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Archive 2014 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)

  
 
cmxchuck
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Hi All,

I see such great pics on this forum. They are amazing. Many that post do not show what gear they are using, but some do and a majority look like they are using Canon equipment. I rather not switch, for I have a fair amount invested in Nikon.

Now, the long saga, hope you bare with me.

For lenses, I have the Tamron 70-300, 150-600 and a Nikon 18-140 DX kit lense. Of course I use my 150-600 99.9% of time. I am also contemplating getting a nikon 80-400 af-s g with maybe a 1.4 converter as well.

Been using a D7100 for a while now (10 months but been having issues with it, been to repair 2 times now, just got it back. Though when it's working good, I do like the pics from it, though my keeper rate is not that high, LMO) and I did get a D750 about a week ago but to be honest I am not that thrilled what I see out of it, though I am sure a lot has to do that I have not used it much (about 800 shots) and when I have, it's been for BIF shots. I am just not getting the wow factor, nor the tracking that I assumed would be somewhat better then D7100. I was bouncing around like a grape fruit (yes, crazy analogy - ask my ex-wife... ) on which to get a few weeks ago. But was reading a lot of good stuff on D750 so went for that.

I just don't want to shoot another 8000 pics and then try to return it, I shoot Raw,"Manual Mode", AF-ON, AP-C, different metering modes. Usually not spot weighted though. For AF-area mode: D51, D21, D9 and GF

I have no problem PP shots I like (as long as most don't take more then say 10-15 minutes - not hours)

So, for those that hopefully have both, what are your feelings?

Eventually would like to (hopefully) do more then just BIF's such as landscapes. But my guess is still BIF will be at least 70% or more of what I like to do. As we all know the D750 has a better ISO in low light but everything I read is all over the place with regards to D750 vs D810 (I wish I had money for a D4S). To me, I think I would be keying more on the best pic in "decent" Light as well as AF and tracking. I don't want to carry more then weight then above, so a high end prime will not work that weighs a lot more and cost a lot more, least for now...I'm getting old...

Sorry for the long rant. But wanted to provide info enough for good responses.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Chuck



Dec 12, 2014 at 05:51 PM
runakid
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


I would try more shots at -.3 and go with Aperture instead of Manual for BIF. I'd shoot with the aperture a little stopped down a little to get all of the bird in focus. I personally shoot at f8 for eagles.


Dec 12, 2014 at 06:34 PM
cmxchuck
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Thanks. I usually shoot at F8 with Tamron, anywhere between 1/1250 to 1/6000. But what camera are you using? That's my goal is to see who shoots D750 (albeit very new) to D810 (pretty new).

I would life feedback regardless if someone only has one. If both, that's even better.

Edit: I have played a bit with EC at -3 on D750, for against green (bushes, brush, trees, etc. in Florida) I found the highlights being blown out on D750 but not so much on D7100. I was actually shocked on first outing with my standard MO on D7100 being used on D750, how much the highlights were blown out...

But when your BIF in the fields, lots of time the scene changes from many aspects, clouds, sun, in a ravine (albeit a small one in FL) , in blue sky, in a bush, in water, flying with different light, etc. so no time to change EC on the fly, I just shoot from where ever I see them in what ever conditions are present for that shot, which changes virtually all the time when you walk. I walk and look and spin on a dime (if I see something or hear something) hoping to catch something that has emerged from below, above, etc.

Thanks for reply. Appreciate it.

Edited on Dec 12, 2014 at 07:01 PM · View previous versions



Dec 12, 2014 at 06:51 PM
birdied
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


I went from a D7000 to a D800. I much prefer the D800 and I understand the D810 is even better.

If the choice were mine, I would go for the D810.

1. No dedicated Auto focus on button on the D750. I know you can assign a button for A/f but the placement of the dedicated button works very nicely for me.

2. Can not change image size on the D750. On the d800series you can go from full frame to 1.2x., DX. 1.5 x. and 5:4 . Being able to select a 1.2 or 1.5 can have its benefits.

