Hi Windman,
I find that the D800e can take such sharp pictures (with the right lens) that I can crop and still maintain sharpness. The Bee pictures were all extremely cropped. With my D300s I did not do nearly the extreme cropping. Also, for a guy who is in his 60's, I find the larger view finder on the D800 much easier to use. I have a KatzEye split screen to help with focusing on the D300s but I don't need one on the new camera. One thing that sold me on the D300 and D800 are the build quality.

I just happened to be shooting with the old 55mm micro nikkor when I shot the bees. I also have the following lens:

105mm af f/2.8D micro
28-300mm af-s f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR
50mm af f/1.8D
500mm f/5 reflex

I believe I will need some more glass to take advantage of the D800 capabilities.

Well, couldn't expect too much from a 40+ year old lens!! :wink:

Just in from B&H and took my first shots. I still have my D300s and the transition to new camera was quite easy! Below are some first test shots. Cropped images were processed in ViewNX2. Thank you.

Bee on Rosemary 1


Mule Deer in Back Yard


Balder the Lab


Bee on Rosemary 2

Wow, you can even dial-in the filter you want! Shipping cost to U.S. is too prohibitive...otherwise.... :wink:

Yes, regarding what they are selling for. The lens I bought is the F/5 version. BTW...I've seen your Night Heron photo and it just gave me additional incentive to go with a F/5 500mm Nikkor reflex.

I already have a 28-300mm Nikkor. I wanted something greater than 400mm. I can resell the reflex lens easily for what I paid. The f8 versions are selling for same or more.

Recently purchased on Ebay this lens for a great price (< $375)! I've read much of the reviews and comments about these reflex lens and their inherent flaws but for the price I could not refuse. Lens came with all the pieces (filters, case, lens shade, and even the original instruction sheet). Condition of the lens and the leather case were exceptional for the age. I wanted to use this primarily for photographing birds. I had to use a tripod and wireless shutter release to get the best results. The KatzEye split focusing screen really helped focusing on my D300s. The female Scrub Jays were about 75 feet away.

Did you adjust your insurance coverage to include cost-of-replacement? I have my D300s and am looking to add a D800e soon.

I do, especially photos of diatoms using Nikon D300s on vintage Zeiss photomicroscope and Nikon LKE microscopes. I am still tying to perfect my techniques.

Here is link to Nikon article on photographing fireworks:

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Article/fvttrrsx/taking-pictures-of-fireworks.html

when you turn the lever to lock position, a small pin extends down into a hole in the camera's flash mount. This pin keeps the flash in place and from sliding off. The pin is probably not retracting when you turn the lever to the unlock position. If the lever has any play, then it may not be retracting the pin completely. It is also possible that the pin is jammed into the hole. Try pushing the base of the flash forwards or backwards just a bit to free the pin so it can be retracted. Also, try removing the flash while camera is up-side down.

I believe this is a Lesser Gold Finch. Shot hand-held about 15ft away. Bird is about 3 inches long. I did some post processing with Nikon ViewNX. Image was viewed 50% larger and copied/pasted to a file as jpeg. This is what is attached. I don't know if the camera information is saved. If not, I will update this description. This bird and other finches that came by to feed around the Rosemary bush were highly active and I was lucky if any remained in one position for more than a second. If I had time, I probably would have increased ISO. Thank you.

Lesser Gold Finch

Marty,
Excellent write up of your ordeal. I can feel the pain in my stomach as I read it. I majored in marine biology in the late '60s and took my Nikon F everywhere, even out to the crashing waves at the edge of the intertidal zone. I still have my trusty F. Hope your insurance comes thru for you. Thank you.

I have some old Nikon and Zeiss microscopes. With the Nikons I have special condenser that allows dark field illumination but I prefer Differential Interference Phase Contrast (DIC) on the Zeiss. This setup uses polarized light and produces a colored background. My subjects are translucent diatoms.

My dad kept a Minolta SRT in the car trunk for many years. When I finally took it out, the camera was in perfect shape but the softcase literally fell apart.