D800 Diary - 2 Months
I have now used my D800 for 2 months. Well actually that isn't quite correct. I have owned my D800 for 2 months, 1 week of which Nikon had it. It all started after I had shot some portraits of my kids and noticed that when using the edge focus points they weren't as pin sharp as the central point. I had read about this online and didn"t think my camera had the same problem. After some ad-hoch tests (see below) I emailed Nikon NPS in the UK and they asked me to send it in. My focus tests were performed on a Sigma F1.4 50mm lens (This exhibited the strongest focus problem)
Left edge - Was around 10cm out Right edge - Was around 6cm out
Nikon NPS UK were brilliant and 1 week later I got it back and the problem has been improved but not solved but does seem to be exaggerated on the Sigma 50mm F1.4 lens.
I have decided to work around the problem until Nikon has admitted the issue and rolled out a permanent fix. It doesn't impact on most of my photography and actually can be avoided most of the time. The only instance that I find it problematic is if I am shooting fast moving action that I want to be in the LHS of the frame. I will have to make sure that all my footballers are running from right to left!
The Great Ridge, Mam Tor - Nikon D800 and a Nikon 16-35mm F4 and Lee 0.9ND
This wasn"t the only problem I has with my D800. I had one of the explosive batteries and my camera locks up! That is what happens if you get one of the first D800 cameras I suppose and Nikon have acted extremely well in helping me solve these issues.
On a more positive note I have taken some stunning landscape shots on the D800 over the last month and the results don"t fail to amaze me. For me it is 3 areas of the D800 that really stand out as a landscape photographer
The resolution - The images printed big are simply breathtaking. The resolution also allows you a lot of room for creating images from images.
The dynamic range - Something that isn"t spoken about too much is the dynamic range the D800 has. The level of detail is amazing - especially out of the shadows.
The usability - I am going to write my next blog on 10 things you must do with your D800. The tools that are available are great and the ergonomics of the design really helps access them quickly. The view finder is bright and the live view with horizon is an invaluable tool. It really does all add to an all round package.
Evening light at Mam Tor - Nikon D800 and Nikkor 16-35mm F4 VR. F/16 1/20s ISO 200 16mm
One of the big decisions I had to make was around a ultra-wide angle lens. It came down to 3 choices
Options for a sub 20mm ultra-wide lens for D800 FX format camera
- Tokina 16-28mm F2.8 PRO FX
- Nikon 12-24mm F2.8
- Nikon 16-35mm F4 VR
Obviously the Nikon 12-24 is an amazing class leading lens. But you can't fit a Lee filter system to it without a seriously expensive add-on from Lee. The Tokina really appealed to me as I loved the 11-16mm DX Tokina I used on my D200. Again though you can"t fit filters on the front. I really don"t understand why these 2 lenses haven"t been designed with this in mind. They will be used by landscape photographers and they always use ND Grads.
View more of my images taken with the D800 and Nikon 16-35mm F4 VR lens on Flickr >>
So I went for a Nikon 16-35mm Lens and love it. The 2 images above are taken with this lens and the prints of these look stunning. I really can"t see why you need to pay more and go for the Nikon 12-24mm. Obviously you get 4mm more at the wide end which is a lot and if you think you need that then go for it. For me, 16mm is wide enough and any wider would result in difficult to correct distortion.
Rapeseed at Tidnock - Nikon D800 and Nikkor 24-70mm F2.8. F/8 1/640s ISO 200 24mm