Nikon D810 and Df - The Best Combination Available Today?

Well, I've been thoroughly enjoying my Nikon Df for some time now. The low light capabilities of this camera are spectacular.

 

I've recently purchased a Nikon D810, specifically to take advantage of the increased resolution (36 megapixels) for nature photography. Mounted on my Nikkor 200-400mm f4 AF-S VR G lens, the D810 should allow me more freedom in cropping, which is always useful in wildlife photography, especially with active species like birds.

 

I've only had my D810 out a couple of times so far. One was this morning, shooting birds on a kayak outing. Here's a tightly-cropped shot of a swallow hitting the water surface.

And here's a 100% blow-up (cropped even more).

What I've found so far is that while the D810 does allow significant cropping, it doesn't handle high iso noise nearly as well as the Df. Of course, that's well-known in the Nikon crowd, and makes perfect sense, given the much higher number of pixels crammed into the same sensor real estate as the Df. The shots above were made at iso 1600, and noise is quite visible on my screen, looking at the images in Lightroom.

 

Here's a snapshot of DxO Lab's comparison of the two cameras:

 

Image Source: http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Nikon-Df-versus-Nikon-D810___925_963

 

As you can see, the D810 wins in overall score, color depth, and dynamic range. But, it performs significantly worse in low light (high iso). Again, no new information here, but it's helping me to form my opinion of this pair of cameras and how best to use them.

 

Basically, the D810 will fill my need for high resolution and cropping ability when shooting wildlife in good light. Or anything else in good light, for that matter. The Df will remain my go-to camera for more challenging lighting situations, and when cropping is not as necessary.

 

So, I think that for me, yes, this is the best combination of Nikon bodies available today.

 

I have to get the D810 out in the field again, and shoot at lower iso settings. I'm sure that's going to really impress me.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Well, I'm Going For It - Nikon D810

Image Source: http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/dslr-cameras/D810.html

 

I have long said that my Nikon D700 is the single best-performing camera I've ever owned. Not the highest fun-factor (as I love my rangefinders and old film cameras), but best at getting the shot, and in the most high quality way. So, I have not upgraded it, even after several years. I did add the Nikon Df, which is just a different beast, and brings the fun factor up considerably with its retro design, ability to take non-AI lenses, and smaller size.

 

What I did upgrade was my telephoto lens choice. Selling the spectacular 500mm f4 AiP manual focus lens, I invested in the first version AF-S 200-400mm f4 VR lens. Having fast autofocus significantly improves my chances of capturing great nature photographs. On the D700, the 200-400 really sings.

 

So why upgrade to the D810? Well, really for one reason, and one reason only - resolution. I will be able to shoot the D810 in DX crop mode and still produce 15.4 megapixel images. That is higher than the D700 at full frame, and turns my 200-400 telephoto into the equivalent of 300-600mm, without the 1.4X tele-extender! That's powerful. Or, I can shoot in full-frame (36 megapixel) mode, and crop in post-processing. That's really going to increase the number of bird-in-flight images that will be useful and printable at large sizes.

 

Resolution is the only reason that I know now. I have a feeling I'll find other reasons to love the D810.

 

I bought mine refurbished by Nikon. The cost savings was significant - I paid $2,550 at Adorama, including a third party "drops and spills" 3 year extended warranty. The camera lists for almost $3,300.

 

I don't expect the D810 to become my most-used camera; I love the Df and know the D810 won't replace it. I do expect the D810 to be my go-to nature and wildlife camera.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Here's Something I've Been Thinking About - the Nikon D810 in Crop Modes

 

I am now the proud (half) owner of a Nikkor 200-400mm f4 AF-S VR G lens. Half, because I co-own it with a good friend of mine.

 

I always laugh when someone asks me what gear to buy to do a little nature photography, especially bird photography. Now that I have the 200-400, typically attached to my D700, I find myself thinking about what I could do with a D800 or D810 - so many more pixels that would allow me to use the crop modes (1.2 or 1.5) that are built into the camera, and still end up with images with sufficient resolution to print big.

 

At 1.2 crop, the D810 produces 25 megapixel images, and at 1.5 crop (same as DX sensors), the images are 16 megapixels. That's a serious advantage over the D700, with its 12 megapixels at full frame.

 

I love my D700, but a D810 may just be the perfect match for the 200-400 lens for nature photography.

 

(Click Here) to read a post by Kirk Tuck on the Visual Science Lab about this very subject.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Cropping and Composition - Just an Exercise

I saw this scene outside my window today.

 

I thought it presented an interesting opportunity to try cropping in multiple ways. So, I shot it with my iPad and proceeded to play around, cropping into various configurations based on the window pane lines.

 

My first try was this, based solely on my gut feeling of what may look best:

 

Then, I tried others:

 

 

I realized at this point that the bright sky detracted from most compositions. Then, I decided to try some vertical crops.

 

 

 

This one turned out to be my favorite. I added a few touches in Snapseed, including a white frame, and this is what resulted:

 

Not a masterpiece, by any means, it did help me to think about cropping and composition. At first, the little bit of my house that shows in the picture seemed like a distraction; I would not have picked a composition that included it. In the end, it turned out to be the best subset of the original picture to show.

 

If nothing else, this reminds me that my first inclination on how to compose a scene may not be the best. It's worth playing around and trying different compositions.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

To Crop or Not to Crop?

I am a believer in cropping images if needed. I know, many purists believe that cropping represents a failure to compose properly. However, if you think back to when cameras had primitive means of framing (think sports finders on folding medium format cameras), it would be nearly inevitable that you need to crop sometimes.

 

Here's an example where I think a crop may make the image more interesting. Let's start with the full image.

 

Old Truck, Key West, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 200, f5.6, 1/1250 sec

 

 

I kind of like this shot. I think the full image shows enough of the truck body, even a little of the steering wheel, to provide context; you know it's a truck.

 

Now, here's a crop:

 

Cropped

 

Actually, an even tighter crop really shows the cracks in a more dramatic way, but I settled for this compromise between a complete abstract of just the cracks, and the wider shot above.

 

Which do you like best?

I did finally shoot my Lumix DMC-GX1 a little on my trip to Key West. It's a wonderful little camera.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

DMC-GX1 for an unbelievably low price at Amazon: