Just got my D800 - Image heavy to show off high ISO and crops etc.

[Lance B]

Just picked up my D800 today. :)

There have been some reported AF issues with the outer left or right AF sensors, especially with large aperture lenses like f1.4 and the like, but it seems as though the AF works perfectly so far. Even used it on my 85mm f1.4G and every shot was spot on focus using either a left or a right or a middle focus point. Happy with this.

There does seem to be a very slight green tinge to the rear LCD, but I am actually thinking this is an auto WB issue as the photos did need a tad bit of WB correction. I will have to investigate this further. Maybe a firmware upgrade to fix this very minor issue (if it is indeed an issue).

First thing I noticed was that you can feel that it is much lighter than the D700, yet with the same solid feel like the D700. Happy with this.

Shutter noise is more subdued than the D700, more like the D7000 but with extra damping. Happy with this.

AF does seem faster and more precise as I didn't have any misfocus issues that could be attributed to the camera. This is great news especially under the adverse conditions. Very happy with this so far.

Here are a few shots. I normally use Capture One Pro to convert my RAW images, but as they do not have the RAW file for the D800, I decided to convert them to TIFF through NX2 (I don't like NX2 workflow) so please bear with me as these are quick conversions to show the capabilities of the camera.

These were taken at Sydney's Taronga Zoo on possibly the worst day of the year as it has been pelting down with rain most of the day and been very gloomy and dull. Still, it doesn't put off someone with a new toy to test.

Many were taken at ISO6400, noise reduction has been used on some images (Noiseware Professional) some were taken with the 300 f2.8 VRII (first pic with 2x TCIII), some with the 85mm f1.4G and some with the 70-200 f2.8 VRII, but EXIF is included for your information. Most are shown for their high ISO results and crops of them for closer scrutiny.

Model NIKON D800 + 300mm f2.8 VRII + 2x TCIII
Focal Length 600 mm
Exposure Time 1/200 sec
Aperture f/6.3
ISO Equivalent 6400
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757666/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 300 mm
Exposure Time 1/200 sec
Aperture f/8
ISO Equivalent 6400
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757669/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 300 mm
Exposure Time 1/320 sec
Aperture f/8
ISO Equivalent 4000
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757670/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 300 mm
Exposure Time 1/320 sec
Aperture f/3.5
ISO Equivalent 720
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757672/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 300 mm
Exposure Time 1/320 sec
Aperture f/4.5
ISO Equivalent 800
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757673/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 85 mm
Exposure Time 1/320 sec
Aperture f/4.5
ISO Equivalent 4500
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757674/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 130 mm
Exposure Time 1/250 sec
Aperture f/5
ISO Equivalent 6400
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757675/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 130 mm
Exposure Time 1/250 sec
Aperture f/5
ISO Equivalent 6400
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757676/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 122 mm
Exposure Time 1/250 sec
Aperture f/5
ISO Equivalent 6400
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757677/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 112 mm
Exposure Time 1/200 sec
Aperture f/5
ISO Equivalent 6400
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757680/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 300 mm
Exposure Time 1/320 sec
Aperture f/5
ISO Equivalent 1600
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757683/original.jpg

CROP OF ABOVE
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757684/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 300 mm
Exposure Time 1/320 sec
Aperture f/5
ISO Equivalent 6400
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757806/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 300 mm
Exposure Time 1/320 sec
Aperture f/4
ISO Equivalent 900
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757807/original.jpg

HEAVY CROP OF ABOVE
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757809/original.jpg

Model NIKON D800
Focal Length 300 mm
Exposure Time 1/320 sec
Aperture f/5.6
ISO Equivalent 5000
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757812/original.jpg

CROP OF ABOVE
http://www.pbase.com/lance_b/image/142757813/original.jpg

[rirakuma]

Very nice set :)! My fav is the colourful ducks? Some of the earlier images looks a tad cold and over exposed, were you using auto WB?

[Chris G]

Incredible detail that the D800 is producing :eek: :D


There does seem to be a very slight green tinge to the rear LCD, but I am actually thinking this is an auto WB issue as the photos did need a tad bit of WB correction. I will have to investigate this further. Maybe a firmware upgrade to fix this very minor issue (if it is indeed an issue).

