Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Improved AF system, improved exposure, AF at f8 instead of f5.6, improved LCD, improved metering, UDMA-7 compliant card slot, second card slot (SD), improved shutter rated to 200k cycles, smaller, lighter and on and on. Yeah it jumps forward.

DG

Its not as simple as just removing the AA filter. Removing the filter changes the focal plane so the mechanism must be adjusted and the AA filter is replaced with a different filter. The changes and the limited audience make it slightly more expensive. About $300 Canadian.

DG

As you wish.

Canon dropped a couple of lenses today. Finally after much wanting and wishing Canon have brought out the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM. Main selling point is that it has improved weather sealing. BUT, no IS. How odd since that has been the one thing Canon users have been asking for in the 24 to 70 lenses. And odder still is that Tamron has delivered with the Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD with image stabilization announced this week. Canon also released two wide primes both with IS (huh?). Announced are the EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM.

DG

Thanks, ya... I figured it was something along the lines of calibration. I tentatively have my name on a preorder list. I still have to give a deposit.

Are you going for the "E" version? I am not sure if it is really is worth it for everyday shooting. Maybe if you plan to go large on your prints ( and I mean LARGE). I am wanting the D800, but I am not ready to pull the trigger.

DG

Yes, the E version. Apparently there are not as many folks pre-ordering the E version.

I like the fact that you can choose to shoot 20mp RAW files at FX when you don't need the file size, and then boost it up when you do.

I don't get this feature, isn't it better to shoot 36MB and then resize in computer than re-shoot again if high res. is needed? memory card is cheaper these days..
or higher fps if shooting 20mp RAW?

I didn't notice this in a very quick look, but at what point does the buffer fill in Continuous Raw?

Also, I'm sure if I went back in time, people would be saying "Who needs 24 Megapixels?" back when the Sony a900 was released. I find the irony chuckling.

I think NIkon learned from the last series of cameras. They are targeting market with different models without undercutting themselves too much. smart.

D4 - news, photojournalists, sports, event shooters
D800 - video, studio work, landscape

I believe the specs say, well this is what I read on bythom.com, that the D800 buffer can hold up to 16 high quality FX RAW files (least compression).

16 RAW is impressive..... the D7000 barely holds half of that.

Here is the Link to the D800 intro by Thom.

http://www.bythom.com/d800intro.htm

And actual quote from Thom:
"Buffer capacity for FX shooting is 16 NEF at worst compression settings (25 at best), 16 for TIFF, and 56 for JPEG fine large (100 for other JPEG settings)."

That's not too shabby.

Wow, those are some clean blacks in that video. Wonder how much PP went into cleaning up noise? If nothing then "WOW"

nah man. low 2g was the mark a few weeks ago.

good thing a fellow tpmg'er spared me from the misery of trying to sell one on craigs

You forgot that that if your left eye twitches, scale factor is reduced by an eighth. And if the wind blows more than 76 of your hairs just before the shot, that your resolution is halved.

Vee's eyes never twitch - he is THAT good!

The only time I twitch is when I dance.

Now is the time on Sprockets when we *dance*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHZR9SA5pOg

Mini review of the D800 from photographer Cliff Mautner who is one of the featured Nikon photographers on the D800 microsite.

http://cmphotography.com/blog.cfm

Notice that Cliff Mautner said:

"Ok, ISO performance. I was really surprised that it performed just about as well as a D3 with regard to ISO. This seems to be one of the biggest concerns. It's not a concern to me. Now, I won't be using the D800 in the most extreme low light conditions. That's where the D4 will be utilized. But as you can see, it's not much of an issue. "

Looking at those high ISO samples makes me want to sell my D700, I'll take that ISO performance. I expected worse.

On another forum, Cliff mentioned that the ISO noise performance of the D800 is "close" to the D700. Another photographer had said the D700 is "blown away" by the D800, which simply isn't true. From my own limited analysis so far, it looks like the per-pixel noise characteristics of the D800 are indeed very close to the D700. If you factor in the three-fold increase in pixels and reproduction ratios, I would give the D800 about a 1-stop improvement over the D700 in apparent noise.

1 stop improvement is not bad, given that the upgrade is going to be for video and resolution more than anything. Plus, I am really interested in the in-camera HDR, and seeing how it handles indoor image captures.

Yeah, given all the additional capabilities and performance the D800 brings, and then to launch it at the same price as the D700... that's pretty sweet. You may not need all the features, but the whole package is still pretty sweet. I don't shoot video, but I might as well start playing around with it.

I think you guys should buy 2 D800's and run them in a RAID 0.

Raid 5 N00b.

No, with only two cameras, mirror them as RAID 1 (RAIC 1?).

That's only supported by D4's.