I have more RAM, but I doubt that makes a difference in this case. It's working absolutely fine. I set my RAW files to lossless compression (there's no real advantage to not have it compressed), and they don't turn out larger than 43 MB, sometimes even 37 MB, depending on how much is going on in the image.

One big advantage with the Retina MBP is also the SSD drive, it gives you a lot more speed with loading files and applications. Effectively, since I only replace my computer every 4 years, I'm now working a *lot* faster than with the 25-MB files of my previous camera and my old computer.

The computer speed is not the limiting factor in my workflow: with LR I can start editing files even while others are being imported. The limiting factor I have is sitting and thinking time. So large files are not a problem.

using this combo and it works, though don't expect the same smoothnes as with working with 25-30mb files, 60+mb files have they own heavy burden which You have to swallow.

Welcome to NR ideasrj.

If you look at the bottom of your post you will see an edit button which is there so you can edit your posts with double posting.

Greetings to you all !

What is the forum's opinion about teaming up Nikon D800 with Macbook Pro, 15'' Retina Display, 2.6 Ghz, 8GB Memory. Mountain Lion 10.8.2.

I consider buying Nikon D800 but came across a few comments that the large file size of D800 shall slow down the work flow. I use the above mentioned machine and would like to know if any one using the same configuration has faced any troubles in managing the RAW files of huge size as that of D800?

Appreciate the forum's feedback on this topic.

The Nikon D800 is no way a beginners camera and you will need top pro lenses to get best results. Invest in lenses first then upgrade your camera. The D800 is a fantastic camera and well worth the money but you will need a fast computer with plenty of storage. The D800 is not the type of camera that you can snap away taking photos of anything that moves. You have to think more when taking photographs and just shoot the images you need (i.e., who needs 300 pics of a squirrel , lol) been there, done that. Think of the type of photography you want to do, then buy the best lens you need to do the job. Just because the D800 is a top class camera, it won't give top results using cheap lenses so think before you buy. As others have said, there are new Nikon cameras to be released in 2013 so I would wait a little longer and see what is available then. Good luck with your choice. theoldnikonian

Goes in the VAD thread...where I put it.

http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=15539

Hey all, I just got back from a 2000 mile roadtrip in Utah's National Parks. As usual, I brought my Nikon D800 to film with and thought I'd share the HD video.

Utah "Grand Circle" HD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_odAWTEtMQ&hd=1

It was a 2-week journey and quite exhausting with all the hiking. The route is known as "The Grand Circle," traversing through the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, Natural Bridges, Arches, Canyonlands, Deadhorse Point, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Bryce Canyon, and Zion parks.

I shot with the Nikon D800, mostly on the 24mm f/1.4G Nikkor and 85mm f/1.8G Nikkor. There are several shots included from the Sony A99 as well, shot by my friend on the 24mm, 85mm, and 135mm zeiss primes.

Comments and critique welcome! I'm always trying to improve my imagery.

Cheers,
Patrick

we seem to be going a bit off topic

so I have started a new thread

http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=13613#post-125641

@Paperman: Ah, gotcha - and no programmable ranges on the D300 either.

I have to say that I would probably never use auto ISO as a default if I were you, then you would have to switch it on rather than switch it off.

Paperman said:
. The only way to protect this is to switch Auto ISO OFF ( by going into the menu - an annoyance ),

you do not need to go to the menus
press the ISO button (top left) and turn the front command dial

spraynpray said:
I'm not so sure about this. Even when using manual I don't want to have to do manual everything, so I like it that manual only relates to exposure.

Can't you use a programmable range to get what you want?

The problem arises when I switch from S or A mode ( which I do prefer to use with Auto ISO ON ) to Manual when the light is tricky and the ideal exposure is already set in my mind.

