D810, All Discussions, Questions

Vipmediastar_JZ

Personally, I like a noisy shutter, though I am not a wedding photographer.

In those situations quieter is better. I used to like the noisy shutter now I like the quiet shutter. I beleive the D7100 and dD610 have quiet ones too at least the ones that I heard at B est Buy.

When I shoot next to some Canon's I'm always attracted to their low shutter sound.

Golf007sd

The D810 new shutter is going to make life for many that have been seeking a quite shutter very happy. Nikon might incorporate this into all their upcoming models...so long as keep they can keep cost of the body within reach. Personally, I love the sound of all shutters...I have a machine gun on one of my bodies myself. :P

WestEndBoy

The D810 new shutter is going to make life for many that have been seeking a quite shutter very happy. Nikon might incorporate this into all their upcoming models...so long as keep they can keep cost of the body within reach. Personally, I love the sound of all shutters...I have a machine gun on one of my bodies myself. :P

I am sure that there is a high correlation between AK-47 ownership and D4 ownership.

My favorite gun was my bolt action 7mm Remington Magnum custom built so I could shoot 100 yard single hole groups. Powerful, flat shooting, precise, but noisy. Kinda like my D800.

snakebunk

A silent shutter is very welcome for us bird photographers.

Personally I avoid buying new products and I am happy with my D800. But in a couple of years the D810 might be a great buy for me.

Golf007sd

So here is a list I've put together that appear to be the tangible improvements of the D810 over the D800/e thus far. This is a summation pulled from user reports from around the internet that have actually purchased and shot with the camera. I do not have the camera in my hands so this is not a personal testimony however I believe it to be credible as I've read easily over 20 personal accounts with first hand experience.

Improvements
• 20% Faster Frame Rate @ Full FX Resolution
• Larger Frame Buffer (nearly double)
• Better AF performance across the board, not just in Group area AF
• A more silent shutter mechanism along with better dampening in the camera body to reduce shock/vibration.
• Brighter, more color accurate LCD
• A more comfortable grip (though this could certainly be subjective, it's being reported by many early adopters).
• Electronic shutter release - somewhat mixed feelings on the effectiveness of this feature though universally glad it's an option.

Those things of which do not seem to be enhanced
• Image Quality appears to be a draw at best. No clear evidence one way or another if the image quality is in fact improved at either base ISO or higher ISO's. Seems subjective and difficult to differentiate the old versus the new.
• Video quality. Still reports of Moiré and aliasing issues though other features such as better frame rate, etc appear to be welcome additions. Probably too early to tell.

Claims not yet known
• Battery life. Nikon claimed a big battery life increase, I don't think anybody has drained one yet to know but I think Nikon can be given the benefit of the doubt here as it's unlikely they'd advertise a big increase and not deliver here. The past seems to support their battery length numbers are typically conservative anyway.

Anybody have anything else to add from what they've found that is a useful and undeniable advantage of this new body over the old?

kanuck

I just updated to Adobe 8.6 thank goodness because I hate shooting Jpegs. I hope Lightroom can offer us an update as well.


The battery live is definitely longer even while shooting in Liveview. I am getting the extra 100 to 150 extra shots that Nikon claimed you would. Yes, I have actually shot 800 images in just 30 hours already haha

It is a bit lighter, but fatter. The grip is very nice and deep, also they have added grip on the CF/SD card door which feels more secure.

Vipmediastar_JZ

Support the Fro order one today and ask for the Fro price.
He really cracks me up with his videos. The sniff and wind test are the sellers for me.

I never accidentally hit the buttons like Fn but I do still accidentally change the A and S dials and I unless I lock them it frustates me every single shoot.

I like that the grip is better it was only until I slapped the Grip and then the L plate that I appreciate the grip on that camera. Even if its heavier It makes world of a difference to me.

I thought that the D810 came with a new battery but it seems that the battery just lasts longer. The Df uses a new battery EN-EL14a and the D4s has a new battery too EN-18a.

Slap the En-18a on the battery grip and you should have a long lasting battery setup.

Bowsider

Guys, the main reason for this post is because I have ill extend some useful data for you about SD UHS-I vs SD UHS-II vs CF.
I have here a D810 + 3x SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB cards.:
1) SD 95mb/s UHS-I
2) SD 280mb/s UHS-II
3) CF 160mb/s

Shooting in raw on formatted cards at max 5fps the buffer gets filled by:
1) 21 exposures 2) 21 exposures 3) 18 exposures.
For jpg Fine Large:
1) 65 2) 45!!! Yes, less. 3) 75

Once full, I timed how long it took to clear the buffer (until the green light went out). I did this having filled it with raw files:
1) 17seconds 2) 35seconds 3) 11seconds.

Additionally, on close inspection down the SD card slot, I can't see the extra connectors for the UHS-II that I CAN see on my Fuji X-T1 so no firmware will ever help there.

