# Markw's D800 Review Thread.



## Markw (Mar 26, 2012)

Hello everyone!  As some of you know, my Nikon D800 came in the mail today.  Instead of making a few threads on the different aspects of the camera as I find them out and get to learn it better, I figured it would probably be better to make one thread and continue to update as I go.  As a bit of backstory info, I'm coming from a D300s.  So..here goes nothing:

*First Impressions
*
*Ergonomics:
*
Buttons and Dials:
Well, honestly, it's a beast of a camera in all its glory, but it's a tad small for my liking.  I don't have very large hands by any stretch of the imagination, but it really feels like I'm continually searching for a bit more grip.  The front part where your fingers wrap around doesn't come out far enough for my liking.  A similar problem is found in the back.  The thumb grip usually found directly under the rear command dial seems to be...well..insignificant, to say the least.  It's not a major problem, but I can see it becoming a problem in colder conditions where you cant always judge the best via the sense of touch. Make sure the strap is wrapped around your wrist a couple times just in case.  It seems pretty easy to slip off.  

Speaking of the command dials, they seem to have gotten an improvement as well.  They're nice and rubbery; almost robust feeling.  There's nothing loose about them, either.  They seem to be dampened in the way they move and click into place, which I personally really like.  The clicks while turning don't seem to be so much like clicks, but moreso like dampened stern stops, with very little noise or play, if that makes any sense.  There's absolutely nothing plasticky or playable about them.  They really do feel great.  

The Fn and Aperture Preview buttons are greatly improved.  I'm not sure how they are on the D7000 or any newer DSLRs (aside from the D300s), but both buttons are no longer rounded!  They've got a nice plateau-like flat top on them now, which makes them very easy to discern from one another, and very easy to press, should you choose to.  This is a big plus for me, as I really hated the round feel to the ones on the D300s (they're still circular, but no longer globular).  

The movie record button being on the top by the MODE button is nice.  I'd much prefer it being there instead of on the back.  Also, like some are saying, the button's small.  It's about 1/2 the diameter as the MODE buttn.  Although, contrary to the other gripes, I really don't see how it's hard to reach at all.  The MODE button is further away than the record button, and it's not in an awkward place at all.  I don't see any problem with the placement, size, or functionality of the button.

 The buttons on the back have all gotten a change as well.  They're no longer globular in style either.  They now have a nice, less rounded top to them as well.  Whereas they felt a bit like they sank into a pocket, or into the camera a bit, the buttons on the back of this bad boy are more like click-style buttons.  They move very little when you press them, and come to a hard stop shortly after pressing down.  I'm not sure if I care too much for this just yet, but I can't see it becoming too much of a problem.  The buttons on the left side of the newly large 3.2" screen seem to have gotten smaller as well.  This isn't something I've measured, but they definitely feel smaller to the touch.  A good thing, though, is that they're much more distinguished now.  The space in which they sit now gradually falls down below the level of the button from the outside in.  That is, the body of the camera dips down around the edges of the buttons.  This leaves a VERY little bit of space around each button that emphasizes them just enough to really notice a difference as to how pronounced they are.  I think this is a great improvement.  

The mode wheel (S, CL, CH, etc) has been greatly improved as well.  It's not raised so you can see the letters for each mode from the back of the camera.  You no longer have to look downward to see them.  It's much more rubberized now instead of metally/plasticky and has the same damped, almost insulated-like stop-click motion between modes as the command dials do between clicks.  Huge improvement.  Very welcomed improvement indeed.

The screen is now 3.2" instead of 3" and really is big, bright, and beautiful.  'Nuff said.

The viewfinder is big, bright, and beautiful as well.  The addition of the leveler is nice.  Other than that, I don't see much of a difference.

*Functionality:

*All I can really say so far is that the AF is incredibly fast and responsive.  I haven't tested the continuous focus in video mode, but it's great in the photos.  Dead on each and every time, and has no problem tracking fast objects.  But, that's to be expected in a camera with a flagship AF system. 

