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D800 Viewfinder
- Thread starter itripod
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Tony Beach
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D800 has .7 magnification, and the D300 has .94 magnification. The scene will appear 25% smaller in the D800 viewfinder than it will in the D300 viewfinder.
The D300 has a .94 magnification APS-C viewfinder. In 35mm terms, you need to divide it with 1.54. After which you'll end up with 0.61, so it's in fact 15% smaller. Another thing to remember is that the D300 uses only half of the mirror, and magnifies that, so there's less light hitting the viewfinder as well.
Clayton1985
Veteran Member
Does this mean that it will be 15% smaller in DX mode but should actually be brighter?
That is comparing the full D800 viewfinder with the full D300 viewfinder. The OP's question was about the DX section of the D800 viewfinder. The light hitting the DX section of the D800 mirror is exactly the same light that is hitting the D300 mirror.
And the DX section of the D800 viewfinder will be smaller than the full D300 viewfinder, exactly in the ratio of 0.94 and 0.7, ie, the D300 viewfinder will appear 34% larger than the DX part of the D800 viewfinder. But you get of course the rangefinder-like extra view of what is happening outside the frame.
Wow, teaches me not to read the question carefully.
Thank you both - for asking and for explaining this. The rangefinder-like comparison made it wonderfully clear.
Most likely not, because as noirdesir already said, you'll be using the same portion of the mirror with both when shooting the D800 in DX mode. Sure, the D800 area is less magnified, meaning it's a bit brighter, but the D300 most likely has a clearer focus screen as to compensate for the dimmer viewfinder and larger DOF, so most likely the D800 will in fact be darker
Leonard Shepherd
Forum Pro
Not mentioned is viewfinder brightness. The D700 is about 1 stop darker than the D300. Expect the same with the D800.
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Leonard Shepherd
Photography could be easier - if cameras and lenses came with an increase in skill button.
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Leonard Shepherd
Photography could be easier - if cameras and lenses came with an increase in skill button.
M Lammerse
Forum Pro
Hi,
I've had a brief play with the D800 at CP+ The viewfinder is large and bright, I could not feel a difference with the D3S. It gives almost 100% coverage as well.
Michel
http://www.fotopropaganda.com/blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9240992@N05/ (my pixel mess on flikr)
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda
I've had a brief play with the D800 at CP+ The viewfinder is large and bright, I could not feel a difference with the D3S. It gives almost 100% coverage as well.
Michel
--
- To observe without evaluation is the highest form of human intelligence -
http://www.fotopropaganda.com/blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9240992@N05/ (my pixel mess on flikr)
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda
Robin Casady
Forum Pro
I would guess that one could use the Nikon DK-17M magnifying eyepiece on the D800. It fits on the D700 and D3. I use it on the D700 and like it.
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Robin Casady
http://www.robincasady.com/Photo/index.html
Hawaii-geek
Veteran Member
Michel,
D800 Viewfinder As large and As Bright as the D3s VF ?
Not a D3s shooter ... just wanted to confirm your thoughts.
Thank you,
HG
http://tourist-of-light.blogspot.com/
Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit any of my photos & re-post, to help show me 'the way'. * I am trying to Elevate the Level of my 'Snap Shots'
D800 Viewfinder As large and As Bright as the D3s VF ?
Not a D3s shooter ... just wanted to confirm your thoughts.
Thank you,
HG
--
http://tourist-of-light.blogspot.com/
Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit any of my photos & re-post, to help show me 'the way'. * I am trying to Elevate the Level of my 'Snap Shots'
Did you really mean D300 ? or was it D3 perhaps ?
M Lammerse
Forum Pro
Hi HG,
I really did not notice any differences between both viewfinders. The one of the D800 and the D3S.
Michel
http://www.fotopropaganda.com/blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9240992@N05/ (my pixel mess on flikr)
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda
I really did not notice any differences between both viewfinders. The one of the D800 and the D3S.
Michel
--Not a D3s shooter ... just wanted to confirm your thoughts.
Thank you,
HG
--
http://tourist-of-light.blogspot.com/
Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit any of my photos & re-post, to help show me 'the way'. * I am trying to Elevate the Level of my 'Snap Shots'
- To observe without evaluation is the highest form of human intelligence -
http://www.fotopropaganda.com/blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9240992@N05/ (my pixel mess on flikr)
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda
Hawaii-geek
Veteran Member
Michel,
WOW, thank you for your feedback.
Learned something today.
