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Archive 2012 · Are you focusing manually with a D600 or D800 ??

  
 
igmolinav
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Are you focusing manually with a D600 or D800 ??



Hi,

What is your experience focusing manual lenses with either the D600 or D800 ??

I was to a store yesterday afternoon that had two Nikon models, the D600 and D800;
and one Canon model, the 5D Mark III. The Nikon D800 and D600 cameras felt
very good in my hand. They were not as heavy as I had thought. I tried each
of the cameras with a 24-70 mm. f/2.8 Looking through the viewfinder was a
bit darker with the Nikons and much brighter with the Canon. The seller said that
Nikons have a darker viewfinder. Could this be changed? The 24-70 mm. from
Canon is shorter. Though, I wouldn't buy one from any of the two brands!

As an observation -
There are definitely more alt lenses that would be easier and cheaper to use with
Canon as with Nikon. For example, Leica R lenses only need an adapter to be
used with a Canon and not a costly conversion like with Nikon. Contax N lenses
can only be used with Canon, and the ones with a Contax/Yashica mount can only
be used with Canon.

The problem is also that alt lenses are not always a bargain, and many times one
is better off buying a new lens, like the ones from Zeiss, made for Nikon, Canon,
and other brands. What is not so appealing is that the 5D Mark III has the value
of a Nikon D800, (actually $200 more expensive), but with one third less mega
pixels!

So, it is almost like a no brainer to go for a Nikon for the next three years! To my
understanding the image quality with 24 and 36 MP can be superior to Canon's.
I just wonder if one could change the focusing screens to brighter ones to be able
to focus manually! Which bright focusing screen are you using?

Thank you, kind regards,

igmolinav : ) !!!



Nov 25, 2012 at 10:57 AM
wayne seltzer
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Are you focusing manually with a D600 or D800 ??


I have no problems manual focusing my Zeiss and Leica lenses with stock screen on my D800E.
YMMV.

Edited on Nov 25, 2012 at 06:05 PM · View previous versions



Nov 25, 2012 at 11:13 AM
jerrykur
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Are you focusing manually with a D600 or D800 ??


MP are not necessarily the defining factor. If you shoot a lot of landscapes at low ISO than the D800E is the camera you want. The 5DMK3 does better at high ISO and general photography.



Nov 25, 2012 at 11:51 AM
carstenw
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Are you focusing manually with a D600 or D800 ??


Both Canons and Nikons tend to have focusing screen optimised for viewing combined with AF, not for MF. The stock screen for Nikon is a bit darker and a bit better for manually focusing, in my experience. However, the Eg-S and similar screens are even darker, and even better for manual focus. There is no version of these screens for the 5DIII, however.

I am not aware of any screens which fit the D800 yet, and the D600 is probably too new. The screen in the D800 comes out as easily as the old ones, i.e. there is just a little lever to open with your fingernail. Some users adapted the Canon Ee-S or Eg-S for the D700, but I don't know if it will fit in the D800, which has a bigger viewfinder.

The IQ of the current batch of Nikons is better than that of the Canons, but colours are a matter of preference. The D700/D3 had in general decent colours, but not as nice skin tones as the 5DII. I don't know the 5DIII. The D800 is more accurate and has better skin tones than the D700/D3, and it has the largest dynamic range of any current DSLR. The D800 high ISO performance is as good as the D700/D3, if you are willing to downsize the images to 12MP.

The D800 can be very hard to focus, especially in bad light, but the focus assist lights are quite good, and live view works well. AF is very good, but not as fast as the 5DIII.

As you can see, the list of factors to consider just goes on and on. Any of these cameras will deliver great images if you pay attention. You should think about which factors are most important to you.



Nov 25, 2012 at 12:40 PM





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