos! Do you have the problem with your D800?

I've had the camera since May and it has given me some lovely pictures that I am very happy with, but I haven't yet started the brick wall and target shots.

A lot of my photography is done with the camera tripod mounted, using timer delay and mirror-up, and focused with live view, in which case the auto-focus issue will not present itself.

Taking hand-held shots using auto-focus, I get a similar rate of keepers to my D700, and as the new camera is said to need more care than the D700, then that's fine by me.

Although I do accept that a lot of users may suffer the auto-focus issue, there are a lot of posters who I suspect have never used the camera, but like to perpetuate the issue. What I do think is important, is to fine-tune the lenses to the camera, but that also applied to the D700 and D300 for best results.

If you did have a problem Nikon would fix it. Seems a bit strange to not check for it, what if you try and sell it on?

 

[pmac]

well just sold my d700, so think i will be ordering a d800 this afternoon

 

[arclight]

I did think about it, but what if I find I have a problem? I'll probably worry myself silly instead of taking photos! Do you have the problem with your D800?

I've had the camera since May and it has given me some lovely pictures that I am very happy with, but I haven't yet started the brick wall and target shots.

A lot of my photography is done with the camera tripod mounted, using timer delay and mirror-up, and focused with live view, in which case the auto-focus issue will not present itself.

Taking hand-held shots using auto-focus, I get a similar rate of keepers to my D700, and as the new camera is said to need more care than the D700, then that's fine by me.

Although I do accept that a lot of users may suffer the auto-focus issue, there are a lot of posters who I suspect have never used the camera, but like to perpetuate the issue. What I do think is important, is to fine-tune the lenses to the camera, but that also applied to the D700 and D300 for best results.

Things like that tend to gather legs and get a momentum of their own. Human nature I suppose.
I noted earlier that Tom Hogan had turned against the camera.
Not stopped him turning out an ebook (that is not cheap).
http://www.bythom.com/nikond800guide.htm

BTW David Busch's book on the camera seems to have been delayed until October. His other Nikon books are first-rate.

 

[Ozei]

.... Any tips on how to do this? I'll probably look up some vids on youtube when I get it, or whatever. But any quick tips to make it easy? For someone who's new to FX

There are two ways to fine tune AF - manually or by software.

Manual methods: https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com.../51633/~/how-to-use-the-af-fine-tune-function or http://michaeltapesdesign.com/lensalign.html

Software method: http://www.reikan.co.uk/focalweb/index.php/why/about-focal/

 

[Cagey75]

Thanks for that, bookmarked for when I get the cam

Tom Hogan's review is all over the shop. As mentioned, he has put out a user guide for the camera, yet in his review [which is more positive than negative it should be noted] he say's he cant yet fully recommend it because of the AF issue!? He should have held back his money spinning book in that case, the hypocrite.

 

[Laudrup]

Thanks for that, bookmarked for when I get the cam

Tom Hogan's review is all over the shop. As mentioned, he has put out a user guide for the camera, yet in his review [which is more positive than negative it should be noted] he say's he cant yet fully recommend it because of the AF issue!? He should have held back his money spinning book in that case, the hypocrite.

Yeah, shoot the messenger, shoot all the messengers!

 

[ausemmao]

Thanks for that, bookmarked for when I get the cam

Tom Hogan's review is all over the shop. As mentioned, he has put out a user guide for the camera, yet in his review [which is more positive than negative it should be noted] he say's he cant yet fully recommend it because of the AF issue!? He should have held back his money spinning book in that case, the hypocrite.

Did you read why he said what he did? It's hardly hypocritical when he says right there in the review not to buy the camera if the AF issues worry you - if they don't you can go right ahead and benefit from the rest of the camera - even with the worst case estimates, something like 80% of D800s have no issue.

His review is pretty consistent - IQ is superlative, implementation leaves something to be desired.

 

[Cagey75]

Yeah, shoot the messenger, shoot all the messengers!

He's got a book on the camera out! :bang: This makes him much more than a messenger. He's making money off of it.

 

[redhed17]

He should have held back his money spinning book in that case, the hypocrite.

I read something similar on another website, why is he a hypocrite? :shrug:

He's spent months doing the work to produce the book, and having had a few of his previous books there was probably a lot of time and effort put into it.