3. Max shutter speed on D750 is 1/4000. On occasion if shooting birds in very bright light you may need higher shutter speed.

Please note that I have never used a D750 or the D 810, so my opinions are purely based on my research and my experience with the D800.

Birdie



Dec 12, 2014 at 07:01 PM
cmxchuck
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Hi Birdie,

Thanks. Yes, the D750 will do 1:2, DX, etc. It wont do the 5:4 that D810 can. I mostly played with FX, 1:2 and some DX.

I guessing there are many on here that at least use the D810 (or have) that have or did have a D7100 and their experience and the mother load would be someone that has/have all 3... :-)

Thanks,

Chuck



Dec 12, 2014 at 07:07 PM
cmxchuck
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Hi Birdied (sorry for leaving of the d on last post)

Kris "coastalconn" has a d7100 and and D800E and he shoots wonderful pics. Accolades to him and you and others. Wish he had a D750 and D810 to see what his thoughts are.

I'm on another user group and someone has D810 and D7100 and he really likes both but from what I can tell, definitely the D810 wins out. I don't believe he has a D750. That's why I ask this here.

BTW, I look at your website, absolutely stunning pics. Hats off to you. Wonderful...



Dec 12, 2014 at 07:30 PM
birdied
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Thanks Chuck. I did not realize the D750 would shoot in the different size modes, thanks for that clarification.

Hope you can find someone who has used both cameras. Did you ask this question on the Nikon Forum? Someone on there might have both. Did you think of renting the D810 for a few days and try it out ?

Birdie




Dec 12, 2014 at 07:53 PM
morris
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


You have a fine camera. BIF is tough and takes a huge amount of practice. Have you tried 51 point 3D tracking? This will let you concentrate of following your subject and framing while the camera keeps the focus on the spot you selected. The Nikon 80-400 VR II is a superb lens though you will lose reach and adding a TC will slow focus a touch. The full frame bodies will also make your subject smaller, they're not going to fix the practice issue and neither will a lens change. I shoot BIF with the much slower 80-400 VR and have been nailing focus with my D200 and now D300 most of the time. It takes practice and patience and with BIF, unless you are incredibly talented you will miss wome. Don't worry about the misses, enjoy the success and realize as you practice you will have more and more success.

Morris



Dec 12, 2014 at 08:07 PM
alanwilder
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Like you, I'm heavily invested in Nikon gear and we all know Nikon shooters are definitely in the minority at the "pond". Until this season most of my shots of BE whether stationary or as BIF were shot with my D800. This season I switched to the D750 with few regrets. The advantage is improved AF, increase in motor speed from 4 fps to 6.5 fps, less shutter noise/vibration, lighter body and better dynamic range. My principle lens is a 600/4 AFS typically with a 1.4x converter. While 1/8000 top shutter speed is nice to have, I don't recall shooting any higher than 1/3200. I always shoot FX. While the IQ of the D810 is better with 36 MP and no AA filter, the D750 still beats it in higher fps which to me is more critical when shooting BIF.


Dec 12, 2014 at 09:36 PM
cmxchuck
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Thanks Birdied, Morris and Alanwilder. Guess I still have more homework to do. I wish more wildlifers would just at least tell me what Nikon their shooting for BIF. Yes, I know it takes practice. I have not posted in this Nikon forum since I want to really hear from BIF shooters. :-) I have posted on another website and it was all over the place. But know I know a few of you and what you use. Thanks.


Dec 13, 2014 at 08:04 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


You'd be surprised at the # of talented BIF shooters posting on the Nikon Forum







Dec 13, 2014 at 09:50 AM
AvianScott
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Were you shooting BIF with the 150-600? If so, the VC must be off as it gets confused when panning.


Dec 13, 2014 at 10:06 AM
cmxchuck
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Yes, I had VC off. I have had the lens Since early May.