You can actually fix this as its the LCD from adjusting the screen hue to alittle less green.. :th3:

[Mary Anne]

Congrats on the new camera Lance.. Those beautiful ducks for me :th3::th3:
The detail is great, that poor old Lion has lovely eyes..

[Lance B]

Very nice set :)! My fav is the colourful ducks? Some of the earlier images looks a tad cold and over exposed, were you using auto WB?

Thank you very much, rirakuma! :)

I was using auto WB, yes.

[Lance B]

Incredible detail that the D800 is producing :eek: :D

Thank you very much, Chris.




You can actually fix this as its the LCD from adjusting the screen hue to alittle less green.. :th3:

Yes, I will have to have a play around with it. However, it might be an auto WB issue, where the auto WB is off a tad and therefore the playback images are also off a tad as the images when opened on my computer were a little off. However, it could be the way I processed then through Capture NX2 straight to TIFF without adjustment and then opened then in Capture One for correct adjustment. I think I just need a little time to come to grips with it all. :-)

[Lance B]

Congrats on the new camera Lance.. Those beautiful ducks for me :th3::th3:
The detail is great, that poor old Lion has lovely eyes..

Thank you very much, Mary Anne. :-)

Still on a steep learning curve on how to post process them for best results.

[Dylan & Marianne]

that looks a very sharp set of images - interestingly there seems to be as much noise visible at the iso900 as the iso6400 images?
still, that's impressive for the pixels they crammed on to the sensor
now why exactly did I go canon all those years ago lol - look forward to seeing some more!

[Tommo1965]

Hi Lance
Great images , certainly shows that the D800 is a great body....has it lived up to your expectation of a FX and DX body all in one ?...hows the DR compared to the D700 ....Im glad you have yours and I believe you give a unbiased view of things

in the last image can any of the highlights of the white feather be bought back from the raw file ...or are they blown beyond reclaiming..I know in the D300 s there would be no detail left to exploit in that area ... not saying it bad ...just a test..would be great for wedding Togs to have such a high DR in the battle between white dresses and black suits

Im looking forward to more posts from you and your notes on the D800

cheers
Steve

EDIT
crikey Ive just realised that Im looking at a ISO 5000 images...and I still want more detail what's the world coming too..LOL...

[Xebadir]

Really good test set Lance. Mine must've arrived in the same shipment as its on the way via Courier at the moment ;). Very impressed with the high ISO performance, and really like the range within the shots. Very much looking forward to putting mine through its paces at the farm on the weekend and seeing how it stacks up. Was pleasantly surprised to hear your comment about weight as a little lighter will make a noticeable difference, but its great that doesn't lose its feel ;).

[Lance B]

that looks a very sharp set of images

Thank you very much, Dylan.

Still need to learn best post processing technique for the D800 images. I was so blown away with the results that I wanted to get them out there for everyone to see so a quick post process was all that I had time to do and it still took me 4 hours as i had to go through a convoluted process to be able to convert them they way I like. The only RAW converter is Nikon's Capture NX2 which i don't like using, so I had to convert to TIFF through NX2 without adjustments and then open the 16bit TIFFS in Capture One Pro, process them there and then into Photoshop for any noise reduction and final adjustments like sharpening etc.


- interestingly there seems to be as much noise visible at the iso900 as the iso6400 images?

A couple of things, possibly. There was no noise reduction applied to the ISO900 image and it was underexposed quite a bit due to me wanting to preserve the highlights (still not sure how for to push highlights) and as the background is dark and as such it will show noise more readily especially when underexposed (as I am sure you realise) Also, don't forget that the crop is a heavy crop of an underexposed image no noise reduction applied.


still, that's impressive for the pixels they crammed on to the sensor
now why exactly did I go canon all those years ago lol - look forward to seeing some more!

Thank you again for your nice comments ang thoughts.

[Lance B]

Hi Lance
Great images , certainly shows that the D800 is a great body

Thank you very much, Steve! :)


....has it lived up to your expectation of a FX and DX body all in one ?

I think it will as the crops seem to be at least as good as the D7000 at the same size, if not better. However, it is early days.


...hows the DR compared to the D700

I can't really say at this stage. See below.


