I've decided that the D800 isn't for me, and I'd like to upgrade to a D3S or D4. Has anyone else gone this route? I'm trying to decide on the best way to go:

1) Ebay the D800, then get a gently-used D3S or new D4

2) Get one of the smaller retailers to work a deal where I trade in my mint condition D800 as credit on a D4 (accepting that I'll lose a few hundred since they'll be selling it as used)

I haven't used Ebay in a long time, so my excellent trading track record there is too old to matter. Has anyone here had luck selling or trading used equipment with a dealer?

Thanks!

Mike

What is it about the D800 you dislike?

North East Wedding Photographer

>What is it about the D800 you dislike?

The tendency for images to be unsharp. Yes, I know that if I run around with a tripod or use very high shutter speeds that I will be able to get sharp, high resolution images. But apparently I'm just too shaky! Too often I use what would have been a reasonable shutter speed with my other cameras and end up with mush.

I've been shooting for over 30 years. I use a monopod, keep my elbows close to the body, and know better than to punch the shutter release.

Mike

What is your purpose? Low light-shooting, reduced pixels?

The D4 exceeds both over the D3S, more updated OS etc. but for some D3S owners (me included) the differences at 18MP over 12MP simply weren't compelling enough to spend another $6k. I did buy the D800 for FX 36MP landscape and it's upgraded video over the D7000.

Should Nikon release a D4S at say 24mp or better then I (personally) would consider it but new D3S bodies are still available, and of course if you are choosing one for Video, it would not be the D3S although the direct HDMI out of the D4 is softer than the D800 and etc.

RM

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Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>What is your purpose? Low light-shooting, reduced pixels?
>

I shoot a variety of things, but one area that I want to improve is low light work. I went with the D800 because it was less expensive than the D3S and D4, and it gave me a number of other things that I also wanted moving from the D700 (accurate framing, a backup card, better metering and white balance, etc.).

I decided that if it was a tie with my D700 on the low light stuff that the other improvements were enough for me. Now that I've discovered that I can't match my D700 in low light shooting I'd rather take the financial hit and get one of the other cameras.

Thanks!

Mike

I would avoid Ebay because of the fees. Try Craigslist, Nikonians or Fred Miranda, much cheaper way to sell anything. In addition to the final value fee, you also pay a fee based on the shipping cost. The last few items I've sold on Ebay the total percent for all of the fees including paypal was about 15%.
Dave Jolley

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

I just sold something on ebay for the first time in a couple of years. The fees are way out of hand and will NEVER sell anything on ebay again. The fees are way over 10% now. Over $50 to sell a $400 item!

On top of that, even though I have 100% positive feedback on over 200 items over the past 12 years they held the payment for a week because I wasn't trustworthy. I've been using paypal even longer, and even though I complained to them there was no response.

Plus you can't leave negative feedback for your buyer. Buyers can jerk you around, say that they never received the package, or that the box was empty and you will never see a dime.

Ebay is too expensive, too risky, and should be on its way out.

Sell it either here or on Fred Miranda. I've had good luck that way. Craigslist is also good but there are a lot of robbers looking for high end items so beware.

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Wow ,the D800E for me was a big upgrade from the D3s in low light and well everything.
Ebay is bad news when selling IMO, to many fees. The Craigs list and other options mentioned are by far better.The Retailer route could be a hit or miss, I have tried both, and find they low ball you bad every time. I think local craigs list is the best if you live in a big city. I live in LA Ca. so people sell lots of camera gear here. Good Luck !

Don;t want to redirect this thread but the D800E for me was a major downgrade in low light compared with my D700. Very much in line with my D7000 (now my wife's). In terms of resolution and ability to zoom and zoom and zoom, the 800E wins by a long shot. But no way for high ISO performance.

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To each his own for sure, I own a D700 as well, and think My D800E definitely has better ISO in my shots. My D700 is my second camera in all work low light or not.

