With the recent announcement of the new Nikon D810, I thought it's best to blog once again.
Given the fact that I'm also on a 3hrs train ride with not much else to do :S
So forgive any typo/grammatical errors as this is being written on the fly...
First of, let me say that I have owned 2x D800's, 2 D7000's, D90, D600, V1, Fuji X-E1 and a Fuji X-M1. So I am probably the biggest gear head of all time and usually get really excited over new releases for camera equipment...
The exception to this is I have never really been too excited over Nikon D4s level cameras as it just feels too far beyond my reach at the moment...
So for the moment, let's just discuss the announced features of the Nikon D810 that have excited me and that have disappointed me...
36.3mp sensor
The 36mp sensor in the D800 was a game changer. It beat all other DSLR'S in terms of resolution and dynamic range. So its good to see the same sensor back, but with improvements...
The ISO range has been extended 1 stop on both sides and nikon have removed the OLPF (optical Low pass filter) just like they did on the D800E.
Auto Focus
New AF system to match the D4S and with area focus tracking. I have not heard any news on how much better this is, not have I used it... so on paper, this is a good thing...
Video
Full HD at 60fps is now available. But still no 4k. people have complained that there is no 4k, but the fact of the matter is, no-one really is aware that we're not benefiting much from full hd as it is... and 4k displays are very expensive at the moment. So with new generations of cameras coming out every 3yrs-ish, I don't expect 4k to be standard just yet...
(When I say no-one is really benefiting from full hd, not many people are aware that they own a full hd tv, but their hd signal from Freeview, Sky or Virginia Media is actually only 720p, and not every channel is available as a HD broadcast... so 4k to me is just a paper spec)
personally... the above features are the only ones which stood out to me when I read some initial thought reviews.. There may be more features that have slipped my mind at this point, but on the basis they are the only ones which stick out, I would assume they are the only significant ones to me...
So... will I be buying one?
Probably not right away...
The price of the Nikon D800 upon release was £2700, dropped to £2300 3 months later and down to £2000 8 months after release.
I found them as low as £1500 for grey import models and £1300 used. This is roughly 2yrs later.
So the cameras have dropped quite drastically in price.
I don't think the Nikon D810 will drop as quick as it'll have a crutch with the D800 and D800E still being readily available, and in reality, the specs are still pretty similar.
No don't get me wrong, there are changes of course, and to some, these changes are significant..
But to me? Not really...
Through depreciation, I have lost £800ish in 2.5yrs per D800 that I own... that's £1600. which is a significant amount of money...
My camera has hit a point where it won't depreciate much more from now... so for me to sell now, and add more money to buy a D810, is not practical, as I would have lost on depreciation, lost on reinvestment, and will lose on depreciation again in a few years...
There is an argument about 'working professionals need to reinvest for the best equipment'. Now, I do agree with this to an extent, but will the reinvestment of £1000ish to upgrade one D800, plus the part-ex or sale value of the D800... is it worth it? Not really...
I try to keep my ISO low at all times, and when I push beyond ISO6400 I would most likely tend to need to add flash if the scene is that dark...
I have never felt ISO100 wasn't low enough and in fact, I never knew anything below ISO100 existed lol...
So the ISO is no major benefit to me...
Auto focus is always something that could be improved, and I have never had any major complaints with my D800. It's never been a situation where I felt it was rubbish or kept missing. It has missed of course, but that could be user error also with where I set my points... so yes, I would like better AF, but without ever knowing first hand if the newer AF is a lot better, I will never know what I am missing if I have never experienced in the first place... so its only a paper spec to me...
Likewise with movie features... I don't do much video anyway and 4k isn't a big deal in general I don't think...
So in short, no I will not be buying one yet...
I may not ever buy one...
If one of my cameras die, I may replace it with a D810, or I might save money and get a used D800E instead. Or the prices might come down in a few years and then the price to me will make more sense... but for the moment... It has no real benefit to me at that cost.
I am writing this more for a reminder to myself not to use the money I have on this camera! (No matter how much I want one lol)
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