I conclude that if you need the buffer to be optimum, get the 1) & 3) cards. Set CF to primary.

......

Other bullet notes about the D810 seeing as I have it in my hand and I have owned and used the D800 & D4 previously.
- the D810 is amazing. It feels like Nikon really paid attention to the small failings of the D800 (which I loved, warts and all).
- the image quality with my Sigma Art 50mm is staggering.
- build quality feels better than the D800, specifically button, doors to connectors, cards and battery.
- we've all heard about the quiet shutter. It is remarkable even in "loud" mode.
- ISO 64 is useful for any daylight f1.4 shooters.
- I haven't tested the Electronic front curtain shutter yet but what is note worthy is that you can only use it in Mirror up or Live view and that IT REDUCES THE MAX SHUTTER TO 1/2000.
-continuous quiet is good and even quieter.
- there are a whole loads of menu tweaks & customisable options that trump even the D4... Which the D800 was missing entirely:
From memory: the video button can now be used as an ISO adjust. Easy exposure compensation can be set to the thumb wheel. The single AF point can now be set to resume it's vertical and horizontal positions like on the D4 but not the D800. A half press on the shutter can exposure lock. With back button focus, playback on AE-L/AF-L and My Menu on the Fn1 you can control everything with your right hand. The timelapse setup section is more intuitive. It can be set to expose to faces in matrix metering... And it works. The new expose for highlights metering works so well too! You can set exposure compensation to NOT affect the flash, like on the D4 (not the D800).
- Did I mention the quiet shutter?

I wish it had, buttons that light up like the D4, wifi, GPS and UHS-II compatibility. Otherwise it's perfect.

Bowsider

Sorry for the typos above, it's late, dark, iphone keyboard, fat thumbs and I'm too excited about shooting to bother to reread. Best wishes all.

manhattanboy

Guys, the main reason for this post is because I have ill extend some useful data for you about SD UHS-I vs SD UHS-II vs CF.
I have here a D810 + 3x SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB cards.:
1) SD 95mb/s UHS-I
2) SD 280mb/s UHS-II
3) CF 160mb/s

Shooting in raw on formatted cards at max 5fps the buffer gets filled by:
1) 21 exposures 2) 21 exposures 3) 18 exposures.
For jpg Fine Large:
1) 65 2) 45!!! Yes, less. 3) 75

Nice to know there is no benefit to the newer cards. Thank you for the testing.

In those situations quieter is better. I used to like the noisy shutter now I like the quiet shutter. I beleive the D7100 and dD610 have quiet ones too at least the ones that I heard at B est Buy.

When I shoot next to some Canon's I'm always attracted to their low shutter sound.

The 7100 has only silent single snap, which is awkwardly slow and makes a "click" instead of a "snap". I think the 610 has silent continuous though. I know exactly what you mean about the Canon's sound, as I have found that the Canon silent shutter is quieter than Nikon. Someone should do a comparison of a Canon with the new 810.

jj168

Just want to add, the OVF is much brighter too, compare to the d800. I haben't try but i think i can manual focus with confidence with the new.prism.

petersvp

I have posted this short message elsewhere but I hope it might be useful for those of a non-technical persuasion to consider.

I am an enthusiastic amateur, so my comments below may not be entirely relevant to those of you who are experts and they are certainly not backed by technical analysis or the competence you might be used to on this excellent site. But then, when I look at images and like what I see, perhaps that is worth sharing to those uncertain, like I was, as to whether to jump to the D810. From my history in using a Nikon D80, D 300 (great camera), D3X (great, totally solid, but expensive) and D3S; back in November 2013 I bought a D800. I respect those who say pixel count doesn’t matter but I can only report that I can see a huge and beneficial improvement between even the D3X and D800. (I put pictures on the web but also print A4 to A2+) Clarity, sharpness, colour and dynamic range all seem so much better to my untrained eyes. Normally I would never buy a newly released camera, especially after the problems of the early D600 and D800 cameras. But at my age, you can’t wait too long – I may not be around in the future! So against all advice I traded in my impressive, to me, D800 for the D810. Why? Because reports that the D800E was even better than the D800 made me think the D810 might be the best yet.

So the camera arrived Friday. Storms etc have kept me at home photographing flowers etc in our garden. Useful, as I have earlier work to compare these new images with. Also, unusually, I have so far just used a new Sigma 35mm f1.4 lens and my older Sigma 105mm Macro lens. I have Nikon glass which I will use later. Well, to my great relief, the camera worked out of the box. I like the shape and handling ( I have added my MB D12 Battery Grip, saved over from my D800, which I find helpful) the low ISO 64 and the new shutter, which just sounds so much better! (Non-technical response!) The images with the Sigma 35mm are so clear, very, very sharp and full of colour – taken using the TIFF file format as LR and Photoshop are yet to update to accept the D810 RAW format. My normal workflow is almost redundant as the images out of the camera are superb. Is this TIFF doing something or am I looking at a real improvement in quality? Images from the 105 lens require a little more work and more sharpening but the results are so encouraging. Just so sharp and clear. I cannot say I have tested the D810 to destruction and I do get the odd error message which is easily overcome, but so far it works well and the results, to my untrained eye, are outstanding and worth the cost and risk of purchase. Let’s hope this positive experience continues. Also, I am using Live View much more. Seems so simple to operate on the D810 and works really well.

