Which Full Frame Nikon Would You Suggest?

[Manfred M]

Kristen,

The D610 will do what you want it to do but the D750 is just that little better.
With a D810 you are stuck to using only the best of Nikkor lenses.

Not true, Andre. There are advantages of using the best lenses, as they will give you better image quality, but only if shot at close to ideal conditions. By this I mean shooting off a weighted, heavy duty tripod. The moment you hand-hold at normal shutter speeds, you will be hard-pressed to see the difference between pro glass and normal glass, especially if you only view the images on a computer screen or do relatively small prints. Do large prints and pixel peep, and you can see a difference in lens quality. The main advantage to me in shooting pro glass (and I have a number of pro Nikkor lenses) is that they are fast glass; f/2.8 or better.

This has been my experience, and I've been shooting a D800 with pro and non-pro glass from the first days that camera body started to ship. I find the biggest advantage of the pro cameras is the ergonomics; I can do all of the major adjustments I need without ever taking my eye off the viewfinder.

[realdereal]

Flippant or no in this case this post makes more sense to me than most if not all of the others.

"I shoot with available light" sets off alarms for me. Alarms that no camera body can cure.

Speaking only of my own photography, there is nothing wrong with available light, and I am happy to enjoy 100% extremely happy clients that have always given me wonderful feedback and reviews.

That is my main goal (and why I spend hours each day shooting, researching, studying, and asking questions of my peers' opinions) Beautiful portraits that celebrate people's lives. Apparently knowing and appreciating people make up for me not enjoying shooting with artificial lighting as much as you : ) to each their own. I am happy to have real people truly love their images and am continuing to learn.


We are all students here. Whether everyone realizes it or not. I'm comfortable with knowing this.

[JR1]

You might want to take a look at the Nikon Df. I have been very impress with the results that I have gotten with the Df.

Stunning camera +1

[JR1]

As I have said many times NEVER rule out pre owned cameras/lenses from quality suppliers

[AB26]

Kristen,

When choosing a lens you choose whatever suits your style. There is no such thing as an ideal portrait lens. Some will shoot portraits with an 85mm lens and others with a 70-200mm lens, I use my 18-135mm lens. There is neither right nor wrong in shooting portraits with any lens that will suit your style. The 18-135mm is on my camera 99% of the time.

A FF camera will give you an edge in shooting portraits. An F2.8 lens will give you the bokeh you want, to isolate your subject from the BG. Nice smooth buttery bokeh. With the low noise high ISO results now possible, a “fast lens” is a lens used to control DOF rather than need to shoot at wider open apertures to allow more light to strike the sensor.

The biggest disadvantage of shooting with a D810 is that it “magnifies” any flaws in lenses and technique. The biggest advantage of the D810 is the detail that can be captured, in the hands of those whom know how to use it. The D810 is not a toy for amateurs but rather one serious tool for professionals. The D810 will make you a worse photographer if you do not understand how to use it.

If you shoot mostly in available light the D750 is probably be the better tool for you, unless you can afford a D4s. The Df will give you excellent results in available light. If you can find a good used D3s or a D700 you will be surprised at the results you can get from it. New is always better, if you can afford it.

Just don’t rush into buying a new camera, read, research and look before you make a final decision.

[AB26]

Not true, Andre.

Manfred,

Why’d you think I am still shooting a D200?
Been doing serious research on cameras since the D600 was released.

For the D800, only Nikkor or Carl Zeiss.

[dubaiphil]

For the D800, only Nikkor or Carl Zeiss.

Ah, did someone say Carl Zeiss?!?!? A manual focus and prime lens manufacturer (for ZF mount)? Blinkers off, guys...

Not one to pooh-pooh, but here's an article on the best performing lenses for the 800E , if that's your bag.

In the top 3, all three are prime lenses, two are Carl Zeiss and the one Nikkor is my dream Nikkor (the 200mm f2)

http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Best-...s-on-the-D800E

As a threesome they're not exactly on the cheap side though.

[dubaiphil]

Now of course that's scientifically tested rather than real world

[AB26]

Now of course that's scientifically tested rather than real world

Yep.
Is Photography not science applied in real world terms?

[JR1]

Manfred,

Why’d you think I am still shooting a D200?
Been doing serious research on cameras since the D600 was released.

For the D800, only Nikkor or Carl Zeiss.

Never upgrade unless you need to, I bought what I did because I had nothing to upgrade from, I had a Canon 60D, sterted shooting for a job, invested in neaw gear, if what "anyone has" is good forf them I would never suggest changing.