....Im glad you have yours and I believe you give a unbiased view of things

Thank you, I do try to be unbiased. :)


in the last image can any of the highlights of the white feather be bought back from the raw file ...or are they blown beyond reclaiming..I know in the D300 s there would be no detail left to exploit in that area ... not saying it bad ...just a test..would be great for wedding Togs to have such a high DR in the battle between white dresses and black suits

The tests show that it is supposed to have 14 stops of DR in RAW, but not quite the headroom in the highlights as the D700 and this is why I have been trying to preserve the highlights as best as possible. However, I took a whole heap of shots of the spoonbill both exposing to preserve the highlights and some trying to expose correctly for the eyes and this last shot was exposed to correctly get the eyes. This meant that the highlights did blow out a little and some of it is not recoverable, in this instance. The main thing to remember is that the conditions there were horrendous to say the least as there was no light and therefore necessitated the use of high ISO, ISO5000 on this image, which restricts the DR at that ISO to about 9 stops instead of the 14 at base ISO. This means that I had only the DR of a normal jpeg at base ISO to work with, so not completely indicative of how good it can be. In good conditions working at ao around base ISO, the 14 stops of DR should be achievable and should mean that weddings are a breeze, when compared to the D700.


Im looking forward to more posts from you and your notes on the D800

Thanks. I will try to get some high DR base ISO shots for comparison, when the bloody sun comes back out!! :D


cheers
Steve

EDIT
crikey Ive just realised that Im looking at a ISO 5000 images...and I still want more detail what's the world coming too..LOL...

After writing all of the above, I just saw your edit. So, realised it without me having to explain. :) I'll leave it in for others to see anyway.

Cheers,
Lance

[Lance B]

Really good test set Lance. Mine must've arrived in the same shipment as its on the way via Courier at the moment ;). Very impressed with the high ISO performance, and really like the range within the shots. Very much looking forward to putting mine through its paces at the farm on the weekend and seeing how it stacks up. Was pleasantly surprised to hear your comment about weight as a little lighter will make a noticeable difference, but its great that doesn't lose its feel ;).

Thank your for your lovely commens and thoughts. Look forward to your results and thoughts on your when it arrives. :)

[Chris G]

Yes, I will have to have a play around with it. However, it might be an auto WB issue, where the auto WB is off a tad and therefore the playback images are also off a tad as the images when opened on my computer were a little off. However, it could be the way I processed then through Capture NX2 straight to TIFF without adjustment and then opened then in Capture One for correct adjustment. I think I just need a little time to come to grips with it all. :-)

Its becomes abit of a concern if the images them self are also coming out with a green tinge due to the AWB and not just showing on the LCD as to which many have reported. It was thought the AWB was out abit but I think there was something from Nikon about it and thus this is how the hue adjustment came about.

Would have to ask / compare with Rirakuma to see if he has noticed anything of the sort with his D800. Does seem to be a hit or miss with the very slight green tinge. :confused013

[Lance B]

Its becomes abit of a concern if the images them self are also coming out with a green tinge due to the AWB and not just showing on the LCD as to which many have reported. It was thought the AWB was out abit but I think there was something from Nikon about it and thus this is how the hue adjustment came about.

Would have to ask / compare with Rirakuma to see if he has noticed anything of the sort with his D800. Does seem to be a hit or miss with the very slight green tinge. :confused013

I really don't know if it is me, the screen or the AWB at this stage. I need to do some more checking. The problem is, you read about these teething issues and then we all start punching at shadows, so to speak. I will report back if I get a definitive answer.

[Wayne]

Thanks for the trouble Lance.

Great examples, and glad you got it finally. Following our discussions about it last week, I think I'm placing an order.

[Lance B]

Thanks for the trouble Lance.

Great examples, and glad you got it finally. Following our discussions about it last week, I think I'm placing an order.

Thank you very much, Wayne.

I see the D800 has tempted you, too. :)

[Bennymiata]

The high ISO images look a lot better than I was expecting.
The detail is fantastic.

Seems to be a very nice camera Lance, and you obviously know how to use it too!

[Lance B]

The high ISO images look a lot better than I was expecting.
The detail is fantastic.

Seems to be a very nice camera Lance, and you obviously know how to use it too!