So there we are. Did I make the right decision to move from D800 to D810. Yes I think so based on evidence through the lens and on the screen, so far. But be assured the D800 and I assume the D800E are still great cameras so if you want to wait a little more there is, in my humble opinion, nothing to be anxious about. Nikon clearly doesn’t get everything right but, perhaps, on this occasion it has.

framer

What did you do to get your D810? In another thread I mentioned I finally build an island in the kitchen for the wife. Here's the picture of the wife...



She's happy, I'm happy.

What I find interesting is I started to build it after the D810 was announced but before I decided to get it.

Golf007sd

@framer: Looks great. It is quite rewarding seeing the wife happy. Good on you mate

Sanveann

Thanks for the thoughts, @petersvp -- I'm eagerly waiting on UPS to deliver my D810 today.

(Nice island, @framer! She got a great deal!)

Vipmediastar_JZ

Having recently photographed a wedding with a D800 and Df I can appreciate the article over at Photography Life.

Cleaner high ISO is really apreciated and thats why my second body is a DF.
The low shutter noise is really appreciated too.

There were a few photos that were inside a house near the beach and one of Oddin receivers was off and only the sb-800 fired and not the sb-910. The recovery was great on the photos and the detail was also kept.

At some points during the wedding moving from point A to point B I took pics with one hand holding the D800 +battery grip + oddin trigger and the Sb-910 on a light stand on the other hand. With the battery grip this was very easy to do and I can only image how great the new grip is.

Looks like the D810 might not seem like big upgrade but when it matters and makes a difference in the end product that is a big win.

According to the article there is not much Moire and that's part of the reason why I choosed the D800 vs the E. That is great news indeed.

kanuck

Bowsider, I agree with you in that it definitely seems as though Nikon paid attention to the little subtle things that were missing with the D800. I wouldn't go as far to say they were failings though because the D800/D800e is an excellent camera as is. With the D810, I like the redesigned front shutter the most I think. You can now squeeze a but more sharpness out of the sensor without the shutter slapping so hard now I feel. Again its still very close to the D800e. I also just can't get over the quietness each time I fire off a shot. It reminds me my brother's 5D Mark II and now his newer 6D. Very happy camper so far

nycapbarista

Well, those who said that my wait would not be long for the D810 (I ordered a day later) were right! I tracked its movements on the UPS website and it was delivered into my hands last night. It is a thing of beauty, for sure. The only problem now is that Lightroom does not recognize the NEF (RAW) files yet. Online chatter says it'll be 5-6 weeks before the update is available. Fortunately, Nikon sent along a ViewNX2 program and the files can be converted and then imported to Lightroom. Just a minor bother. I also had a brand new Transcend 32Gb card that I wasn't using, so I threw that in. I formatted the card, used it, downloaded the pictures, and put the card back into the camera only to have the camera notify me that the card is corrupt. Ugh. Another reason why I now only use SanDisk Extreme Pro cards. It is so scary when a card fails. I'm glad I wasn't at a wedding. I'm used to my D7000 and have a habit of viewing the photo after and zooming in. The buttons are different so I inadvertently end up getting the D-Lighting feature. Those files save as Jpegs. Anyway, here's a photo I took today. Be kind. Plus, I'm really not sure how to post a photograph here. Be very kind.

Vipmediastar_JZ

@nycapbarista http://forum.nikonrumors.com/discussion/46/how-to-post-a-photo-on-photo-a-day-new-instructions/p1

nycapbarista

Thank you Vipmediastar_JZ! YAY!!

framer

Camera's here... OMG.. 1st image taken.

framer

Sanveann

@nycapbarista, love it! My garden is surprisingly dull and kids are gone till Friday, so I've been reduced to shooting hosta blooms.

haroldp

Adobe has made Camera Raw 8.6 and DNG Converter 8.6 release candidates available. This version adds support for the Nikon D810

.... H

PB_PM

You might want to check photography life, they did an article about using release candidate 8.6, which makes the D810 files look nosier at high ISO than it really is, apparently due to the converter overexposing the images. To fix it just lower the exposure value.

Vipmediastar_JZ

No problem @nycapbarista. Just type your comment to "Delete Me" thats what I do.

Camera's here... OMG.. 1st image taken.

framer

Reminds me of Golf when he got his 300mm 2.8.

I ordered a polarizer filter and a Soft release for the DF it's not as exciting as the D810 and 300.

Garden pics are looking great. What lens on the purple flower? Looks sharp with great bokeh.