Thanks Allen! I'm excited to be picking up a D700 soon. I was debating (with myself -- happens a lot) about whether to get newer lenses or D glass. You've settled that for me, thanks!
Hi Allen, catching up on your channel and totally agree with you on picture quality for people photos. I too sold my working Nikon kit for Sony mirrorless. After 1 1/2 years I sold the Sony camera kit, including 3 Zeiss Batis lenses, and returned to Nikon DSLR. For me the older D lenses from 85mm to 300mm are my favorite people lenses ever. I was disappointed in the past with the D lenses from 20mm to 50mm, but maybe the 35/2D deserves another chance. An absolute sleeper of a lens for people is the 180/2.8D lens as is the AFS 300/4D both of which can be had very cheap on the used market here in the states. And, I had a very old, but mint, 35-70/2.8D refurb'd and it's also an excellent portrait and event lens. Truth is they focus slower than the G lenses, especially in very low light, but they still work well enough and the results are fantastic. cheers
When it comes to ergonomics and image quality Nikon is hard to beat. Nikon is its own worst enemy, because their cameras from 10 years ago are still so good today.
Enjoying your channel and your thoughts on photos with style over so-called perfection. Nikon lenses, the older one, are my favorite for the same reasons you articulate. Cheers! (Oh, and I also want to feel the camera in my hands; Nikon just fits me like a glove.)
I've been shooting Nikon DSLRs only. I borrowed a Nikon Z6 and it felt like a plastic toy and the photos were like you mentioned too perfect, like a McDonald meal. I am not going the mirrorless way but thinking about buying a used D810 and a 24-70 2.8G lens.The Nikon D780 could be interesting too.
Very good point regarding slowing down and not relying on a huge number of shots to get the job done. I've been thinking about going back to film photography recently, because I know I was a better photographer in some ways when I was limited to only around 30 shots at a time, as I had to make sure every single one of the exposures counted. I think that the much less restrictive elements of digital photography do, sadly, lend themselves to breeding some laziness
Ironically, I’m now debating a D700, Canon 5D and Canon 5D Mk ii. I’ve tried M43, Fujifilm (twice), and Nikon D750. Didn’t love them after using for many months. So each time, I traded thinking I needed “better”. I was so wrong. I don’t like tiny camera egos of M43 and Fuji, especially the dials on Fuji. I hated (truly hated!) the blues and greens from my D750. Every photo required color changing on those and I grew tired of disliking the color profile it provided in RAW naturally. So here I am. Looking at older images from those cameras listed at the beginning, I want fewer features, long battery life, and easy usability without diving into menus a lot. And great lenses. I don’t need clinically perfect lenses, just good ones. So I’m really eyeing a kit of older D lenses on a D700 or similar Canon setup. My only last concern is image stabilization. D lenses have none, obviously, and neither do DSLRs (aside from Pentax), so I’ll probably have to choose faster shutter speed to accommodate my own shakiness, but with great primes that should be easy to do. Down side is I now have to decide if I loved my Nikons ergonomics, and I did, enough to go D700 or if I prefer to switch to Canon. My GAS, however, is going in reverse finally. I don’t need perfect. I need fun with great images. I want to enjoy my camera, not to dread its predictable output like the Nikon or to hate the feel of it in my hand like the X-T1 I use. Small size is overrated for my purposes and the grip on Nikons is much more desirable to feel I have a solid grasp and easy portability between shots. GAS is a thing. I’m trying to overcome it. In the end I’ll have a D lens kit or a similar Canon setup. Let others buy and buy and buy, driving used prices down as the market continues to saturate with newer gear. We used gear guys win in the end, too.
hello, please film a video of how old D lenses focus on the D780. I am racking my head whether to buy this camera, since I have 85mm f1 / 4D, 135mm f2 / 0D, 35mm f2 / 0D, 50mm f1 / 8D on my hands. Interested in how the eye recognition mode works with these glasses in the LV mode.
@@CreativePixelPhotos I would be very grateful to you. I would like to update my camera without changing my favorite lenses, so I am not considering buying Nikon z6, z5. I have long lacked normal, accurate autofocus with Nikon D610, D800, there are a lot of mistakes with these cameras, I'm tired of it. Thanks in advance !
With the imminent annoucement of the "plena" Z mount ?? lens which is possibly a 135F1.8 that'll cost maybe £2500 the "d" 135 becomes even more attractive! :-) Allen
@@sdhute So all the D lenses I've ever used are excellent - even the 35 F2D is great. I only switched some to G lenses so I can use on FTZ adapter on Z cameras A;;en :-)
D780 with d prime lenses is the magic. 85/1.4, 105/2, 28/1.4. The 50 1.4 is surprisingly good for center composed portraits but I usually go for my 58/1.4G.
Hey Allen great channel, Im looking to upgrade from my D750, still not convinced in the Nikon mirrorless, since I shoot weddings the battery life is a must as is correct af, so Im looking at the D780. Can you tell me about the live view of the D780 is it fast enough and correct when you compare it to the D750 ?
Hi - Live view on D780 will blow you away - fantastic regarding Face and Eye AF - as good as my Sony A7iii I had. I do still think in some situations the viewfinder is better AF and is a smalll step up from D750 also. It's also a bit lighter and smaller (only slightly) then D750 and battery lasts a whole wedidng of 1800 shots !
Watching this now (for the first time) does like me wonder if you just like change! In 2024 you have just moved to Sony, again and despite all your love for the older Nikkor lenses I don’t believe Sony make anything like them...
My best lens is also the Nikon AF DC 105mm f/2D on my Nikon D4. My dream camera is the Nikon F5. Use only old metal bokeh AF-D from Japan. Use these lens since 1996 and they are still fantastic and sharp. The autofocus make noise but it’s beter than the G and the E lenses.Do only portraits around the world. If it’s good for you why change the lenses or the camera. Like the Nikon D700 for beautiful colors but with the grip it’s a beast to use. Now I’m happy with my two Nikon D4 and my three Nikon AF-D prime lenses the 85mm, 105mm and the 135mm. For me the Nikon D4 is the King of Low Light.
Hi. Af of 135dc is ok and really haven't seen a difference between ovf and live view. My 35d and 85d are both plenty fast enough for weddings. Maybe not fast enough for sports but thats not what they're made for. The d780 in general is a fair bit faster Af than d700
@@CreativePixelPhotos I just watched your other video testing the live view auto focus of the "D" lenses on D780. That is really the information I was looking for. Thank you very much for your information. Subscribed.
Allen great channel always look forward for more content I have been a wedding photographer since 1984 and back then one camera was always said to be better than another so I spent alot of money chasing what people said way better equipment, what a foolish pursuit. Today I shoot two Nikon for my work D800/810 and my 24-70mm covers 90% of the days job and one more thing one card insecurity is way over blown when digital first came out that's all we had till 2009 or so.
great review . I have a quick question again . how do you set custom white balance with shooting Grey card ?? lol I couldn't figure out in d780 . usually my d800 I just hold wb button until it blink then shoot the Grey card and it show good then it's good to go . but d780 I have no idea lol
Ha - funny you should ask that - with the D780 as all my other cameras I shoot with AUTO wb. I've never found anything I couldn't fix in Lightroom and one less thing to think about (unless there are really crazy colours in which case I use live view to adjust manually in Kelvin until it looks ok) Did a video yesterday (not yet published) and discovered D780 has several "auto" settings - like "keep overall ambience" or "keep white" so I also need to do some experimenting! However press WB and scroll to "pre" and hold down - 2 secs and you get a small box on screen to point at grey card - press "done" and it's ... done:-)
@@CreativePixelPhotos thank you 😊 I've try that but it didn't blink for me . my luck lol . yesterday I was using d780 inside my studio and I live teather to adobe lightroom . and when I have in auto white balance it shown to be more of warmer side so I was like well I will Grey card it but then I just sat there and was trying to figure it out in front of my client lol 😆 . so I just use auto white balance in adobe lightroom while it feeding in .
However, mirrorless is not the future, it’s the present. And the images of all three major brands are almost indistinguishable. Sadly, most clients today have smartphones pictures as reference and they demand these clinically looking photographs. For my personal use, I still have my D lenses, anyway.
Thanks Allen! I'm excited to be picking up a D700 soon. I was debating (with myself -- happens a lot) about whether to get newer lenses or D glass. You've settled that for me, thanks!
Hi Allen, catching up on your channel and totally agree with you on picture quality for people photos. I too sold my working Nikon kit for Sony mirrorless. After 1 1/2 years I sold the Sony camera kit, including 3 Zeiss Batis lenses, and returned to Nikon DSLR. For me the older D lenses from 85mm to 300mm are my favorite people lenses ever. I was disappointed in the past with the D lenses from 20mm to 50mm, but maybe the 35/2D deserves another chance. An absolute sleeper of a lens for people is the 180/2.8D lens as is the AFS 300/4D both of which can be had very cheap on the used market here in the states. And, I had a very old, but mint, 35-70/2.8D refurb'd and it's also an excellent portrait and event lens.
Truth is they focus slower than the G lenses, especially in very low light, but they still work well enough and the results are fantastic.
cheers
When it comes to ergonomics and image quality Nikon is hard to beat. Nikon is its own worst enemy, because their cameras from 10 years ago are still so good today.
Definitely agree with your comment about N-DSLR, their layout of buttons and menus encourages interaction and experimentation
Thanks Allen, great channel with pro knowledge and experience I can trust!
Thank you - so kind :-) Allen
Great video. Enjoyed listening to your thoughts on D lenses etc.. will subscribe 👍🏻
Enjoying your channel and your thoughts on photos with style over so-called perfection. Nikon lenses, the older one, are my favorite for the same reasons you articulate. Cheers! (Oh, and I also want to feel the camera in my hands; Nikon just fits me like a glove.)
I've been shooting Nikon DSLRs only. I borrowed a Nikon Z6 and it felt like a plastic toy and the photos were like you mentioned too perfect, like a McDonald meal. I am not going the mirrorless way but thinking about buying a used D810 and a 24-70 2.8G lens.The Nikon D780 could be interesting too.
Very good point regarding slowing down and not relying on a huge number of shots to get the job done. I've been thinking about going back to film photography recently, because I know I was a better photographer in some ways when I was limited to only around 30 shots at a time, as I had to make sure every single one of the exposures counted. I think that the much less restrictive elements of digital photography do, sadly, lend themselves to breeding some laziness
Perhaps consider this 50mm
A used Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/ 1.4 ZF.2 Lens For Nikon F Mount From JAPAN
Ironically, I’m now debating a D700, Canon 5D and Canon 5D Mk ii. I’ve tried M43, Fujifilm (twice), and Nikon D750. Didn’t love them after using for many months. So each time, I traded thinking I needed “better”. I was so wrong. I don’t like tiny camera egos of M43 and Fuji, especially the dials on Fuji. I hated (truly hated!) the blues and greens from my D750. Every photo required color changing on those and I grew tired of disliking the color profile it provided in RAW naturally. So here I am. Looking at older images from those cameras listed at the beginning, I want fewer features, long battery life, and easy usability without diving into menus a lot. And great lenses. I don’t need clinically perfect lenses, just good ones. So I’m really eyeing a kit of older D lenses on a D700 or similar Canon setup. My only last concern is image stabilization. D lenses have none, obviously, and neither do DSLRs (aside from Pentax), so I’ll probably have to choose faster shutter speed to accommodate my own shakiness, but with great primes that should be easy to do.
Down side is I now have to decide if I loved my Nikons ergonomics, and I did, enough to go D700 or if I prefer to switch to Canon. My GAS, however, is going in reverse finally. I don’t need perfect. I need fun with great images. I want to enjoy my camera, not to dread its predictable output like the Nikon or to hate the feel of it in my hand like the X-T1 I use. Small size is overrated for my purposes and the grip on Nikons is much more desirable to feel I have a solid grasp and easy portability between shots.
GAS is a thing. I’m trying to overcome it. In the end I’ll have a D lens kit or a similar Canon setup. Let others buy and buy and buy, driving used prices down as the market continues to saturate with newer gear. We used gear guys win in the end, too.
hello, please film a video of how old D lenses focus on the D780. I am racking my head whether to buy this camera, since I have 85mm f1 / 4D, 135mm f2 / 0D, 35mm f2 / 0D, 50mm f1 / 8D on my hands. Interested in how the eye recognition mode works with these glasses in the LV mode.
Hi. No problem. Will do early next week 😃
Can say that you have almost exactly the same lenses I've chosen and they work great but will show in a video next week
@@CreativePixelPhotos I would be very grateful to you. I would like to update my camera without changing my favorite lenses, so I am not considering buying Nikon z6, z5. I have long lacked normal, accurate autofocus with Nikon D610, D800, there are a lot of mistakes with these cameras, I'm tired of it. Thanks in advance !
Thanks for the camera lens recommendation that 135mm sounds amazing. Shooting mirrorless but looking to get a good dslr setup for unique image quality
With the imminent annoucement of the "plena" Z mount ?? lens which is possibly a 135F1.8 that'll cost maybe £2500 the "d" 135 becomes even more attractive! :-) Allen
@@CreativePixelPhotos I’ll have to get that D lens and a few others. Any other goodies not mentioned ?
