D4

[Leongsam]

Tested it again today in bad weather. The auto focus in low light is excellent. However, you'll need to be prepared to experiment and evaluate the results of all the different settings under different conditions and this could take WEEKS because there are so many options.. single point, 9 point, 21 point, 51 point, face detection, auto, 3d etc. The sub menus are a killer and will take a long time to master. I'm still struggling.

The problem with the d4 is that with the introduction of Video, all the knobs and buttons that I've got so used to on the D3 have either disappeared and replaced with a combination of press and rotate controls.

16 megapixels is the ideal file size for action shots though. I love the fact that I can crop tighter compared to the previous 12 megapixels which means I don't have to zoom in so close for the same resolution. It allows me to get a wider view of what's going on and this results in more money shots.

 

[kingrant]

After my last D70, I have given up. Unless you are really an avid photobug, you can never remember all the controls and the submenus, the rotating dials etc. Some of them you have to hold while you rotate. If you are only touching the gadget once in a while, it's tough figuring out buttons and knobs on the fly to play with settings. Eventually, I revert to P mode and then guess what - went back to a compact point and shoot. Expensive toy.

 

[Leongsam]

After my last D70, I have given up. Unless you are really an avid photobug, you can never remember all the controls and the submenus, the rotating dials etc. Some of them you have to hold while you rotate. If you are only touching the gadget once in a while, it's tough figuring out buttons and knobs on the fly to play with settings. Eventually, I revert to P mode and then guess what - went back to a compact point and shoot. Expensive toy.

I actually earn money from my photography so I have no choice but to shoot daily even when I don't have an assignment. If I put the camera away for a month and take it out again, I find I'm often back to square one and have to whip out the manual half way through a shoot. I asked around and I'm not alone. It's a common problem with modern DSLRs.

In the good old days of film, I drew a mark on the ground and pre focused for action shots. Life was easy. I only had 10 rolls of 36 exposures. Nowadays, I shoot 2000 images in 2 hours.

 

[Fook Seng]

In the good old days of film, I drew a mark on the ground and pre focused for action shots. Life was easy. I only had 10 rolls of 36 exposures. Nowadays, I shoot 2000 images in 2 hours.

Don't think even need to do bracketing with focusing and exposure, more a matter of aperture and speed and perhaps ASA setting, I suppose.

 

[Leongsam]

Don't think even need to do bracketing with focusing and exposure, more a matter of aperture and speed and perhaps ASA setting, I suppose.

Shutter speed 1/500 F5.6 to F11

Film used

 

[Leongsam]

I've used this too for colour...

 

[kingrant]

In the good ole days, I toured round the North American continent with my first Konica manual. It was like learning to swim after jumping off the deep end. You set for light, film choice, speed, aperture. Mistakes but you learn quick and remember for long. But 35 mm film takes a long time to find out yr errors, so you bracket and shoot like hell, and invest in rolls and rolls of films, because you can never capture the moment again.
Nowadays, in P mode, you can shoot practically all scenes with min errors. Spot metering down to 0.5mm opens up vistas of low light magic.

The D4 is a fantastic machine. Canon buffs will root for the EOSes. But I actually find canon lens sharper.

I actually earn money from my photography so I have no choice but to shoot daily even when I don't have an assignment. If I put the camera away for a month and take it out again, I find I'm often back to square one and have to whip out the manual half way through a shoot. I asked around and I'm not alone. It's a common problem with modern DSLRs.

In the good old days of film, I drew a mark on the ground and pre focused for action shots. Life was easy. I only had 10 rolls of 36 exposures. Nowadays, I shoot 2000 images in 2 hours.

 

[yaosiu]

Tested it again today in bad weather. The auto focus in low light is excellent. However, you'll need to be prepared to experiment and evaluate the results of all the different settings under different conditions and this could take WEEKS because there are so many options.. single point, 9 point, 21 point, 51 point, face detection, auto, 3d etc. The sub menus are a killer and will take a long time to master. I'm still struggling.

Smart guy like you still need to struggle with some simple knobs and controls?

Maybe you need to work on your sensitivity?

 

[koala88]

Shutter speed 1/500 F5.6 to F11

Film used

You saved alot of money going digital.

 

[Lee5604]

I actually earn money from my photography so I have no choice but to shoot daily even when I don't have an assignment.

Boss, so you post most of all the porn in the sister forum? Cos I don't see you seatless bicycle photos here!

P.S. don't infract me for messing with the quote, I just wanted to quote you for that point. Because I got infracted by you last time, when you said I quoted too long a posting. So, now don't know what to do - can I delete the irrelevant points and just quote what is relevant or how to avoid being infrated if quote is too long? You tell me boss?

 

[Leongsam]

Boss, so you post most of all the porn in the sister forum?

That forum has nothing to do with me.

 

[fukyuman]

I got the D800E. But would I buy a D4 assuming money is not really an issue. The problem for me is added bulk and weight. The other thing is having seen a 36mp pix, I really wouldn't want to go down to 16mp any more. Minimum acceptable would be 24mp. Coupled with an uber sharp Nikon nano or CZ lens I am getting archival quality fine details never seen before. The other camera that can do that is a Sigma DP2M but it is poor for low light use. Maybe a D4x would be better, but its really hard to amortize at $9K cam.

 

[Leongsam]

I got the D800E. But would I buy a D4 assuming money is not really an issue. The problem for me is added bulk and weight. The other thing is having seen a 36mp pix, I really wouldn't want to go down to 16mp any more. Minimum acceptable would be 24mp.

The D4 serves a specific purpose and that is to give the photographer the best possible chance of capturing the money shots at an event that involves fast moving objects that follow an unpredictable path.

Example :

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To get this moment when the dog was leaping over the hurdle, I put into AF-C mode, 9 point focus and fired at 10 frames/sec. 9 images were trashed. This one image is the one that I knew the owner would pay for.

The D800 is a great camera for just about everything else except action photography.

 

[Lilac]

Nice shot!