Jay968 wrote:
I am sure others will disagree and perhaps a firmware upgrade helped the D800 but when I owned 2 of them, I thought they were by far the absolute worst cameras I had ever owned. Focus was completely unreliable even in very controlled situations. I wasted a ton of time trying to get the focus calibrated using software and targets. Whenever I went through all this, I'd find that the next time I shot, things were off again and I found that if I calibrated for one distance or zoom setting things would be different at others. And mind you, this was with 2 different bodies.
Again, I know that the D800 was a good, reliable camera for many, but I hated it. The D810 was light years ahead....Show more →
I was one of those first in line waiting to get a D800. The first body I got (D800) had focusing issues so I returned it in favor for a D800E. That body had no focus issues and I've had it since 2012 (the year the year the D800's were released).
Yes, some bodies had left side focusing issues (mine), but the next body I got (D800E) did not. Perhaps I got lucky cause my D800E is still in use today and still has no focusing issues.
But yes, a lot of the initially released bodies had focus issues, and thus one needs to be careful when buying used D800's.
I still own and use the D800, and have enjoyed many great photos with it. I've never used the D810, and continue to be satisfied with the D800 as a DSLR, but if I was choosing between a used D800 and D810 today, I'd likely go for the D810 from the reviews that I read when the D810 came out. I just could not justify the cost difference from selling my D800 and buying the D810 new back then.
While the D800 focusing is solid most of the time, I did have some focus consistency issues with some AFD lenses (namely the 35mm f2.0D and the 85mm f1.4D). All the AFS lenses I've tried are solid (well, perhaps the 17-35 zoom I had some issues with), but my own unscientific observations would say that the focus issues had to do with high spherical aberration of the lenses in certain lighting conditions, and I definitely had different results in incandescent lighting than in daylight lighting. I would also say that the EFCS of the D810 (more cumbersome to use than on current mirrorless Nikons) should mitigate shutter shock in some shots over the D800.
I'll just add that while my D800's AF inaccuracies drove me around the bend, I have had similar AF problems with other Nikon bodies that offer AF-FT. (I never had an AF problem with a body that didn't offer AF-FT... strange!)
Anyway, I have sent a few bodies including the D800 to Nikon to have the AF module and the sensor aligned. (If they are misaligned, an adjustment of AF-FT on one AF point ruins AF accuracy on other AF points) The results have always been the same: No AFFT adjustment needed for my lenses and accurate AF across the array. Amazing. I put it down to a QC problem. With the introduction of AFFT, Nikon was putting the onus on the user to fix their problem. Just my experience and my opinion. YMMV
Anyway, I still happily use that D800 along with a DX and two Z bodies. Having shot Pentax 67, I actually really like the mirror action of the D800 and have no problem getting sharp results. (I actually prefer the mirror clap of the D800 to the slushy sound of the quieter cameras... but at the end of the day it's the image that counts.)
About the AA filter in the D800, I have come to the conclusion that after post processing, 36MPs is 36MPs is 36MPs: The presence of the AA filter is immaterial to the final output. Artifacts are found in files from cameras with AA filters as well as files from cameras without AA filters, just not the same artifacts.
Finally, unless all aspects of photography are revolutionized by some new technology, I'm not likely to part with my D800 ever: It's just that good. (okay, now I've said it: here comes some newfangled technology!! lol) Anway, if I were buying any used DSLR, I would really prefer to test it before buying. Good luck!
New here, but I've had the D800, D800E, D810, and D810A. If budget allows, I'd go for the D810 for the refinements that others have mentioned.
The D800E and D810 were sold a long time ago, as was the D810A, but the D800 is still perfectly capable (and a steal at todays used prices). My wife actually prefers the D800 to the Z6, YMMV. Haven't noticed any AF issues with her D800.
