D800E for wildlife

bandit993

Senior Member
Other than slower frame rate, what are your thoughts on the D800E as a wildlife camera?? I have a D7200, but wondering what the increased megapixels would do for me. Just wondering...Thanks
 

ryan20fun

Senior Member
Other than slower frame rate, what are your thoughts on the D800E as a wildlife camera?? I have a D7200, but wondering what the increased megapixels would do for me. Just wondering...Thanks

You will get lower resolution if you do a lot of cropping as this is a full frame camera.
 

jay_dean

Senior Member
Other than slower frame rate, what are your thoughts on the D800E as a wildlife camera?? I have a D7200, but wondering what the increased megapixels would do for me. Just wondering...Thanks
Stick with the D7200 for birding, if you're moderately or heavily cropping
 
I used the D810 with tamron 150-600 ( wife using the 7100) and thought that's 15 MP DX equivalent .....so I tried my D3200 which has a LPF and you could not tell the difference when viewing a same size image. So whilst waiting for the D850 ( 54 MP I hope ) I bought a D3300 and now that is better than the D810. ( I was lucky the focus was spot on)

So stick with your D7200
 

Photowyzard

Senior Member
DO NOT GET A D800E from Wild Life Photography.

The increased MP will give you amazingly sharp, out of focus pictures, 8 out of 10 times of the images you do capture, and a pile of frustration on the images you miss.

I have a D800 and I have been using it for wild life since it was introduced, although I had to wait to get it.

On static shots in perfect light, nothing beats this camera (well, when it first came out). In studio, this camera simply sings! For sports, action, wild life photography, I will say it bluntly, it is GARBAGE!

The AF is too slow. This is a huge problem.
The sensor gets fooled too readily on certain types of light. This is so annoying, especially when you have that magical early morning light and you push and push and push that shutter button and it simply won't trigger. In many cases, the AF simply won't lock on and you miss the moment.

See the EGRET image below, you have no idea how much I struggled to get that image. It simply could not deal with this light!

The buffer in the camera..... BLOWS!!!!!!!!! You fire a burst, the buffer quickly fills, and you .... WAIT. You know the U2 song .... lyrics ... "On a bed of nails she makes wait, and I wait ... for you" That is exactly what it feels like. When the buffer is empty... the ACTION IS GONE!

The D800 is heavy. Add a big lens and tripod and any other accessories and you are lugging around 20+ lbs. No big deal the first hour.... try 3-5 hours in the field hauling this around and it starts to get heavy and you get tired and cranky.

When you nail an image with the D800, it is very satisfying. However, it will cost you approximately 50-100 images of effort to get that one nice shot, after so many other missed opportunities.

My advice, DO NOT GET A D800E for Wild Life.

I would go with the D500 first! This is simply an amazing camera, it is light, it is fast, the sensor is excellent and it is designed for Sports and Wild Life. The D800 is a studio/landscape/still life camera. You can review a lot of my work with the D800 on 500px, my account is here:

www.500px.com/Art_L

I also have posted a lot of D800 images here on Nikonites, you can view my work with the D800 here:

http://nikonites.com/d800-d800e/8996-my-favourite-d800-images.html#axzz4HUQGzd4f

Just remember, I have taken 40,000 + images on my D800 to be able to show you these samples! As much as I love the camera, it is not a sports/action/wild life camera, if that is your primary need. You will be much more satisfied with a D500.

If you have to get a D800 camera, get the D810, it is more improved, but I would think only marginally so. In speaking with Nikon, the rep told me that the AF and buffer have been vastly upgraded. I have not tested it to give a valid opinion but I suspect it is a marginal upgrade.

Copyright-Art-Lupinacci-Egret_1.jpg
 
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bandit993

Senior Member
Thank you Photowyzard. I needed someone with extensive use with one to tell me what it would be like. I would like a D500 but the cost is stopping me. I guess I will stick with my D7200 for a while yet. Thanks again for your input.
 

Photowyzard

Senior Member
You are very welcome, only too happy to help. I have a friend with a D500. I see him pretty regularly and his images are stunning. I understand fully about the price, I have been looking for a second body, but what a waste of money. They hold no value for any period of time. Would rather put it in Glass.

As you already have a DX camera, the D500 will immediately turn into your #1 camera. If you decide to spend, I wouldn't give it a second thought, just buy it. Trust me, it will be everything you want and more. Many of the features of the D500 are also found on the D5! Good luck!
 
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