Help (body time)

[SnappingShark]

Given the choice of buying a D4s, or a D800e, which would you buy?

Assume you have a D7100 and wanted to go up to full frame, and had the money.
Would the 16.2mpx put you off of the D4s?
Would the 36mpx of the D800e kill your computer in editing?

What's the print size from the D4s? I know the D800e is proper studio - but it seems slow for wildlife.

But yes - opinions!

I am torn between the 2, and see the downside to the D800e the filesize, and how slow it is. Having to buy a new expensive grip.
The downside to the D4s being the weight, and CF cards rather than SD.

ps - I realize a better body will not make me a better shooter, but I am transitioning to ff to make better use of my lenses in low light.

 

[SnappingShark]

Also want to throw in - is the d4 worth a look too, as it's $2500 less than the D4s

 

[robbins.photo]

Would depend a lot on what your shooting, if you don't find yourself doing a ton of cropping and resizing then 16mp should be more than sufficient I would think.

Thing that would give me pause on the d800 would actually be the monster sensor, your going to need some really good glass for something like that. I wouldn't use something like my sigma 70-200 with it, for example. So unless I already had or could afford the nikkor 70-200 vr ii I wouldn't be looking at the d800 myself, I just really don't have the kind of glass I'd need for a camera like that.

So I would probably think about what sort of glass you have and what you would need to really leverage a d800 first and then decide from there if that would be your best option.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk

 

[binga63]

if you have the ability to try before you buy I would do that first...rent .... experiment....test their limits to your taste .... then buy

Happy D800e user.......................but my 800e doesn't have the buffer of the D4....still happy though

 

[goodguy]

I would get the D800, D4s unless you do spot shooting is an over kill in my eyes and I like the more resolution better.

 

[jaomul]

It's a lot of money to spend and not be sure. If you need res or speed, this makes the decision for you. There is nothing I can see that makes the d4s 2500 better than the d4. I know that for me the d800 would be as good as I wwould ever need. 4fps is enough for anything I do

 

[TheFantasticG]

Would depend a lot on what your shooting, if you don't find yourself doing a ton of cropping and resizing then 16mp should be more than sufficient I would think.

Agreed. Personally I love the sensor in the D4s/Df and that would make me choose the D4s over the D800. But man, that D4s is heavy and I go on 3-8 macro walks... I'd probably end up with the Df for the weight savings since I don't need a large buffer or the FPS to go with it.

 

[astroNikon]

Don't underestimate the CF cards, those things can be wickedly fast at 150mbs and 256GB for sports *IF* you need that sort of thing

I'd say try to test them out and see which ones you like.
Otherwise buying a used D4 is going to save you a ton of money, and if you don't like it, you won't lose much on resale.
I'd opt for the D4 but then I like the FPS
I can't see spending the $$ for a d4s

of course, the d800 is a great alternative too and a lot less money.

It's a hard choice

FPS v 33mp

 

[SnappingShark]

FPS v 33mp

Yep. ARGHH!!!

I mean I love the d800 as I can get the detail, but the FPS on the d4/s is ridic.

 

[manaheim]

It depends on what you need.

The D4 is a little better in low light.
The D4 is faster.
The D800 has higher resolution.
The D800 is 1/2 the price.
The D800(e) doesn't have that pesky AA filter, which I think is very cool and I wish I had waited for that model (I have the 800).

If you're shooting sports or weddings, I'd say D4 (assuming you don't care about the price).
If you'd like to spend that extra $3K on something else, go with the D800. I've used it for sports and weddings with no problem, and it does great with everything else.

Print size is irrelevant. I can print a 12MP image at 24"x36" and not see any dots. Anything you're going to print big you're not going to stand close enough to tell if you can see the dots., and everything you're talking about is more than 12MP. Trust me.

I will tell you that I had the D4 on pre-order when it came out, and I was annoyed that I was spending $6K for a camera that was "only" 16MP, when I was already running a 12MP D300. While the D4 was better than the D800 in several ways, it wasn't better ENOUGH to justify the expense. I instead put that money towards some very nice lenses, and while I lament not having the "big super cool camera", the D800 has been great for me.

 

[tirediron]

Are you going to be shooting primarily in-studio, or studio/posed shots? If yes D800

Do you do a lot of event work, PJ, shoot in inclement weather? If yes D4

Do you need to crop very tight on a small portion of the frame? If yes D800

Do you rarely print, or rarely print larger than 16x20? If yes D4.

 

[manaheim]

Examples from my D800...

Low light...

Sports...

 

[Derrel]

Given the choice of buying a D4s, or a D800e, which would you buy?

I faced EXACTLY that choice in the spring of 2012...Nikon D4, Canon 5D Mark III, or Nikon D800, and also a couple of very nice, super-clean D700 bodies, and two D3 and one D3s body (The D800e was also available, on a limited basis at the time I bought.)

I bought the camera I liked the MOST, based on ergonomics, and to a huge extent, the quality of the viewfinder image...

I bought a used D3x.

The dealer was our very own ProPhoto Supply, in Portland. At THAT TIME, there was a huge surplus of good, used cameras, as people consignment sold their older Nikon bodies to buy the new D4 and D800, and so on. As you might know, here, in this town, the prices on used, high-end camera gear is often $1,000 to $1,500 LOWER than the same items at KEH.com or B&H or Adorama, or basically at any of the mega-dealers' on-line sites. Truth be told, I was NOT that impressed by the D4's 16MP sensor and I didn't like the feel of the body, with the new ergonomics that differed from my D1-D1h-D2x experience. I LOVED the feel of the 5D-III, but I have a better Nikon kit than Canon kit, but the 5D-III files I shot looked a little bit better than the D4 files I shot at the astronomical end of the ISO range mostly.

The pro-level Nikon flagships have basically 300,000-count shutter life expectancy before needing replacement, and the LOCAL prices available at walk-in retail on these kinda bodies are very heavily discounted from what is quoted on the web, so, I'd keep in mind used bodies as well as new. D3x's here locally cost about $2,750. Many are VERY low-click.

 

[Mike_E]

There are no magic bullets. There are on size fits all wrenches but they are a PITA to use and seldom do as well as the right one.

The same goes for cameras. If you want a general purpose FF camera A D6xx or 700 would be fine. Medium format with small format gear? D800/e (real world? the AA filter just doesn't come into play). D3x might be there too although I've not shot one.

Anything that moves fast or only comes out at night? D3s/4/4s

Studio Queen? Pentax 645 (Pentax 645D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) 17971 B&H Photo Video)
or a Hasselblad Vx.

What do you want to use it on is the question. Which camera body then becomes easy to choose.

BTW, The D800 does like good glass but technique seems to be the thing that makes her purr.

 

[coastalconn]

Maybe you could find a good used d3s for speed and a good used D800 for studio? About thr same price as a d4...just a thought?