More to come including test photos and videos tomorrow!  Stay tuned! :thumbsup:

Mark


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## tirediron (Mar 26, 2012)

Nice!  Looking forward to seeing some images.


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## Trever1t (Mar 26, 2012)

Cool Mark, lucky dog! I'm in limbo without knowing when mine will ship...May perhaps. Keep the observations and impressions coming!


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## 480sparky (Mar 26, 2012)

Are you going to start a D800 Across America thread?


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## IgsEMT (Mar 26, 2012)

THANK YOU SIR!
LOOK fwd to more


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## Markw (Mar 27, 2012)

Well, like the title says, I've had one full day now to fiddle about with the D800. 

I've taken some photos, of course. None of which I feel are really up to par to show you guys. They're incredibly bland, to be completely honest. This is to no fault of the camera, however. The camera's an incredible performer! The resolution is incredible. The focus is untouchable. Color rendering and dynamic range are impeccable as was to be expected. I'm utterly amazed by the performance of this beast of a piece of kit.





I do, however have some HDR examples to show you. Other than resizing these to 2500 pixels on their long side, there have been no post processing of the photos. They're straight from the camera. All photos were taken with the Nikon D800 and Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 EX DG HSM IF II @24mm.

Example 1:






This is the *NON-HDR* shot that the camera metered of the scene. With the camera set to matrix metering, this is the shot as it came straight from the camera, by the camera.







This is the *HDR* shot that the camera spit out. Again, the camera was on matrix metering, JPG FINE. For this shot, the HDR mode was set to *Auto*. As you can tell, some of the shadows on the water and the trees have been brightened up. The building on camera left has also got a bit more detail to it. On the downside, though, the sky is toned down a bit from the already hazy sky. It's a bit more grey and dulled down because of the processing. Also, you can see that the merging of the two photos has gotten some of the bits, well, a bit confused. As you can tell, the specular highlights on the water from the sun are smoothed out and lost in the middle of the frame. You get a bit of smaller highlights on the top, and some on the bottom, but they're completely smoothed over in the middle. 


As you know, both shots used in the HDR are taken during the same flap of the shutter, so the water wasn't moved too much in the 1/8000s between exposures. It really will be a shame if the HDR function continues to be unintelligent. If you lose parts of trees in the forest, grass patches in the meadows, or something of the sort, this could become unfortunate.

​Example 2:






This is the *NON-HDR* shot that the camera metered of the scene. With the camera set to matrix metering, this is the shot as it came straight from the camera, by the camera.








This is the *HDR* shot that the camera spit out. Again, the camera was on matrix metering, JPG FINE. For this shot, however, the HDR mode was set manually to 3EV. Now, it's not quite clear to me how this is accomplished. Only two frames are taken in the HDR. The camera gives you the option of Auto, 1EV, 2EV, and 3EV. Since only two frames are taken, if you need highlights, shadows, and midtones, that would theoretically take 3 photos, minimum. Hence why bracketing is generally done in multiples of 3: so at least 1 frame is correctly exposed for the scene as a whole. With only two frames being taken, if you set an exposure differential of 3EV, is this accomplished by takin one photo 1.5EV above, and one 1.5EV below the meter? Hmm...


In this photo as well, though, you can tell that everything has a slight grey cast over it. The sky is dulled, the tree colors are a bit washed out, the darker tones in the deck are lost. It looks alot like the HDRs spit out directly from Photoshop CS5.5's HDR function. 








This is the *HDR* from above, as I would edit it. If for nothing else, the HDR function is nice to have as the file spit out is ALOT easier to edit than the first photo. As you will see, this edit has* alot *more detail in the trees on the left and such than in the file below, which was the firs non-hdr shot, edited in the same manner. The vibrance had to be upped to 100, midtones pulled up in levels, and the blacks deepened. It was actually quite lovely to edit the HDR file. Since there is so much inherent detail, not too much has to be done.








