DX to FX change not worth the hassle ??

manhattanboy

As I have both of the OP's cameras I will chime in here:
Love the 810 for the quietness just like the OP said. The images are better provided you have enough DOF (as he has come to realize) and have a lens or shutter speed fast enough to reduce blur. Is it that much better that I can tell a difference between the 810 and 7100? Not really. The 810 may have better edges and acuity, but the dof restrictions quickly blur edges not in focus, with the result that on the whole the images look remarkably more comparable then one would think. The 810 meters much differently from the 7100 and as a result I frequently rely on the DR recovery in RAW. I am decently impressed with RAW shadow recovery for the 810, and I typically push shadows two full stops or more on the 810 whereas the 7100 is about one stop less in recovery ability. But, the recovery for the 7100 is less of an issue as personally I find it to meter more consistently, so its a wash in the long run.

I personally like the 7100 controls better because they are simpler (one twist and everything is set to what I want with U1 for example), but I understand why folks like the 810 controls as you have more that is adjustable without menu diving. For me speed is more important then tweaking ability, but this obviously varies person to person.

In contrast to the OP, I really like the CF cards. It sucks having to buy them, but there are good advantages, the main one being speed. It clears the buffer faster as the CF's I have are faster than the top-of-the line SDs that work in Nikon DSLRs (and CF's are faster to transfer to the computer too).

Would I have bought an 810 knowing what I know now? I'm not so sure. The camera is great at portraits but the dof thing is something that takes experience to properly compensate for. The pictures will look different from the 7100, but they are supposed to! What I would have probably done if I could go back in time is to follow coastalconn and try the 7dm2 as it's just as quiet as the 810 but gives the ability to shoot distant action e.g. bif's. I like but don't love the 810; nonetheless, unless I know I am going to shoot bif, the 810 accompanies me more frequently than any other DSLR because its more versatile for any given lens.

As to what should you do? If you don't like it, return it! You obviously like what the 7100 does so why not wait to see what is on the horizon that improves upon what you like e.g. 7300 or D400/D500.

WestEndFoto

Must get those +1 buttons back on here!

I don't know. Not having the +1 forces people to read and think for themselves instead of just believing whatever has the most +1s. However, +1s are certainly more fun.

Pistnbroke

Shooting a wedding today (fri) so will let you know ..changed the 24-120 to a 28-300 as the first one did not have enough reach..planning to keep it to 200mm if possible..dont want to send the 810 back too complex its grey

spraynpray

I'll give you twenny quid for it Pist...

WestEndFoto

Shooting a wedding today (fri) so will let you know ..changed the 24-120 to a 28-300 as the first one did not have enough reach..planning to keep it to 200mm if possible..dont want to send the 810 back too complex its grey

Will Nikon service a grey camera where you are (which is where?). If not, as a professional why would you accept that kind of risk?

donaldejose

"being quiet is important" Yes, and the main reason I want a D810. I hate the clacking of my D800 shutter. However, the real answer is mirrorless and silent shutter! It will be an important feature when it arrives.

spraynpray

Nikon UK are not like I hear they are in Canada (I heard they will not touch grey imports over there). The UK will service and repair, but there is zero warranty, all work is chargeable, whether it is in warranty or not.

manhattanboy

Shooting a wedding today (fri) so will let you know ..changed the 24-120 to a 28-300 as the first one did not have enough reach..planning to keep it to 200mm if possible..dont want to send the 810 back too complex its grey

Good luck. If I primarily shot weddings, I would preferentially use it over the 7100 or 7200 if for no other reason the ability to go wider for any given lens (with those group shots it always seems you can't be wide enough) and the much quieter shutter. The 810 will also allow you to step up the artistic shots, like using a 1.4 or 1.8 for ring shots, etc.

Let us know who it went, but my advice is shoot RAW in case you need to recover missed exposures.

Pistnbroke

I think I got it cracked. The 28-300 is much more suitable than the 24-120 so will sell the 24-120 . I process my RAW to JPEG in camera .
The problem revolves around the clarity control. At the first wedding where I thought I was having problems with depth of field I had clarity set at Zero assuming it had Zero effect..Wrong Second wedding I went to +3 and there was a vast improvement .Now I am at +5 as it seems to me this is some sort of soft control for portraits and to get normal sharpness as in a D800/D7100 you need it at +5.
So I go Standard Large Basic sharp+9 Clarity+5 Contrast +1.

When we shoot 1000 shots with D810 and D7100 (myself and wife) you cannot tell the difference in edit and they are the same scene with different cameras.

Here in UK the manufacturer has to give you a 12 month warrantee and they just brought it in to provide a repair service for 6 years ..we will see.
Buy grey ? New 24-120 £750 I paid £372 New D810 £2400 I paid £1400
As Dacia say,,,you do the maths ( dacia is a car maker )

Wide ??? A 14mm Samyang on the D800 takes care of that ...

spraynpray

Clarity at +5? You sure you aren't getting blow out whites? @-)

Vipmediastar_JZ

For flash try the GODOX TTL speedlight. I got the rebranded Flashpoint ZoomLioN TTL On-Camera Flash Speedlight For Nikon at adorama. I have used it in two shoots and it beats hands down using the AA batteries. You can use it on the hotshoe and remotely I have tried it with the Phottix Odin and can be triggered with the Flashpoint remotes as well.

