TEST: D800 vs the D800e for sharpness: As we all know the D800e is supposed to render photographs a little sharper than the D800. Yesterday a friend who owns a D800e and I who has a...

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

As we all know the D800e is supposed to render photographs a little sharper than the D800. Yesterday a friend who owns a D800e and I who has a D800 decided to put his camera and mine to the test. We used a board mounted with photo test patterns as shown in the photo. Measurements were made to ensure the board was on the same plane as the front of the lens. We tested the center and the edges. The same lens, Nikkor 24-85 f3.5-4.5 was used. The resulting photos were compared on my friend's computer. We were not surprised to see the D800e was a hair sharper but only a hair. We unscientifically determined my D800 was 99.9% as sharp as my friend's D800e. The sharpness of both was incredible but his was a bit sharper as we thought it should be. In a real life photo smaller than a billboard nobody would ever see the difference inn my opinion.

Dennis

(Download)

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Try the test with a prime lens. A zoom is not exactly a good lens for a test.

Good show thought.

I am doing tests on my own and found striking differences between zooms and primes...

Since these are specialized they are not even good references. One is macro, the other a portrait lens...

Drove me nuts when I saw that.

Oh, I have a D800e.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Rongnongno wrote:

Try the test with a prime lens. A zoom is not exactly a good lens for a test.

Good show thought.

I am doing tests on my own and found striking differences between zooms and primes...

Since these are specialized they are not even good references. One is macro, the other a portrait lens...

Drove me nuts when I saw that.

Oh, I have a D800e.

That is a good suggestion. I only have a 105 f2.8 prime lens but I am sure it would be as good as any if not better. Good luck with your tests. My unscientific WAG (wild ass guess) is the 800e will be a teeny miniscule bit sharper.

Dennis

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Rongnongno wrote:

Try the test with a prime lens. A zoom is not exactly a good lens for a test.

Good show thought.

I am doing tests on my own and found striking differences between zooms and primes....

Yes, but most don't shoot with primes. In the real world, it's almost all zooms.
And most primes are used close up, as in portraits, which will tend to minimize any advantages, and barely there too.
I'm sure the biggest difference is in Nikons pocket book, and not with cameras in the hands of guys that are pixel peeping.
Of course, just my personal opinion, yours may vary greatly.
And, no dogs or cats were hurt in the formulation of my opinion! :lol:
SS

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

dennis2146 wrote:

That is a good suggestion. I only have a 105 f2.8 prime lens but I am sure it would be as good as any if not better. Good luck with your tests. My unscientific WAG (wild ass guess) is the 800e will be a teeny miniscule bit sharper.
Dennis

Dennis, if your prime is a 2.8, it's a pro model, so should be plenty sharp. If its a macro, they tend to be sharper than most just by design. ;-)
SS

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

SharpShooter wrote:

Dennis, if your prime is a 2.8, it's a pro model, so should be plenty sharp. If its a macro, they tend to be sharper than most just by design. ;-)
SS

Hi SharpShooter,

Yes it is the pro model macro lens. In my usage though not on the D800 it is a very sharp lens indeed. My windmill photo was taken with that lens.

Dennis

Rongnongno Loc: FL

SharpShooter wrote:

...And, no dogs or cats were hurt in the formulation of my opinion! :lol:
SS

:shock: :twisted: WHAT? Why? It rains cats and dogs here! Wish we had less of those!

amehta Loc: Boston

dennis2146 wrote:

As we all know the D800e is supposed to render pho... (show quote)

I would be curious to see how the D800E with the 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 would compare with the D800 with the 24mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 (or f/1.8) lenses. My expectation is that the lens makes a much bigger difference than the "E".

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

dennis2146 wrote:

As we all know the D800e is supposed to render pho... (show quote)

Seems like a lot of work to reinvent the wheel. Everyone who has read the reviews knows that the difference is marginal at best.

amehta Loc: Boston

joer wrote:

Seems like a lot of work to reinvent the wheel. Everyone who has read the reviews knows that the difference is marginal at best.

Sometimes it feels good to verify for oneself that the wheel is indeed round. :-)

DaveHam Loc: Reading UK

We tried a similar test using a 50/f1.4, 200/F2 and 300/F2.8, and some telephotos.

In some cases the D800E was clearly sharper, usually wide open to about 2 stops off wide open. In some cases it was not. We concluded that the lens being used and the aperture set were important in extracting the maximum sharpness from the D800E.

I regularly shoot with both; for a lot of work especially at small aperture it is difficult to tell the difference. On some work such as macro there is a small but noticeable difference.

The question is can the extra sharpness justify the extra cost. I think if you are working in areas where there is a noticeable difference in sharpness then yes, it does, but for day to day work, no.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

dennis2146 wrote:

As we all know the D800e is supposed to render pho... (show quote)

The D800e costs about 17% more than the D800. Are you sure it isn't 17% sharper? You have to figure in the prestige value, too, of course. A guy walks into a room with the D800, and people go, "Oooh! Nice camera." Then someone walks in with a D800e, and they go, "Oooh! Great camera." :D

As you said, the D800e would probably be better for large printing, even smaller than billboards. Fortunately, I'm not about to choose between them.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

jerryc41 wrote:

As you said, the D800e would probably be better for large printing, even smaller than billboards.

Billboards are made to be viewed at a distance.
If you got up close to one, you would be amazed at how unsharp they really can be. Hold an 8x10 inch print at arm's length and you get an idea of what you're seeing.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

GoofyNewfie wrote:

Billboards are made to be viewed at a distance.
If you got up close to one, you would be amazed at how unsharp they really can be. Hold an 8x10 inch print at arm's length and you get an idea of what you're seeing.

True. Have you noticed that most billboard displays are now made of printed vinyl? I remember seeing a painter up on the scaffold actually painting the advertisement.

Of course, sometimes the driver wants a closer look.

Joecosentino Loc: Whitesboro, New York

Most photos are made to be viewed at a distance. If the photos are exactly the same, he normal human eye at 6 feet or 10 feet could not pick out a photo from a d800, d800e or a D4

We have become obsessed with pixel peeping and as long as we are they will keep putting features in new bodies to excite the peepers and make a new sale