This is the *Non-HDR *file, run through photoshop.​
VIDEOS:


I haven't had too much time to really have fun with the video on this baby, but I did get some nice test shots of the 720p 60FPS video. Here are some quick test videos done, run back in both 24FPS and 60FPS. Enjoy!

As a short disclaimer, I understand these aren't the most professional videos in existence. Like I said, they were just quick tests. Many more to come in the future.


Nikon D800 + Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 EX DG HSM IF II
PS. ISO for this video was set at ISO3200!







Nikon D800 + Nikon 300mm F/4.0 ED IF AF-S





As for the video functionality, coming from a D300s, it's incredible (coming from anything, it's incredible, really)! The manual controls are spot-on, and incredibly nice to have control over. The dynamic range are something to be rivaled. As mentioned in the previous post, the record button being on the top is really nice as well. 

In order to shoot in DX mode during video, you must select the mode before entering into video mode. Nothing too shocking.


Thanks alot for stopping by, again! Much more to come in the next few days. So, feel free to stick around a while!​


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## spacefuzz (Mar 27, 2012)

Cool thank you

Can't wait till I get one....


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## 2WheelPhoto (Mar 27, 2012)

Nice, congrats!


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## BlairWright (Mar 27, 2012)

Mark, Did you buy at Service Photo or on the net?


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## Markw (Mar 27, 2012)

I got mine through Amazon.  Thanks everyone!

Mark


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## KmH (Mar 27, 2012)

Sounds like Nikon can fire all their DX camera engineers.



> The focus is untouchable. Color rendering and dynamic range are impeccable...


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## Markw (Mar 27, 2012)

Speaking of...

I assigned the Fn button to change the crop factor.  Previously, this was bracketing for me.  It's incredibly convenient to be able to change, in the matter of a click or two, to gain an additional 1.5x crop factor, and still maintain the pixel density, etc of the D800's sensor and get a file size of roughly 15mp!  Very convenient!

Mark


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## IgsEMT (Mar 27, 2012)

Mark,
any issues as such? Nikon D800 issues | Nikon Rumors


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## mjhoward (Mar 27, 2012)

Markw said:


> Speaking of...
> 
> I assigned the Fn button to change the crop factor.  Previously, this was bracketing for me.  It's incredibly convenient to be able to change, in the matter of a click or two, to gain an additional 1.5x crop factor, and still maintain the pixel density, etc of the D800's sensor and get a file size of roughly 15mp!  Very convenient!
> 
> Mark



You're not really gaining a crop factor in the same way that you would be if going from an FX to DX of the same resolution.  The comparison is much different when comparing something like the D700 and a D90. They are both around 12MP, but the D90 packs them in a smaller area.  With the D800 shooting in DX mode, it is no different than if you took a FF photo and center cropped to the DX size... no extra 'reach' there since, as you said, the pixel density is the same.


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## Markw (Mar 28, 2012)

IgsEMT said:


> Mark,
> any issues as such? Nikon D800 issues | Nikon Rumors



I've noticed the color cast of the LCD being a bit off.  Again with the green cast as shown.  But, it's not too bad at all.  Obviously, it needs fixed and I'm sure this will happen with the first firmware update.  No issues with flash or memory cards thus far.

Mark


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## 480sparky (Mar 28, 2012)

When are you going to send me your old camera body?


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## Markw (Mar 28, 2012)

We can trade for the Sigma 600. 

Mark


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## Markw (Mar 28, 2012)

More test shots.  Most above ISO1250.  Sorry guys, there has been some noise reduction done.  I have this obsession for having silky smooth images.  I guess this is something I'm going to have to forget about after around ISO1600 (or maybe before).  The pixels are simply packed so tight together, they're almost more visible.  Now, mind you, I understand this isn't the D3s we're talking about here.  But, I would give anything for the images to be just a bit more smooth.  I'll post a few unedited samples at the end to show you what I mean.

