Evangelos Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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Here's my short and tormented experience with a D800E.
I made the decision to get rid of my Canon equipement and go the Nikon route. I picked up a refurb D800E (I should have known better) and found that the outer points on both sides were backfocusing compared to the center points. All I had for testing were a 35 f2D and an 85 1.8D. However, I found that with a -10 AF fine tune, everything was perfect. It seems the center point, while seeming sharp enough, was actually within the deeper dof enjoyed by the center of the lens, and also benefited from the AF fine tune.
I thought everything was fine. I went to a local camera shop with the intentions of picking up a 50 1.4, which is a lens I always like to have. First I tried a Sigma....it needed -20 for the center point and it was still backfocusing. Next I tried another Sigma...same thing. Finally, I tried a Nikkor....same thing. Well, the shop had a demo D800E. Boom....center point, no AF fine tune, perfect focus with center point. My heart sank, I realized I had a lemon. Returned my refurb D800E.
A few days later I went to the same camera shop, and checked out the same demo D800E. The center point was indeed fine. But, just to make sure, I checked the outer left points....severe backfocus with a 50 1.4, I checked the outer right focus points...severe backfocusing.
It seems that really fast glass (1.4) brings out the problem with D800's. I've read somewhere, I believe it was at Thom Hogan's site, that you won't see the problem with 2.8 zooms. Perhaps this is why many people don't see the problem with their D800's, they don't use fast glass.
Regardless, I'll be waiting another month or so and try to sniff out a high serial # D800E and take my chances. If it's the same deal....back to Canon.
Evan
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