Edit: I just shot downtown as the sun set and it got darker and darker. Mostly, shooting across the water to Eastport. I shot with the f1.4 24mm, 35mm, 85mm and 14-25mm f2.8.

The problem with looking at them is they completely distort how dark it was. For example if you look at the young women who were posing for their parents and I then used them as subjects, it was almost completely dark when I shot these. But, you can't tell that. If you follow them from low numbers to high numbers, and you can see the time sequence, you can see the iso levels rise. I'll let you make your own judgments about them. I was using a tripod this time, and I did no processing other than to convert from RAW to jpg and to down sample so the height in most cases is 3500pxls.


So, there has been a lot of scary talk in this forum about how you had to have superior technique, must use a tripod, some lenses that we thought were good aren't good enough, etc. So, this morning I got my D800 and I wanted to test the camera under "average" amateur conditions.

Let me be clear: I am an amateur, with no superior technique. This gallery is all hand held and using the 24-120 f4 lens. So call this first shots by an average guy with an average lens with average technique. That is what you will see here.

If you go to http://www.pbase.com/lmmiller9/d800_test_shots you will see my first walk around. Make your own judgments. Tonight I will go down town with a few 1.4 primes, put the camera on a tripod and do comparison shots with the D700.

All of these are shot on P auto mode, auto iso and I have done no post processing other than to down sample them.

The photos shot in the Starbucks in the basement of the Annapolis Inn go beyond what one should ask of this lens hand held. It is super dark down there, so dark you have to wait a minute to let your eyes adjust so you don't bump into furniture. It definitely needed either a fast lens or the camera on a tripod.

My bottom line is that the fears are unnecessary.

Larry Miller, Annapolis, MD
D700/D800
http://www.pbase.com/lmmiller9
http://lmmillerphotography.smugmug.com/

>So, there has been a lot of scary talk in this forum about
>how you had to have superior technique, must use a tripod,
>some lenses that we thought were good aren't good enough, etc.
>So, this morning I got my D800 and I wanted to test the camera
>under "average" amateur conditions.

>
>My bottom line is that the fears are unnecessary.

Same thing myself and others have said since day 1. Much ado about nothing. If you can get good results on a D700, D90, D200, or whatever, you can get good results on the D800.

------
Webpage: http://www.ptfphoto.com

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

OK, that's it, NAS is starting to set in!

Phil
A Canadian Nikonian
My portfolio: www.pjr99.500px.com

>OK, that's it, NAS is starting to set in!

Larry,

You can fool those of us who don't know you, but I know that you have the worst case of NAS that has ever existed since the beginning of time.

I can't wait to see your test shots.

jP

Edit: My signature below should be modified, in your case, to read that it never hurts to have at least half a dozen nice bows and then ten or twelve 1.4 primes and the same number of 2.8 zooms, "just in case."

Thanks for the samples Larry.

As I (and others) have said all along, the issue with technique is all about enlargement and nothing to do with megapixels - related on in that the high megapixel count causes people to significantly enlarge on screen.

Larry - a Bay Area Nikonian
My Nikonians gallery

www.tempered-light.com

I think the problem is ... since its bigger ... people will want to view it bigger =) ... you know what I mean ?? So flaws in focus, while they may look the same when scaled to the same size as say a D300's image size, will look worse when viewed 1:1 at the D800s native resolution. And then there is the argument ... if you need to scale and view it less than 1:1 to make it look good, why bother with the resolution at all ?

___________________________________________________________

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. - A. Einstein

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I think the capability of this camera is beyond what I and most photographers will use or need most of the time. But, it is like having four hundred horsepower in your cars motor. 98% of the time it is irrelevant. But, it is there when you need it. And, you are right that a bit of camera shake when you are using 36mgpx and blowing it up to more than 40" will show up in a way that it wouldn't in an 8x10. Size is a magnifying glass.

I will use it when I crop photos and I will use it when I take landscape photos that I think are good enough to hang on my, or someone else's, wall. I will also learn to use the video, which adds a new dimension to my photography. Do I "need" it? No.