Thank you for your very kind comments! :)

[geoffsta]

and it still took me 4 hours
Not a good advertisement for the D800. If it was that good, a quick sharpen, noise reduction, maybe the crop, then saved as a JPG, and they should have been all done.
All which can be done in NX2 I think. :umm:

[Lance B]

Not a good advertisement for the D800. If it was that good, a quick sharpen, noise reduction, maybe the crop, then saved as a JPG, and they should have been all done.
All which can be done in NX2 I think. :umm:

I can't stand the user interface of Capture NX2. I use Capture One Pro for ease of workflow and the fact it has so many useful adjustments.

The thing is, there were 100 images to go through. As Capture One Pro doesn't recognise the RAW files of the D800 yet, I needed to open them up in NX2 first, then save them as 16bit TIFFS and then I could open them up as TIFFs in Capture One. Once in Capture One, I adjusted saturation, WB, highlights/shadows and sometimes colour balance if required, then saved back to TIFF like I would normally do from a RAW file.

I then open up in Photoshop as this is where my noise reduction program is a plug in as well as my sharpening plug in. In Photoshop, I use noise reduction and reduce to web size, sharpen and then save as jpeg.

You have to remember that apart from the step of converting the RAW's to 16bit TIFF so I can open them up in Capture One, everything else I do is the same for all my work and so it would have taken me almost as long.

Also, when I say it took 4 hours, I did a few other things in between, like have dinner. :)

[arthurking83]

....

The thing is, there were 100 images to go through. As Capture One Pro doesn't recognise the RAW files of the D800 yet, I needed to open them up in NX2 first, then save them as 16bit TIFFS and then I could open them up as TIFFs in Capture One. Once in Capture One, I adjusted saturation, WB, highlights/shadows and sometimes colour balance if required, then saved back to TIFF like I would normally do from a RAW file ......

Lance, you don't need a sledgehammer to drive a nail into an architrave ...

Instead of CNX2, use VNX2 .. same thing(processes, and processing ability), much more simple user interface.

If you only want simple editing even from CaptureNX2, you don't need to delve into the 'interface' at all.

Simple WB exposure, noise corrections are handled only from the (RHS) [Develop] set of tools there is the 'Camera Settings' and 'Quick Fix' tools set.

And you reckon these simple tools are hard to get used to in terms of interface?? :confused013

Compared to all other editors these are the easy bits to adjust for, and convert to tiff.

CNX can be harder to get your head around if you want more detailed editing features such as brushing in edits or cloning.

I think you've used the wrong workflow process to achieve your desired goal.

A more simplified approach to your current dilemma:

Open ViewNX2.
Choose each image you want to convert to tiff.
Press convert button at the top of the page in the toolbar.(it's a simple toolbar menu items .. literally called convert files!)
100 images should convert to tiffs in about 2 or 3 mins, on a reasonably modern computer .... but that is for 20Mb D300 files .. a set of 50Mb D800 file may take longer.

Using this method, you have your 100 tiff images to edit in Capture One before dinner. :beer_mug:

Note too: as you use a Nikon program to view and edit NEF files, you need to be aware that all in camera processing on the raw file is upheld on the image you view on the PC .. which is completely opposite to all other raw editors.
If you have sharpening turned on in camera still(as it is by default), you;re best advised to turn it off(zero it out, if you haven't).

Note too that even if you have NR reduction turned completely off in camera, it's still enabled in the Nikon software version of the raw file.
Funnily(in my brief testing of D800 files) Nikon's in camera NR routine, is about spot on. You lose no detail in the detailed bits, and chroma noise in the non detailed bits(ie. the blur) is nicely controlled.

I wouldn't use CNX2 to convert raw files to tiff.
In fact I barely use it for anything other than major editing.
All my WB, exposure adjustments, and file ratings and keywording are done in VNX2.
It's only when I want detailed specific editing of parts of an image is when CNX2 comes out.

[cupic]

It seems like a marriage made in heaven.Oozing with Mega mega pixels with a brilliant camera to handle anything thrown at it.
All is needed now is 5-10 Terabytes of storage and with your 500mm f/4 it wont be too long before another is needed.
Congrats , I will make do with my D300/300s for a long time yet

cheers

[geoffsta]

As Capture One Pro doesn't recognise the RAW files of the D800 yet

Does the D800 have a different format for the "NEF" file? I would have thought it would be no different to any other Nikon format, only a few extra bytes.?

