D810 on the way - now what?

[JCT]

Spot on, Jack. I use the 180 for travel. When a zoom is needed for sports etc., I have the 80-200 AF-S, which performs best @ f/4-5.6.

My current prime setup is:

Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 (excellent)
Nikkor 28mm f/2 AiS (mostly sufficient)
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AiS (very good)
Nikkor 105mm f/1.8 AiS (surprisingly good, even @ f/2.0)
Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 AF (what Jack said)
Nikkor 300mm f/4 AF (wonderful lens, but slow AF and not absolutely sharp @ f/4. will be replaced by a PF when monies allow)

Hah - I have the identical set of primes except for the f/2.5 version of the 105 AIS. I also use the 180 when I travel, much less of a hassle than my old 70-200 f2.8 that's for sure. I also have the Sigma Art 35 (Thanks to Jack...:roll eyes

You're in for a real treat with your D810, Lars. The guys here um, "convinced" me it was time to move up from my D700 and they were right. Only sorry I waited so long - it's a joy to use.

 

[Lars]

Hmm delivery company lost the package with the 50/1.8G.
Not sure how to take that - a hint?

 

[Paratom]

After I came back to Nikon with the DF I wanted to kep it simple and built up the following Kit:
28/1.8G, 35/1.4G, 58/1.4G and I still owned 105/2.0 DC and 180/2.8.
The one Zoom I got for vacation is the 24-120/4.0
Often I just bring 35 and 58. I am very happy with this Kit on the DF, I might add a D810 and hope the lenses will work fine on it as well.
Total Corner sharpness is not as important as nice bokeh, Color, tonality for me.

 

[Lars]

Package with 50/1.8G was delivered at 6AM this morning... There was some rain yesterday and this is California so why expect delivery to work hehe. The only thing that bugs me about the delayed delivery is that online tracking said the package was delivered last night. Maybe a neighbor got it last night and dropped it off at my door this morning.

Nice little lens, bokeh is impressive compared to the fifties of old (I'm thinking of you, 50/1.4D). Definitely a huge bargain in the Nikon line. No APO of course as is obvious from the newspaper test shot, but that was not expected at this price point. Rear defocus wide open is excellent in center and at 12mm, not bad at 20 mm. Front defocus is equally good center, that's as far as I got. This could very well replace my Sigma 50 non-Art, bokeh is that good at first glance. Much better than I expected. We'll see about resolving power when I get the D810.

EDIT: You get what you pay for, of course. Slow focusing, significant fall-off wide open due to internal vignetting (gone at 2.8). No surprises.

Paratom, nice wish list if little or no budget constraint. I'm guessing you prefer the 35/1.4 over the 28/1.8 not only for focal length? And the 58 is probably one sweet lens.

 

[Jack]

Just for thread posterity, my current zoom lens stable is the 24-120 and 200-500 --- and as of now, I do not feel the need for anything else. The 180 solved my 70-200 travel zoom issue, as it and the 85 (or 24-120) cover the 2 focals I always end up using on any 70-200 zoom.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Just for thread posterity, my current zoom lens stable is the 24-120 and 200-500 --- and as of now, I do not feel the need for anything else. The 180 solved my 70-200 travel zoom issue, as it and the 85 (or 24-120) cover the 2 focals I always end up using on any 70-200 zoom.

Why didn't I think of that?!? I've already ordered the 200-500, I have the 180 and the 24-120 is dirt cheap here. I'll order one right away for pickup with the 200-500 later this month

 

[Jack]

I think that's logical Jorgen. If you find you regularly need something in that 135 to 160 you don't have covered, you can always add the small 70-200 later. But my guess is you won't feel under-gunned with the 24-120 and 180 pair. And heck, the D810 sensor is certainly cropable

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

I think that's logical Jorgen. If you find you regularly need something in that 135 to 160 you don't have covered, you can always add the small 70-200 later. But my guess is you won't feel under-gunned with the 24-120 and 180 pair. And heck, the D810 sensor is certainly cropable

Exactly. I will probably carry a fast 50 or 85mm as well, and the Zeiss 21mm when needed... the options are endless. If I buy the D7200 as a backup body, which is likely before the Singapore Airshow next year, I'll have even more flexibility due to the higher pixel density of that camera. It's all good

 

[Lars]

There was a book in the box, with 524 pages. Tolkien would be proud.

 

[Lars]

Just for thread posterity, my current zoom lens stable is the 24-120 and 200-500 --- and as of now, I do not feel the need for anything else. The 180 solved my 70-200 travel zoom issue, as it and the 85 (or 24-120) cover the 2 focals I always end up using on any 70-200 zoom.

Yeah... How come I start with similar needs and assumptions but reach a different conclusion?

I think I have gotten used to the concept of a 80-200 zoom for composition. I don't mind taking a few steps with a wide to normal to recompose, but in the tele range that means a lot of steps. I was at a trade show today at the Santa Clara Convention Center, used my 135 to shoot our booth and colleagues - man I had to run around a lot! The 180 would have been even worse. So I like the concept of a handholdable tele zoom. Could be a 75-300 but the 70-200 f/4 offerings are really good, it seems.