Earlier in the year I bought into the Godox 360 brand (Adorama/B&H/CheetahLight) and Used them in a wedding and while it was good with light it wasn't the best for a fast time frame so I went back to TTL speedlights and have used the battery pack that comes with the godox 360 to provide power to the sb-910 and phottix mitros + with their dedicated power cable. I know we are talking weddings but I have also used this setup with both Phottix and NIkon speedlight in an umbrella powered with the battery pack for a model shoot. I like Manual flash but at a wedding speedlights work well.

I did recently helpe a relative buy a d7200 and recommend two primes. I did shoot it and it was nice to hold a light camera once again. I shoot RAW and while its takes lots of space and time to edit I still preffer to shoot RAW.

Pistnbroke

The godox you mention is far too big and heavy for use on a flash flipper and too far from the lens center .
still continuing tests on the Clarity control and will let you know but the 7100 leads.

Ironheart

Hey, @pistnbroke, which flash cable are you using? Have you tried some different brands there?

Vipmediastar_JZ

The Godox Wistro AD360 is big and I have used it on a flash bracket with no issues but for a wedding it would get tiring.

The speedlight body and lighter with rechargeable battery and ttl is this one

manhattanboy

Interesting comparison of the 810 vs the new Sony:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-alpha-7r-ii/6
If there is one thing the 810 is worth it for, it is the DR with low noise. Just like this article, I have found the 810 impressive in how far up the shadows can be pushed without noise destroying the image.

Pistnbroke

I am using Yongnou SC 28 there is no electronics in them just pin to pin connections so I assume it is capacitance between cables that prevents it working with some guns..Continuing tests on the D810 and clarity control .There is no point in taking about selling it or other brands just got to get these settings cracked.

Vipmediastar_JZ

Here is quick un scientific test that i did using a sekonic light meter.

Speedlight test

1/1 10 feet iso 200 1/250

Flashpoint 11.5
Phottix 11.0
Nikon 11.5
Yongnuo 11.0

For a wedding my main flash would still be the sb-910
On the side body the flashpoint.

I would use the phottix odin to trigger these two lights.
If needed I would setup up the Mitros + as backup for whatever reason one of them fails or battery dies (had one die because i forgot to turn on the power pack after dinner)
The yongnuo is for dark scenerios that uses the yn-622n with the af assist beam (so far usually needed only in studio)

The godox ad360 ii has been released for canon and once the nikon version is released i will seriously consider getting once as it is a ttl 360ws light.
The power equivalent of an alien bee 800 in a slightly bigger speed light body.

Pistnbroke

Conducted more tests yesterday and came to the following conclusions.
All at sharp+9 Clarity +5 JPEG using comparison to D7100.
I have a large white plaster garden feature which equates to a wedding dress in the garden to photograph...
Standard....slight over blow of the whites
Flat ..best definition but "flat" needed +3 on the contrast to give it any bite.
Neutral ..with +2 on the contrast it lost the white blow out problem while retaining detail .So thats the one I am going to use at the next wedding.

As for the flash discussion I only ever use one flash on a flash flipper for all situations.
The problem with the Meike 310 is it assumes the iso is 100 and does not understand the 4x rise in iso when the flash is turned on, I use a base iso of 200 which goes to 800 when the flash is on reducing the flash power and prolonging battery life.The flash must also understand that it if it is very dark iso will go over 800 and if you leave it on outside drop to as low as 64 iso

Msmoto

When we get a Nikon mirrorless, crop sensor, this may be the ideal wedding camera. Quiet, probably with super ISO, and at least 24 MP....

But, for the sizes of finished wedding photos, most could be crop sensor, but there may be some group shots where full frame is preferred. IMO only.

Pistnbroke

Nobody buys albums or photos here in the UK ..dead technology..its only electronic images that are now important

spraynpray

Nobody buys albums or photos here in the UK ..dead technology..its only electronic images that are now important

Our experiences vary there Pistnbroke, for me, one wedding in two takes up the album offer.

Pistnbroke

you mean an Acerboni album at £300+ or a coffe table album at £60 ..I have not sold an album for over 12 months

spraynpray

Our albums are £300 with 24 pages. I have sold them up to 60 pages at £450.

DaveyJ

I myself have many times made the decision to stay with DX over FX which is somewhat ironic as I did own so many thousands in large and medium format. I need MAX depth of field and minimum weight and size.

WestEndFoto

I myself have many times made the decision to stay with DX over FX which is somewhat ironic as I did own so many thousands in large and medium format. I need MAX depth of field and minimum weight and size.

Your solution is an IPhone.