[arthurking83]

All new Nikon DSLR's(and I suspect any compacts with raw format) have a very slight difference in the raw file from previous NEF formats.

If you are skilled with a hex editor, you can fool other software into thinking that a newer NEF is just a previous type NEF, but this is not guaranteed to work all the time.

That is, you alter the camera type bit info within the raw file itself with the hex editor, say D800 to D700 and the file will open.

Nikon software is the same, each time there is a new camera model released, a new version of Nikon's software is also released, to update the programs ability to handle these new raw files.

[mongo]

congrats Lance. Its looking pretty good. Mongo checked a couple of days ago and he is about 30 on a list of 120 waiting for one and they are only getting in about 4 a week - do the maths about when Mongo is likely to get one.

In the interim, would love to have seen some samples without noise reduction to see a true comparison and what can be expected of this new beast.

If Mongo bumps you in the park, he would love to try his 200-400VR lens on it for a couple of minutes just to test the AF speed on that body. The D200 has been very stretched to perform with any reasonable speed for this lens and quite a deal of focus hunting. It would be nice to know the D800 will bring out the lens' true potential when Mongo finally gets his copy.

[Lance B]

Lance, you don't need a sledgehammer to drive a nail into an architrave ...

Instead of CNX2, use VNX2 .. same thing(processes, and processing ability), much more simple user interface.

If you only want simple editing even from CaptureNX2, you don't need to delve into the 'interface' at all.

Simple WB exposure, noise corrections are handled only from the (RHS) [Develop] set of tools there is the 'Camera Settings' and 'Quick Fix' tools set.

And you reckon these simple tools are hard to get used to in terms of interface?? :confused013

I have had NX2 for all of about 2 days and I have never used it before and I only got it so as I could convert the files to TIFF so as I could use a more familiar post processor, not realising this could have been achieved in View NX2.


Compared to all other editors these are the easy bits to adjust for, and convert to tiff.

Well, that's an opinion. I like what I use now, Capture One Pro as I find this the easiest by far and I get the results I desire. I am not about to start learning a new software that I am not likely to use in the future. However, if that day comes, then I will crosss that bridge when I come to it, just not now.


CNX can be harder to get your head around if you want more detailed editing features such as brushing in edits or cloning.

I think you've used the wrong workflow process to achieve your desired goal.

A more simplified approach to your current dilemma:

Open ViewNX2.
Choose each image you want to convert to tiff.
Press convert button at the top of the page in the toolbar.(it's a simple toolbar menu items .. literally called convert files!)
100 images should convert to tiffs in about 2 or 3 mins, on a reasonably modern computer .... but that is for 20Mb D300 files .. a set of 50Mb D800 file may take longer.

Using this method, you have your 100 tiff images to edit in Capture One before dinner. :beer_mug:

There is a similar tool in CNX2, but for some reason, I ended up with many of the files unreadable for whatever reason, so I did them one by one to make sure and they then worked. It may have just been a glitch at the time, but that is irrelevent as it happened and this is what caused all the time consuming. As I said, I didn't realise VNX2 could do these simple adjustments and do a conversion to TIFF.


Note too: as you use a Nikon program to view and edit NEF files, you need to be aware that all in camera processing on the raw file is upheld on the image you view on the PC .. which is completely opposite to all other raw editors.
If you have sharpening turned on in camera still(as it is by default), you;re best advised to turn it off(zero it out, if you haven't).

Yes, I did know this, as it is the same system with Pentax converters when I used Pentax cameras.


Note too that even if you have NR reduction turned completely off in camera, it's still enabled in the Nikon software version of the raw file.
Funnily(in my brief testing of D800 files) Nikon's in camera NR routine, is about spot on. You lose no detail in the detailed bits, and chroma noise in the non detailed bits(ie. the blur) is nicely controlled.

I wouldn't use CNX2 to convert raw files to tiff.
In fact I barely use it for anything other than major editing.
All my WB, exposure adjustments, and file ratings and keywording are done in VNX2.
It's only when I want detailed specific editing of parts of an image is when CNX2 comes out.

