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Archive 2013 · Nikon D800 file sizes

  
 
Joseph.
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p.2 #1 · Nikon D800 file sizes


Have/had D700, D600, D800, and D4

My typical file sizes (I use lossless compressed):

D700 = 10-15MB per NEF
D600 = 15-20MB per NEF
D800 = 20-35MB per NEF
D4 = 15-20MB per NEF

Depending on the subject, SOMETIMES my D4 creates a bigger filesize than my D800.




Oct 31, 2013 at 01:24 PM
Scrumhalf
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p.2 #2 · Nikon D800 file sizes


What's the downside of lossless compressed vs. uncompressed for D800? Does it slow down the frame rate or clearing the buffer because of the additional compression step? 20-35MB is not bad at all compared to 40 plus.


Oct 31, 2013 at 01:29 PM
dispatcher0531
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p.2 #3 · Nikon D800 file sizes


excellent question @Scrumhalf....thats something I would like to know as well...is there a huge difference between 12 and 14 bit lossless compression?


Oct 31, 2013 at 02:32 PM
playerofwar
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p.2 #4 · Nikon D800 file sizes


Scrumhalf wrote:
What's the downside of lossless compressed vs. uncompressed for D800? Does it slow down the frame rate or clearing the buffer because of the additional compression step? 20-35MB is not bad at all compared to 40 plus.

No difference between lossless compressed and uncompressed, not at all. Uncompressed slows your buffer down, as the files are between 70 and 80mb! Lossless compressed is 35-45mb. 20-35mb should be compressed or 12bit and not 14 bit.
For printing and changing saturation ect., you will see a difference between 12bit and 14bit. If you can shoot 14 bit, do it!
You can also get the filesize down by using the 1.2x crop mode, I sometimes use it for sports as I then have a nearly endless raw buffer with my fast CF cards (150mb/s write).



Oct 31, 2013 at 02:38 PM
Scrumhalf
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p.2 #5 · Nikon D800 file sizes


I see, ok that makes sense! Disk space is cheap (and getting cheaper by the day) and I am not a pro, so I think I'll be fine with 14 bit compressed!


Oct 31, 2013 at 02:40 PM
playerofwar
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p.2 #6 · Nikon D800 file sizes


DontShoot wrote:
Depending on the subject, SOMETIMES my D4 creates a bigger filesize than my D800.



I would check the settings on your D800 if I were you, I am nearly sure you are shooting compressed NEF and/or 12 bit.
No way a D4 gives larger filesize than D800 (D600 can be possible in some cases).



Oct 31, 2013 at 02:41 PM
kezeka
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p.2 #7 · Nikon D800 file sizes


No one has responded about how long it takes to edit and cull between 500-1000 photos (pretty much to be expected from a wedding). Anyone have any experience with this volume? I am interested in picking up an A7r and figure the files will be similar enough on the PITA-to-edit scales.


Oct 31, 2013 at 03:02 PM
Mark_L
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p.2 #8 · Nikon D800 file sizes


kezeka wrote:
No one has responded about how long it takes to edit and cull between 500-1000 photos (pretty much to be expected from a wedding). Anyone have any experience with this volume? I am interested in picking up an A7r and figure the files will be similar enough on the PITA-to-edit scales.


12MP time * 3



Oct 31, 2013 at 04:02 PM
Chris Dees
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p.2 #9 · Nikon D800 file sizes


playerofwar wrote:
I would check the settings on your D800 if I were you, I am nearly sure you are shooting compressed NEF and/or 12 bit.
No way a D4 gives larger filesize than D800 (D600 can be possible in some cases).


I think you're right.
At 36Mpx my D800E files are always above 40Mb



Oct 31, 2013 at 04:20 PM
Chris Dees
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p.2 #10 · Nikon D800 file sizes


kezeka wrote:
No one has responded about how long it takes to edit and cull between 500-1000 photos (pretty much to be expected from a wedding). Anyone have any experience with this volume? I am interested in picking up an A7r and figure the files will be similar enough on the PITA-to-edit scales.


Importing and creating previews at 1:1 takes time, but you don't have to wait for that. When I come home I put the card in the computer, start the importing and leave for cleaning and storing my gear. When I come back everything is imported.
Processing is not much slower than with eq. D700 files, only if you want to see everything on pixel level (pixel peeping).

You can select the images with ViewNX (free) and then import the selected in LR. ViewNX uses the embedded JPG's so is very fast.



Oct 31, 2013 at 04:26 PM
jamesmorophoto
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p.2 #11 · Nikon D800 file sizes


LR is and always will be SLOW. adobe bridge is much faster for culling and batch RAW edits.


Oct 31, 2013 at 04:43 PM
Joseph.
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p.2 #12 · Nikon D800 file sizes


playerofwar wrote:
I would check the settings on your D800 if I were you, I am nearly sure you are shooting compressed NEF and/or 12 bit.
No way a D4 gives larger filesize than D800 (D600 can be possible in some cases).


The D800 was set to 12-bit lossless compressed while the D4 was set to 14-bit lossless compressed.