All images taken with Nikon D800 and Sigma 180mm F/3.5 EX DG HSM APO IF Macro 

















Now for the resolution-testing shots.






100% crop:










100% Crop










100% Crop










100% Crop





Mark


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## 480sparky (Mar 28, 2012)

Markw said:


> We can trade for the Sigma 600.
> 
> Mark



Deal!


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## rgregory1965 (Mar 28, 2012)

never mind

thanks


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## Aloicious (Mar 28, 2012)

nice, great review, my local brick and mortar called on monday saying my pre-order had arrived and I picked it up tuesday. I've been way busy and haven't had a chance to really test it out. but so far I agree about it feeling small...I'm used to a D3s though, so I expected it to be a little smaller, I'll have to see how it goes when I've used it more. I've literally only taken 4=5 shots with it and haven't really had a chance to look at them. 

good test images...


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## osirus (Mar 29, 2012)

nice posts,
Im going crazy waiting for my pre order to come in


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## DScience (Mar 29, 2012)

I am a little underwhelmed by the test images. The higher ISO examples are not that diff than the D700. I would like to see the originals, and also some tripod shots using ISO 200.


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## Markw (Mar 29, 2012)

Thanks.  I agree, and I will get some up probably tomorrow.  

Mark


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## Aloicious (Mar 29, 2012)

the ISO at 100% image I'm finding it to be similar to the d7000 IMO maybe slightly better, for high ISO I still would rather use a D700, or in my case, my D3s....the ISO benefit you see from places like DXOmark come from standardization of the images which favors large MP....(reducing the huge MP image to compare with smaller MP images also reduces noise)...

you do have a benefit on the other end with the D800 since the low native ISO is 100 vs the old standard of 200...and thats really where you see the large dynamic range and color bit benefits...I think the D800 will shine as a tripod dweller (studio/landscapes) where the low ISO benefits can really show off.


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## Hooligan Dan (Mar 29, 2012)

Those 100% crops are nuts. I was planning to buy a D800 for the video backup to my D3s, but now I'm thinking I have to use it for some photos. Great review, Mark.


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## Markw (Mar 30, 2012)

Well, a bit more photos from yesterday.  All of the following were taken with the Nikon D800 and Nikon 50mm F/1.8*D*.

ISO100
F/2.8
1/2000





100%





*
200%
*NOTE*: Image was taken at F/2.8.  Should I have thought I was going to do a 200% crop, I would have bumped to F/8, and details would have been rendered better.
*







ISO500
F/4
1/250
Dynamic range in this one is really where the camera shines. You can't really tell, but the light coming in through the windows was VERY strong.  Unfiltered, late evening sun.  The kind that throws shadows twice as long as you are tall.  That kind of light.  And detail is still seen in the highlights.  Incredible.





100%





Now, here's the shocker of the day.  I took this photo at dark time.  It was 100% as dark as it was going to get for the day.  No lights on in the truck.  I was doing this to test the new AF in the camera.  It was a 1.8 lens, however.  Either way, it was DARK out.  100% night-time dark.

ISO200
F/2.8
1/50
Photo straight OOC (besides BW conversion)





Lightened by 4++ stops in ACR6.9
100% crop





Spot exposure increase just a bit more on the eye, noise reduction at 50%.





And, to my utter amazement, the focus was spot-on!  It was hard for even me to see if I had placed the AF selector point at the right spot to get her eye.  But, the camera focused on it just fine.  It's clearly not the best photo in the world, but not bad considering it's at 100%, and the photo it came from.  Incredible, really. 

Mark


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## slackercruster (Mar 30, 2012)

Thanks for the rundown Mark!


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## 2WheelPhoto (Mar 30, 2012)

Mark great write up and beautiful pics. 

A friend told me she has a hard time reaching the aperture preview button on hers then I saw it on dpreview video.  Does my friend and the chinese guy on dpreview just have short fingers or is it really in a tough spot?