Once in manual, the camera does not care about the manually set exposure and goes for what ever it reads from the scene - changing the ISO to get it right. The only way to protect this is to switch Auto ISO OFF ( by going into the menu - an annoyance ), which I more often than not forget for a good number of shots. ( Am I the only one forgetting this :-) ? )

A stop or two higher ISO may not worry those with newer DSLRs but it does make a big difference when shooting landscapes with a D300 , which ISO Noisewise sucks even at 400.

I have read in other forums users complaining about the same issue, some suggesting there should be a menu setting giving a choice of Auto ISO ON / OFF when in Manual mode. After all, when you are in manual, you expect everything to be manual.

Paperman said:
A minor detail for most probably but as someone unable to understand why Auto ISO is not automatically turned off in MANUAL mode ( in previous models ), this is just another annoyance ( for me ) to get used to - in probably all new Nikons to come....

I'm not so sure about this. Even when using manual I don't want to have to do manual everything, so I like it that manual only relates to exposure.

Can't you use a programmable range to get what you want?

Paperman said:
D800 is not a journalist/sports photographer camera.

Sorry I not realise this,I will stop doing journalistic and sports photography immediately

Paperman said:
A minor detail for most probably but as someone unable to understand why Auto ISO is not automatically turned off in MANUAL mode ( in previous models ), this is just another annoyance ( for me ) to get used to - in probably all new Nikons to come....

I don't know why ether but the auto ISO legend does flash to remind you when switch to Manual

TaoTeJared said:

It doesn't matter if it is a tele or wide - the adjustment basically pushes it up or down based on the focal length. Neutral is usually Shutter = focal length and it moves the ISO from there. The adjustments then push up the shutter 1-2 stops in either direction.

It works quite well. I do wish it would "remember" my settings for each lens as for VR lenses I can adjust down a couple of stops vs. non-VR.

Of course if you want a "look" the camera can't tell you do, it just always wants to get the "proper" exposure. I do like the button layout on the D800 - I can change every setting from the buttons very quickly for manual exposure and do not have to dive into the menus.

D800 is not a journalist/sports photographer camera. If it were the D4 doing this - where the photographer has to get the necessary speed for freezing the action or getting the shot no matter what the quality, I would understand the compromise that comes with increased ISO .

D800 is a 36 Mp camera and its strength comes from the detail and IQ it offers. When it is a fact that minimum ISO = best IQ, I can't give credit to Nikon for its preference to use AUTO ISO this way - unlike previous cameras. It is giving very little control to the photographer.

And it is annoying to see AUTO ISO managed different ways in different cameras. The D5000 came with different Auto ISO behaviour than previous models in flash mode. Now with the D800, you have to remember to be in S mode if you want traditional Auto ISO - ( which chooses lowest ISO when possible )

A minor detail for most probably but as someone unable to understand why Auto ISO is not automatically turned off in MANUAL mode ( in previous models ), this is just another annoyance ( for me ) to get used to - in probably all new Nikons to come....

We shall see what happens. My camera is expected to arrive tomorrow. UPS usually delivers to my house around 8pm

I decided to give Amazon a try. A camera customer concierge person sent me an email saying she was tracking my shipment and would alert me to any problems. she gave an email and a phone number to contact for problems. I was quite pleasantly surprised by this.

Rx4Photo said:
@ Geoff_K, you could probably feel safe with ordering a D800 by now. I got mine from the Nikon Store, I don't know, a few months ago, and the Lot # was #3028XXX. Totally flawless for me. I even shoot occasionally using the leftmost (and right) focus points and get focused images. Honestly, I don't know if lot # has any bearing on what problems lurk inside but they should be pumping out those higher lots by now. Best of luck to you.

+1 - everything was fixed by the 3 batch (4th month after release) and have never heard of issues from the new cameras. Remember they built up stock before releasing it, so it took a time for it to appear and made it seem worse than what it was. Of course there are always outliers here and there.

Paperman said:
I was under that impression since you said it chose a higher ISO for the sake of a higher shutter speed - when a tele lens is on.