Thank you for your tips about using VNX2 to convert to TIFFs, I will try this in future as I didn't realise it could do all these functions. :)

[Lance B]

It seems like a marriage made in heaven.Oozing with Mega mega pixels with a brilliant camera to handle anything thrown at it.
All is needed now is 5-10 Terabytes of storage and with your 500mm f/4 it wont be too long before another is needed.
Congrats , I will make do with my D300/300s for a long time yet

cheers

Thank you for your kind comments, cupic! :)

[Lance B]

congrats Lance. Its looking pretty good. Mongo checked a couple of days ago and he is about 30 on a list of 120 waiting for one and they are only getting in about 4 a week - do the maths about when Mongo is likely to get one.

In the interim, would love to have seen some samples without noise reduction to see a true comparison and what can be expected of this new beast.

If Mongo bumps you in the park, he would love to try his 200-400VR lens on it for a couple of minutes just to test the AF speed on that body. The D200 has been very stretched to perform with any reasonable speed for this lens and quite a deal of focus hunting. It would be nice to know the D800 will bring out the lens' true potential when Mongo finally gets his copy.

Thank you for your kind comments, Mongo. :)

See my PM.

[Sar NOP]

Thanks Lance for these first pics : they look convincing for me.

I've just picked up mine today. I'll try to do some night shots tonight after work...

[Xebadir]

<Begin Rant> Sigh. Seems like I am going to have to wait until after the weekend for mine to arrive, so you guys can have fun over the weekend :(. Very annoyed at my source, I will say that much (normally I am tolerant, but when for no particular reason you delay sending it and the result is a over weekend shipping - that bugs me). So now I will be going to a perfect location to test out the camera with a range of wildlife (including king parrots sniff) and landscape photographs on offer...without the camera I was looking forward to testing (and this is annoying as atm I am working nearly every weekend, but this one am going somewhere :angry0:). As per usual I will have my camera in the middle of the week but be unable to take any damn pictures with it for days because my work schedule at the moment starts before the sun rises and finishes after the damn thing sets. 2 pet peeves - Winter and Weekends for shipped goods. <End Rant>. At least I will have it long enough to work out how to operate it prior to the US though...unlike the droves of people still sitting on lists. :D:p

[Lance B]

Thanks Lance for these first pics : they look convincing for me.

I've just picked up mine today. I'll try to do some night shots tonight after work...

Congrats, mate. Great to hear! I look forward to seeing your results, too. :)

[Sylvia]

Howdi Lance.
Great pics for an Aussie, lol.
NX2, has its place. Give it some time to gel. Rumours are NX3 has Nik filters built in. Don't know how true it is but.
I use NX2 with VNX, Photoshop with bridge and Aperture. I used Capture One for a bit and it is a great software but I have too many as it is.

Cheers

[TEITZY]

Even with NR the detail in these is pretty impressive.

Regarding the green LCD, Nikon are saying this is actually more accurate than previous bodies, not a defect :eek:

http://nikonrumors.com/2012/04/21/nikon-claims-that-the-greenish-d4d800-lcd-screen-is-more-accurate-than-the-d3sd700.aspx/


Thanks for your work here Lance. Jolly NAS is kicking in again :D

Cheers
Leigh

[Chris G]

I thought this was a funny reply from what I read at rumors regarding the D800, mainly the phone call.. :D

Posted on the 24th of April too..

Call to local main Nikon dealer in Singapore
Do you have D800 in stock?
No
Can you tell me when you will have some in stock?
No
Can you tell me when Nikon say they will be shipping next batch?
No
Are there production problems with the D800 that nobody is talking about?
Silence……….

There are two kind of production problems. The kind where you cant build enough which is a good problem but you should be able to forecast based on demand from your dealers and predict a date even if its 3 months out. And then there are the kind of problem where you halt production because yu dont want to give yourself a big recall problem down the line……

[bugshutter]

now i have to save up for a d800 .
great photos to. cheers.

[seastorm]

OK, I'm jealous now, have to get a D800, but it'll be years to save up :(

[I @ M]

There does seem to be a very slight green tinge to the rear LCD, but I am actually thinking this is an auto WB issue as the photos did need a tad bit of WB correction. I will have to investigate this further. Maybe a firmware upgrade to fix this very minor issue (if it is indeed an issue).

