very nice. A possible additional perspective might be with a crop placing the Saguaro trees that break the horizon at bottom right "rule of thirds" position with the rainbow falling at that location. Maybe something like attached?

(Download)

Got my first full frame yesterday - D810 with Tokina 24-70 F2.8. Still working through tech details vs my previous DX setup (D7000) but had to try it out. First shot below @ widest aperture (F2.8) and second @ smallest aperture (F22). Third is a post processed HDR from five F8.0 images and last is post processed panarama from six F8.0 images (all cropped and resized as appropriate). Liking everything so far - much better sharpness...no concerns with image size after cropping...quick and reliable focusing...lots of added features. Need to get used to the slower photoshop processing times with a lot larger RAW image sizes.

(Download)


(Download)


(Download)


(Download)

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome. Camera new lens arrived today - still working through various differences in setup and shooting vs my D7000. Probably will take a short hike tomorrow to take first real pictures with it.

dsmaltz...[The Adorama one I saw was a refurbished DEMO. I wonder if that makes a difference?]

My Adorama refurb was delivered today. It may have been a demo unit (shutter count was 8675). I still like the savings vs other purchase options.

Inside the box, the camera was enclosed in plastic and bubble wrap. Other components were also wrapped in plastic and looked like new. The only missing item was the manual (I downloaded a copy from the web). I couldn't detect any cosmetic defects. After charging, the battery comes up as new in status menu. I updated both firmware and distortion data (each were one version behind the latest). Time of day was set to late 2014 before being updated. The first picture taken received file name DSC_0100.

I get a 90 day limited warranty from Nikon and I added the 3 year "New Leaf" extended warranty for $49.

In exploring purchase options for a refurbished Nikon camera, I was surprised to discover different prices from different sources (I had expected standardized pricing as mandated by Nikon for new cameras). I found a refurbished D810 for $1997 from Adorama; for $2199 from B&H; and for $2445 directly from Nikon. I also saw the closest used equivalent (EX+ rated) on KEH for $2572. A new D810 (with US warranty from anyone) is currently $2797. I bought the refurbished one from Adorama. I particularly can't understand why anyone would ever go for a used camera that is a lot more expensive than a certified refurbished one.

This is my first post to the forum...been enjoying the exchange on various topics for a couple of weeks now. I got my first DSLR - a D7000 - when I retired four years ago. I bought the camera mostly for photographing my young grandchildren, for family events, and for use while traveling. I'm hooked on photoshop/lightroom and mostly have only posted images online, though I have done a few photobooks. I recently have been doing a lot of remedial study - including the Tony Northrup ebook and the Steve Perry Nikon autofocus ebook as recommended on the forum. Anyway, having mostly lesser quality kit lenses, I decided that it was time for an upgrade. I struggled a little with the choice between staying with cropped sensor or taking the plunge to full frame. I though about posting here for advice, but saw enough advice provided to others to know that it was really a decision that I needed to make on my own. I looked at some quite good DX lenses such as the Sigma 18-35 and Sigma 50 -100 1.8s. Together these lenses would cost about $2000. If I also upgraded to the highly recommended D500, I'd be spending a total of about $4,000. I compared this buying choice to an investment in full frame and opted to go that way instead. The major driver for me was the sharpness data on Dxomark for numerous full frame lense options vs the highest rated DX lenses. It was absolutely no contest. Anyway, I ended up buying a refurbished D810(~$2k with 3 year warranty on Adorama) plus a Tokina 24-70mm F/2.8 AT-X Pro (about another $1K). The much higher resolution should pay off by making it possible for me to create much higher quality photo books and printed images. Anxiously awaiting delivery of my new purchase.