It doesn't matter if it is a tele or wide - the adjustment basically pushes it up or down based on the focal length. Neutral is usually Shutter = focal length and it moves the ISO from there. The adjustments then push up the shutter 1-2 stops in either direction.

It works quite well. I do wish it would "remember" my settings for each lens as for VR lenses I can adjust down a couple of stops vs. non-VR.

Of course if you want a "look" the camera can't tell you do, it just always wants to get the "proper" exposure. I do like the button layout on the D800 - I can change every setting from the buttons very quickly for manual exposure and do not have to dive into the menus.

sevencrossing said:
I don't think it does. in daylight. between f4 and f 8 it will normally chose native ISO

I was under that impression since you said it chose a higher ISO for the sake of a higher shutter speed - when a tele lens is on.

@ Geoff_K, you could probably feel safe with ordering a D800 by now. I got mine from the Nikon Store, I don't know, a few months ago, and the Lot # was #3028XXX. Totally flawless for me. I even shoot occasionally using the leftmost (and right) focus points and get focused images. Honestly, I don't know if lot # has any bearing on what problems lurk inside but they should be pumping out those higher lots by now. Best of luck to you.

Paperman said:
but it would be frustrating to see the camera choose "not the minimum ISO" when light conditions actually allow it.

I don't think it does. in daylight. between f4 and f 8 it will normally chose native ISO

Thanks Sevencrossing...

I am not sure if this is a function that would please everyone. It actually makes using it complicated and out of control. I like using the Auto ISO but it would be frustrating to see the camera choose "not the minimum ISO" when light conditions actually allow it. Just like I find it frustrating to be unable to shoot in manual mode with Auto ISO on ( where the camera changes the exposure to its liking shifting the ISO - totally disregarding the photographer's exposure choice. Every time I switch to manual, I have to remember to also switch off the Auto ISO )

Anyway, I don't have a D800 yet so no need to worry :-)

Yes. As the focal length increases, it sets a higher ISO value and higher shutter speed

but it will NOT go above the MAX ISO value you have set

nor, of course, will it go below the ISO value you have set

it does not seem to take into account if it is a VR lens

I set my max ISO at 6,400 and the default at 100

Thanks sevencrossing . This is typical use of AUTO ISO as we all very commonly use but it is not the answer to my question.

I was just querying about what you said " the D800 auto ISO takes into account the FOCAL LENGHTH " .

So does it choose exposure values the way I gave an example of - overriding the minimum ISO choice to give a higher shutter speed when a TELE lens is on ?

Paperman

I mainly use a 24-120 vr

I have found when shooting a "busy" event, I have failed to notice the light failing and aperture priority giving me unacceptably low shutter speeds . Auto ISO takes care of this. I use this as my default setting

If I am working in a controlled environment, were the light level is not changing, I am more likely to set the ISO my self

It is a very personal thing, at most of the events I shoot, high ISOs is acceptable and I have found, I am more likely to lose a shot, due to camera shake or subject movement, than noise

I also use auto ISO for sunrise and sunsets, when I am not using a tripod

sevencrossing said:
On my D800 I tend to use Auto ISO
the auto ISO is set to 2 "clicks" faster than default
the D800 auto ISO takes into account the focal length
This feature does not exist on the D700

Just curious sevencrossing ...

Are you saying D800 would choose to go for ( let's say )

- 1/500 f4 @ ISO 800

if it has a 300-400mm lens on, instead of staying at

- 1/125 f4 @ ISO200 ?.

For the above case, I am considering AUTO ISO ON and set at 800 , Aperture Priorty . ( It obviously won't change the shutter speed in S mode )

I can't see this being a good thing. The loss from 2 stops more ISO can be more than the loss due to camera shake. ( I might as well be shooting birds on a monopod or sandbag. )

Previous DSLRs were set to go first for minimum ISO for best quality in AUTO ISO ( except flash mode ) and then play with shutter speed/aperture.