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## Vtec44 (Mar 30, 2012)

Night time focus >  WINNING!


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## Markw (Mar 30, 2012)

2WheelPhoto said:


> Mark great write up and beautiful pics.
> A friend told me she has a hard time reaching the aperture preview button on hers then I saw it on dpreview video. Does my friend and the chinese guy on dpreview just have short fingers or is it really in a tough spot?


I have no problem at all reaching any of the buttons. Not even the MODE button, or the record button. I don't have huge hands at all, by any stretch of the imagination, either. I have no idea whatsoever what the complaining about the button placement is all about. Coming from a D300s, I didn't really notice too much of a difference, really.



Vtec44 said:


> Night time focus > WINNING!


YES!  I was shocked!

Mark


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## IgsEMT (Mar 30, 2012)

wow. I'm blown away by this focus and 36mpx REALLY let you get close. *AMAZING!*
Mark thanks for posting these!


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## lemonart (Apr 1, 2012)

Feeling much better about my D800 vs. D700 dilemma!  Definitely teetering towards the 800 now.

Would love to see some untouched photos at 800, 1600, 3200, and 6400 ISO.  Not that I shoot above 1600 often, but in a pinch I will hit 3200/6400.  My ONLY concern when this was announced was potential Noise.  The resolution is amazing and if it's even 90% as good as the 700 in low light, my decision will be an easy one for my style of shooting 

Lem


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## Vtec44 (Apr 2, 2012)

Here's a quick comparison from DxOMark.  

DxOMark - Compare cameras side by side


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## lemonart (Apr 3, 2012)

Thanks Vtec!  I've seen that.  It's great info. For sure.

The question is, what do actual photos look like side by side?  dpreview seems to have finally put comparison photos up for the D800 so Hopefully that'll get into the real world functionality a bit more.  Not looking bad, though!

Lem


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## Trever1t (Apr 3, 2012)

Mark, you've had the body for some time now. Do you have any other thoughts or feelings about the camera?


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## zamanakhan (Apr 3, 2012)

goddamnit... now i have to save up 5 grand... first for this camera and a 24-70 2.8... Also i will probably have to wait a year and nikon will most likely up the price of the d800 as well. This seems like am amazing camera. I've got crazy gear lust for the d800 and 24-70 (and 16-35, 85 1.4, and 50 1.8g. Although i could probably get by with just a 16-35 and a 50 1.8 which is the equivelent of my favorite setup on dx. 

How are you finding your computer in keeping up with the new image sizes? what kind of computer do u have? i've got a macbook pro with an i7 but if i get the camera i would most likely upgrade to a solid state drive and up the ram to 8gb as well.

The other thing holding me back is, the price of the camera is roughly equivelent to a european holiday, i could get much better images by traveling with my d7000 than buying a d800 and being stuck in suburbia...


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## Vtec44 (Apr 4, 2012)

lemonart said:


> Thanks Vtec!  I've seen that.  It's great info. For sure.
> 
> The question is, what do actual photos look like side by side?  dpreview seems to have finally put comparison photos up for the D800 so Hopefully that'll get into the real world functionality a bit more.  Not looking bad, though!
> 
> Lem



Here ya go...

Another Nikon D700 vs. Nikon D800 high ISO comparison | Nikon Rumors


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## Markw (Apr 4, 2012)

Trever1t said:


> Mark, you've had the body for some time now. Do you have any other thoughts or feelings about the camera?


Everything that I said in my original post still stands true about the ergonomics.  Functionality is seamless.  VERY easy to get used to, and very easy to use.  I've found very little times where I've had to take my eye from the viewfinder to adjust settings.  Video is off the charts amazing.  Photos have outstanding detail and, well, everything else is superb.  I've still got to get used to the apparent, inherent texture to the photos.  At 36MP, it looks a bit different than at 12.  It's got a texture to them.  I'll see if I can dig up some samples of what I mean.  ISO seems perfectly usable to ISO6400.  That's the top of the native range, but I can't see any problems with using that in a pinch.  Sorry, I don't have a D700, or any other camera besides my IR D60, to compare it directly with.  I'm still growing with it, but I honestly can't see me needing anything else for a very long time.  I'm interested in seeing how it fares a wedding-type scenario as well.  I can't foresee any problems.

