D4 (not S) vs D810

Hi to all. I just joined this forum and this is my 1st post.

I have a D4 plus a Fuji X-T1 system. Both pretty comprehensive.

With the D810 announcement, I am wondering if it would make sense to swap my D4 over to the D810.

My thinking is along the lines that the Fuji and the D4 are both 16Mpx so the main differentiators are focusing speed and low light. I do not need high speed MD, as my favourite is 3fps anyway (used for talking heads, etc.). The D810 now has the D4's focusing, but brings 36Mpx to the table. This might make a more significant delta to the Fuji FX. Also the pop-up fill flash would be nice to have. The highlight blow out protection metering is a very attractive option.

I guess my resale of the D4 would just about pay for a new D810, so the swap should be dollar neutral.

Concerns are manufacturing quality, need for higher shutter speed with the high pixel count. Also I have 2nd D4 battery, L-bracket and a very expensive XQD card

Your advice would be appreciated...

RemekTek said:

Hi to all. I just joined this forum and this is my 1st post.

I have a D4 plus a Fuji X-T1 system. Both pretty comprehensive.

With the D810 announcement, I am wondering if it would make sense to swap my D4 over to the D810.

My thinking is along the lines that the Fuji and the D4 are both 16Mpx so the main differentiators are focusing speed and low light. I do not need high speed MD, as my favourite is 3fps anyway (used for talking heads, etc.). The D810 now has the D4's focusing, but brings 36Mpx to the table. This might make a more significant delta to the Fuji FX. Also the pop-up fill flash would be nice to have.The highlight blow out protection metering is a very attractive option.
I guess my resale of the D4 would just about pay for a new D810, so the swap should be dollar neutral.

Concerns are manufacturing quality, need for higher shutter speed with the high pixel count. Also I have 2nd D4 battery, L-bracket and a very expensive XQD card

Your advice would be appreciated...

Click to expand...

I wouldnt change cameras but thats speaking for my needs. just be aware that with grip, the D810/800 is huge.
the difference in speed is a huge plus. meaning from the time you press till it takes the picture is easily noticeable to me. you might not notice it but I certainly did between them.

btw, when shooting portraits, especially women, overexposing would be desired. overexposing cleans up wrinkles and a lot of skin pores you would see if your exposure would be 18% grey. look at fashion magazines/cosmo/glamor etc. all have portraits overexposed usually by 1/2 stop or more. look at all the blown out high key glamour pictures. when shooting portraits, I always overexpose. and when shooting brides, I couldnt care less if her bride was overexposed a stop or two. I care about her face.

The D4 is about twice as expensive as D810, so you should have some money left.

The advantages of D4 is its rugged construction, excellent high ISO and a very fast AF, if you do not need these features, then having a D4 is over kill.

One thing you have to consider while getting a 36MP camera is the lenses. Many current lenses leave a lot to be desired when used with D800 in terms of sharpness and micro contrast. So if you have a lot of lenses, you may have to think of upgrading them to utilise the high MP sensor.

One thing I have realised when I moved from 7MP to 12MP and then to 24MP D3300 is that apart from lense sharpness, the CA also matters for edge sharpness. So my future additions will be lenses with zero or minimal CA (Zeiss 135mm APO is one such lense). I find DXO a good site to compare lenses especially the sharpness and CA.
Zeiss 135mm APO

Hi Aroy,

My lenses are as follows:

1. 35mm f1.4 Sigma art
2. 50mm f1.4 and f1.8 AF-D Nikkors
3. 105mm Micro Nikkor (non-VR)
4. 24-120mm f4 AF-D VRII Nikkor
5. 70-200mm f2.8 AF-D VRII Nikkor
6. 500mm f8 Tamron CAT

Re focus: I read that the D810 has the same focusing engine as the D4s.

2nd hand prices for the D4 seem to hover around $4,500 max, and the D810 is going to cost me about $3,500 so there is a little buffer there, for sure.

My biggest concerns are:

1. Camera shake when using hand held
2. Battery life ( I will NOT add a grip, as that will make it even heavier than the D4 is), so it means carrying a spare battery
3. Ruggedness, however I had a D700 before, and had no problems
4. I will miss the back lighted buttons

Anyone who has a D800 can comment on the camera's hand held usage???