I think you are the very first person who reported this that actually had the camera. Lots of D700 owners where saying that before the D800 was actually available however.
My own tests, casual to the extreme comparing my D800 to a D700, I find just the opposite is the case, unless comparing at pixel level which has nothing to do with actual resolution or noise performance.
The D4 will help with the low light but it will not improve on IQ over the D800
Stan
St Petersburg Russia

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That is what in my experience, too, but what to do in case I need JPEG? Greenish LCD is killing color and contrast. So any advice how to solve the problem? THX. Dimitri

Ebay doesn't seem to be as well regarded as it once was. I had a lot of success with it years ago, but after reading all of the posts here and elsewhere I'm a bit discouraged from using it. Thanks!

Mike

I've sold off some lower end lenses on EBay where the fees aren't too bad. But I'm going to sell my D3s and 70-200 and don't think I'll list on EBay

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I would sell it here on Nikonians in the "I Want to Sell" forum.

Rocky

>I would sell it here on Nikonians in the "I Want to
>Sell" forum.
>
>Rocky

+1, Nikonians is absolutely the best way to sell it.

Ebay is hit or miss with the misses being 'buyers' who claim they never received the product once you've shipped it to them. The Ebay/Paypal experience quickly spirals downward from that point.

-Alex Rosen
www.flickr.com/photos/klrbee25/

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I have both D800 & D700 and I am growing to love the detail in the D800 shots. I too struggled at first with images which were not as sharp as I would like. I have managed to get consistently good results by using flash and shutter speed of 200.

I find the D700 to be slightly better for low light work simple because hand held I can get the shutter speed lower.

I too am looking at D3s for low light work.

North East Wedding Photographer

Cant compare the D800 and the d3s for low light work, the D3s wins hands down obviously.

I own both a D3s and a D800, I use my D3s 80% of the time during the reception and ceremony at a wedding and I use my D800 90% of the time during family and formal photos outside in the park.

I prefer my D800 outside when there is lots of sun light and I prefer my D3s for any low light work inside

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Visit Windsor wedding photographer.

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+1 deux

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I would sell it through this website.

Try your local Craigslist.

>I've decided that the D800 isn't for me, and I'd like to
>upgrade to a D3S or D4. Has anyone else gone this route? I'm
>trying to decide on the best way to go:
>
>1) Ebay the D800, then get a gently-used D3S or new D4
>
>2) Get one of the smaller retailers to work a deal where I
>trade in my mint condition D800 as credit on a D4 (accepting
>that I'll lose a few hundred since they'll be selling it as
>used)
>
>I haven't used Ebay in a long time, so my excellent trading
>track record there is too old to matter. Has anyone here had
>luck selling or trading used equipment with a dealer?
>
>Thanks!
>
>Mike

Screw Ebay and PayPal. I did away with them a couple years ago. Only do check or MO buy or sell, no problems no fees works great. I have found in this forum and a couple others I hang around people are very honest.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Stay away from FleaBay!
Their seller protection is a joke.
Read the fine print, they only protect themselves.

I would trade it for a D3s or D4 on Nikonian's or Fred Miranda's site.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

I am actually somewhat annoyed by this thread. Is the not another forum for these issues (I want to sell)?

Lukas

Trying to be a keeper of the light

Lukas,
I think "I want to sell" is for when you are actually selling. In this case the poster is getting advice on how to sell the camera.

James

Well, this answer is late, sorry... I bother to write it because I just saw the moderator of this forum had moved a question about which lenses to use with the d800 to another forum...that was a real question at least, related to the quality of the camera, and also not some simpering about real or imagined autofocus problems.
I think threads like this on the other hand are worse than useless and should be moved or closed.

Lukas

Trying to be a keeper of the light

Lukas,

If you have questions about the validity of a thread or message, or feel that it has been mis-posted, you should send a private message to the moderator by clicking the "Alert" link on the lower left of a message.

Mick
http://www.mickklassphoto.com
or
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Okay, thanks, i wasn't aware of the "alert" button. Still, I think I would have posted this nevertheless, just in order to instill another opinion.