I am seeing between a minor and large amount of green cast in the rear lcd depending on the subject. I don't think it is a white balance "problem" as the images I have taken with a set white balance are showing correctly on the pc ( in fact the "standard" wb seems a lot more accurate than the D700 ) but they still show a green cast on the rear lcd. An image I posted here (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?103735-Meet-Aude-s-ear) is very colour correct from the camera when on the pc yet the camera display shows the rocks to have a greenish tinge, the dirty whites in the water have a green cast and her socks appear to be almost lime green.
I don't know whether it is a major "issue" as I rarely use the rear lcd to check colours to a large extent, others may want to do so but in the long run I feel that there will be a firmware update to address the issue.

[Chris G]

I am seeing between a minor and large amount of green cast in the rear lcd depending on the subject. I don't think it is a white balance "problem" as the images I have taken with a set white balance are showing correctly on the pc ( in fact the "standard" wb seems a lot more accurate than the D700 ) but they still show a green cast on the rear lcd. An image I posted here (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?103735-Meet-Aude-s-ear) is very colour correct from the camera when on the pc yet the camera display shows the rocks to have a greenish tinge, the dirty whites in the water have a green cast and her socks appear to be almost lime green.
I don't know whether it is a major "issue" as I rarely use the rear lcd to check colours to a large extent, others may want to do so but in the long run I feel that there will be a firmware update to address the issue.

Andrew if its not WB issue and just the LCD as you say, the D800 has a hue adjustment for the screen..

[I @ M]

Andrew if its not WB issue and just the LCD as you say, the D800 has a hue adjustment for the screen..

Haven't looked that deeply yet but it appears from a quick read of the bible that the hue adjustment is available for live view only.
It also resets itself after the camera is turned off but that setting can be recalled by a few button pushes.

[Chris G]

Haven't looked that deeply yet but it appears from a quick read of the bible that the hue adjustment is available for live view only.
It also resets itself after the camera is turned off but that setting can be recalled by a few button pushes.

Oh isn't that where the problem is? Live view / LCD :confused013 .. And you say what, it resets after the cam has been turned off.. lol

[I @ M]

Oh isn't that where the problem is? Live view / LCD

It may well be as well, but what I am seeing is the LCD when reviewing a still image just taken without live view.


And you say what, it resets after the cam has been turned off.. lol

According to the book, yes, haven't actually tried it yet.

[Chris G]

Oh I'm with you now "preview image" has a green tinge / colour cast..

Does the live view present the same thing? , I mean like you say the images are fine when transferred onto the computer..

Regardless it's good to know as I tend to use Kelvin temps and the mix colour in depending on what I'm looking for, meaning if If seen a green tinge I would auto think that my temps are out abit :confused013

[Lance B]

Howdi Lance.
Great pics for an Aussie, lol.
NX2, has its place. Give it some time to gel. Rumours are NX3 has Nik filters built in. Don't know how true it is but.
I use NX2 with VNX, Photoshop with bridge and Aperture. I used Capture One for a bit and it is a great software but I have too many as it is.

Cheers

Thank you for your kind comments, Sylvia.

Capture One Pro 6 had just been released whichg now supports D800 RAW files, so I am in the process of re-doing all my RAW D800 shots. They look heaps better using a correct method and a method I know. :D

[Lance B]

I am seeing between a minor and large amount of green cast in the rear lcd depending on the subject. I don't think it is a white balance "problem" as the images I have taken with a set white balance are showing correctly on the pc ( in fact the "standard" wb seems a lot more accurate than the D700 ) but they still show a green cast on the rear lcd. An image I posted here (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?103735-Meet-Aude-s-ear) is very colour correct from the camera when on the pc yet the camera display shows the rocks to have a greenish tinge, the dirty whites in the water have a green cast and her socks appear to be almost lime green.
I don't know whether it is a major "issue" as I rarely use the rear lcd to check colours to a large extent, others may want to do so but in the long run I feel that there will be a firmware update to address the issue.

After a week and a half of using the D800, the green caste dosen't seem to be there, or I may just be getting used to it. :)

[Chris G]

Regarding the WB issue... Take a look at this..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=etUuYtMSjgI

[I @ M]

Regarding the WB issue... Take a look at this..

Chris, I am not seeing any WB issues at all with the camera ( so far ) and it appears to be very very accurate.

