Problem with D810 connected via HDMI

I run a portrait studio here in St.Albans and have been using a Nikon D800e for quite a few years and it has performed beautifully. I recently bought a D810 (keeping the 800e as a back up) and I had a customer in yesterday. Normally, I take a sequence of images then connect to a monitor via HDMI and quickly view the images to make sure the customer likes what they see. As soon as I pushed the play button, the images appear nice and sharp. BUT, as soon as I push the magnifivcation button to zoom in, suddenly the image turns to very low resolution and the image looks blurry and not nice! I have experimented and when I connect the D800e back in it is perfect, zoomed in or out. i connected the D810 and the same problem happens. I have updated the firmware to the latest, that didn't work. I have used two different monitors, changed the HDMi cable, checked all the settings on both the D810 and the monitor and still the problem only happens with the D810.


I'm hoping you can shed some light on this problem because if you can't I cannot use this camera in the studio. I will have to go back to the D800e.


Looking at the back of the D810, the image is displayed nice and sharp on the back screen zoomed in, and when I view the images on my computer from the SD or CF card the images are perfect, the problem only happens when viewing the images on a tethered monitor, and once I push the magnification button, only with the D810. the D800e is still perfect.
 

BeegRhob

Senior Member
Is the camera set to save to RAW and/or JPG? Are you viewing a low resolution JPG? Have you tried taking the memory card out of the camera and inserting it into a computer, or directly into the monitor (if possible) and looking at it? Have you tried resetting the camera settings, by using the two (I think) green buttons on the camera? When you zoom in and the pic gets blurry, do you wait a while for it to "draw"? There could be a longer delay than you are used to waiting.

Rob
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.
We look forward to seeing more posts and samples of your work.

Also, you might want to go to
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Hi, thanks for your reply. I usually have it saving to both JPG and RAW using both cards. It makes no difference which one you view, the fault is the same. If you take the card out and look at the image on a computer it is perfectly sharp. The problem only exists when viewing on a monitor whilst still in the studio, which we do during our portrait shoots. With the D800e this problem does not exist, it is sharp when viewing at all magnifications. I am leaving the image o draw for a long time, so its not that either. What I really want from this forum is for someone with an 810 to plug it into their TV set and try it out and see if they get the same problem.
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I'd test it for you but after digging thru my "cable box" I don't seem to have a cable that'll get me from the Nikon HDMI port to a Standard HDMI port on my TV or Computer monitor. Did Nikon even supply one with the D810?
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
Okay... I ordered a Mini HDMI from Amazon for <$7 and tested this.

My D810 works as expected... I tested with the camera's HDMI setting on both Auto and 1080p... I tested at all 3 resolutions for the center button Zoom feature, 50%, 100%, and 200%...

Playback images were all sharp, as expected at all 3 magnifications...
I also tested it while in Live View mode, and it also was sharp in all 3 magnifications...

I assume you've been through the HDMI Menu settings in the Setup Menu?


I don't know what to suggest at this point, but would be glad to do any further testing if you need it.
 
Thats very kind of you. thank you. I have made a short youtube video showing the problem. perhaps you could take a look at it and let me know if this is the same test you have been doing.

https://youtu.be/xWd8-GreSK4

Many thanks in advance and I appreciate the time you are spending helping me.
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
Okay... I watched your video and did what you did with the + button... and each press remains crystal sharp.

Okay...Ive gone back and forth several times... the first press of the + button does seem to distort fine text... but subsequent presses, it's clear.... in and back out it's clear until it gets to that first position...
 
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yes, that's the problem. I thought i was going mad. the more you zoom in the sharper it gets but when I'm showing my customers their portraits, quite often I only want to zoom in to the first magnification position and it looks terrible. the thing is, for the last few years I have been using the D800e which doesn't have this problem. Its pin sharp at every level. I've gone back to using the 800e now until I get this sorted. I have tried practically every possible combination of HDMI settings and cannot past this problem. If you can have a twiddle with yours and see if you can improve it it would be greatly appreciated as I'm not getting any sense out of Nikon themselves!
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I don't think it's an HDMI issue as much as a focus issue. Although, it doesn't seem to do it when NOT connected via HDMI.

Is your D810 new? So that you can call Nikon's support desk?
 
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