 

[Paratom]

Paratom, nice wish list if little or no budget constraint. I'm guessing you prefer the 35/1.4 over the 28/1.8 not only for focal length? And the 58 is probably one sweet lens.

Actually my idea was to also own a smaller 2 lens setup and I already had a 50/1.8 so I thought the 28/1.8 would fit nicely.
However in the end I almost allays use 35mm, because I really like the focal length. Sometimes I think I should have taken the 35/1.8 because of the smaller size, but the 35/1.4 has a very nice bokeh and a very good color.

 

[Lars]

First few days with the D810 - at a tech trade show in Santa Clara. Some thoughts:
- It's nice with a somewhat quiet camera - the D700's KLAK does get attention, especially if using a three-cell battery in the grip.
- I can't always rely on always using full-res jpegs anymore, I had 100 jpegs to upload at 20 MB each. Maybe shoot raw+small jpeg?
- Body seems considerably lighter than D700.
- Trying out video will be fun but I have no real aspirations in that direction (yet).
- It's no more pocketable than the D700.
- In-camera raw conversion came handy. Matrix metering didn't quite nail exposure so I was able to fix that and send a good image to our PR folks.
- All in all, everything is of course faster, lighter, better, more, less etc. Five years between these models so that's to be expected.

 

[Lars]

Checked focus using a few lenses, camera seems good.
My Sigma 50/1.4 EX won't even try to autofocus in live view, clearly a compatibility issue.

 

[ptomsu]

After some days of shooting with the D810 it is a real relief being back to a good (excellent) OVF again.

What also rocks is the much quieter shutter as well as EFC, as I can use the D810 just for casual shooting without too much concentration on holding the camera steady, I am getting a 98% keeper rate, which I never was able to achieve with the D800E, no matter how hard I tried. So this is maybe the biggest improvement over the original D800 for me.

But also colors are much more spot on, maybe has to do with camera profiles available in LR as well as C1P.

I am happy I made the move and this camera is so good that I am no longer waiting desperately for a D850/900, as the 36MP are more than enough for almost all my applications. And the sensor and processor really render beautifully!

Now I need to get some more glass, like the 1.4/58G, 1.4/85G (again) and the 80-400VR2 ....

Happy camper for now!

 

[Lars]

First test with my 180/2.8D... As expected, it's cut-your-eyes sharp. Wide open, center to corner. I'm thinking I have a good sample here. Definitely a keeper. Need to come up with a more critical test bench.

 

[Lars]

Now to pimping my gear:

- DK-17M magnifying finder thingie - great except for when wearing glasses.

- ITG display glass protector - this one attaches easily and without adhesive across the entire surface. I'm impressed. Far better than the one on my D700 that has adhesive along the edge - too much reflection. With the better live view on the D810 that becomes quite important.

- AH-4 strap, a.k.a. The Nikon Glove. It works for me, YMMV.

- Dovetail plates on the way. I wanted to go RRS but for a simple plate it's not quite worth the premium anymore.

Next I need to look for a big bag to fit 2 bodies (camera bodies that is), lenses and flashes for the occasional assignment.

The funny thing is, people discuss cameras here like they are lifelong investments but what I seem to really keep for life is bags, tripods and filters. So maybe that's where it makes sense to invest in quality?

 

[Lars]

Hmm I just found the time lapse function. This is fun. Might have to add a motorized panner to the wishlist.

 

[Lars]

What also rocks is the much quieter shutter as well as EFC, as I can use the D810 just for casual shooting without too much concentration on holding the camera steady, I am getting a 98% keeper rate, which I never was able to achieve with the D800E, no matter how hard I tried. So this is maybe the biggest improvement over the original D800 for me.

So... handheld, you are using live view with EFC to avoid mirror-up slap and front curtain vibrations?

 

[danielmoore]

Still holding on to a D800E but it's good to hear all the pluses regarding the successor.

Lars - "The funny thing is, people discuss cameras here like they are lifelong investments but what I seem to really keep for life is bags, tripods and filters. So maybe that's where it makes sense to invest in quality?"

So true. I'm still using a bag that's approaching 25 years old, the biggest I could find at the time. Zippers still intact! The tripod though had to be replaced when I got the D800E, it demanded it. Filters, yup, very old indeed and have survived countless cameras/lenses in the interim.

As with all things modern/digital, I'm very interested to see what comes after the D810, as good as it is. When the used price more closely approaches the used price of my existing camera I'll replace it with one, another year perhaps, unless Nikon goes batshit crazy and puts out a mirrorless FF, EVF, replacement. That'd be too tempting.

Enjoy it while it's wearing cat's pajamas!

 

[ptomsu]

So... handheld, you are using live view with EFC to avoid mirror-up slap and front curtain vibrations?

No live view, no mirror up, just normal shooting with EFC and this it is