Nikon D800E -in pursuit of sharpness

[DeepOne]

Let have a little graciousness here. TS had the generosity to post his find from test he conducted. Was there a law that said he had to share ? No. If you feel that the test were not done right by your lights you are most definitely free to conduct your own test and share or not the results with us.

what has graciousness got anything to do with this .... this is the world wide web, not a small little kampong or closet .... if you are not up to others challenging your views, then simply don't post or put it in another way what is the point of posting then, otherwise just put a disclaimer like this is what I said therefore this is what it is .... better still why not state simply that only those who agree need reply, other please ignore and I am sure quite a few will just ignore the thread ....

my advice is very simple, if you cannot take the heat, stay out of the kitchen ....

 

[edutilos-]

Let have a little graciousness here. TS had the generosity to post his find from test he conducted. Was there a law that said he had to share ? No. If you feel that the test were not done right by your lights you are most definitely free to conduct your own test and share or not the results with us.

Based on your line of extremely warped logic that says that graciousness means not passing comment and doing tests by yourself is the way to go...

I suppose that if someone ran up to you and said that he tested the performance of a camera by shooting 800 frames with the lens cap on, you'd accept it and be gracious that he had put in the effort. Was there a law that said he had to share? No. If you felt that the test was not done right by your own measure, I suppose you'd also tell him that you'd do your own tests and share the results of that test (I certainly hope you would take the lens cap off at least) and share the results with everyone else.

Sounds right? Thought not. With a mind, I'm afraid I can't see anything wrong with passing comment on an obviously flawed test. We don't need a rocket scientist to say that an attempt to pass judgement on a lens using outdoor conditions does not prove anything. Obviously you seem to think that that is the case.

Maybe you need to read my first post here which makes it clear that I acknowledge TS' good intentions and effort. But beyond that, it is not a meaningful test. I'm not sure how much more graciousness one needs in such matters. Cheers.

 

[edutilos-]

Well, for myself , my own usage of lenses, it is enough , but maybe I have some time one the next days and perform the same test with a resolution test chart ;-)

Yes, if it is indoors, it will be much more conclusive by most people's standards, I would think. Cheers!

 

[Miksang]

I am not sure whether this should be a new thread or can be posted here... Anyway, I am seeking the opinion of fellow D800E users regarding their settings under the picture control: I currently use neutral with sharpness set at zero (as I shoot in raw and sharpen at post depending on final use). However, some users have been suggesting moving up the sharpening to 5. Could we find a concensus among D800(e) users on the subject?

 

[Zenten]

Am I missing something when I say that there is nothing spectacular about the Nikon D800E images that we are seeing here ..... Anyhow, I have tried the 800E for myself and from I have seen, I'd say that the hype concerning sharpness is ..... overblown. With a little sharpening, the D7000 gives you images that look very similar to D800/E .... partly because resolution-wise they are the same ..... if you don't do big prints.

Ok, the D800/E is FX and the D7000 isn't ......... but again I ask ...... something missing?

 

[Miksang]

The resolution of the D7000 is the same as the D800(e) if you use the D800(e) with a DX lens (or DX crop)...

 

[ellery]

what has graciousness got anything to do with this .... this is the world wide web, not a small little kampong or closet .... if you are not up to others challenging your views, then simply don't post or put it in another way what is the point of posting then, otherwise just put a disclaimer like this is what I said therefore this is what it is .... better still why not state simply that only those who agree need reply, other please ignore and I am sure quite a few will just ignore the thread ....

my advice is very simple, if you cannot take the heat, stay out of the kitchen ....

Dude mine is simpler. If you do not like the free food, walk away. Do not go to the free food cook to get him to cook it your way. If you really feel it must be done your way do it yourself.

Like some others have commented the internet is full of testers - do not like this go read some one else or DIY the test yourself. All things in the web cannot be just accepted at face value - you need to counter check it yourself. I have done some testing of the D800 and will test the D800E as soon as I can get some time to drop by NRC.

 

[ellery]

Based on your line of extremely warped logic that says that graciousness means not passing comment and doing tests by yourself is the way to go...

I suppose that if someone ran up to you and said that he tested the performance of a camera by shooting 800 frames with the lens cap on, you'd accept it and be gracious that he had put in the effort. Was there a law that said he had to share? No. If you felt that the test was not done right by your own measure, I suppose you'd also tell him that you'd do your own tests and share the results of that test (I certainly hope you would take the lens cap off at least) and share the results with everyone else.

