D800 for action?

[poker_jake]

I'm making a jump to full frame and would like to know if the D800 is going to be decent for action shots, mainly for airshows. I shoot landscapes but love to shoot airshows and planes as well. I thought about just buying a D700 (or even a D7000) but the 12mp is kind of preventing me because I like to print on canvas up to 30x20 plus the added video of the D800 would be nice. Any help wold be great, I know it's not out yet but trying to plan the jump to Nikon.

 

[ph0enix]

D7000 has a 16MP sensor and it does video. It also has a faster burst rate (6fps) than the D800 (4fps) which might be required for shooting sports.
If you really want to spend the $$$ on the D800 and would like to get one in the next couple of months, you should pre-order now.

 

[molested_cow]

20X30 is not a problem with D700. Even though Nikon meant D800 for studio work instead of action, I'd say that if its noise handling capability is equivalent to D700, then it's definitely capable of action shots. However, many people feel that the burst rate isn't good enough because it's not as good as the D700. For action shots, this can be important. Video wise, it's definitely a very nice function to have over the D700.

I honestly don't think you will be disappointed with the D800 despite how it's being positioned as a studio camera as long as you are fine with the burst rate.

 

[MReid]

This is an application where 36mp would really be worth it.
The ability to crop and still retain a good amount of pixels would be worth every penny.

 

[KmH]

Yes, the D800 would be decent for shooting daytime action, but the FPS rate and ISO performance are not really up to indoor action shooting standards

You don't need more than 10 MP to print 20x30 on canvas.

 

[poker_jake]

Thanks for the comments, looks like I will preorder a D800. I like the idea of 100% viewfinder, 1080p video and 36mp for cropping if necessary. The burst rate of the D800 is only 1 fps less than my current 60d so that won't be an issue. Sure it would be nice to have 8-9 fps but the buffer won't be able to hold many without slowing down anyway.

 

[Derrel]

D800's top firing rate is 5 to 6 FPS with the grip attached and in any capture size other than FX...so, that's decent...you can shoot good action shots at 6 frames per second. No issues with that.

Another nice thing is the 42 millisecond lag time--this is just ever-so-slightly longer than the true "flagship" Nikon bodies...in my experience it is shutter lag time, more than framing rate, that determines how easily a camera can be used to capture action. If the shutter's actuation is VERY SOON after the shutter release is pressed, then the camera will be useful for capturing split-second events. 42 milliseconds is a superb time for a camera in this class!!!

 

[LeftCoast]

I would wait for the D400

Make sure you have budgeted for FX lenses to take full advantage of the sensor size, also you will need massive memory on you PC to handle the huge file size. Other than that looks like a great camera

 

[brian_f2.8]

here is the thing i have learned, if someone tells someone that another camera is better then it is instantly to that person. the d700 takes great shots higher fps and great for indoor low light. the d800 yeah 36 mp but with the slow fps and poor iso quality why get it?

wait for the d400 and see what those specs are.

the d4 is nice 12 fps and 25800 ISO

 

[poker_jake]

here is the thing i have learned, if someone tells someone that another camera is better then it is instantly to that person. the d700 takes great shots higher fps and great for indoor low light. the d800 yeah 36 mp but with the slow fps and poor iso quality why get it?

wait for the d400 and see what those specs are.

the d4 is nice 12 fps and 25800 ISO

The D800 has what I'm looking for in a camera, full frame and it will be fine in low light for what I do. The video is a plus, and the ability to heavily crop and maintain resolution. With nice FX lenses it will be great. True, I wish it shot more than 4 fps (my 5fps 60d works fine for action) but I'm not worried and I'm not shelling out 6k for a d4.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

As far as action you might want to look at the D4. Same sensor as D800, but on the D800 the fps and ISO has been decreased as a result of the 36 MEGapixels. And for action fps may matter to you.

 

[poker_jake]

As far as action you might want to look at the D4. Same sensor as D800, but on the D800 the fps and ISO has been decreased as a result of the 36 MEGapixels. And for action fps may matter to you.

Yeah but I'm not paying 6k on a camera alone for a hobby, my wife already thinks the 6k I'm spending on a d800 and lenses is crazy but I keep telling her its a video camera also for capturing our kids memories...lol...its really for daddy

 

[DorkSterr]

I thought the d800 was stuck at 4FPS and that wasn't changeable even adding a battery pack? Where did you find out it was expandable to 5-6FPS?

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I thought the d800 was stuck at 4FPS and that wasn't changeable even adding a battery pack? Where did you find out it was expandable to 5-6FPS?

Nikon MB-D12 Battery Grip for D800 – Multi Power Battery Pack | Nikon D800

 

[mjhoward]

When you're talking about shooting something like air shows that would likely require some long glass... why not shoot a crop body? That grip on the D800 that will get you the 6FPS is an extra $500 and the 6FPS is only in DX mode anyway.