D800 replacement ... ?

[armando_m]

my d800 - acquired in Apr 2012 - seems due to some heavy service ... or replacement

the experience I had with my D800, considering I came from the D300

Pros
- AF-C  is way better than the D300, lenses that consistently perfromed so so on the D300 can do great on the D800
- AF in low light better than the D300
- AF with my macro lens works vs the D300 which was impossible
- High ISO vs the D300 about 2 stops better
- Same body style - capable of taking rugged use
- Amazing dynamic range, RAW files are very flexible

Cons
- D810 which would be the logical replacement is expensive and the current exchange rate makes it more expensive
- my D800 3 years old already - no longer on sale - resale value may be low
- my D800 has several issues:
-- the Left AF problem
-- Broken internal frame - mended by me
-- It has failed to turn on three times, appears to have a fully discharged battery - top lcd is off -  and just the same it starts working again , some times i wish it was a solid failure rather than intermittent
-- It has failed to turn off two times, even with the switch off the camera continues to function, removing the battery finally turns it off

What am I considering ... good AF same as D800, and good ISO up to 3200 are a priority
- Wish for a D810 but I'm not willing to spend that kind of money again on a body that may become unreliable like my D800 is doing
- D750  great AF sensitive to -3EV, flippy rear screen I think is a weakness, already seen some reports about the screen failing
- D7100 nice price, nice AF sensitive to -2EV, same as D800, body style not like the 300 or 800, but if I can use the V1 ... I should be able to adapt to this, smaller files, no anti alias filter, same battery as the d800, DX .. again if I can use the V1 why not DX
- D610 ... I do not think so 39 point AF sensitive to -1EV, 1/200 sync speed vs 1/250
- DF ... ? hmm.. to expensive to have a retro style body with D600 AF
- move to Fuji XT1 ... or Oly OMD Em5, or Sony A7x ... I'll have to try any of the cameras before considering go the hassle of changing systems and the expense is beyond what I'm willing to consider at the moment

grrr and also send my D800 to service

[PedroS]

Hi Armando, nice dilema 

From what you said, no D bodies on mind, and after using a D800, all the others FX, but D810 will fall short, so...

I would put the "old" D800 serving in IR, and a new D810 will be landing soon, even if you try to convince yourself that it's too expensive...

[Bjørn Rørslett]

On a general note: changing system is like chasing the pie in the sky, or insist the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. You only lose money on each change. No system ever designed and built by man is perfect.

Get your camera fixed  by a certified Nikon repair facility. These cameras should stand much more than 3 years of use, even when handled quite roughly (speaking from personal experience here).

[tommiejeep]

Armando,  I've always really enjoyed your images and admired your abilities as a Photographer.  I do not think 'which' camera matters that much  .   I think I was fortunate that the gods conspired against me when I tried very hard to buy a D800 when it was first available.

I've never been truly happy with any of my Nikons after the D300,300s, and D3s.  Love the files from the D700 but heavy camera w/wo grip.  I've never been very happy with some of the changes to the controls.  I've gotten used to not having the Focus Selector and the implementation of VR but when I take the D300s and D3S out to shoot it is like a favourite pair of shoes 

 The D610 is a good camera but I did not like the 39 pts.  I have had zero problems with the D750 but 1/4000 is a bit silly.  I shoot fast birds in good light at 1/4000 and am still at iso 400-640 but would really want faster , even as the iso climbs.  The D7100 is a good camera handles whites better than any of my cameras.  A bit of banding if you really over extended, and lousy Buffer but seems all of my lenses need fine tuning.  Still waiting on some personal comments from friends on the D7200 but probably not in my future.

I really cannot afford to buy the D4s and a waste of time with my limited abilities and the fact that the D3S is still a great camera.   The D810 seems to be the best all rounder at the moment but I opted for the D750 and saved the $1000.  Also, a good friend reviewed both the D750 and D810 and recommended the D750 for me ( he knows me and my shooting well ...lol) .

The Df is another story.  I did not buy it to shoot birds and Sport ( but have done  ) .  My only complaint with the Df is, that for how I use it, I would love to have a well spread 51 pts.

New system:  I enjoy the EM1 and am getting to know it better but there is just something about the images that fall short of my Nikons.  I guess the best way to describe it is they just do not seem to have the depth, not exactly flat, but just not up to the Nikons. I will not invest any more in the system.  My wife really is enjoying her EM1 and has given her much more desire to get better and learn.  Going to the EM1 from her Nikons is sort of like me getting the Df  .  She loves the fact that she nails the focus with the EM1 and always had trouble trusting her Nikon green dots .    Sony I've never trusted.  A highly innovative company but never seems to do anything with their products for the long term.  If I had lots of money I would like to try Fuji but not as a Nikon replacement.

I agree with Bear that there is no perfect camera.  I think you could do wonders with any number of cameras, brands.  Maybe think about taking a step back in technology to find what you are comfortable with.   Start a local Club where everyone shoots with each others gear on outings and then you could have a 'cheap' way of trying everything  .  Too bad we are not in the US where people seem to buy stuff , shoot it like hell during the return period, and then swapping for something else  .  I find that personally abhorrent  and am glad that some establishments have started their "Black Lists".

Take your D800 to someone very good, get a quote for refurb and then do a cost/benefit analysis on getting a new camera. 

ps I've sort of had some fair winds recently to move me out of the doldrums but I feel a trip is needed to really get me under full speed    . 
Cheers and all the best,
Tom

[Stephen T Symes]

I do understand the pain, and the associated exchange rate problem:
Some ideas:
Nikon refurbished bodies come with a 6 month warranty, verse 12 months on a new body, with amount you shoot you will find any problems quickly on a refurbished body, a refurbished D800, D810, or D800E might just be the correct answer.

Send current body to Nikon, with the structural failure you fixed (I was impressed), they might just say the body cannot be repaired, with a bit of assertive, nice discussion, be willing to replace it with a refurbished body, at a significantly lower cost.

Replacing a system with a different brand, is expensive, and the learning curve is real, Nikon just moves one button and fingers need to re-learn buttons.
If you wish to test a new brand, rent the body, and see how you like it.

I enjoy your photo’s I hope you can find a solution

[Frank Fremerey]

I guess the D800 will come back from service for another 5 years of joy.

So: Why not get a used D600? Cheap because of an issue that only affected 25% of the bodies. Excellent image quality and HighISO performance. Shutter will be replaced by Nikon if you want it, even if your camera shows no issues.

Cons: The AF is not the best in the world. But after getting used to it, it is possible to work with her.

[Mike G]

I'm with Bjorn on this subject, changing systems will end up being more expensive! The D810 is a completely different animal to the D800 and would be and was the route I took and have not regretted the decision.

Is there a camera system that is perfect, I doubt it!

[chris dees]

At the end of last year I traded my 2,5 years old D800E in for a D810.
Although all the changes look minor, al together it's a considerable upgrade.
One get used to the ruggedness of the semi-pro bodies.

BTW. I had no issues at all with my D800E

[Akira]

Armando, the power on/off issue would be frustrating and should affect your work significantly.  Sorry about that.

I was not really impressed by D610.  The AF points are too concentrated in the central area, and AF accuracy was not very reliable when used with AF-S 50/1.8G.  The AF fine tune on the camera is not enough, and you need to have the camera calibrated at the Nikon service.

So far as the noise is concerned, I felt that the chrominance noise is more effectively reduced than the luminance noise.

Basically I'm not big fan of the button arrangement of current Nikon cameras.  So I personally will keep using my D7000 to see the next generation UI.

[armando_m]

Thanks for the comments

I will be sending it to service

and stop fooling myself, save for the 810, currently with a discount in amazon mexico, at the equivalent of $2800 dollars

[elsa hoffmann]

you might find that by the time you saved up for the D810 - there is a nice new 60MP waiting for you.

[armando_m]

Power failures became to frequent, I couldn't set the camera on a table without it loosing power, or on the tripod ... (Last shooting  was frustrating)

Opened the base and found a loose RF shield on the DC to DC PCB, it was probably causing a short, gladly nothing got fried.
The loose rf shield was likely caused by me the last time I removed the PCB to fix the broken frame.
Reset the flat cable going to the PCB,  cables to the battery were removed and resoldered

Fixed the front rubber grip , which was coming apart and felt like an old sock
Cleaned the flash mechanism, it was getting stuck

shoot a few thing this afternoon and it worked without a glitch

Next step clean the sensor ...

[Frank Fremerey]

Nice to hear there are still user mendable parts in such a piece
of sophisticated hi tech. Congratulations to your little Nikon repair.

60MP?

Nikon needed some years to proceed from the nice D3X to the
sensorwise perfect D600 and then still needed the D610 and 750
to arrive at something that is still no D3Xs when it comes to
ruggedness buffer built quality.

Therefore I guess that the 24/36MP way will see its best incarnation
in the D5 line while the 54MP will start evolution to something useful
in a D900 but not be mature till the D6 generation arrives.

After all the D600 and D800 are still great cameras which did loose
a lot of monetary value with the arrival of successors but not
Value as a photograohic tool.