Scared about buying D800.

[Lightsped]

I am fairly new to the photography thing. I have a D3100, and a D7000. I enjoy macro photography and animal photography the most. I mostly do handheld shooting. I have a decent amount of lenses already.

One of my weaknesses it camera shake (see my 24-70 F2.8 post in the lens section). I have read that the D800 demands a very smooth hand. I don't do alot of tripod shooting. I hate to spend the money on a D800 and get frusterating results, or have to reduce the MP useage in order to combat camera shake.

Yes, I know I should work on my technique as obviously it isn't as good as some others. What should I do regarding the D800 purchase decision? Is a smooth hand as necessary as reported for the D800?

Thanks

 

[JTPhotography]

I don't see why the d800 would require more of a steady hand, other than the fact that it has super high resolution, thus magnifying flaws. I wouldn't worry about it, you pretty much answered your own question, assuming you are practicing to get better, your steadiness will improve. The main question I think you should be asking yourself is whether, as a relative beginner, do you need a d800 at this point? What is your lens line-up?

 

[snowbear]

If it's really that much of a problem, use a tripod or monopod as much as possible.

 

[Dinardy]

Well... You could always bump up ISO and shoot at a faster shutter rate...
Or just use a monopod, I wouldn't let something like camera shake stop the purchase of a D800.
Unless you have some sort of health anomaly that does not allow you to hold your hand still...

 

[goodguy]

Camera shake is the result of slow shutter speed, buying the D800 means you can shoot in much higher ISO then the D3100 and still keep perfect picture, higher ISO means faster shutter speed.

So I think buying the D800 potentially can result in better pictures then what you have now

 

[manaheim]

I still think the whole "D800 and camera shake because it's high res" is sorta bizarre. If 36MP is going to blur, so will 12. The only difference is how many pixels will blur. The best I can figure is the pixels are smaller so finer details are blurred when you zoom in at 100%? I dunno. There may be some explanation for it, but I think it's hogwash.

That said, the D800 is not a toy. I have always said "a camera is camera is a camera", but I must admit that I find this camera occasionally tests me. Some of it, I think, is that they really haven't gotten all the bugs worked out. Minor focus issues and whatnot. I actually sent mine in for service and it's better, but still not perfect.

There's also the matter of 36MP. Those are BIG images. You need to have some seriously powerful equipment and lots of storage space to be able to handle that. I upgraded my server AND my workstation. Literally my $3000 camera would up costing me about $6K.

Honestly, I would not recommend this camera for someone less experienced. Maybe the D600?

I mean, whatever... fortune favors the bold. It's not like you won't be able to handle it, but it's certainly a non-trivial change.

 

[runnah]

A nice steady tripod is a lot cheaper.

 

[astroNikon]

I've had problems of a steady shot. In another of the OPs thread I posted the link to all the great ideas I got for holding the camera more steady.
Now I practice with my VR lens. I turn the VR on and then OFF and compare the shots. I'm better than a few months ago but still need alot of practice.

Until then I use a monopod alot, I got a carbon fiber one for cheap and I love it. It is so light weight that I barely realize it's there (other than a long thing attached to it) when I'm taking soccer pictures and I need to move around.

It's like anything else, practice improves your technique.

 

[Onbird]

I am fairly new to the photography thing. I have a D3100, and a D7000. I enjoy macro photography and animal photography the most. I mostly do handheld shooting. I have a decent amount of lenses already. One of my weaknesses it camera shake (see my 24-70 F2.8 post in the lens section). I have read that the D800 demands a very smooth hand. I don't do alot of tripod shooting. I hate to spend the money on a D800 and get frusterating results, or have to reduce the MP useage in order to combat camera shake. Yes, I know I should work on my technique as obviously it isn't as good as some others. What should I do regarding the D800 purchase decision? Is a smooth hand as necessary as reported for the D800? Thanks

It sounds like you are having a rough time with camera shake!

Without actually watching you it is not the easiest question to answer. But I have a couple of things to consider...

1. Your stance, legs and feet can add to your stability (emulating a tripod)
2. Support your body next to a solid object when taking a photo
3. How you hold you camera with a shorter lens vs a longer lens is a big one. With a longer lens one hand needs to support from underneath and the other holding the camera grip (you may find videos or photos on the Internet showing this)
4. Using a tripod is very helpful, I use mine 90% of the time with birds in flight.
5. Up your shutter speed

The D800 is an awesome camera but the above technique applies to all photo taking. Buying a new camera will not help much if you do not have the technique down, it's actually very easy.

Happy Shooting..

 

[amolitor]

The pixel pitch of the D800 is actually the same as your D3100 already. With the same focal length lenses (NOT "equivalent" -- same) the degree of steadiness required is identical.

 

[Derrel]

I still think the whole "D800 and camera shake because it's high res" is sorta bizarre. If 36MP is going to blur, so will 12. The only difference is how many pixels will blur. The best I can figure is the pixels are smaller so finer details are blurred when you zoom in at 100%? I dunno. There may be some explanation for it, but I think it's hogwash.SNIP>.

Well, it's pretty elegant hogwash. It's basically a matter of being able to easily SEE the blurring and imperfections when seen on-screen at full-resolution AKA "100%" AKA "100 percent pixels" AKA, "In its full D800 glory" AKA..."well, you get the idea". lol High-rez images, like 24 and 36 megapixel images are BIG files. When sections of them are viewed on today's large, fine computer monitors, and we pixel-peep, we can SEE, pretty easily, any deficiencies in focus, camera shake, subject movement, wind blurring,and so on. It's simply a matter of the newer, high-rez cameras recording every single bit of insufficiency in glorious, high-rez detail! If one takes a big image, like a 24- to 36-MP image and down-sizes it, the minor inadequacies it has become SMALLER, and literally, less-obvious...more difficult to see.

A perfect example is this: take a 16- to 24-megapixel camera, and examine a half-body portrait shot from that camera--a shot on which the focus was missed by about six inches. Bring that file into the computer and look at it at 100% pixels, scrolling around the image, and the out of focus areas look AWFUL!!! Buuuuuuut, if one looks at that image on the camera's smallish LCD screen, it might appear to be quite good. Similarly, take the same,exact slightly OOF image and down-size it from 24 to 12 MP, then from 12 MP to 6MP, then down to 3MP, and...hey...it can have a bit of "sharpen" applied, and boom!!! The image is actually "usable" for smaller, on-screen purposes. Perfectly good, decent hogwash!

 

[amolitor]

One of the really great things about Bayer arrays is that when you dig into the demosaiced result to the pixel level the picture is ALWAYS a little fuzzy. You never quite get to the pixel-level sharpness. It's inherent in de-mosaicing.

This is an awesome mechanism for driving sales. Oh crap, my XJ79b is ALL FUZZY. I will buy a new lens, then it will be sharp. Oh no! It's still all fuzzy! I will buy the XJ80a, then it will be sharp. Oh no! It's still all fuzzy! And so on. It's just one of many factors keeping the camera enthusiasts strapped to the wheel, but every little bit helps!

 

[Derrel]

Please amolitor, can you tell us more about this XJ80a you wrote of? I am intrigued!

 

[480sparky]

...... What should I do regarding the D800 purchase decision? ......

Buy a D800. Send it to me for testing. I will use it in a variety of applications. Sports, landscapes, architectural, candids etc.

I promise to give you a detailed report in 3 - 4 years.

 

[KmH]

I think the 'steady hand' issue relates to the changes Nikon made to the AA filter that makes it more likely to get images that display moiré.
Moiré will be amplified by slight hand movements, but moiré is also about scene elements that have small, regular repeating geometric patterns.