Nikon D810 Sample Photos
Those who read this site for photography know that I recently upgraded from my Nikon D600 to a Nikon D810. In my Nikon D810 Review, I wasn’t short on praise for the camera, calling it “possibly the most well-rounded DSLR ever” and saying that “it’s a camera that exceeded my high expectations and I feel is a very worthy upgrade for many serious photographers, even at its price-point. I can already tell that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Well, I’ve had the camera for a couple of months now, so I thought I’d report back on how I feel about it. First, the bad. The files are huge. There are ways to deal with this and use some of the smaller size settings (as I touch upon in the review), but I’ve been afraid to use them. They would be perfect for mundane photo tasks like taking photos of food (don’t exactly need a 36MP photo of a churro), but I’m scared that I’ll forget to switch back when I have to take “important” landscape photos.
The only other downside, if you want to call it that, is that Nikon recently announced the Nikon D750, a “lower” level full frame DSLR that has a tilt screen, which would be great for me since I take a lot of photos at ground level. Looking at that feature plus the more conservative MP count, plus lower price actually makes me want to try out that camera. (Why couldn’t Nikon include the tilt screen in the D810?!) On the other hand, the controls on the Nikon D810 are better plus dynamic range, image quality, durability, and a number of other things are all better on the Nikon D810. Even though I love the Nikon D810, if both were announced at the same time, I think I would have opted for the Nikon D750 and $1,000 in my pocket. It would be a tough call.
The upsides? Literally everything else. Dynamic range is great, the controls are great, image quality is exceptional, and, in addition to several other things, the camera just flat out performs and is fun to use. Maybe it’s a good thing both the Nikon D750 and D810 weren’t announced at the same time, because I have no regrets about buying this camera, and it’s probably a good thing I didn’t go the cheaper route. Your mileage may vary on whether it’s worth the money–for many people the D750 (or models even lower than that) will be more than enough camera. I understand that most people do not need a professional-grade DSLR, so this post is relevant to only like 2% of you, but hopefully it’s helpful to that 2%!
Since that first post only really had boring photos of my pets, the city of Indianapolis, and random junk around my house, I thought I’d follow up on that post with some real world images that I captured at Walt Disney World to demonstrate what the camera is truly capable of accomplishing. Keep in mind that–for the most part–since I’m trying to show how the camera performs when pushed to the limits, these aren’t going to be your standard “pretty” photos (most of my tripod night shots don’t really challenge the camera). Below each photo I’ll provide some technical details.
If you are not a photographer but are a Walt Disney World fan looking for some photos, you can scroll past all of the jargon and simply enjoy the pictures…
Shot with the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, this is basically just a nice night photo of Les Chefs de France in Epcot. Having ISO 64 for these night photos is GREAT!
This shot was captured at 200mm with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. At “only” ISO 900, this doesn’t seem like it technically pushes the limits of the D810, but grabbing auto-focus on this performer in the dark in continuous mode is something I couldn’t do with the D600 (I know–I tried this shot a few times!).
Here’s another night photo captured handheld with the 70-200mm. “Handheld” “night photo” and “70-200mm” are normally not words that go together.
A shot from Oogie Boogie’s show at the Villains Unleashed event. The detail and clarity in this photo shot at f/2.8 really highlight the camera’s incredible image quality.
I think this shot pairing the D810 with the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens at f/1.4 pretty much speaks for itself. Go ahead and pixel-peep on the full size image here. This is a drool-worthy combo…
Handheld. At night. With a 70-200 at 200mm. From a moving boat. While I was juggling knives. Okay…just kidding on that last part.
Here’s one for all you Maelstrom fans. Polar bear at ISO 12800.
With the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 (read my review of this lens) again, at f/1.4 and ISO 9000. This is a shot that’s possible with lower-level and older cameras, but what’s notable here is that you can see more detail in this photo than you can with the naked eye. There’s some noise due to the shadows being bumped up, but I did not apply any noise reduction to the photo (my personal preference is not applying noise reduction and instead keeping both noise and maximum sharpness).
Here’s the D810 with the Nikon 14-24mm again (read my review of this lens). The amount the shadows have been brought out to show detail on this ISO 4500 shot inside Be Our Guest Restaurant is pretty significant, showcasing the great low light and dynamic range performance of the D810.
Just a cool shot, I thought.
If you don’t like carrying a tripod, this is the camera for you. This was handheld with my Zenitar fisheye lens at f/8 and ISO 8000.
With the 70-200mm lens again. Nothing astonishing here, just what I think is a cool photo.
This shot actually highlights the quality of the budget Zenitar lens (read my review of this lens) as much as the D810. Despite this being a sub-$250 full frame fisheye lens, it is not-resolved by the D810!
All in all, I’ve been impressed with the Nikon D810. Obviously it is a lot of camera and a costly one at that, but if you are considering making a move to full frame, or upgrading your existing full frame camera, I think it’s a great option.
Oh, and while they’re not Disney, every Universal Orlando photo in my Universal v. Walt Disney World post was taken with the Nikon D810.