Oct 31, 2013 at 05:19 PM
Scott Grant
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p.2 #13 · Nikon D800 file sizes


playerofwar wrote:
For printing and changing saturation ect., you will see a difference between 12bit and 14bit. If you can shoot 14 bit, do it!


I've never seen any tangible difference in real world printing or 'changing saturation' and i do each everyday.



Oct 31, 2013 at 06:34 PM
Scott Grant
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p.2 #14 · Nikon D800 file sizes


egd5 wrote:
The D800 does have some advantages. If you're in the back of the church it's nice to be able to crop and still get a close shot of the kiss or ring exchange. And the DR is nice too.


And so is the on camera flash if need be, and the difference in weight over a 10 hour day, and that it can focus in half the light, and that if you also shoot landscapes there is no substitute for the file size, and you get ISO 100 which is awesome for fast primes and flash outdoors and it is probably cheaper to purchase than a D3s.

The D800 does have quite a few advantages!



Oct 31, 2013 at 06:42 PM
Scott Grant
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p.2 #15 · Nikon D800 file sizes


kezeka wrote:
No one has responded about how long it takes to edit and cull between 500-1000 photos (pretty much to be expected from a wedding). Anyone have any experience with this volume? I am interested in picking up an A7r and figure the files will be similar enough on the PITA-to-edit scales.


Yes, loads of experience. But i'd rather not say how long it takes. Let's just say much faster than 5 years ago.

Once you settle into a good workflow the difference in time to edit weddings with a large MP camera as compared to smaller sizes is negligible. Use Photomechanic to cull the junk. Import the rest into Lightroom and edit using smart previews if you have to. Even using the full size images there really is no difference in the amount of time it takes aside from Lightroom building previews which can be done while you sleep. Rendering JPEGS is also something that can be done while away from the computer.



Oct 31, 2013 at 06:49 PM
kezeka
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p.2 #16 · Nikon D800 file sizes


Scott Grant wrote:
Yes, loads of experience. But i'd rather not say how long it takes. Let's just say much faster than 5 years ago.

Once you settle into a good workflow the difference in time to edit weddings with a large MP camera as compared to smaller sizes is negligible. Use Photomechanic to cull the junk. Import the rest into Lightroom and edit using smart previews if you have to. Even using the full size images there really is no difference in the amount of time it takes aside from Lightroom building previews which can be done while you sleep. Rendering
...Show more

Sounds like I need to modify my workflow to cull images before importing into LR. Currently, the highest MP camera i have is a 5D2 so we'll see how it goes with this modified workflow. I have found that even on my 2012 15" retina macbook pro with my photos stored on an SSD via thunderbolt that it still takes a long time to actually edit photos. It likely has a lot to do with concert photos not being particularly amenable to batch processing due to the inconsistent lighting.

Thanks for the response regardless. I have been terrified of the A7r because of the sheer volume of time I thought it would take to plow through 500 photos from a concert at that resolution...



Oct 31, 2013 at 08:00 PM
Scott Grant
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p.2 #17 · Nikon D800 file sizes


kezeka wrote:
Sounds like I need to modify my workflow to cull images before importing into LR. Currently, the highest MP camera i have is a 5D2 so we'll see how it goes with this modified workflow. I have found that even on my 2012 15" retina macbook pro with my photos stored on an SSD via thunderbolt that it still takes a long time to actually edit photos. It likely has a lot to do with concert photos not being particularly amenable to batch processing due to the inconsistent lighting.

Thanks for the response regardless. I have been terrified of the A7r
...Show more

If you are culling in lightroom you are killing yourself for no reason. PM is something like $100. What's your time worth per hour? Now do the math. You'll save that money in no time flat. The first summer i used it to cull weddings alone i calculated that i saved about 60-80 hours of my life.



Nov 01, 2013 at 06:39 AM
Mark_L
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p.2 #18 · Nikon D800 file sizes


Scott Grant wrote:
If you are culling in lightroom you are killing yourself for no reason. PM is something like $100. What's your time worth per hour? Now do the math. You'll save that money in no time flat. The first summer i used it to cull weddings alone i calculated that i saved about 60-80 hours of my life.


Indeed. If you don't need the extra features of PM, faststone image viewer and others are free - you can even have the ratings go over to LR.



Nov 01, 2013 at 08:00 AM
jamesmorophoto
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p.2 #19 · Nikon D800 file sizes


PM is a waste of money. just cull in bridge. it's faster.


Nov 02, 2013 at 12:59 PM
brett maxwell
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p.2 #20 · Nikon D800 file sizes


they are exactly 3x the size of the D700, D3, D3S, etc., which makes sense since it's 3x the resolution. I'm also a wedding photographer and got a D800 very early on hoping I could make it work for me, but even with an overclocked quad-core desktop, 16gb of ram, and SSD drives, I just couldn't get the speed I want. I did find that 12bit lossy compressed files from the D800 average around 30mb with NO practical loss of quality, but the same settings on my D3S get me down to 10mb average, so that's what I'm still using to this day.

I do have a D600 as a second/backup camera and those files are more tolerable (2x the size as D3S, 2x the resolution), but I only use it for about 20% of the photos I take on a wedding day.



Nov 02, 2013 at 01:23 PM
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