Dec 14, 2014 at 08:35 AM
Christian H
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Keep in mind that consumer zooms (especially non-Nikon ones) suffer from not-so-great AF performance. They can get the job done when used with care and in good light (e.g. coastalconn), but using a topnotch body (D8xx, D4s) and knowing when not to shoot are even more important than with an f/4 or f/2.8 prime that will pretty much always get the job done, even on cheaper bodies.

I use a D800 with a 500 VR - works great!



Dec 14, 2014 at 08:55 AM
cmxchuck
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Hi All,

Thanks for all that replied. Well, I just bit the bullet on a D810 with 80-400 af-s. I figured I could use this lens on both bodies and get the best of both worlds as they say, so a great DX body (when the D7100 works...) and a great FX body.

Also just got back my D7100 from second service call Friday, went out yesterday and 3 shots later, got ERR. So back it goes again. Hope they send me a new one, since this will be the 3rd time back. Hope my D810 does not have to go in service as much or at all.

BTW, for those that might care to see some of my photos, you can view them at (note: not trying to promote them per se, just want to give those possibly wondering what my shots look like):

flickr.com/photos/118596665@N05/

Happy Holidays to all, thanks again for the replies.

Chuck



Dec 14, 2014 at 10:48 AM
morris
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


cmxchuck wrote:
Hi All,

Thanks for all that replied. Well, I just bit the bullet on a D810 with 80-400 af-s. I figured I could use this lens on both bodies and get the best of both worlds as they say, so a great DX body (when the D7100 works...) and a great FX body.

Also just got back my D7100 from second service call Friday, went out yesterday and 3 shots later, got ERR. So back it goes again. Hope they send me a new one, since this will be the 3rd time back. Hope my D810 does not have to go
...Show more

Hi Chuck,

Looking at your photos, they show steady improvement in sharpness and detail. This means you are doing something better today than you did in November.

Morris



Dec 14, 2014 at 11:13 AM
Genes Home
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Sorry to hear about your problems with the D7100. I took one to South Africa last year (mated to the then new 80-400 VRIII) and absolutely loved how it worked and the images I got with the body/lens combination. My backup camera was a much used and greatly loved D700 carrying my ancient 24-85 f/2.8-4 lens.

This year I took a month-old D810 (mated to the same 80-400) as my primary, and moved my D7100 to backup use. There was a huge learning curve with the D810, which I did not expect. Luckily of the 10 photographers in the group, 4 of us were using the D810 as a primary and one (Moose Peterson, the American wildlife photographer) was using it as a secondary camera (but with the 80-400!). As a result we all got to work through our issues the first couple of days, all of which were related to technique -- holding the camera steady, releasing the shutter softly to not jar the camera, keeping our f/stops below f8 most of the time, shooting while panning (practice, practice, practice). By day 3 most of us were shooting (in the land rover) with either our monopods or our tripods to increase our camera stability.

I think you will like your D810, but you will need to practice a lot on tracking and panning on moving subjects. It focuses really fast, locks and tracks better than anything I have used to date, but to keep your images really sharp you need immaculate camera handling techniques.

Mine now goes everywhere with me.



Dec 14, 2014 at 11:18 AM
ScottHM
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Hey Chuck...look forward to seeing what you can get with the 80-400...think you'll be happy with the D810, the one big improvement I think over the 800 is having the group autofocus. I think overall the focusing ability is better than the 7100, just don't get too discouraged by the pictures on here, just think of it as something to shoot for.


Dec 14, 2014 at 11:41 AM
cmxchuck
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Nikon D750 or D810 for wildlife (no pics)


Thanks Morris, Genes and Scott,

Yes, should be exciting climbing into the world of a good FX (not saying the D750, but did not do much for me in the short 2 week period I had it). Also Genes, thanks for the heads up on D810 and experience you had with it. Lots to learn, much more to go and practice... Also looking to get into landscape pics, which I have read the D810 is fabulous for it (i.e. more money for good short lenses or primes).

Appreciate all the replies. Hope Santa (or whomever) brings a nice gift to you all. I know my Santa just did. .

Chuck



Dec 14, 2014 at 04:30 PM





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