OH.  And about the 36MP, you better have prettyyyy good technique.  They're not very forgiving to camera shake. 



zamanakhan said:


> goddamnit... now i have to save up 5 grand... first for this camera and a 24-70 2.8... Also i will probably have to wait a year and nikon will most likely up the price of the d800 as well. This seems like am amazing camera. I've got crazy gear lust for the d800 and 24-70 (and 16-35, 85 1.4, and 50 1.8g. Although i could probably get by with just a 16-35 and a 50 1.8 which is the equivelent of my favorite setup on dx.
> 
> How are you finding your computer in keeping up with the new image sizes? what kind of computer do u have? i've got a macbook pro with an i7 but if i get the camera i would most likely upgrade to a solid state drive and up the ram to 8gb as well.
> 
> The other thing holding me back is, the price of the camera is roughly equivelent to a european holiday, i could get much better images by traveling with my d7000 than buying a d800 and being stuck in suburbia...



Yepp.  That's true.  But, technically speaking, photo per photo, the photos being popped out of the D800, even in suburbia, are going to be better than the ones popped out of your D7000. 

As for the lenses, I'm wrestling now with the idea that I'm going to have to upgrade each one of my lenses.  24-70 Sigma->Nikon 24-70.  Nikon 80-200->70-200II.  50/1.8D->Sigma 1.4.  Tokina 11-16->Nikkor 14-24.  Of course, you could also go the 16/17-35 + 50 + 70-200.  But, as an event photographer, I  feel it's better to have the first setup.

I have a 15" Macbook Pro with the i7 as well.  I don't have any problems editing RAW files in ACR6.9.  I'm going to pick up LR whenever they accept the D800 RAW files (maybe they already do?) for editing.  Every once in a while, out of the blue, I'll get the swirling rainbow of death.  But, that only lasts maybe 2 seconds, then goes right back off.  It takes longer, for sure.  But, not _much _longer at all.

Thanks for the questions everyone!  If you have any more, or would like to see specific photos taken with the camera, or certain settings, please let me know!  I'll be happy to oblige. 

Mark


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## Trever1t (Apr 4, 2012)

LightRoom 4 has ACR 7 and will open D800/e D4 files. 

Good review, I understand the 'texture' you speak of, like a film grain when viewed at 100%, right?


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## Markw (Apr 4, 2012)

That's exactly it.  It's kind of a pet peeve of mine.  I generally try for the smoothest image possible, and the texture seems to be inherent and ubiquitous.  But, unless you zoom in to the darkest parts of the image at 100%, it really makes no difference.  I can't wait to get something printed from it!

Mark


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## Markw (Apr 5, 2012)

Dynamic Range.  Detail.  Just sayin'. 






















100%





Mark


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## annasegin (Apr 23, 2012)

How do you think the release of the D800 is going to impact selling prices on the D3x?


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## Markw (Apr 23, 2012)

I hear people saying that it won't affect it too much since the D3x is still a "professional" camera.  But, I think it's going to cannibalize the D3x.  If it hasn't already, it easily will when it becomes available to the masses.  Here are the main reasons:

D3x             D800
ISO1600 vs ISO6400 from D800
No boost vs ISO25,600 boost
No video vs Best Nikon-based video
                   FAR less startup delay and shutter lag
                   Far better AF
                   15MP DX

Etc, etc. The kicker is  *The D800 costs HALF THE PRICE.
*
So, I can't see why it _wouldn't _cannibalize the sales on the D3x.

Mark


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## Markw (May 24, 2012)

Resolution test:






100% crop (don't mind the motion blur.)





Unofficial DR test:





Take from it what you will. 
Mark


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