Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Nikon D800E 'review'

Another late post.. so sorry bout that. Being caught up with quite a number of things, some being good, some being complicated, that's life isn't it? Before i start mumbling.. i should head straight to point. My sis came back from her Asia tour with Ryan and bring back my new baby for me... i've sold my D700 few months ago and ordered the new Nikon D800E. Being quite busy exploring and shooting, and here's some of the first 'few' photos that came up..

Tweaking and playing with some filters (post processing) after shooting on Anzac Day 2013
War Heroes, ANZAC Day 2013

Gloomy Morning, ANZAC Day 2013

and some 'review' about the camera.. It's a good camera, one of the best.. but i'm going to pin point out the things i hate mostly. Just some humble opinion, but don't get me wrong. I love the camera! I'm not particularly tech savvy person. Always on first impression, instinct and feels.. nothing too technical to talk about. Besides, dozens on great reviewer out there in the internet.

Sharpness and Moire

One thing i noticed, the sharpness is insane.. unbelievable! However, the main drawback is i think it's very susceptible to hand shake and movement. Slight movement causes blurriness. Got to keep an eye on the controls especially if you're passing to someone who's not familiar with dslr to take your photos. 8 out of 10 are subject to blurriness to a certain extend.

As for moire, i havent seen one yet... so i guess it's pretty much acceptable for me for my daily use

Full HD Movie

This is actually the reason i buy this camera.. to shoot some nice full hd video. Some say i should go for  D800 instead to minimise the moire effects but heck, i don't want to regret either losing some sharpness.   Gotta live with it. I've yet to shoot a lot of videos with it, nor had the experience to complain about it but so far, it's the stabilisation. Nothing can beat the Olympus OM-D EM5 hands on! Period. 

Active D-Lighting

Another new tech that i couldn't get used to it or like, is the d-lighting and perhaps the new active d-lighting. I just don't like how it process in-camera to bring out the shadows or saving the highlights.. just don't quite like the results, but maybe it's just a matter of time to get used to it, or, found the right setting. 

ISO performance

Nothing to be complain or praised. Quite similar to Nikon D700, but the noise seems to look better even at high iso. Personally, i wouldn't go more than ISO 3200..

Lens and Accessories

You seriously have to have some good optics for this camera to bring out the goodness. Primes being the number one choice. I don't have primes yet besides the cheap ol 50mm, nifty fifty they call it. It did perform quite well and i love it. Lens i've own that worth mentioning is probably the Nikkor 16-35 F/4. It's sharp, but distortion on full frame.. hate it. That's not the main point though.. thinking to upgrade to 14-24 F/2.8. Much brighter and better bokeh, although the distortion is pretty much unavoidable with ultra wide angle lens.

Another complain is the grip. Not as comfortable as i expect, and the battery grip is hell expensive! Gotta look out for some third party one i guess.

Ok... enough bashing the camera.. haha.. just some small little thing that bothers me sometimes but other than that, oh boy, what a great gadget. Here's some of the photos taken around Marlborough region... hope you guys like it!

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My boss is great! She let me use her car for the day.. nice ride with Chevrolet Cruze
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Went around Port Underwood Rd from Picton to Blenheim. Some part of the road were gravels, with tight turns but the views is amazing! Here's Kakapo Bay
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And here's some autumn photos when I'm driving back from Nelson to Blenheim
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I'll be continue to add more feedbacks regarding the camera as i go though each day.. that's for now, catch you guys later!