If you do want to purchase the Nikon D810, we recommend the following trusted & authorized retailers:
Amazon
B&H Photo
Adorama
If you’re looking for other photography equipment recommendations or photography tips in general check out a few of my top photography blog posts:
Photography Buying Guide: Everything from Underwater Cameras to Software
Best Books for Improving Your Photography
5 Indispensable Tips for Better Vacation Photos
Choosing the Best Travel Tripod
Choosing the Best Camera Bag for Travel
Your Thoughts…
What do you think of the results the Nikon D810 produced? Are you interested in the Nikon D810? Have you already bought it? Have any additional questions? Please ask or share below, and I’ll offer my feedback!
Hi, I’ve been thinking of getting the D810 for awhile now coming from D600. I do really want to get it but the file size and the feeling of getting photos at 36mp gives me a feeling of an overkill. But having the nikon pro lenses I feel like I should pair them with the best out right now sensor to fully maximize those lenses.
I’m interested to know if you’re still considering getting the D750.
I actually went ahead and purchased a D750 (so I have both cameras right now…major overkill). I’ve only used the D750 for a day, but so far, so good. I’ll report back after a couple weeks!
Holy schnikes did you say ISO 12800? Tell me that’s a typo… 🙂
Your photography is amaaazing. I’ve edited for years now and only recently starting shooting (my boss talked me into it) and I am struggling to decide on lenses for my upcoming trip. Part of me wants to bring a 35mm but part of me says, Tom puts a whole bunch of Disney pics online that are better than yours, just do a 50mm for touristy snapshots and call it a day. Mostly I’m too lazy to carry gear, hahaha…
Thanks for sharing!
(ps: that Haunted Mansion shot…seriously. so good.)
Hey Tom,
Amazing photos and article as always! Just to clarify, which lens do you recommend for dark rides for the D810? The Sigma 35mm f/1.4, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-S, or the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8?
Thank you!
Depending upon the dark ride, any of those lenses will work. My preference would be the Sigma 35.
BTW – if you don’t already own it, you don’t need the AF-S version of the Nikon 50mm. The cheaper, $100 version will work just as well. The D810 doesn’t need the version with the focusing motor in the lens.
Thanks Tom..it is greatly appreciated!
Always love your photos and enjoy our advice. In regards to a good single lens for Disney, what would you recommend? My body is a simple Canon T3i.
I am considering renting the Tamron 16-300mm. Have you ever used that lens or similar? Since I will be chasing around a couple of 5 year olds, I don’t want to worry about changing out lenses throughout the day. However, I want a lens that lets my wife or I get decent zoom photos AND good general shots.
Any advice you can give would be appreciated!
My recommendation would be the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 if you’re looking for quality and some versatility, but it certainly doesn’t cover you in terms of zoom. Here’s my review of that lens: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/sigma-18-35mm-f1-8-lens-review/
I tested the Tamron 16-300mm in August and generally liked it. You just have to understand its limitations. It’s a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ lens. It’ll give you good quality, but nothing amazing. I like it for what it is, but I’d rather forgo the extra range and focus on getting great shots with a higher quality lens and missing out on the zoom.
The image of the fire dancer from the villains show is amazing to me. You have a great talent for composing wonderful shots. And you take full advantage of the camera’s abilities and features too.
My budget is in the realm of a D7100, but I enjoy seeing what an expert can do with the top line equipment.
Thanks for sharing!
the low light performance looks wonderful its really grate what nikon is doing with there line up. there really committing to the game unlike some of the other brands espicliy in lenses.
im shure the d810 with the tamron 24 70 is a dream. keep the grate work up
and that d7000 sounds tempting maybe we can chat through email.
email me if u want [email protected]
Wonderful Photos !!!! Love them…
Thanks for the photos to make us jealous! 🙂
I’m sure others have done more scientific comparisons of the noise, but the polar bear at ISO 12800 looks like only a bit more noise than I get at ISO 1600.
I’m actually surprised at the lack of noise in my dark ride photos at ISO 12800. It’s not supposed to be a big improvement over the D600 in terms of ISO, but I’m getting better results at ISO 12800 on the D810 than I did with the D600 at ISO 6400.
What do you end up doing with your older cameras Tom? Keep them and put them on your Nikon Mantle? I was just wondering if you trade or sell them off?
I *try* to sell them, but that doesn’t always happen. Right now I have a D700 and D7000 that I should get rid of, but have yet to do. I also could sell the D600, but I’d need to get another backup body.
Why…are you in the market for a used body? 😉
I’ve noticed one of your favorite lenses, the Sigma 18-35mm, is designed for APS-C cameras, yet you use a lot of full frame bodies. How do you feel about the image quality? I currently own a D200 and haven’t played with a full frame body, so I’ve got no personal experience. I’d love to pick up this lens, but the price is steep if I decide to go to the full fame camera.
I would never purchase the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 for full frame. It’s a great lens for crop sensor bodies, but on full frame, I’d go with the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 instead.
The nice thing about the new Nikon cameras is that they have DX mode, so they work with your DX lens. This allows you to slowly transition your lens lineup over to full frame, rather than doing it all at once due to incompatibility. Still, I wouldn’t purchase a new crop format lens after going full frame.
I know nothing of photography, but these shots are amazing. The one of the castle, looking from The Emporium is perhaps the best castle photo I have ever seen. I don’t know what it is about that picture, but it just captures the magic for me!
A lot of people seem to like that photo. I like it, too. I’ve never seen another photo from that perspective…and unique castle photos are rare!