D800E replaced by D4

[John G]

I have been witnessing a few reasonably low actuation, less than 100,000 to be nearer the count Nikon D4 models become available on the market. Some are at a price I agree on, so a sale of the D800E would get me into this level of body with a small additional cost after the D800E is sold.
I have never considered or wished for a ownership of the D4 as I have been very settled with the D800E.
I have been wanting a higher burst rate and got it in my mind the D500 will be a camera body to accompany the D800E in 2017.
I am much more of a nature photographer than anything else, so any thoughts on the D4 replacing the D800E
would be of interest to me.

[Tristin]

While the D4's ergonomics are certainly drool-worthy, I can't see how a D4 would equal, let alone best, the D500 for nature photography. 

[pluton]

If you want/need high FPS rates, the D800 series is not going to be very satisfying.
If you like having 36MP, a 16 MP unit may disappoint.
If you've ever used the large pro bodies, you know how bulky they are.
The large pro bodies are more rugged than, and are ergonomically/haptically superior to the smaller bodies, in my experience.
16 MP is enough for excellent print/reproduction quality at all normal degrees of enlargement.
I'd be nice to have both...

[Jakov Minić]

I don't see how you can go wrong with the D4

[Bjørn Rørslett]

While the D4's ergonomics are certainly drool-worthy, I can't see how a D4 would equal, let alone best, the D500 for nature photography.

Handling of the stock D500 is pretty lame once it is combined with bigger, serious lenses ... one probably needs to add (an expensive) grip to improve the matter and then the difference to a D4 is rapidly shrinking.

[Frank Fremerey]

The D500 will be more of your friend in nature photography than the D4.

Exceptional AF capability
Equivalent burst rate
Unique fifth gen color consitency over a huge range of light and ISO
phantastic MF through F6 ground glass
Equivalent ergonomics with grip.

2700 with grip
2400 after christmas

D4 audio recording capability is not in the D500. That is all.

[John G]

Thank You
               A lot of good clear thoughts on this option.
               As I feel I can purchase the D4 for a small additional outlay to the funds raised by the sale of the D800E,
               and after reading and taking note of all of the offered comments, it would seem that to choose a D4 as a
               replacement for my D800E,  this can also be a potential future partner for the D500, is a valid option to
               consider.
               I think Frank hit the nail on the head, when considering the lenses I commonly use and the subjects I am
               drawn to.  Now I,m off, to go and find out all about F6 ground glass, oh me, oh my.   

[David H. Hartman]

It seems to me selling the D800E to finance a D4 might be a mistake. The D4 might be a silver bullet. I'd want to think out just why I'd be giving up the D800E for the D4. Now if I were I'd be thinking about better high ISO. I wonder if saving for a D500 and then later a battery grip might be a better plan.

Dave

[Frank Fremerey]

The D800E is a  very good camera. Utilize it to the max.

Bjørn said the thing about lenses an he is right.

Today I was thinking about alternatives, walking the beach:

The D500 was what I could afford together with the 300PF. I am really happy with that combination.

I can use this combination to explore unknown territory like sports and wildlife and I shot some amazing kite surfer
footage just for fun. No commercial pressure. See 366 days thread.

To get better results technically I would have to pay for and carry a D5 or D4s plus a 2.8/400 ...

I do not want this. This is a new field. I do not know if I will ever make any money with that topic
but I can still use the D500 and 300PF in my daily work.

So as long as photography is just an expensive hobby, get the best stuff you can afford.

A new lens or a workshop teaching the use of existing equipment better might be the better choice
than a downgrade from a D800 to a D4.

I shot nice sports pics with a D70 and a D600. Why? I booked a workshop 10 years ago with a friend who
shot Bundesliga at the time. He told me the essentials. It is not the camera. It is immersion with the subject.

[Mongo]

John, Mongo had a D800. Then had opportunity through a friend to update to D800E for a couple of hundred dollars - so did so. Still own the D800E. In the interim, about a year and a half ago, there was a sale on new D4s models. So, Mongo bought a new D4s thinking it would be the thing to have that would please him. Well, it did and it didn't.


As a result, Mongo has kept both cameras because they do their best at different things.

the D4s is brilliant to use, great quality etc but in Mongo's mind is largely a studio camera OR one for full size macros or full size landscape etc. In short, it is no use and not a patch on the D800E when you need to seriously crop an image. Thus, for long wildlife shots, Mongo will always use the D800E in preference to the D4s unless he is right on top of the subject and little to no cropping is required.

The noise performance is not that great to write home about with either camera. Certainly not that different to each other in virtually all conditions Mongo has used them. So, that should not be a deciding factor.

If Mongo were you, he would seriously think about the predominant use you will have for the camera before making any decisions. Certainly, hire one for a weekend if possible and run it through the type of photography and conditions you would ordinarily encounter.

[John G]

Thank you once more for your shared thoughts.
I may have let the value of the D800E crop quality slip out of sight.
I have many images I have kept because of the IQ present after cropping.
I do feel it is wise to trial the D4 body as a comparison.
I would also think that their are others at present who may have began to
ponder their camera body options in a similar way.
So producing a list of considerations is a valuable tool.

[richardHaw]

just get a D750

had the D4 and D800 before.

always hated the D800 for it's file size and high ISO performance. it was good initially but it soon occurred to me that 36MP is too much for what i do. I even got lazy sending images to editors because the damn files were so huge.

D4 was awesome, sold it recently. I would not have sold it but i do not have a use for it in the past few years so it had to go.

the D750 to me is the perfect balance. manageable file size, better than D800 high ISO performance, decent FPS, portability, price.

[Mongo]

Mongo cannot disagree with Richard's comments. The D800 series file size is large and a pain to work with on computer. Mongo uses his D800E in various crop modes (especially 30 x 20) becuase it reduces the file size and Mongo was intending to crop in any event in those cases.

Have not used the D750 but from all accounts it is a possibly better camera than the D800 series for practicable file size and ISO performance.

[richardHaw]

Mongo cannot disagree with Richard's comments. The D800 series file size is large and a pain to work with on computer. Mongo uses his D800E in various crop modes (especially 30 x 20) becuase it reduces the file size and Mongo was intending to crop in any event in those cases.

Have not used the D750 but from all accounts it is a possibly better camera than the D800 series for practicable file size and ISO performance.

more versatile. i suspect that my editors skip my files because they were HUGE

[Bjørn Rørslett]

more versatile. i suspect that my editors skip my files because they were HUGE

One should resize image files to make them suitable in size for the publishing context they aim at. Always.

These days with nearly all cameras being able to deliver enough pixels to make mural prints, this principle is more important than ever.