D800E replaced by D4

[Frank Fremerey]

Thank you Mongo! All the more from one of the best nature shooters in out little boat.

[Erik Lund]

I find that there is a huge difference when doing PP on screen between 16 MP of the D4 and 36 MP of the D810 - resolving power is impressive - But yes on the final print the difference is often masked,,,

D4 and D4s are very cheap 2nd hand here in Copenhagen,,,

[John G]

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the views offered in relation to my enquirey.
The hope for a guidance on the subject has been very well supported.
It has been a joy to hear how the NG contributors have shown their preferences for a body or pair of bodies.
When I purchased the D800E, I was looking to move on from a D80 body, and was wanting the full frame experience with improved IQ, I do not remember making a shortlist of any other priorities.
What I have got from this selection of contributions is that there are many considerations to ponder, and see how they will be of a benefit to how one functions with their whole set up.
There are bodies now in the mix that were not a consideration for me.
What sticks with me at present, is that I should not discount any of the bodies that have been mentioned here when it comes to the time of having a set up that includes two bodies.
I should try before committing to a purchase of a body.
The D500 will surpass the D4 and it is getting nearer to the used D4 used price in terms of affordability.
The D800E has a lot more use than a D4s by one user due to its superior IQ when cropping heavily.
I use the D800E in a similar fashion.
I am intending to bring a D500 into my set up in 2017, I will put the wish to have a used high frame rate per second body in the mean time on hold and keep on with the D800E .
I will keep to this NG path, looking to increase my user knowledge/skills of my set up.

[Tristin]

I understand the desire for a Dx series body, I dream of owning one for ergonomics alone.  Sadly though, even if one were free there are currently no Dx bodies that can compete with the D750 for my uses.  I have been tempted by used D4 bodies as are you, but stopped when I realized many images I have taken would not have turned out nearly as good with a D4.  It is too bad there is no Dx style body with a D750 sensor.

[John Geerts]

For my kind of photography the D800E is superior to the D4.  It's 36mp files offer far more possibilities.

[Fons Baerken]

for me it would be both the d800e for its richness and detail of images, the d4 for power and speed, and ruggedness

[Airy]

I have the D800 and the Df, the latter sporting the same sensor as the D4. While I appreciate the better low light or high ISO performance of the Df (nearly 1 stop better, noise-wise, at same picture size, i.e. after resampling of the D800 files), I do not think the difference overwhelming. Fons' summary is therefore to the point.

[Mongo]

the more Mongo reads the views on this thread, the more he thinks that, in an ideal world, if you did not already own any cameras, you should seek to buy a very good used D750 and D500. These are probably the best "all round" FX and DX Nikon cameras at present and in theory, should meet all your needs. Not sure what the combined cost of both would be in comparison to your original exercise of buying a good used D4.

the alternative would be to treat your D800 as your FX body and consider buying a D500. Again, it really depends on what use you have intended for them. Owning FX and DX has its own problems - not the least of which are effectively having to consider owning too many lenses. The only people Mongo knows buying D500s are those who have dedicated DX lenses in their cupboards and do not wish to be roped into buying more FX based lenses OR dedicated FX users who do a lot of long lens work like birding and buy a D500 to use on only one or two long lenses for this purpose.

[Frank Fremerey]

Mongo: The D600 feels heavier and "more professional" in my hands. The D750 is faster, "more snappy", more plasticky. A nearly unused second hand D600 is significantly cheaper than the newer D750 and Nikon will replace the shutter unit for free any time. Both feature the same sensor.

Having the choice between D500 and D600 every day, I choose the D500 more often, because AF and color consitency and better ergonomics is often the more important factor than the one stop advantage.

D600 is better for Wide Angle Work obviously, D500 better if any shot needs cropping anyway.

[Mongo]

Would have to agree with Frank. If the D600 feels more substantial; has the same sensor and is cheaper, then, it is worth considering in place of the D750 in any of the combinations discussed.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The form factor of the D750, in particular the narrow grip, might not suit everyone. I tried the camera shortly and decided to let it pass by because of its perceived poor handling.

The D500 has some of the same shape as the D750 and I freely admit struggling with it for hand-held use. As the D500 is slightly smaller, the problem appears being reduced but not eliminated here.

[Akira]

I found the deep grip of D750 awkward when I held it for the first time.  But, after using it for half a year, it has become my most fitting camera since D2H.

Actually D500 is slightly larger and ever-so-slightly heavier than D750 in all dimensions (W, H, D), even with the lack of on-board flash and smaller format.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Not having these side by side, extrapolating from the sensor size alone might have caused the wrong conclusion. I stand corrected. However, I still hold the opinion the D500 should have had better ergometrics. The camera is OK with sufficiently small lenses, up to and including the 17-35/2.8, but any bigger and it's pretty uncomfortable to operate.

[Frank Fremerey]

I bought the D500 with grip. I recommend it with grip. It seems just perfect  with the grip. I even consider her
slightly better ergonomically than the D5 and significantly more ergonomic than the wonderful D3. So: the grip
is very expensive but it adds a lot to the camera beyond many days of shooting without recharge.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I'm talking about the handgrip on the camera itself.

One has to add a lot of bulk, plus another accessory (battery inset) to be able to use a big D4/D5 battery for the D500. So one gets a relatively speaking huge camera almost the size of a D3/4/5 class body, yet no audio recording.