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D800/E Review updated

johnnygoesdigital

New member
No appreciable advantage in the D800e, in regards to this photograph. With subtle use of sharpening in post, The D800 photo is just as good, but requires no color moire adjustments. IMO, the photo that requires the least amount of post editing, right out of the camera, is the better choice.
 

Thorkil

Well-known member
No appreciable advantage in the D800e, in regards to this photograph. With subtle use of sharpening in post, The D800 photo is just as good, but requires no color moire adjustments. IMO, the photo that requires the least amount of post editing, right out of the camera, is the better choice.
My own internal conclusion is the opposite, but that might be because I'm sitting with the E in my hand :rolleyes:..that little extra touch in the 'E is what "normally" drives people go bying Leica's, Phases and Hasselblad's...but this time that extra touch was rather cheap :p
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
I am hoping to pick up an e later this year if anything just for the comparison.
-bob
 

tashley

Subscriber Member
I am still firmly an E man, got both and reach for the E all the time. There are plenty of cameras that can be made to emulate the resolution of others with higher levels of sharpening and that sharpening also sharpens the noise. I've said it before and I'll say it again; the benefits are small but so are the costs.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I cannot remain silent on this issue :ROTFL:

Folks, an ideal OLPF design is just that -- ideal for digital imaging. You "E" zealots are gleaning at best a 2% better resolution file after optimal processing is compared on both. HOWEVER -- and this is probably the biggest thing -- if you cannot process ideally to begin with, then the E will generate on par a superior looking file in many cases. (Not all, but many.) So from a less than optimal processing POV the camera make a lot of sense.

Carry on,
 

Thorkil

Well-known member
I cannot remain silent on this issue :ROTFL:

Folks, an ideal OLPF design is just that -- ideal for digital imaging. You "E" zealots are gleaning at best a 2% better resolution file after optimal processing is compared on both. HOWEVER -- and this is probably the biggest thing -- if you cannot process ideally to begin with, then the E will generate on par a superior looking file in many cases. (Not all, but many.) So from a less than optimal processing POV the camera make a lot of sense.

Carry on,
:thumbup: Yes I'm just a lazy guy, and betting from the coach-corner, that Guy will buy an E later this year :)
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I thought Jack already had one of each?
Nope. That was my original plan, but after working with files from both cameras -- a friend has an E -- I confirmed for myself that there is no practical detail gain from the E if you process the regular D800 files appropriately. Moreover, both/either version file can be processed to look like the other -- however, since it takes extra effort to do that, and since I often use a pair of bodies in tandem and want the same look from them, I decided to cancel my E order and simply get a second non-E for simplicity.

Cheers,
 

tashley

Subscriber Member
Sounds sensible to me... I am constantly importing with the wrong preset (different sharpening) and then having to work out LR's mad variety of ways of syncing, which never do what you think they will!

And you can paste menu setups from one 800 to another but not between 800s and E's
 

ustein

Contributing Editor
>variety of ways of syncing, which never do what you think they will!

You have to think like Lightroom :)
 
L

locophoto

Guest
Take a look at the newest update to the ever mixed-bag of mayhem, dpreview.com, and see their latest article comparing the D800 to the D800e.

They make a strong case with visible evidence that the D800e does indeed offer a resolution advantage in context to the content you shoot, and the file format chosen to shoot in. JPEGs out of the D800e are noticeably better. The detail of the link fence is mushy on the D800, but resolved articulately on the D800e, and even with sharpening applied, the D800's mushiness can indeed re-approach D800e level lusciousness, but not quite match the detail difference that a D800e provides.

The other context that comparison requires is how big will you print?

If you print 24 x 36 and much larger, then the D800e has the win I think, assuming you shoot subject matter that includes the fine detail that the D800e can capture with really good glass.

Even without the D800e's advantages, the D800 is still a top-tier competitor killer, and most importantly, a phenomenal tool whose limits don't limit creativity for large print making like say a noisy low megapixel camera would. Either is awesome.

I'm going D800e for landscapes and the like, but if I was a portrait shooter I'd buy the D800.

Hope this is a help,

Locophoto
 
I cannot remain silent on this issue :ROTFL:

Folks, an ideal OLPF design is just that -- ideal for digital imaging. You "E" zealots are gleaning at best a 2% better resolution file after optimal processing is compared on both. HOWEVER -- and this is probably the biggest thing -- if you cannot process ideally to begin with, then the E will generate on par a superior looking file in many cases. (Not all, but many.) So from a less than optimal processing POV the camera make a lot of sense.

Carry on,
I'm with you Jack, as much as I can be having not yet held either camera. As I said in my "D800 now or wait for E" post, I don't consider myself an expert at post, and want out of camera files to work for me as much as possible. As I have compared samples posted, the E seems to deliver this, very slight, advantage.

While I've got you all- I am also a big fan of C1. But I also love Raw Developer which just came out with an update that handles 800/800E files. I encourage folks to try it out. It's main disadvantage is lack of a moire' tool, but Brain says his handling of the files will yield very few instances of the problem. His sharpening algorithms are superb, and it's a blazingly fast program (Mac only).....Peter
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
JPEGs out of the D800e are noticeably better.
Yes, this is one area where the E is probably going to be the better camera for *detail.* You may get more moire with it that is tough to deal with in a jpeg, but you should also get more detail on par if all you shoot is jpegs.
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
My own internal conclusion is the opposite, but that might be because I'm sitting with the E in my hand :rolleyes:..that little extra touch in the 'E is what "normally" drives people go bying Leica's, Phases and Hasselblad's...but this time that extra touch was rather cheap :p
Good point!
 
My own internal conclusion is the opposite, but that might be because I'm sitting with the E in my hand ..that little extra touch in the 'E is what "normally" drives people go bying Leica's, Phases and Hasselblad's...but this time that extra touch was rather cheap
Good point!
A. My preference is to spend less time on computer / post processing. If for $300 extra, I get added sharpening / 2% extra resolution, I will spend that money, and for me, it is not worth of saving that when I have to sharpen each image I decide to process.

B. There is always risk to add noise with extra sharpening of D800, unless I know exactly what I need to do. Everybody can't do or will not do, what Jack can do.

C. What will happen if you apply that extra sharpening to D800E files as well?

D. 40MP Phase One DB shows moire too. It is less on 60 - 80 MP MFDB. That doesn't mean that Fashion / Portrait Photographers are not using MFDB.

E. Need to check whether moire shows up on prints or not. According to Michael Reichmann: "What you see is all about the patterns in the image beating with the pixel grid of your particular monitor."

Need to test this. I have some images from P45+ where moire appeared on fabrics.

Subrata
 
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