I had my 10D for 10 years

[JR1]

Canon 60D and Nikon 800E are now DISCONTINUED

[dubaiphil]

My D700 must be fossilised then

[JR1]

My D700 must be fossilised then

And yet commends one of the highest used prices

[AB26]

My D700 must be fossilised then

A very desirable Fossil!

[Venser]

A very desirable Fossil!

Just sold mine for the Olympus OM-D E-M1. Same with the 14-24 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8, 70-200 f/2.8, 85 f/1.4, and many other lenses. Got next to nothing for the D700 since most of the paint on the sides was missing plus I was North of 90K shutter attenuations.

All this talk in this thread about what camera to buy for portraits, it probably doesn't matter.

Are we talking about family portraits, corporate head shots, or billboard sized fashion portraits? If it's anything except the later, it doesn't matter. Just get the lenses required to do the job and shoot. I pared everything down to the X100s and Olympus OM-D E-M1. Clients can't tell the difference if you know what you're doing.

[Venser]

Flippant or no in this case this post makes more sense to me than most if not all of the others.

"I shoot with available light" sets off alarms for me. Alarms that no camera body can cure.

Wholeheartedly agree. I just assume the person doesn't know how to incorporate or use strobes/flashes when I hear that statement. If I were hiring a photographer, it'd be definite red flag.

[Dave Humphries]

I don't doubt Kristen has many satisfied clients.

"I shoot with available light" sets off alarms for me. Alarms that no camera body can cure.

Wholeheartedly agree. I just assume the person doesn't know how to incorporate or use strobes/flashes when I hear that statement. If I were hiring a photographer, it'd be definite red flag.

I also agree.

My status: I am not a Pro, heck; at the moment I don't even deserve the title of "knowledgeable amateur"

I am the first to admit I am one of the "I shoot with available light" clan - and yes, that's because I don't know how to shoot effectively with flash (and shooting alone).

Does that, particularly thinking of the portraiture genre, make me a worse photographer?

Yes, I believe it does, because if you think about it, photography is all about catching the light falling on the subject, so surely it must be better if the photographer has the capacity to acknowledge that and control the light - in addition to the subject, the background, composition, exposure, focus, DoF, et al.

Not just 'make do' with what happens to be "available" at the location* at the time of day the shoot occurs, even if they do have assistant(s) holding a reflector(s) - sure, the latter should help, but it cannot, in practical terms, replace a properly configured lighting set up for what I'd call 'professional portraiture', nor for say, event shooting - where the photographer has little or no control over the timing of the event to be able to pause proceedings and pose the subject using any shafts of light for good modelling.

* I am not considering a photographer's own 'natural light' studio here, nor 'informal shoots' where the photographer is in control of the whole shebang and the subject(s) comply with instructions

Well that's my (late night) tuppence worth on the subject - and I apologise for going off-topic from the OP question.

Equally; as I said when I started, I don't doubt "available light only" photographers do have many satisfied clients and there's no doubt a niche in the market for that method of working that will satisfy some clientèle - the rest will just go elsewhere.

For my own part; I think I get 'ok' results, but technically, I do get many rejects because the light available wasn't falling on the subject suitably.

Of course it may be that what's in my head at this time (or Terry's or Chris's, etc.) is not the type of shooting Kristen has in mind, so we're possibly/probably comparing apples with pineapples and drawing irrelevant/false conclusions.

As Kristen said, we're all here to learn and I hope this post helps that process for someone.


Getting back on topic, I would agree that the D7100, possibly with a better lens, is liable to give 'as good' results as any of the FF cameras being discussed - although I did like the look of that D750

For portraiture; is a stop less DoF and a thin band of sharply resolved skin pores really going to help? I'm not sure - nor am I experienced enough to say!

[Adrian]

On reflection, if it were me, I would hold off from investing in a full frame camera at all right now. Give it a year. We are about to see fundamental technology changes, with SLRs utilise the new generation of extremely fast (400 Mbs) 128 GB SD cards. These cameras will all have 4k video capability as well. I expect to see the demise of CF cards shortly and pro / semi cameras will come with twin SD card slots. Battery life is also likely to be improved.

We are in Japan currently and at a tech event Sony were showcasing exactly this technology. Plus cameras with incredibly effective stabilisation built in for video: the camera was mounted on a vibrating platform and pictured people walking up to it: the picture was steady (unlike the camera adjacent to it, which did not have this). High end DSLRs are increasing used for both stills and video and I think things like the 5DIII and D810 are already yesterday's technology.

Invest in good glass. Wait a year for the camera body.

Adrian