Festus Loc: North Dakota

If you need to be convinced, you don't need it! But what does need have to do with anything?

Elliern Loc: Myrtle Beach, SC

Yes, you NEED it. Why?
1-it will bring you enjoyment and satisfaction (at least for awhile) :) that is an important thing that many if us neglect to do for ourselves and others.
2-you can afford it and will not be depriving anyone of anything if you get it
3-you have researched it and know what it can do and what you can do with it
4- too often we put off doing what we truly want to do. Sometimes the reasons are valid and wise, but sometimes we need to allow our good dreams and desires to happen.
5- see number 1
Get your new camera, use it and have fun doing so. I could not come up with even one mediocre reason not to do it. So.....waiting to see the pics from your new camera.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

If you can afford a D800E, get it. Start shooting with, but learn all of the nuances that will provide you the best image possible.
--Bob

Jim S Loc: Barrington RI, DC now Hilton Head,

fabulous camera. I love mine.

siamesecatmanuk Loc: Leicestershire UK

For those of us who haven't a clue what they might be ? they are ? Graham (siamesecatman)

rdoc Loc: Rochester, MN

You want it, you can afford it, get it! NOW! Why do you need convincing? Shag your butt to the store or online and buy it! Or, send me the money and I'll buy it and send you all the beautiful pictures I take!

Kuzano

It's not a question of the camera. It's a question of what you want.

I buy and sell cameras for the last twenty or so years to raise money on the side.

There is not a digital camera I cannot outshoot with my medium and large format film camera's, so the Nikon D800E means NADA to me, just as your previous case of gas D600/D610 mean nothing.

For camera's, it's pretty simple. I buy them, for the most part to sell and make money. Now for a bit of a change of perspective, I do this with film camera's and do quite well.

Digital Camera's cannot be bought and sold for a profit. So, I'm not so enthused about digital. The only aspect money wise about digital, is that it's a great way to spend (throw) money away. In fact, because of my other avarice, I do not put a lot of money into digital cameras.

I have an Olympus m4/3 E-PL5 and enough glass to stay under about $1200, and that kit keeps me as close to what I would be able to get from a Nikon D800E as I need to be. Like I said, $1000 of large format film equipment would do better.

However, I know this much about hobbies....that is true of all hobbies.... golf, tennis, sailing, collecting vinyl, etc.

There is no financial justification, wrong or right, for 99 percent of the hobbies we choose. 90 percent of us are never going to be really good at them. You could not talk a person into or out of a chosen hobby. They are simply money burners, and most of them are not even good for our mental or physical health.

The guy who raised the awareness of jogging to a mainstream health pastime, died of a heart attack on the trail, jogging. One might say he "jogged his little heart out".

Someone once told me that Euell Gibbons (the natural diet guru) choked to death on pine nuts. He actually died of cancer (incurred by eating pine nuts, no doubt).

The money aspect is particularly true about the hobby that is foremost for me. Automobiles... new, old, project, and so on.

Going back to my first sentence, to complete it, it's about what you want.

When I find a car I want, I save money, I agonize, I dream about it at night and start thinking about it when I wake up. I ponder and scheme.

Eventually, it ends up in my garage. I made a list about two years ago, and I calculate I've purchased about 116 cars since I was 15 years old.

When I get it in my head, I end up with it. It's like a disease with me. Right now, there is a pretty white 1994 BMW 535i that is very nice, and I can pick it up for $1000, and get the intake gasket repaired for about $500.

I imagine I will soon own it, and park it alongside my black 1994 BMW 530i.

I won't even attempt to answer your question about the Nikon you want, because in my mind, you asking that question is about as asinine as me asking ANYONE to help me justify purchase of one of those cars lodged in my brain.

If you want it, get it. If you are eating, sleeping and drinking, Nikon D800E, you won't know if it's right for you, OR NOT, until it's in your bag, and you use it.

No one here has an answer for you.

Me, if real image quality is your goal, I'd encourage you to get a Shen Hao or a Chamonix large format 4x5 or 5x7 camera ($800 TO $1000) and spend about $500 on a really nice Nikon large format lens and shutter and take some REAL pictures. That combo would blow your D800E out of the water.

But hey... what do I know. I'm a car guy. :lol:

By the way... It's NOT GAS until you act on it, hence the middle work, ACQUISITION!!! Acquire it NOW.

bersharbp Loc: Texas

You have a D7100; Unless you are doing a lot of 'pro' work, I doubt that you NEED it. I too, have a 7100 and a lot if WANTS. The D800E is the next step up and is ion the wish list of most Nikon fans but it does need a lot of justification from a 7100 in my opinion, especially considering the lens-upgrade issue

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Each camera / lens combination have varying response to the range of light of which they are capable of capturing, and how they capture it. Becoming very familiar with that range and how to work within it is one. It is probably the most important one as exposure is the basis of a good image.

I shoot the majority of my image in manual mode. It's a carry over from using film. Viewing a scene and working within the camera's capabilities will render a result much easier to post process with a very nice image as a result.

When the scene isn't ideal, what results will the camera provide, and how do I post process to get as close to what I want in the final image. These are all rather esoteric qualities and much like making friends, one has to understand each camera's "personality", etc. In that way, I don't have to think about the camera, only the image. We just work as one.
--Bob

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Kuzano wrote,
"There is not a digital camera I cannot outshoot with my medium and large format film camera's"

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Peter Boyd Loc: Blyth nr. Newcastle U.K.

Go for it - there are no pockets in a shroud!

jrphoto Loc: Florida

Did you ask yourself why the D800E and not the D800? If you will be shooting mostly landscapes or architecture or working in the studio where you can control the lighting, then you will like the D800E. If you shoot from the hip a lot, then you might be better off with the D800. When I needed to choose, I thought back to my old Kodak SLR/n that did not have the sensor filter like the D800E. I loved that camera, but it had it's limitations. I used it a lot for aerial photography and I still think it was one of the best for that. On another note, you will need to upgrade your memory cards if not your computer. I was shooting 16GB cards in my D700 and D3x, when I went to the D800 I had to invest in a few 32GB cards. My computer uses the Windows OS and I had to upgrade to the 64bit OS and up my RAM so that Photoshop wouldn't choke on the raw files from the D800.
Hope this helps.

Trout man Loc: Alabama

Dear oldtigger,
It would appear after hog sharers said learn to shoot what you have you still, in the back of your mind, want a FX D800. Hey it's your birthday so treat yourself. You're not going to be fully happy until you get one. I have a 5100 and upgraded to a 7100 for my Christmas present. Now I have to learn how to get better photos using the 7100. I could have asked for a D610 and almost wish I had. You can always get a refurb 600 and see if FX is the way to go. I may do just that by the end of the year. But if you're like me and don't play golf at $50 to $80 a day you can justify a camera for a good hobby. I fly fish and love it and only need a fishing license and take my camera with me. Have wonderful shots of fog and rapids on the river so I'm happy on both counts. Note: Once you go to FX then the big bucks is FX lens. That's why I finally decided to stay with DX for a while. Also the D800 will probably be upgraded this or next year. So good luck with your decision.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

what you really need is the Nikon F6!

wingclui44 Loc: CT USA

I just got the Df to do what my old D200 can't do, the low light ability! Getting it just for low light high ISO shooting, love it. I don't need high pixel!