Thinking of a new D800. Some questions

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Hassiman

Senior Member
Hi, I just got a refund from Nikon for my D600 because of the dust/oil issue. I am not convinced that the problem has been fixed but love the DR so I am thinking of a D800. Some questions:
Are current D800s fairly free of issues like the left focus issue?
Will the 24-85 3.4 kit lens come close to doing the sensor justice?
Does the the D800 have an interchangeable focusing screen?

Thanks.....
 
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gqtuazon

Gear Head
Hassiman said:
Hi, I just got a refund from Nikon for my D600 because of the dust/oil issue. I am not convinced that the problem has been fixed but love the DR so I am thinking of a D800. Some questions:
Are current D800s fairly free of issues like the left focus issue?
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It is possible. I have not read any recent complaints lately after the early productions. No guarantee.


Hassiman said:
Will the 24-85 3.4 kit lens come close to doing the sensor justice?
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I don't see why not. Stop down to f7.1 or f8 will reach its sweet spot. Even the old Nikon Ai/AIS will work.

Hassiman said:
Does the the D800 have an interchangeable focusing screen?
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If you are talking about Katzeye focusing screen. They don't make one.

Nikon DSLRs - KatzEye Optics
 
K

Kodiak

Senior Member
Hassiman said:
Are current D800s fairly free of issues like the left focus issue?
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Mine is 4 months old. The issue I had with focusing was the routine AF-Fine tune. Otherwise OK.

Will the 24-85 3.4 kit lens come close to doing the sensor justice?
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Personally, I went for the 24-70 ƒ 2,8 because light is priceless. Your selection is OK.

Does the the D800 have an interchangeable focusing screen?
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No. The D800 /E is not a "pro camera" in the traditional Nikon sense.

Here, pixel count is the key word… with all its drawbacks! So if you need them, OK.
 
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papa2jaja

Senior Member
Mine had no left-focus issues. It was purchased in April 2013.

Regarding the lens, that kit lens will be ok, but nonetheless, with good primes you can get more detailed pictures, and perhaps better colours.
 
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Ruidoso Bill

Senior Member
I've had mine since October 2012, shutter count is about 20K. The camera has been flawless, never missed a beat. I am a big fan of the Nikon Trilogy, 14-24, 24-70 and 70-200 f2.8. These lenses and the D800 are a great combo.
 
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crycocyon

Senior Member
Got mine in late February, it was factory refurbished by Nikon so no problems whatsoever. I chose factory refurbished just to make sure there would be no problems. I'm mainly interested in primes for this camera just because I want to get the most out of its resolution.
 
Dr Daniels

Dr Daniels

Senior Member
I bought mine in April 2012. I had a pronounced left focus sensor front-focusing issue. Had it re-calibrated by Nikon free of charge (of course).

Bear in mind that the front-focusing issue of the outer left sensors are only apparent, at least on my D800, when using a wide angle (e.g., 24mm) at large aperture.
The D800 has amazing cross-type focus sensors, the ones stacked in the middle of the viewfinder, but the outer non cross-typed are disappointing. They are very slow to focus in low light and often end up having the lens' AF chasing madly. I believe the Canon 5D MkIII's AF sensors are superior.

Another annoying issue with the D800 is the use of its Live View when doing landscape photos. When it starts to get dark, the LCD screen gets so noisy, it is almost impossible to nail the focus in manual. I often have to do several shots in different focus adjustments to nail it and check in preview at 100%.

Besides these issues, it is a remarkable DSLR. The question is: does one really need that much resolution?
 
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Cowleystjames

Senior Member
Dr Daniels said:
, but the outer non cross-typed are disappointing. They are very slow to focus in low light and often end up having the lens' AF chasing madly. I believe the Canon 5D MkIII's AF sensors are superior.

Besides these issues, it is a remarkable DSLR. The question is: does one really need that much resolution?
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I have recently been taking photo's of Badgers late into the evening in a woodland setting, and with my 300 f2.8 VRII on my D800e, it has nailed the focus well into dusk. Admittedly, not as good as my D4 with the 300 f2.8 or 200-400f4 VRII, but that's understandable as the D4 has amazing auto focus in dim conditions. However, it hasn't hunted around as yours appears to do. Are you sure it hasn't got an issue with the autofocus?
 
Dr Daniels

Dr Daniels

Senior Member
Cowleystjames said:
I have recently been taking photo's of Badgers late into the evening in a woodland setting, and with my 300 f2.8 VRII on my D800e, it has nailed the focus well into dusk. Admittedly, not as good as my D4 with the 300 f2.8 or 200-400f4 VRII, but that's understandable as the D4 has amazing auto focus in dim conditions. However, it hasn't hunted around as yours appears to do. Are you sure it hasn't got an issue with the autofocus?
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I did mention to Nikon this issue, they tested it and said that it's within tolerance. My AF is hunting pretty badly with the 85mm f/1.4G in dim light with low contrast and sometimes with the 70-200mm f/2.8.
 
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Cowleystjames

Senior Member
Hunting with the 1.4? I have that lens and use it a lot indoors specifically so i don't have to use flash. I don't get any hunting even in really gloomy light, that lens is incredible.
The only time my D800e hunts slightly is when I have the 200-400mm with the TC-E2 III and the lights failing, but even then that tends to be low contrast subjects. Now that's a tester for it.
 
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geoffreyc

New member
Have things settled down somewhat regarding the oil-spot problem?

Looking to upgrade from my D7100 to the D800 and am wondering what the current situation is regarding the D800 - am asking because have had some issues with oil spots etc with the D7100
 
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wornish

Senior Member
geoffreyc said:
Have things settled down somewhat regarding the oil-spot problem?

Looking to upgrade from my D7100 to the D800 and am wondering what the current situation is regarding the D800 - am asking because have had some issues with oil spots etc with the D7100
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The D800 never had an oil spot problem to AFAIK that was the D600.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
I have both a D800 and D800E and the E is almost a different camera compared to the 800. So much so I'm considering selling the 800 and either buying another E or the camera that replaces the 800

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
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