So he does all this work and finds that there have been problems with the cameras he has had, and reports of problems from other people too. Should he say well 'I've made this guide book, which many people may find useful, but at the moment I couldn't in all honesty recommend the camera if the problems aren't fixed, so I'll put my business on hold, hope that Nikon fix the problem, and anyone who doesn't have problems, or have problems but want my book anyway, can either wait or find an alternative'. :bonk:

As a respected Nikon user and commentator, and someone who by producing the camera guide books makes a large part of his income relating to Nikon gear, the easiest thing to do was to say nothing and hope people buy his book. That he has come out and said what he has would hopefully be a nudge to Nikon to remedy the problem and also tell users which serial numbered cameras were affected.

We still have people saying they are buying a camera for £2K+ which they are going to check whether it has the AF problem or not. If it is no longer an issue with the latest batches of cameras, then Nikon should be letting all users know so that they can buy with peace of mind and have confidence in the product. All these camera manufacturers have terrible customer relations and are very slow in acknowledging any problems and slow to offer solutions, be that hardware or software fixes, too. :shake:

So rather than being a hypocrite, I respect him more for reporting his experiences, and that of other users regardless of the effect it could have on sales of his book.

Knowledge is power after all, and forewarned is forearmed. To pop in a cliché or two.


Of course you could ignore any problems because it happens in a situation that you don't use, and so you think you will not be affected. :shrug: Some Canon 1DX users were saying a similar thing about Spot Metering which locked the camera up. :bonk:

 

[Cagey75]

He failed to notice the issue while writing the book, he put the book out prematurely. As the issue was noted in the very early days of the D800. Either he rushed the book, ignored the issue until he had it out for sale, or only noticed the issue after ye book was out. In which case he should pull the book if he has such issue with the issue, and revise it.

He's only a critic. Nothing more to me. Why would anyone overly defend him?

 

[Laudrup]

I think the smart money is on Thom on this issue. His guide is reportedly very good, whether he recommends it doesn't really matter when you want in depth information on settings etc. It seems a pretty balanced review of a camera that has its pros and cons.

 

[Cagey75]

Who's betting? tbh I didn't even know he had a book on it until it got mentioned here. That's how little I care for reviewers. End of the day, they're only giving an opinion, and sometimes making easy money on the side writing guides ...

Laudrup, do you own a D800? You're all over this thread yet don't actually seem to have one, or have any interest in buying one?

 

[boyfalldown]

Laudrup, do you own a D800? You're all over this thread yet don't actually seem to have one, or have any interest in buying one?

don't be silly

 

[Cagey75]

don't be silly

As in, silly to think he's going to ever buy a D800? thought so.

Isn't it just trolling then?

 

[redhed17]

Laudrup, do you own a D800? You're all over this thread yet don't actually seem to have one, or have any interest in buying one?

Oops, do we need to own one to talk about it?

There'll be some very short threads if that's the case.

and sometimes making easy money on the side writing guides ...

You may think writing guide books is easy money, I don't. :shake: The Guide book for the D300 I have by Thom Hogan is 769 pages. I doubt that was easy to put together. :shrug:

Why would anyone overly defend him?

I didn't think I was overly defending him, just saying why I didn't think he was a hypocrite. :shrug:

 

[Laudrup]

photo upload

And pics of your D800?

 

[Laudrup]

As in, silly to think he's going to ever buy a D800? thought so.

Isn't it just trolling then?

Give me one Thom Hogan or Lloyd Chambers for 1,000 forum fanboys any day.

 

[boyfalldown]

And pics of your D800?

you'll forgive the lack of photos, I'd rather take photos with it then spend to much time online

anyway the other reason for no photos

 

[pmac]

focus issue???
Ive ordered mine today so should be here thursday.

Has anyone bought one and returnes it due to the focus issue. I asked before ordering mine and was told if ive used it i cant return it to be replaced if it does have problems(which i have to do to check if it does) unless nikon confirm that mine does have them..so have to send to nikon.
This is my only issue as i dont think i should have to send it away to be sorted. They should replace it as its not fit for sale.

 

[boyfalldown]

yes - left side Nikon say its an easy fix.

