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Archive 2017 · To keep D810 or not?

  
 
chuck77
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · To keep D810 or not?


I will admit that the D810 is not my primary camera, as I mostly shoot Fuji for the versatility and excellent colour fidelity. However, I found a decent deal on a used D810 some months back and intended to use this to supplement the not-as-stellar low light performance of my Fuji XT2. I don't have a whole lot of Nikon lenses, but I do have two lenses in the focal lengths that I often use for the D810, though manual focus lenses only.

The other reason I picked up this camera was because of the excellent dynamic range and the lower cost of admission compared to something like a D850, for which most of the new features are irrelevant to me. However, I prefer to shoot with legacy manual focus lenses often, and am finding that this is a limitation on the D810 without peaking or easy manual focusing aids. I still have an original Sony A7 and two native lenses, which is also decent for adapting legacy glass, but the image quality is not the same, and I'm not that happy with the colour fidelity. Mainly, I am looking for versatility to mount legacy lenses, and great colour and low light performance. Resolution is not a critical need.

With the rapidly plummeting prices on the D810, I wonder if it is worth selling it now, as I have a decent price offered for it locally, or trying to stick with it and see how much potential I could extract out of it. A problem that I haven't found a solution for is to accurately nail manual focus, which is giving me some doubts to keeping the camera for my style of shooting. What do you guys think? Maybe there is a better camera for my needs?






Nov 15, 2017 at 10:18 AM
Surfnsun
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · To keep D810 or not?


It sounds like you have no good reason to keep your D810. Sell it.


Nov 15, 2017 at 10:30 AM
chuck77
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · To keep D810 or not?


I'm definitely in no urgency to have a second camera, but what would be a suitable substitute instead of a D810?

Surfnsun wrote:
It sounds like you have no good reason to keep your D810. Sell it.




Nov 15, 2017 at 11:45 AM
Surfnsun
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · To keep D810 or not?




chuck77 wrote:
I'm definitely in no urgency to have a second camera, but what would be a suitable substitute instead of a D810?



Well in keeping under the cost of a used D810, the D750 definitely offers better low light performance. That’s if you choose to stay with Nikon.



Nov 15, 2017 at 04:18 PM
AdamWold
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · To keep D810 or not?


What about a Sony A7 r series to replace the D810? You already have some lenses, it should have higher IQ than the A7, and offer the focus peaking for your legacy glass. Maybe try to sell the A7 too and go for the A7R III, I've heard the color is improved in the latest offering.


Nov 15, 2017 at 04:48 PM
charles.K
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · To keep D810 or not?


You have manual lenses and are not gelling with the D810 so really you should sell it. The D810 is a superb camera but it's strengths are not with MF lenses if this is your main intention. Either opt for the newer D850 which maybe an overkill or A7rII/A7rIII would be ideal. But I would first try the A7rII as you may not like the color fidelity either. I suspect you prefer the Fuji colors and rendering.

You picked up the D810 for the features but before you commit this time, do rent or borrow the camera and try it out fully and just don't opt for the features on paper. Good luck



Nov 15, 2017 at 05:09 PM
chuck77
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · To keep D810 or not?


AdamWold wrote:
What about a Sony A7 r series to replace the D810? You already have some lenses, it should have higher IQ than the A7, and offer the focus peaking for your legacy glass. Maybe try to sell the A7 too and go for the A7R III, I've heard the color is improved in the latest offering.


I tried an A7Rii but wasn't happy with the colour fidelity compared to my Fuji. I felt that the extra megapixels made little difference in image quality on a pixel level, but is more just part of the marketing machine for enthusiasts who regard cameras more as gadgets than as artistic tools.

On the other hand, I did like the improved skin tones of the A9 from reviews and the ISO performance it brings, but in all honesty I just need a box with a decent sensor and a lens that I could focus on it. This makes me excited about the A7S3 (if there is one), or even A73. For me, cameras are so good these days that it's sometimes pointless trying to gain that extra stop of dynamic range but paying a lot more or sacrificing low light performance and versatility for it.

You are right, I might just sell my A7 for the time being since it hasn't been used for months. I wish there were other digital bodies that allowed me to use any legacy manual focus lenses on them.



Nov 16, 2017 at 12:20 AM
chuck77
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · To keep D810 or not?


charles.K wrote:
You have manual lenses and are not gelling with the D810 so really you should sell it. The D810 is a superb camera but it's strengths are not with MF lenses if this is your main intention. Either opt for the newer D850 which maybe an overkill or A7rII/A7rIII would be ideal. But I would first try the A7rII as you may not like the color fidelity either. I suspect you prefer the Fuji colors and rendering.

You picked up the D810 for the features but before you commit this time, do rent or borrow the camera and try it out
...Show more

The Fuji rendering is superb indeed, and it's the closest thing to a film look that I could find out of a digital sensor. The Kodak sensor in the Leica M8 was great too but it's too much of a dinosaur with too many limitations.

I did end up selling the D810 today and broke even, but I will say that it was a magnificent camera for a DSLR. At one point I wanted a D850 but I am glad I didn't go that route because I don't even have a Nikon system of lenses yet. With the D810 I picked up a Zeiss 35f2 ZF.2 and a Voigtlander 58f1.4 just for their rendering. It's great that I could use them on a Sony body (maybe the next A7S3 or A73), but I know that a D810 and D850 are still king for image quality - though I am ok with more versatility instead. I guess what I really want is a GFX, but the price proposition of the body is not great, and it's not a refined product at this point. I'd say that a second or third gen GFX would be fantastic. The prices of the native GFX lenses are not significantly more than the equivalent Canon or Nikon primes, which I am perfectly happy with paying for.

Sigma is lending me a SD Quattro H to play with this month. I don't have any positive or negative impressions of it going in, but it would be a nice point of reference to know what we are missing with a bayer sensor.



Nov 16, 2017 at 12:29 AM
sonofjesse2010
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · To keep D810 or not?


Invest in a 2nd fuji body? or sell it and just hold the money until something really you want comes out.

BTW D810 is great camera.



Dec 03, 2017 at 10:04 PM
elkhornsun
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · To keep D810 or not?


I cannot see having Fuji and Sony and Nikon cameras and lenses and flash. I would eliminate either the Sony or the Nikon depending on your photography plans for the future.


Dec 06, 2017 at 04:13 PM
mshi
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · To keep D810 or not?


Full frame or crop sensor? That is the question.


Dec 06, 2017 at 04:48 PM
Max Power
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · To keep D810 or not?


chuck77 wrote:
I will admit that the D810 is not my primary camera, as I mostly shoot Fuji for the versatility and excellent colour fidelity. However, I found a decent deal on a used D810 some months back and intended to use this to supplement the not-as-stellar low light performance of my Fuji XT2. I don't have a whole lot of Nikon lenses, but I do have two lenses in the focal lengths that I often use for the D810, though manual focus lenses only.

The other reason I picked up this camera was because of the excellent dynamic range and the lower
...Show more

I have a similar dilemma. I upgraded from a D700 to the 810 a year ago because I was offered a great price on the 810, and looking back at it, I am less of a high resolution guy than I am a low noise guy. After doing actual research, I am thinking I should have found a nice Df instead, as I also want to play with older lenses. If anybody out there wants to trade a very low mileage Df for a very low mileage 810, I am all ears. I can't justify just adding another body at this point, it needs to be one or the other.



Dec 07, 2017 at 08:58 AM





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