Sounds right? Thought not. With a mind, I'm afraid I can't see anything wrong with passing comment on an obviously flawed test. We don't need a rocket scientist to say that an attempt to pass judgement on a lens using outdoor conditions does not prove anything. Obviously you seem to think that that is the case.

Maybe you need to read my first post here which makes it clear that I acknowledge TS' good intentions and effort. But beyond that, it is not a meaningful test. I'm not sure how much more graciousness one needs in such matters. Cheers.

Dude it is your insinuations that the TS is not being truthful - "Yes, but all we have are your assurances that there are no wind." that made me bother to post. Normally if you want to be sxxxxx about things, that's okay with me.

No one in his right mind takes as the 100% pure and correct what ever you can find posted in the web. I always validate for correctness and accuracy before relying on any test report found in the net. Most of time if I am in pre buy mode - I will run my own tests. If I think the tests were flawed, I'd go run my own. There is no need to make a big song and dance about how the test is not working for you and that it need to be done like this before it is meaningful. As for use out doors with out tripod, well it could be valid if you do not use one all the time. With the D800 provided you know how to hand hold it can be shot without a tripod if you use a sensible shutter speed. The 1/focal length choice of shutter speed may not be be best choice for a D800 series from informal testing.

Your example is so way out there it does not need a reply more than - gee you are strange ( like the kind of strange that flies a kite in a thunderstorm with an exposed copper cable as string). If I saw a post like that I would seriously find some thing else to read. No need to even tell the poor lost soul how lost he is.

You have all rights to post - never said you did not. Heck you can even go badger TS some more to do the test your way some how I doubt if he will redo the outdoors to please you. However I supposed you then have to bear with other people commenting about you and not be thin skinned when prodded or when your tail is stepped upon (this sounds better in cantonese).

 

[edutilos-]

Dude it is your insinuations that the TS is not being truthful - "Yes, but all we have are your assurances that there are no wind." that made me bother to post. Normally if you want to be sxxxxx about things, that's okay with me.

Hello, I have to respond to this part. You are entitled to your views but to make my intentions clear, I never said that TS was not being truthful.

If a person runs up to you and says that he caught a tiger with his bare hands; what is akin to my reaction is "oh, ok, maybe you did. But I wasn't there, so there is the fact that I would have to take your word for it." Saying that the person has not been truthful is: "You lie. You definitely did not do so."

Did I say there was no wind? You might want to read my reply in totality again. I have reproduced it here for your kind perusal a second time. If you still insist that I had thrown doubt on the TS' character, then I have nothing to say - I guess there is just a breakdown in communication here. In which case, you can insist that I am saying TS is lying, I can clarify that I am not, then it just repeats ad infinitum and we should all avoid that and not bother any further.

Yes, but all we have are your assurances that there are no wind.

Do you think that is enough? I'm afraid it is not, and that is up to every individual's judgementp. I hope you understand where I'm coming from. I'm not intending to put down your tests, just pointing out that they will definitely withstand scrutiny better if done under controlled conditions. Cheers.

 

[DeepOne]

Dude mine is simpler. If you do not like the free food, walk away. Do not go to the free food cook to get him to cook it your way. If you really feel it must be done your way do it yourself.

This is not free food but the internet, and since it is the internet I can response to it because that is my prerogative, you simply have to put up with it, just like free food, simple? ....

 

[dniwkh]

Dude it is your insinuations that the TS is not being truthful - "Yes, but all we have are your assurances that there are no wind." that made me bother to post. Normally if you want to be sxxxxx about things, that's okay with me.

I don't think he was insinuating that TS is not being truthful. To me, the statement is plain simple. TS HONESTLY thinks there is no wind but some of us feel that there is no way he could have verified that.

Like the famous words, there is a possibility of a honest mistake. None of us are saying that there is wind either... it is just that the test is done outside so the possibility exist.

 

[s1221ljc]

There is no wind, at the camera/tripod/TS position.. There is a soft breeze rustling over the bushes. This is what I see or interpret from the pictures Who can control the elements in such a setting, TS can?

Test is with 1 nikon lens, and a zoom at that, not one of Nikon's 'trinity' zoom like the 24-70 or f1.4 primes like the 24mm 50mm etc. Conclusions seem all not good enough, except Zeiss manual focus primes. Nikon has no worthy contender, no lens up to the mark? Or is this a Zeiss fest by their fanboys? Who wants to buy & use the D800E best forget about Nikon lens, it was made for Zeiss :bsmilie:

Imo, more & better controlled tests should have been done to come to any credible conclusions or judgements. I think this is what many are saying here. That TS claims to be a 'lau chiau' & his job cover lens tests doesnt mean that his pronouncements are flawless, final, absolute or indisputable.