 

[James J]

Ah man, I wish people buying them now didn't still have the left focus point issue -.- I'd use the outer points all of the time as I'm a huge fan of using negative space in my images for varying reasons so this is a potential deal breaker for me. I'd be so annoyed if I had to send it away for repair immediately after buying it, plus it also means I can't really buy cheaper D800 models from hong kong stores instead of more expensive UK stores due to the risk of really needing to send it back.

Serious catch 22 situation lol. Was looking at buying in around 2-3 weeks time also but I'll probably yet again delay

 

[stormcrow]

focus issue???
Ive ordered mine today so should be here thursday.

Has anyone bought one and returnes it due to the focus issue. I asked before ordering mine and was told if ive used it i cant return it to be replaced if it does have problems(which i have to do to check if it does) unless nikon confirm that mine does have them..so have to send to nikon.
This is my only issue as i dont think i should have to send it away to be sorted. They should replace it as its not fit for sale.

Mine had the left focus problem, sent to Nikon and it is now working great which is how it should have been in the first place but its sorted now. http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=4878846#post4878846

 

[ausemmao]

He failed to notice the issue while writing the book, he put the book out prematurely. As the issue was noted in the very early days of the D800. Either he rushed the book, ignored the issue until he had it out for sale, or only noticed the issue after ye book was out. In which case he should pull the book if he has such issue with the issue, and revise it.

He's only a critic. Nothing more to me. Why would anyone overly defend him?

No he didn't. IIRC one of his cameras had the issue. What made him change his recommendation wasn't that bad bodies existed. Bad bodies exist for every manufacturer, and to base a recommendation on a single bad body is stupid. It was that the evidence suggested 1) there were a LOT of bad bodies, more than normally expected and 2) Nikon had said nothing about what had happened or what they were trying/planning to do about it. It was really the second that made him change (and he goes through it on his site).

I defend good decisions, I want cameras that actually work, and for them to improve in useful ways - that only happens if both users and manufacturers have the information they need.

 

[Cagey75]

Give me one Thom Hogan or Lloyd Chambers for 1,000 forum fanboys any day.

Not one critic out there gets my vote. I check them all out, never go by just one. That's a bit fany boyish ... no?

What's the ugly little camera on top of the box?

I should hopefully have mine soon anyhow. nothing fanboy about me, I've been through fuji, sony and Nikon ... almost bought a canon once ... only once

 

[AshleyC]

Ah man, I wish people buying them now didn't still have the left focus point issue -.- I'd use the outer points all of the time as I'm a huge fan of using negative space in my images for varying reasons so this is a potential deal breaker for me. I'd be so annoyed if I had to send it away for repair immediately after buying it, plus it also means I can't really buy cheaper D800 models from hong kong stores instead of more expensive UK stores due to the risk of really needing to send it back.

Serious catch 22 situation lol. Was looking at buying in around 2-3 weeks time also but I'll probably yet again delay

Delay for how long though? At what point will you assume every one on the shelf is fine? Surely it would be better to get one now, if its got the issue AND you do actually need that focus point then wait 2 more weeks while nikon fix it. Gotta be better than waiting months on an assumption that they will be all ok.

 

[boyfalldown]

Ah man, I wish people buying them now didn't still have the left focus point issue

TBF, I've had the camera a while, and left sending it for the work to be done until the wedding season settled down. I wouldn't take mine as evidence of an ongoing issue

 

[AliMoore]

Hi guys, don't know if this is breaking rules or not (there's that many). Am looking to sell all my Nikon gear for verious reasons, but why am posting it here first is because your all/mostly Nikon guys and seem to kno alot bout the gear. . .

. . .So guys if it's ok would you give us a price on what you think this kit is worth (wroughly)

Thanks
Ali

STAFF EDIT : Removed details about kit requiring a price check

 

[Cagey75]

There is a classified section if you scroll down on the main forum

 

[SarahLee]

Hi Ali,

There's a price check forum within the classifieds section specifically for this type of question. Please re-post there rather than in the main forum.

I also notice that since qualifiying for access (which staff spoke to you about at the time) you've been posting almost exclusively in the classifieds sections of the forum. We would like to remind you that we expect these sections to be used as a part of your regular forum contributions and not as the primary reason for your membership.
We are a photography forum first and foremost and the classifieds sections are a perk for our contributing members - we are not a free alternative to eBay.

