Nikon D800

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Westbury

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Been using a D200 since my return to photography a year ago but just picked up a D800 body with less than 4k shutter count in great condition ( slight scuffs on the body base but mint elsewhere )

Might be an older bit of kit but is within my 'as much as I wish to spend' range for the moment. Have 5 lenses that will work on it 3 primes and 2 zooms...

Any opinions on this this camera .. things to look out for etc ?
 
It's a great camera, I had one for a short time. It was stolen and got the D810 soon after.
It can suffer from a left AF point failing, causing soft images when using that point and they were known for having a slightly green tint on the LCD.

I wouldn't say it's a fast camera at 4fps in FX, 5fps in DX, 6fps in DX if you added a grip and the file sizes were big for its time. Other than that it was well built and produced great images.
 
A bloke I met at an air show a few years ago was using one. He described it as "a F4 with a really dense sensor stuck in the film gate". :)
 
I have a D800E

at the time it came out The D800 was a ground breaking 35mm full frame camera, all the pro's went mad for it. With 36 Mp and a dynamic range range that could only have been dreamed of a couple of years previously.
I gave up chasing mega pixels after buying that camera there seemed no point having more, if you can zoom into and look at a belt buckle on someone's trousers 100 yd away why anyone would need any more resolution is beyond me.

You will enjoy it, its a bit glass fussy, but get a good combination and you are away.
 
when I had the D800 and later on the D810 the rubber on the camera body housing absorbed hand heat/moisture, This to the extent it softened the resin underneath so had to get replacements.
 
I've got the D810 which is similar. Epic dynamic range at base ISO and a lot of camera for the money. As mentioned above, I was made away by another member on here that the big sensor needs good glass to get the best out of it.
 
The change over from the Nikon D810 to the Panasonic G9 and adding the G9ii was an eye opener to how old the D810 actually is. Not comparing menu to menu would take for ever, but the difference shook me.There are so may more options to choose from, not just for stills but also for video. Being able to plug in an SSD drive direct into camera for memory storage . No having to worry about transfer speed etc or right size memory card etc. that is jut one example
 
realspeed said:
The change over from the Nikon D810 to the Panasonic G9 and adding the G9ii was an eye opener to how old the D810 actually is.
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Of course it will. If I was prepared to pay 3 or 4 times what I paid for the D800 for one of the cheaper mirror less bodies and then look into the cost of new lenses or adapter I'd probably say the same. But given I am just dipping my toe back into photography as an amateur and have 5 existing F mount lenses. It has way more features than I'll probably ever use.

For me It's just a hobby...
 
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Westbury said:
Of course it will. If I was prepared to pay 3 or 4 times what I paid for the D800 for one of the cheaper mirror less bodies and then look into the cost of new lenses or adapter I'd probably say the same. But given I am just dipping my toe back into photography as an amateur and have 5 existing F mount lenses. It has way more features than I'll probably ever use.

For me It's just a hobby...
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What I did was P/X my Nikon cameras (D800+D810)and several lenses which paid for newer Panasonic camera G9 and a couple of lenses. The G9ii had not been released at the time.

like you a hobby, and being retired and OAP heavy lenses etc become an issue.
 
Westbury said:
Of course it will. If I was prepared to pay 3 or 4 times what I paid for the D800 for one of the cheaper mirror less bodies and then look into the cost of new lenses or adapter I'd probably say the same. But given I am just dipping my toe back into photography as an amateur and have 5 existing F mount lenses. It has way more features than I'll probably ever use.

For me It's just a hobby...
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What are the lenses you have?
 
gman said:
What are the lenses you have?
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Tokina 28mm F2.8 AI-S, Nikon 50mm F1.8 AI-S. Nikon AF Micro-NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8D. Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G and Nikon 70-210mm f/4-5.6D

Bit of a motley collection acquired over many years before getting this D800 body. Still have a D200 and an FG-20 body.
 
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Westbury said:
Tokina 28mm F2.8 AI-S, Nikon 50mm F1.8 AI-S. Nikon AF Micro-NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8D. Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G and Nikon 70-210mm f/4-5.6D

Bit of a motley collection acquired over many years before getting this D800 body. Still have a D200 and an FG-20 body.
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I'm not familiar with those lenses, but I believe the D800 does need lenses with high resolving ability to get the most out of the sensor. Wondering if it would be worth looking at consolidating them to one or two lenses?
 
I bought a D800 in 2012 , soon after release. I kept, and used, it for 10 years before replacing it.

Excellent camera. The only problem is that it suffered from the effects of mirror slap. Nikon recognised this and issued a guidance bulletin fairly soon after release (see if you can find it on the web). For tripod work you can use “exposure delay” which flips the mirror up, then waits a user defined delay before operating the shutter - basically a user friendly way of using mirror lock up. For handheld work be careful to use a reasonably high shutter speed to avoid the issue ( I’m sure there’s more details on the internet)

The D810 was released fairly soon, incorporating a revised mirror mechanism, which minimised the effects of slap.. I’ve not checked used prices but, if you can afford it, go for the 810. I didn’t feel the need to take this route and, used with care, was very happy with my D800
 
I never bonded with my D800 & sold it on. initially the keeper rate was woeful & from memory it didn't have a thumb ridge & felt wrong in the hand..?
the keeper rate got better after a firmware update & being more mindful of technique when shooting (too used to casual single handed shots with the D3 that were always good)
towards the end I remember getting some good stuff.
I bought the D810 which I would consider quite a bit better & I still have now. had a few years away from serious shooting but hoping to get to spend more time out & about again.

if you slow down & be very deliberate with the D800 you should get some good results. like mentioned previously all the large resolution bodies are quite lens fussy but solid technique will definitely help. good luck ;)
 
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