Something fun to check out when the production D800 ships.
Would have never though of making that comparison.
But, that would be a BIG WOW ... for me.
us$3,000 is looking pretty Cheap !
HG
http://tourist-of-light.blogspot.com/
Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit any of my photos & re-post, to help show me 'the way'. * I am trying to Elevate the Level of my 'Snap Shots'
WOW, thank you for your feedback.
Learned something today.
Something fun to check out when the production D800 ships.
Would have never though of making that comparison.
But, that would be a BIG WOW ... for me.
us$3,000 is looking pretty Cheap !
HG
--I really did not notice any differences between both viewfinders. The one of the D800 and the D3S.
Michel
--Not a D3s shooter ... just wanted to confirm your thoughts.
Thank you,
HG
--
http://tourist-of-light.blogspot.com/
Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit any of my photos & re-post, to help show me 'the way'. * I am trying to Elevate the Level of my 'Snap Shots'
http://www.fotopropaganda.com
- To observe without evaluation is the highest form of human intelligence -
http://www.fotopropaganda.com/blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9240992@N05/ (my pixel mess on flikr)
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda
http://tourist-of-light.blogspot.com/
Please feel free to criticize, make suggestions, and edit any of my photos & re-post, to help show me 'the way'. * I am trying to Elevate the Level of my 'Snap Shots'
Have you tried the D700 ? How do you feel it compares to the above mentioned viewfinders ?
M Lammerse
Forum Pro
Hi Leos and HG,
I do own a D700, but I don't use it so often as the D3S.
I feel the similarity of the D800 viewfinder is much more in line with the D3S than the D700. I'm sure others will notice this too. It will probable be proper reviewed as this as well by dpreview and others
I had 5 minutes of play with the camera connected to a chain. I could not try it out side, nor make any images with it unfortunately.
I also have the camera on order.
Michel
http://www.fotopropaganda.com/blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9240992@N05/ (my pixel mess on flikr)
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda
I do own a D700, but I don't use it so often as the D3S.
I feel the similarity of the D800 viewfinder is much more in line with the D3S than the D700. I'm sure others will notice this too. It will probable be proper reviewed as this as well by dpreview and others
I had 5 minutes of play with the camera connected to a chain. I could not try it out side, nor make any images with it unfortunately.
I also have the camera on order.
Michel
--
- To observe without evaluation is the highest form of human intelligence -
http://www.fotopropaganda.com/blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9240992@N05/ (my pixel mess on flikr)
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda
PK24X36NOW
Senior Member
"Clarity?" Not sure what you mean there.
As for the relative viewfinder size, it's kind of a mixed bag (of tricks, in some respects), but here's the calculations:
D800 DX Crop: 24 X 16 (note: slightly larger than an actual DX sensor which is 23.6 X 15.8) with 97% LINEAR coverage (so 94.1% area coverage) and 0.7X (properly calculated) magnification (more on that in a minute).
24 x 16 x .941 x .7 = 252.94 sq mm for the D800 DX crop viewfinder
D300: 23.6 X 15.8 with 100% coverage and .94X magnification
BUT the APS-C "magnification" is essentially fiction, as it is calculated using the same 50mm lens used to calculate FF camera magnification , which is the equivalent of comparing two FF viewfinders using a "magnification" calculated using a 50mm lens on one camera and a 75mm lens on the other. Adjusting this fictitious figure for the "crop factor," (as it should have been calculated using a 33mm lens ) you'll find the real magnification is a not-so-impressive 0.627X .
23.6 x 15.8 x 1.00 x .627 = 233.8 sq mm for the D300 viewfinder
SO...
The D800 DX viewfinder will be slightly bigger (about 9%), but the smaller D300 viewfinder will have 100% coverage (compared with the 94.1% coverage fo the D800 DX crop viewfinder).
Tony Beach
Forum Pro
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There is no fiction here, when you put the same lens on either a D300 camera or a D800 camera what you get is more magnification with the D300, pure and simple. In a real world application of this principle (as opposed to your focal length equivalency, brought up to merely criticize DX format), you have a telephoto lens you are shooting with and have reached the limits of its reach on FX, so you go to DX crop mode on the D800 or you put the same lens on a D300, and in that scenario the D300 would be the clear choice.
Where have you read this about the D800 having less than 100% coverage using the DX crop mode? I'm not clear on all the masking options here, but I believe that it is possible to have 150% coverage as you should be able to see outside the DX frame when using DX crop mode on the D800.
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