As set out in the classifieds guidance (specifically this section) hopefully we'll see you start to participate more fully in the forums and reduce the volume of your classifieds activity accordingly otherwise you may find yourself locked out.

 

[AliMoore]

yea ok the reason i joined was to find out more bout the d800, i send a lot of time on this forum mostly reading way *** are saying about equiptment am looking to buy or just bought, i will contribute more!!

 

[AliMoore]

ok so i sent d800 back for repair (left side focus inaccurate) and get it back last friday, shoot a wedding on sat only using center focus to be safe, and recomposing! only to find that my wb is lot more greener than had been before, over all not like the wb balance an getting from various presets!! so yesterday am doing a wrkshop with nikon/canon togs and seeing back of there camera to see my wb is off, picture control wb everthing the same, so just bit confused. In general i find canon more accurate than nikon!! was speaking to nikon service guy today he says d4/d800 have been improved over d3/d700 by adding bit more green as it was more accurate!!

 

[arclight]

Delay for how long though? At what point will you assume every one on the shelf is fine? Surely it would be better to get one now, if its got the issue AND you do actually need that focus point then wait 2 more weeks while nikon fix it. Gotta be better than waiting months on an assumption that they will be all ok.

I did delay buying, but eventually came to that conclusion. All being well a D800 will arrive here tomorrow. Nikon may never achieve 100% perfect production run. For all we know they may have calculated that the cost of achieving that may far outweigh the cost of repair/adverse publicity.

 

[AshleyC]

exactly, the sea is always going to be cold but at some point you have to just jump in and get swimming You soon get numb to it.


someone mentioned the green tint thing. Now i had this originally on my LCD, in a couple of shoots i had models mentioned the fact they looked quite green! Pretty insulting of nikon to say they actually added it to make it look more real! Anyway, i dont notice it at all now and noone has mentioned it either so it could of been that glue excuse they used a while back claiming it would settle in. In my case that looks to be the thing.

 

[James J]

Yeah suppose you are right. Which would be better for wildlife and macro photography though out of the D800 and E variant? Would I actually notice a difference with the E?

 

[Ozei]

someone mentioned the green tint thing. Now i had this originally on my LCD, in a couple of shoots i had models mentioned the fact they looked quite green! Pretty insulting of nikon to say they actually added it to make it look more real! Anyway, i dont notice it at all now and noone has mentioned it either so it could of been that glue excuse they used a while back claiming it would settle in. In my case that looks to be the thing.

The LCD on my D800 is slightly green compared to my D3x - it's not just the image area but the white info lettering as well. The lettering on the D3x is pure white whereas on the 800 it has a green tint. It's only noticeable if you see both cameras side by side.

 

[AshleyC]

but it is just the lcd, the raws and jpegs always looked fine.

 

[Cagey75]

See this one I really don't get. Nobody Should ever go by the LCD when it comes to colour representation of the full image. It's only useful for chimping to make sure you're in focus, to check your framing etc ... You should always be shooting RAW so the wb shouldn't matter so much.

 

[AshleyC]

I preview it to them on the lcd just to show them how the poses are working out, helps with suggestions of how to tweak something to make it look better, but explaining to people that theyre not really green, its just the camera with a problem doesnt really fill them with confidence. Once you get them on the laptop dignity is restored though

Once i can get a wireless setup going then i wouldnt even bother with the lcd apart from intial exposure checks.

As for the 800 / 800E thing, cant really comment. The E just removes a certain filter off the sensor to give it a bit more res at the expense of possible moire. I guess that mainly affects fabric shots and the like. Macro shots may get some of the effect? Wildlife should be fine though. Total guesswork though so dont take my word for it.

 

[Cagey75]

I know it shouldn't have a green tint, not for the money. And I get what you mean, showing a model a semi-process on the LCD can be useful. They tend to relax more seeing exactly what you're doing/creating. I can imagine a green tint being off putting there. Nobody wants to look like they're ill in a photo!

Pondering on the E v standard here too. Any E users about? MY D90 produces moire on certain patterns as is.