Corey @ Faymus Media
Senior Member
Well, I walked into B&H today. I brought my CF card with me because I wanted to test out the Nikkor Micro VR 105mm 2.8, and 24mm 1.4 ED. Then after that I went to take a few test shots with the D4, 1DX and 5D3. Here are my thoughts on them, as well as the D800E's that I own.
D4: Rugged, built tough, feels great and solid while holding it! Man this thing doesn't just shoot photos, it guns your subject down like your hunting!! This camera is AMAZING! I was shooting at ISO 3200 and there was NO NOISE at all! I will be purchasing this camera soon! 10 FPS burst was insane! The buffer did over 100 RAW files!! I was able to get well over 300 JPG and it just kept going, I actually gave up shooting before the camera did! Getting in and out of movie mode was a breeze, controls are easy! Getting access to the CF and XQD cards was easy as well. Just open the cover and press the button.
D800E: Rugged and built tough just like the D4. They are both balanced. The D4 is noticeably heavier tho. The D800E has much better fine details and resolution, obviously burst rate isn't as fast, but I am convinced that a D800E & D4 combo is all that I will ever need, EVER!! I could go on forever how awesome this camera is.Both the D4 and D800E feel solid, It is hard to explain they just feel "Pro" and well built and comfy to hold.
5D Mark 3: The 5D mark 3 does NOT feel like the 5Dmark2, it seems lighter, and cheaper. Overall the top LCD has tiny font, and it was very cheap feeling. I know many people online have compared the 2 cameras. The 5D mark 3 doesn't feel solid like the Nikon's do. The shutter sounds like aluminum popping in the microwave. To be honest after handling the 5D mark 3 for about 30 minutes when I grabbed my D800E, there was a night and day difference! Auto focus has more AF points, but it wasn't any faster, I went back and forth and the D800E actually focused slightly better. When opening the CF card slot it seemed like cheap plastic, as is all parts today however it just seemed flimsy.
1DX: There is no denying that this camera is FAST! The burst seemed a tad more lively than the D4. Again, the top LCD had small font, the buttons placed weirdly. The camera didn't quite feel as tough or solid as the D4. I locked the mirror up and pumped out more FPS. However it wasn't 14. Maybe 11-12. In order to get 14 the shutter speed would have to be 1/500+ at least. I was shooting around 1/300. I only got about 40 or so raw files before the buffer filled up. The D4 has a much better in camera buffer. The movie mode on the 1DX is horrible, no dedicated record button, had to us the MN button on the front, and it took over 10 minutes to find it. ISO seemed decently clean. Much, much better than the 5D mark 3 in every single way.The 1DX has decent focus, on the contrary to what many people say the D4 focused quicker and more consistently. The 1DX CF card slot is VERY weird and hard to eject, you have to pull this switch and twist it down, and its tiny.I will post some test photos in here.
Overall, the Nikon cameras feel more well built, tougher, and just feel great to hold and shoot with, much more comfortable. B&H didn't even have a D800E on the floor, everyone wanted to see it and was asking what the difference was LOL.I went over in a friendly manner and demonstrated the D800E against the 5D mark III to all the Canon salesmen. They were impressed.I am glad I went with Nikon! I love my D800E and I am aiming at the D4 next!
EDIT: As you can see from the example photo, the D4 provides more usable light then the 1DX, also the noise in the mid tones and shadows is more noticeable on the 1DX, the D4 is much cleaner! Also this picture was taken in equal light. It was the same desk. These photos are complete RAW into JPEG there was no processing done at all.
D4: Rugged, built tough, feels great and solid while holding it! Man this thing doesn't just shoot photos, it guns your subject down like your hunting!! This camera is AMAZING! I was shooting at ISO 3200 and there was NO NOISE at all! I will be purchasing this camera soon! 10 FPS burst was insane! The buffer did over 100 RAW files!! I was able to get well over 300 JPG and it just kept going, I actually gave up shooting before the camera did! Getting in and out of movie mode was a breeze, controls are easy! Getting access to the CF and XQD cards was easy as well. Just open the cover and press the button.
D800E: Rugged and built tough just like the D4. They are both balanced. The D4 is noticeably heavier tho. The D800E has much better fine details and resolution, obviously burst rate isn't as fast, but I am convinced that a D800E & D4 combo is all that I will ever need, EVER!! I could go on forever how awesome this camera is.Both the D4 and D800E feel solid, It is hard to explain they just feel "Pro" and well built and comfy to hold.
5D Mark 3: The 5D mark 3 does NOT feel like the 5Dmark2, it seems lighter, and cheaper. Overall the top LCD has tiny font, and it was very cheap feeling. I know many people online have compared the 2 cameras. The 5D mark 3 doesn't feel solid like the Nikon's do. The shutter sounds like aluminum popping in the microwave. To be honest after handling the 5D mark 3 for about 30 minutes when I grabbed my D800E, there was a night and day difference! Auto focus has more AF points, but it wasn't any faster, I went back and forth and the D800E actually focused slightly better. When opening the CF card slot it seemed like cheap plastic, as is all parts today however it just seemed flimsy.
1DX: There is no denying that this camera is FAST! The burst seemed a tad more lively than the D4. Again, the top LCD had small font, the buttons placed weirdly. The camera didn't quite feel as tough or solid as the D4. I locked the mirror up and pumped out more FPS. However it wasn't 14. Maybe 11-12. In order to get 14 the shutter speed would have to be 1/500+ at least. I was shooting around 1/300. I only got about 40 or so raw files before the buffer filled up. The D4 has a much better in camera buffer. The movie mode on the 1DX is horrible, no dedicated record button, had to us the MN button on the front, and it took over 10 minutes to find it. ISO seemed decently clean. Much, much better than the 5D mark 3 in every single way.The 1DX has decent focus, on the contrary to what many people say the D4 focused quicker and more consistently. The 1DX CF card slot is VERY weird and hard to eject, you have to pull this switch and twist it down, and its tiny.I will post some test photos in here.
Overall, the Nikon cameras feel more well built, tougher, and just feel great to hold and shoot with, much more comfortable. B&H didn't even have a D800E on the floor, everyone wanted to see it and was asking what the difference was LOL.I went over in a friendly manner and demonstrated the D800E against the 5D mark III to all the Canon salesmen. They were impressed.I am glad I went with Nikon! I love my D800E and I am aiming at the D4 next!
EDIT: As you can see from the example photo, the D4 provides more usable light then the 1DX, also the noise in the mid tones and shadows is more noticeable on the 1DX, the D4 is much cleaner! Also this picture was taken in equal light. It was the same desk. These photos are complete RAW into JPEG there was no processing done at all.
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I must say I reach for the D4 more times than for the D800 that's mainly because of the type of shooting I do wildlife & birds( high iOS and fast frame rate). Shooting static objects or landscape the D800 is the one to use, detail & clarity is awesome.