Lukas

Trying to be a keeper of the light

I answered your comment in the other (moved) thread.

This thread may be useless to you, but I think the original poster did get some useful answers. James is right that the "WTS" Forum is purely for actual selling, not general enquiries.

Brian
Welsh Nikonian
Check out the Nikonians Team pages

>I answered your comment in the other (moved) thread.
>
>This thread may be useless to you, but I think the original
>poster did get some useful answers. James is right that the
>"WTS" Forum is purely for actual selling, not
>general enquiries.

Okay, I voiced my opinion, I guess I now have to accept the majority's judgement, and to go along with things as they are.

Lukas

Trying to be a keeper of the light

I have had excellent success selling on the Nikonians "I Want to Cell" site. No fees. Excellent purchasers.
Your D800 will be gone by the end of the day.

Mike,

I hope you dont mind a plug for a local camera shop but you might give Jacks Camera a call. (www.jackscamera.com). They are a local shop that I've used for 30 years and found they are pretty aggressive with trade ins. I got a D800e and traded a D700 and D300s and their prices were close to what I've seen them go for on this site if you consider PayPal and shipping fees.

Benji is the used department manager and I'm sure he'll treat you right.

Sorry you are not happy with the D800 ... but you know what you want and why. I agree with most here that suggest the Nikonians "want to sell" forum as a great option. Good folks and trustworthy. Also I have real good success using Craigs List when I do 'local/cash only'. I won't ship, take trades, and only cash. Meet publically and ignore those emails you will get that say "I want to buy this for my son/daughter but I am currently out of town and will pay you more than you are asking". Good luck...

Dan

"My most rewarding photos are those that capture something I didn't 'see' in the frame....so just SHOOT."

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I have been a Nikon user since 1977. I have owned: Nikon FTN, FM, D70s, D200, D300, and now the D800. This Nikon body is clearly the best I have ever owned. The images are fantastic. I don't find it hard to get a "great image". If someone is going to "Ditch" it then give it to me. I always keep two camera bodies on hand. I will then sale my wonderful D300. The connotation of "Ditch" is clearly negative and this camera deserves accolades!

The D4 and D800/e are the best cameras ever created by humans for the humans. Now, at least. One more software to imrove LCD, that is what I need, period. Dimitri.

Before I saw this thread, I had listed my D800 on eBay. If I had seen the thread first, I would have sold thru Nikonians.

My eBay experience was interesting. I chose to do an Auction rather than Buy It Now; many other people were doing Buy It Now at prices above the current list price. I started my offer at $2700 because all of the used D800 sales before that point were over $3,000. I figured the bidding would push the auction up close to $3,000 or above.

To my dismay some guy put a used D800 on eBay the next day and started his auction at $1. He claimed it was basically new, had almost no clicks on it and all warranties would apply. I figured I was done for.

I was almost ready to pull the listing when a person offered my starting price. That offer did not change until 10 minutes before the listing was to expire. The offers went up to $2,800. I liked what I saw in the buying records of those who were making offers. They all had good histories at 100% satisfaction.

In the last 10 seconds before the listing ended, the offers jumped to $2950. Yes, $50 less than list price. However, the winning bidder who had not made a previous offer had the following attributes:
- She had just joined eBay the day before
- She had no history of buying nor selling on eBay

Within seconds of the auction close, I got a long note from her explaining that she wanted the camera shipped overnight FedEx instead of the UPS Ground as I had listed. She was registered in NJ, but wanted to to ship to a person with a different name in a small town in Georgia.

I thought about it for about 10 minutes, had a scotch, and executed the Second Chance to Buy offer to the person who was the next highest bidder.

This was at midnight last Saturday night. I did not get an immediate reply, so I went to sleep.

Sunday morning I had two e-mails. One was from PayPal saying the second highest bidder had paid for the camera already. The second e-mail was from the "lady in NJ" and was sent at 4:00 AM encouraging me to give her my PayPal information so she could execute payment.