The green issue is purely with the rear lcd screen when reviewing images. If there is a lot of green in the image that is taken the preview shows the whole image as having a colour cast ( green ) but the image when loaded to the pc and viewed on a calibrated monitor the green cast doesn't show.

As for that video, that fella clearly has very very limited knowledge of how to set a white balance. Personally I think he is more suited to pixel peeping images from a 10 year old Kodak ezy-share --------

[Chris G]

There seems various reports about it but not enough for Nikon to say "yeh there's a problem" well infact they have stated that it isn't a problem.

I kinda meh with the whole thing as it's kinda to be one out of every 2000 of models (sarcastic humour inserted) that has this green tinged????.. lol

From what I seeing on the vid, I could see the green quite well.. not so much on the LCD /live view but differently on the image its self before he even showed before the adjusted one. Of course I don't doubt that there could be numerous of factors that could conclude this aswell.

Side Note: he was using custom WB with a proper WB/grey card and not AWB or Preset WB, also it does only seem to be popping up with semi setup / full setup studio work.. Just a thought??

[Lance B]

Having lived with the D800 now for almost 2 weeks, the WB seems very good now. Does it learn? I don't know, but it is really no different to any of the other Nikons I've had. Also, I do not see the green caste in the rear LCD sceen either. I wonder what has changed? :confused013

[Pixor]

I've read a theory that it is to do with the process for bonding the screen, and that after a few weeks the solvent has fully dissipated, and the green hue is gone as well. Apparently a similar thing happened with some new iPads and a yellowish tint, which then went away.

Mind you, there's an awful lot of theories on t'internet :rolleyes:

Mike.

[ricktas]

Temperature can effect LCD screens. If people read the instructions with screen calibrators (Spyders etc) it says clearly to turn the monitor on and leave it about 20 minutes before calibrating.

If I take my D3 into the snow and use it, when I first turn it on, it looks awful, like it's broken, but once its been on a while and warms up, it is fine.

So when this green tinge was evident, was it very cold, very hot, had the LCD and camera just been turned on, been on for ages?

[I @ M]

I've read a theory that it is to do with the process for bonding the screen, and that after a few weeks the solvent has fully dissipated, and the green hue is gone as well.

Mike, not meaning to be rude but it does sound like a pretty lame theory to me.

When does the "few weeks" start from, when the camera is made, when the camera is sold, when the camera is subjected to sunlight for hours at a time?

I am going to assume for the purposes of this "theory" that it isn't the first two conditions as I reckon that all existing stock in Australia will have been manufactured quite a bit longer ago than "a few weeks" and quite a few have been in peoples hands for over 2 weeks.
That leaves exposure to sunshine ( or maybe just light in general ) as an option.
I will watch ours and see if they "change colour" over the next week or so. :rolleyes:

[ricktas]

As for White Balance. I wonder how many just use Auto-WB and expect it to be perfect every time they take a shot. It can't be! If these people whinging about WB are that serious, they would use a grey card and do a custom white balance for each shoot.

[I @ M]

So when this green tinge was evident, was it very cold, very hot, had the LCD and camera just been turned on, been on for ages?

Any time, it aint just my eyes either as yesterday HelmutK compared the on camera image with the pc monitor image and yes, he sees green cast as well. It is very evident in images that contain medium to large amounts of green, less evident in images that have small amounts of green but still there.

[Chris G]

Any time, it aint just my eyes either as yesterday HelmutK compared the on camera image with the pc monitor image and yes, he sees green cast as well. It is very evident in images that contain medium to large amounts of green, less evident in images that have small amounts of green but still there.

Sounds like your saying the camera is slighty over compensating with the colour "green".. All though,, :rolleyes:

[I @ M]

Sounds like your saying the camera is slighty over compensating with the colour "green".. All though,, :rolleyes:

Chris, you really need to note that the images viewed on a pc screen ( both mine and as of yesterday, my dealers screen that he uses to for all the Fuji kiosk prints in his shop ) do not show the green cast. It is only on the camera rear LCD display that it shows.

[Chris G]

Chris, you really need to note that the images viewed on a pc screen ( both mine and as of yesterday, my dealers screen that he uses to for all the Fuji kiosk prints in his shop ) do not show the green cast. It is only on the camera rear LCD display that it shows.

Sorry I miss read what was said after scrolling back up.. :o