And oh, this is my best effort honest heartfelt contribution thats free too, so be gracious please

 

[kane-rulez]

I read through 4 pages of posts. and i don't even have a D800e, let alone not even a full frame camera. yet I came here to see if someone actually shared their experiences with The D800E and the wide variety of lens they used, and their perception of what was sharp/good or what was not. That kind of feedback would have helped potential buyers of the D800E to hang on to some lenses if there was proof that they worked well or could work well with this monstrous pixel sucking monster. Sadly did not find that. Which i thought was the intention of this thread. ( how to actually conduct a test like this is an altogether diffrent topic for discussion which should have preceded this thread)

one good thing i learned from this thread was a wise comment from a few csers that don't pixel peep, good camera bad lens combo, or bad camera good lens combo are all only distraction topics. just go and shoot. in the end you picture wont be judged by the gear but by the picture only.

 

[pinholecam]

I read through 4 pages of posts. and i don't even have a D800e, let alone not even a full frame camera. yet I came here to see if someone actually shared their experiences with The D800E and the wide variety of lens they used, and their perception of what was sharp/good or what was not. That kind of feedback would have helped potential buyers of the D800E to hang on to some lenses if there was proof that they worked well or could work well with this monstrous pixel sucking monster. Sadly did not find that. Which i thought was the intention of this thread. ( how to actually conduct a test like this is an altogether diffrent topic for discussion which should have preceded this thread)

one good thing i learned from this thread was a wise comment from a few csers that don't pixel peep, good camera bad lens combo, or bad camera good lens combo are all only distraction topics. just go and shoot. in the end you picture wont be judged by the gear but by the picture only.

I believe there are other resources, but try :
And the Nikon D800 autofocus saga continues (with some comments on specific lens performance) – Ming Thein | Photographer
There is also a D800 review there where the user put in his impressions of the camera.

 

[kane-rulez]

I believe there are other resources, but try :
And the Nikon D800 autofocus saga continues (with some comments on specific lens performance) – Ming Thein | Photographer
There is also a D800 review there where the user put in his impressions of the camera.

Thanks for this, the only cheapest lens that showed good results was the 85mm 1.8g no mention of the 50mm 1.8d/g or the 50mm 1.4d/g or the 35mm f2 or for that matter any ai/ais era lens or maybe manual focus lens like the samyang 24mm/35mm 1.4 which could bypass the auto-focus errors that the D800's are/were exhibiting.

p.s, i am a sucker for technical reviews hence the thirst for knowledge. i have yet to realize the potential of my D7000. so i am a good 12 to 18 months away before i even think of changing my camera, and if i be true to myself then, this is all i ever should need only to add maybe a few extra pieces of good glass.

 

[kane-rulez]

Just seen there's a technical manual also that comes with the D800/800E and that marks out how to get sharp pictures.

Some of the info most avid fotogs already know and use those as their second skin. but for new fotogs who have money and brought the Best they could afford then the tips are worth a read.

http://www.nikonusa.com/en_US/o/Y6wrkA9OU_z04IreazIXl_22UII/PDF/D800_TechnicalGuide_En.pdf

interestingly they sneakily advertise that best results are gotten from the following lenses.

Excerpt taken from the technical manual:

With cameras like the D800E, which are suited to visually complex subjects, it is important to get as much sharpness from the lens as possible. Contrast at the periphery of the im- age can generally be increased by choosing an aperture two or three stops from the maximum, although results will vary from lens to lens. Below are some of the lenses you can use for enhanced sharpness:
• AF-S NIKKOR 14–24mm f/2.8G ED
• AF-S NIKKOR 24–70mm f/2.8G ED
• AF-S NIKKOR 70–200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
• AF-S NIKKOR 16–35mm f/4G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 24–120mm f/4G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 200–400mm f/4G ED VR II
• AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED
• AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G
• AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G
• AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II
• AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II
• AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR
• AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED
• AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED




no mention of lens that are below 800$

So are they saying subliminally buy new lenses to get the best of your camera

 

[eys123]

Anyone has problem with the focusing? At the spot metering? My spot metering when I focus it's always not focus on the subject

 

[kei1309]

Anyone has problem with the focusing? At the spot metering? My spot metering when I focus it's always not focus on the subject

Metering and focus are two separate entities

 

[G-man]

Metering and focus are two separate entities

IIRC Nikon's spot metering is tied to their AF point.

 

[Photopreneur]

Nice review has been done over here!