RemekTek said:

My biggest concerns are:

1. Camera shake when using hand held
2. Battery life ( I will NOT add a grip, as that will make it even heavier than the D4 is), so it means carrying a spare battery
3. Ruggedness, however I had a D700 before, and had no problems
4. I will miss the back lighted buttons

Anyone who has a D800 can comment on the camera's hand held usage???

Click to expand...

- Camera shake is subjective. My hand holding technique or lack of, sucks bad. Some owners here can shoot very well without a tripod.

- Battery life is ok but the pro cameras are decades ahead. I have a D3s and d800e, if I leave both cameras in the off position and not use them for 10 days, my D800e battery gets drained with just two bars left wherein the D3s battery remains fully charge. Of course, the D3s battery capacity is also much higher.

- Ruggedness. D4 wins hands down.
- lighted buttons. That is a personal preference but it is a nice perk.


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sell the Fuji & buy the 810 - Never giving up my D4.

RemekTek said:

Hi Aroy,

My lenses are as follows:

1. 35mm f1.4 Sigma art
2. 50mm f1.4 and f1.8 AF-D Nikkors
3. 105mm Micro Nikkor (non-VR)
4. 24-120mm f4 AF-D VRII Nikkor
5. 70-200mm f2.8 AF-D VRII Nikkor
6. 500mm f8 Tamron CAT

Re focus: I read that the D810 has the same focusing engine as the D4s.

2nd hand prices for the D4 seem to hover around $4,500 max, and the D810 is going to cost me about $3,500 so there is a little buffer there, for sure.

My biggest concerns are:

1. Camera shake when using hand held
2. Battery life ( I will NOT add a grip, as that will make it even heavier than the D4 is), so it means carrying a spare battery
3. Ruggedness, however I had a D700 before, and had no problems
4. I will miss the back lighted buttons

Anyone who has a D800 can comment on the camera's hand held usage???

Click to expand...

Regarding price. Wait for at least 4 months. The D810 prices should stabilize (and any bugs detected/rectified) to around $3,000/-. The D4 prices will remain stable as the body is preferred by professional photographers.

Regarding Lenses, this is what I have learnt from the net. It is not personal experience.

1. 35mm f1.4 Sigma art : Modern lense designed for High MP sensors.
2. 50mm f1.4 and f1.8 AF-D Nikkors : Not so great sharpness and CA is there. The modern Zeiss and Sigma are much better.
3. 105mm Micro Nikkor (non-VR) : No problem here, and excellent macro, but the Zeiss 135mm F2 APO which has practically no CA, is sharp even at F11, where most lenses give up due to diffraction.
4. 24-120mm f4 AF-D VRII Nikkor : No idea, but I do not hold zooms as high IQ glass. More of a convenience factor than IQ.
5. 70-200mm f2.8 AF-D VRII Nikkor: No idea, but I do not hold zooms as high IQ glass. More of a convenience factor than IQ.
6. 500mm f8 Tamron CAT : No idea.

Concerns

1. Camera shake is a personal issue. My hands shake a lot, so even 24MP is too much at times, but at times when it is steady, I have shot razor sharp at 1/15. Mostly I rely on high speed (1/500 or more) or on the flash to strobe.
2. Battery life is also dependent on usage patter4n. D3300 is supposed have a life of 700 shots, I rarely get more than 350, but I have never shot 350 in a day. In any case a spare battery(s) are a much better option than a grip, as you can keep them warm in cold climate, charge them when necessary and reduce a lot of weight.
3. Ruggedness is in the eye of the beholder. If you are a sports photographer, shooting thousand or more shots per day in harsh environment and chances of the camera getting knocked about is high, then a rugged body is called for. Other wise with a little care the modern Polycarbonate body last a life time. In fact if you read the analysis on "Plastic" lenses and mounts by Lens Rental, metal bodies are more difficult to repair as it deforms and requires changing. In comtrast modern engineering plastics are resilient and absorb a lot of abuse (apart from being lighter and cheaper).
4. I prefer not to have them, especially if they drain the battery faster.

Can you hold off and rent the D810 for a weekend before you make such a big decision? Do you want the huge file size? Shouldn't you test your set of kit thru the D810 before bailing on the beloved D4?

In my dreams I own a D4, well done I say!

Good luck!

Check out my Flickr for hand held of the moth and the dragon fly.

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