The "lady in NJ" was probably someone in another country who was running a scam to try and get into my PayPal account. Most of her communications occurred in the middle of the night USA time.

I exchanged e-mails with the second highest bidder before I shipped, and I knew he was legit with a studio on Long Island, NY. He sounded like a nice guy. I had UPS verify my camera box contents and pack the shipping box to send to my buyer. I just got an e-mail from him saying he is very happy with the camera, and that it was exactly as advertised.

So, you can sell a D800 thru eBay. You just may not sell it to the highest bidder.

If you offer as Buy It Now with the Make Offer option, you can check each offer before you say yes or no.

The total PayPal and eBay fees are about 12%. The only advantage to eBay is that the process is over quickly...good, bad and ugly.

Larry Jordan

D800E, 14-24, 50, 24-70, 70-180 Micro, 70-200, 80-400mm AF-S

Website:
http://larryjordan.smugmug.com/

Larry,
You could have prevented the winning bidder from bidding on your item by setting up specific buyer requirements in your account; in this case you could have blocked her for having no feedback. Something to think about in the future.
The Ebay final value fees and shipping fees were probably about $250+ for your sale so you could have sold the item for less here on Nikonians and still netted about the same after the sale and not had to deal with a suspicious buyer.
I always factor Ebay fees into my decision in setting a fair selling price on Nikonians and Craiglist especially on high dollar items like this.
Dave Jolley

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Yea, I learned a lot while selling the camera...like having the bidding expire on Sunday afternoon instead of midnight on Saturday night during the Olympics...because people bid up the price during the last 10 seconds on expensive items.

I have only sold inexpensive items on eBay before. Selling an expensive camera that is almost new is a whole new realm.

I do not recommend it for the faint of heart. Gamblers probably love trading on eBay...because every deal is a #### shoot!

Larry Jordan

D800E, 14-24, 50, 24-70, 70-180 Micro, 70-200, 80-400mm AF-S

Website:
http://larryjordan.smugmug.com/

I am interested to see a couple people talk about high ISO not being as good as D700. I use my D700 as second camera to my D4 in theatre but I have strong NAS for a D800E to replace my D700. Maybe I better tread carefully?

I've had good success with CraigsList in person cash only sales in recent years.

Moizes, wasn't there a firmware update for the green screen?

Best regards, SteveK

'A camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.' -- Dorothea Lange
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I had two D3 cameras (same sensor as D700)
The images at ISO 6400+ are better on the D800.
I too am interested in the E but will wait for the Official D600 announcement before deciding.

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Steve, I agree with Roger. The ISO 6400 images from my D800e are on a par with those from my D3s. My experience is off-off-Broadway theatre — uneven, sometimes very low light.

Jon Kandel
A New York City Nikonian and Team Member
Please visit my website and critique the images!

Thanks both of you, I remain NAS-inflicted then

Best regards, SteveK

'A camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.' -- Dorothea Lange
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Steve:
I am another who thinks the D800 low light photos are better than the D700.
Sorry to encourage your NAS...

Ron

>I am interested to see a couple people talk about high ISO
>not being as good as D700. I use my D700 as second camera to
>my D4 in theatre but I have strong NAS for a D800E to replace
>my D700. Maybe I better tread carefully?
>
>I've had good success with CraigsList in person cash only
>sales in recent years.
>
>Moizes, wasn't there a firmware update for the green screen?
>
>Best regards, SteveK
>
>'A camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see
>without a camera.' -- Dorothea Lange
>My
>Nikonians gallery>
>My Nikonians Blog As far as I know not yet. But very interesting thing happened - in 2 weeks of using LCD became better, slowly, but everyday. Have no explanation to this phenomenon, but I am not the first who notice that. Dimitri.

Steve, you may want to look at this thread. The samples are interesting to say the least. Note that NR has been applied.

Jon Kandel
A New York City Nikonian and Team Member
Please visit my website and critique the images!