Larry Miller, Annapolis, MD
D700/D800
http://www.pbase.com/lmmiller9
http://lmmillerphotography.smugmug.com/

>I think the capability of this camera is beyond what I and
>most photographers will use or need most of the time. But, it
>is like having four hundred horsepower in your cars motor. 98%
>of the time it is irrelevant. But, it is there when you need
>it. And, you are right that a bit of camera shake when you are
>using 36mgpx and blowing it up to more than 40" will show
>up in a way that it wouldn't in an 8x10. Size is a magnifying
>glass.
>
>I will use it when I crop photos and I will use it when I take
>landscape photos that I think are good enough to hang on my,
>or someone else's, wall. I will also learn to use the video,
>which adds a new dimension to my photography. Do I
>"need" it? No.

I really like 400 horsepower. Maybe more!!!!!!

So far my camera is as good as it gets.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Your points are well taken. We are all hungry to see anything, absolutely anything, taken by amateurs with the D800 and the D4, even the snapshots that you have shared with us. But, I think that we all really need to see some challenging shots, those that do actually compete with the abilities of the D700 and the D3s, and those that do, in fact, exploit the qualities and abilities of the number one rated sensor in the world. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with your snapshots, but I don't think that that is what this significant upgrade is all about. Or, as others have suggested, is it too difficult to use this camera in extreme conditions without improved technique. Personally, I agree with Perrone when he implied that if you were a good photographer with an old camera that you will be just as good, and hopefully better, with the new camera that employs the "King of Sensors."

Thanks for posting those shots.

jP

>But, I think that we all really need to see some
>challenging shots, those that do actually compete with the
>abilities of the D700 and the D3s, and those that do, in fact,
>exploit the qualities and abilities of the number one rated
>sensor in the world.

As long as the weather holds off tomorrow, I will leave my D3s in the bag, and shoot ACC volleyball with the D800. I may also shoot ACC Track and Field. I also have a shoot this weekend for a local roller derby team. That will be strobed, so we'll see how the camera responds to that.

------
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It looks like you had a very nice day in Maryland to test out the D800.

Thanks for sharing and enjoy that new camera!

Dave
Quad Cities, USA
A Nikonians Team Member
My Gallery
SummersPhotoGraphic.com

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"My most important photographic investment, after the camera"

Share, Learn and Inspire

Thanks for sharing the shots, Larry. I just bought the 24-120mm a few days ago and have been anxious to see shots from the D800 with that lens. Looks like I made a good choice.

I just missed getting a body on the first shipment from the shop that I use. The good news is that I am now number 1 on the next shipment list. Always good to be number on something.

Dave

Incredible-I picked mine up today too-I guess it can be shot at -2ev equivalent to Moonlight-Your pics prove that!

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.



www.TinkersRealm.com

Larry, many thanks for sharing these. I have very fond memories of the Annapolis Inn

I've been trying to stay away from the D800 (and D4 ) but in almost deciding to pick up the Olympus E-M5 system I suddenly noticed that my shopping cart was already at 2,700 UK pounds and that was with a basic lens kit... the cost of going smaller

A quick Q while you are learning the camera: I picked up on a new point concerning Auto ISO. There is evidently a new 'Auto' setting in Auto ISO which allows the camera to change ISO subject to FL being shot. If and when you try it I would appreciate your thoughts on how it works .
Cheers,
Tom

T.D.Hardin
http://taja.smugmug.com/
http://images.nikonians.org/galleries/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/165169

Tom, you said "There is evidently a new 'Auto' setting in Auto ISO which allows the camera to change ISO subject to FL being shot. "

Where did you see this? I don't see this in the manual or in the camera's menu.

Larry Miller, Annapolis, MD
D700/D800
http://www.pbase.com/lmmiller9
http://lmmillerphotography.smugmug.com/

Larry, have a look here:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/1690347434/first-impressions-using-the-nikon-d800
I have been hanging out on the m43 forum and a poster there picked up on it and brought it to my attention

Cheers,
Tom

T.D.Hardin
http://taja.smugmug.com/
http://images.nikonians.org/galleries/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/165169

Wow, like a giant waffle cone...thanks!

Rob

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

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