@@sdhute So all the D lenses I've ever used are excellent - even the 35 F2D is great. I only switched some to G lenses so I can use on FTZ adapter on Z cameras A;;en :-)
D780 with d prime lenses is the magic. 85/1.4, 105/2, 28/1.4. The 50 1.4 is surprisingly good for center composed portraits but I usually go for my 58/1.4G.
Hey Allen great channel, Im looking to upgrade from my D750, still not convinced in the Nikon mirrorless, since I shoot weddings the battery life is a must as is correct af, so Im looking at the D780. Can you tell me about the live view of the D780 is it fast enough and correct when you compare it to the D750 ?
Hi - Live view on D780 will blow you away - fantastic regarding Face and Eye AF - as good as my Sony A7iii I had. I do still think in some situations the viewfinder is better AF and is a smalll step up from D750 also. It's also a bit lighter and smaller (only slightly) then D750 and battery lasts a whole wedidng of 1800 shots !
Watching this now (for the first time) does like me wonder if you just like change! In 2024 you have just moved to Sony, again and despite all your love for the older Nikkor lenses I don’t believe Sony make anything like them...
My best lens is also the Nikon AF DC 105mm f/2D on my Nikon D4. My dream camera is the Nikon F5. Use only old metal bokeh AF-D from Japan. Use these lens since 1996 and they are still fantastic and sharp. The autofocus make noise but it’s beter than the G and the E lenses.Do only portraits around the world. If it’s good for you why change the lenses or the camera. Like the Nikon D700 for beautiful colors but with the grip it’s a beast to use. Now I’m happy with my two Nikon D4 and my three Nikon AF-D prime lenses the 85mm, 105mm and the 135mm. For me the Nikon D4 is the King of Low Light.
Like 👍
How do you like the live view AF speed of 135dc f2 on D780? How is the live view AF speed of "D" lenses on D780 compared to D700? Thank you.
Hi. Af of 135dc is ok and really haven't seen a difference between ovf and live view. My 35d and 85d are both plenty fast enough for weddings. Maybe not fast enough for sports but thats not what they're made for. The d780 in general is a fair bit faster Af than d700
@@CreativePixelPhotos I just watched your other video testing the live view auto focus of the "D" lenses on D780. That is really the information I was looking for. Thank you very much for your information. Subscribed.
Allen great channel always look forward for more content I have been a wedding photographer since 1984 and back then one camera was always said to be better than another so I spent alot of money chasing what people said way better equipment, what a foolish pursuit. Today I shoot two Nikon for my work D800/810 and my 24-70mm covers 90% of the days job and one more thing one card insecurity is way over blown when digital first came out that's all we had till 2009 or so.
great review . I have a quick question again . how do you set custom white balance with shooting Grey card ?? lol I couldn't figure out in d780 . usually my d800 I just hold wb button until it blink then shoot the Grey card and it show good then it's good to go . but d780 I have no idea lol
Ha - funny you should ask that - with the D780 as all my other cameras I shoot with AUTO wb. I've never found anything I couldn't fix in Lightroom and one less thing to think about (unless there are really crazy colours in which case I use live view to adjust manually in Kelvin until it looks ok) Did a video yesterday (not yet published) and discovered D780 has several "auto" settings - like "keep overall ambience" or "keep white" so I also need to do some experimenting! However press WB and scroll to "pre" and hold down - 2 secs and you get a small box on screen to point at grey card - press "done" and it's ... done:-)
@@CreativePixelPhotos thank you 😊 I've try that but it didn't blink for me . my luck lol . yesterday I was using d780 inside my studio and I live teather to adobe lightroom . and when I have in auto white balance it shown to be more of warmer side so I was like well I will Grey card it but then I just sat there and was trying to figure it out in front of my client lol 😆 . so I just use auto white balance in adobe lightroom while it feeding in .
@@kanitdechkhum1690 Sorry - turn on rear screen - live view, and THEN press WB - get to PRE and hold - should now blink so you can set:-)
Got a used old Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 D lens. Surprisingly sharp abs versatile.
However, mirrorless is not the future, it’s the present. And the images of all three major brands are almost indistinguishable. Sadly, most clients today have smartphones pictures as reference and they demand these clinically looking photographs. For my personal use, I still have my D lenses, anyway.
18 35G 35-70 2.8 D 80-2002.8D and 85 1.8