I (dalida) am thinking to get the D800e and my husband thinking to get the D4s. As anyone had experiences with the cameras as i would be interested to hear what they have to say about them.

All replies would be appreciated.

Thanks

As it seems that you are into wildlife photography, it is an excellent choice to get a D800e and a D4s.

 

This will offer you the best of both world's whether you are shooting a still scene with the D800e or whether you are shooting a speeding animal or low light photography with the D4s.

 

I assume you already have the long glass to go with these cameras as for this type of shooting, superior glass is a necessity.

 

Don't forget to add a set of extra batteries for both cameras and a handgrip for the D800e. Get the Nikon grip as although more expensive but some other grips drain the battery when idle.

 

N.B. I would get the D800 and not the D800e as the environment where you are operating is very dusty for lens change and the D800e makes it a bit more prone to sensor dust pollution.....alternatively, you might wish to wait for Septembre 16th before making a decision as Nikon might launch the D800s at Photokina...maybe?

 

 

Hi Camillo,

 

Thanks for your answer, we did thought the same thing, one fast and one slow and good quality. We do have all the lenses and extra batteries as the D800e has the same batterie than the D7000 and D7100.

 

No doubts about the D4s as we read a lot reviews but still some doubts about the D800e and i (dalida) am supposed to get it in 3 weeks.

We didn't know this rumor, thanks for the info. Read an article yesterday about the D800s coming out ( and it sound that it's going to be similar than the D4s but not that fast) but we are going in Africa in February so if it comes out before january, it will be all good, so i am going to hold on then and try to find it more about it.

Dalida, the only advantage of the D4s vs the D800(E) is the higher frame rate (up to 11 fps vs up to 4 fps), which you'd only need for capturing a cheetah in full speed, with a lot of luck; I'd definitely go for the Nikon D800 or the Nikon D800E (if you want a certain plus in resolution), reason: contrary to the preceding post, the sensor of the D800(E), currently the best in the market, beats the D4s sensor (albeit slightly, probably hardly visible) in all criteria, like signal-to-noise-ratio (low lighting conditions), dynamic range, tonal range, color sensitivity, as empirical and objective scientific tests have proven. The Nikon D4s is called pro because its target buyers are photo journalists, especially sport photographers. All 3 models have 51 AF points.

 

Mind the battery grip, what you assume is not correct: the D7000 has the MB-D11, the D7100 the MB-D15, the D800(E) the MB-D12! A battery grip is not a must, you can shoot many many hours (days in normal usage) with the integrated battery.

 

The claim of the preceding post that the D800E sensor is more prone to sensor dust gathering is nonsense and not proven by facts, both the sensors of the D800 and the D800E have 3 elements (2 low-pass filters and 1 optical element) in front of the sensor (although working differently in both models). (I have had experience with the D4s and the D800 and own the D800E and have taken more than 10,000 pictures with it, with frequent lens changes, no sensor dust at all).

 

With the ultra-high resolution of the D800 and especially the D800E, the limiting factor for resolution is sharpness of lenses, so you should go here for the very best in Nikon and Zeiss (Otus). And when shooting manually, you'd be advised to use as shutter speed for static objects at least 1/f*1.5 due to the ultra-high resolution.

 

Another advantage of the D800(E), given its 36.3 MP: you can crop as you wish.

 

The D800s will probably be presented (not launched) either in September or in January 2015, maybe later; availability usually shortly, up to some weeks, after presentation. And again no: it has not much in common with the D4s, just minor AF improvements; main features: no anti-aliasing filter (just like the D800E), 5 fps (about D800 level), SRAW (new), price between the D800 and the D800E.

Hi ber

 

 

Hi Bernard,

 

Thanks for the reply and advice. Sorry i wasn't talking about the grip batterie but the normal one. In some ways i really want to get the D800e for the 36 Megap, ( for print too) that's the only reason behind it but my husband wants to get the D4s or D4 for the speed, last time in Africa, he shoot with the D7000 but missed a big opportunity that the camera wasn't fast enough to get an action shot, it hits the buffer, and even with the best memory card, you loose few seconds, when we think about it, we really regret that. So we do have the D7000 and D7100 but we just want to add one more each. We thought to get two D800e but i found this ridiculous.

We won't have enough time to get the D800s because i want to practice the new camera before to leave. Good to know about the dust, we didn't have problems last time, the worst was in India but we usually take the cameras for service once a year.

Thanks again Bernard.

Hello Dalida - I am new to 1X (45 days and counting) but I have had a few images published and I love wildlife and landscape photography. I lead safaris to East Africa each summer.

 

As luck would have it I just exchanged my D4 for the new D4s and I have the D800e camera from Nikon as well.

 

Both cameras are absurdly good tools. The D800e is sharper than the D800 which I also owned for a short period of time. It is slow at 4 frames per second and it does require exceptionally well build lenses to maximize its potential as a camera. I try and utilize a tripod when shooting with the D800e but I will hand hold it in Africa. I use the D800e mostly for landscapes and animal portraits. It is wickedly sharp. It is the best camera I have ever owned with the exception of the Mamiya 7 6x7 film camera that I still think was the greatest camera ever built but alas I now longer shoot film.

 

As for the D4s - it is a "gun". So blazing fast that it is scary. It is a step above the D4 because of the "group" focus point mode which is a significant improvement in Nikon's autofocus methodology. It allows great tracking of moving targets.

 

It is the best wildlife camera I have ever owned and I will use it in Africa this summer.

 

Having the D800e and the D4s is the perfect solution to the landscape/wildlife photographer. However perfection does not come cheaply as I have learned.

 

The D800e does demand superior lenses. I like the Nikon golden triad (14-24, 24-70 and 70-200 2.8 lenses) on the body. I love the 85 1.4 and all the super telephotos. I just went crazy and purchased the 200 2.0 monster from Nikon and it is as sharp as DOmax indicates. Also the Sigma art lenses are a great deal and sharper than most Nikon lenses.

 

Good luck and happy spending of your hard earned cash.

 

Jeff Sink

Hello Jeffrey

 

D4s and D800e is the perfect combination.

 

Congrats on the Chubby. It works great with the TC-14E II. I use the TC-20E III.

 

Dalida, as Jeffrey says, going to Africa with those two bodies and a few good lenses is an unbeatable combination. This would be my choice if I was going...everywhere, even in Afghanistan !

 

Gianni

 

Hi Gianni.

 

Thanks Gianni,

It became our final decision to get a D4s and a D800e. For the lenses , we are all set, now only two more cameras. Can't wait!!