A short, long term Nikon D810 review

A long term review of my 7 1/2 year old Nikon D810 with almost 148,000 shutter actuations.Still going strong.
Nikon D2XS video: • Nikon flagship DSLR fo...

[@ericsarnoski6278]

I just bought myself for Christmas a used D810 with 90K shutter count for $ 780. I've been on a shooting rage since. It's my first full frame Nikon. I already had prime lens so the leapfrog in resolution has been amazing. Good ergonomics , my favorite ......a large bright viewfinder. Something that's been lacking for a while.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

It still holds up well against the newer cameras when it comes to image quality and reliability. Those are 2 of the most important things for me. Thanks for watching.

[@joeprete7424]

The Built in Flash functions as a Commander!

[@Reason-fg4ik]

I've used it when I forgot my hot shoe commander. It saved my bacon!

[@landrews7280]

A very fair review of the D810. Some of my best photos have been made with this camera. I will never sell it.

[@martinjn2920]

Nice video, good to hear that the D810 is a good long term investment, just picked up a second hand one with only 32k shutter actuations, hoping for a good few years of use.

[@aussie8114]

Check out Steve Perry's videos on the Nikon system if you want to learn some useful info.

[@jaspercaelan4998]

Got one a couple of years ago for Landscapes, still brilliant! I have no reason to upgrade.

[@gilgemash]

Thank you sir, for walking us thru... I bought this baby (12k+ shutter count) week before Christmas...in process of setting it up, before i have lift off with it. Gonna arm it with my 85/1.8 & try make some magic. Best wishes & Happy New Year - from London 🙏

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

Thank you and Happy New Year. D810 with the 85 is a great combo.

[@williamblackwell9558]

Great video. The D810 is still in the top 3 or 4 as far as image quality and durability. The D810 came out about the same time as the Canon 5D mark3 and the D810 just blew it away in every category. To this day Canon has not made a camera better in image quality than the D810. If you are a sports photographer or trying to shoot fast-moving objects there are cameras that are much easier to use than the D810 but for just about everything else The D810 is second to none if you are not a lazy photographer.

[@philmtx3fr]

This camera is a tank and the images it makes are outstanding. You put on on it a 20mm g f 1.8 and you have a wonderful landscape camera for less than 1.2 k$. It s also particularly adapted to long exposures photography due to its mirror that you can lock up (see on you tube what Attilio Ruffo do with it). You add a good second hand 24or28-70 (Tamron or Nikon ) and you have a dreamy package for landscape and you are under 2k$… a naked Sony A7iv with a less defined sensor is 2.8k$… with no lens :(. For portrait I prefer a D500 or an hybrid for an higher frame / secs but for landscape this one is a killer. Thx Jules to share this.

[@mpactdesignmedia]

You can push shadows to laughable (in a good way) levels. SUPERB sensor with one of the best dynamic ranges ever produced. I absolutely LOVE my D810.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

I agree.

[@chriskay3058]

The D810 was my go to camera for 5 years. Two years ago, I sold it and all of my Nikon lenses and accessories to purchase a Canon R5. The Canon AFS is far superior to anything that Nikon had at the time (or still). But I digress. Just this week, I purchased another D810 because nothing beats the beautifully warm rich tones that it produces. I will use it for landscape and portraiture, and the R5 for action shots and air shows.

[@chesterjohnson4504]

You sound like my shadow. I did the same and even more. I sold at least 8 nice, fast, F mount Nikon lenses and a d810, d200 and the d700 to help purchase a Canon R5 plus 3 RF lenses. I have since bought back the same d810 I had but was too late to buy back my trusty d700. I bought another used 24-70mm f/2.8 and a used 105mm f/2.8 lens. I did keep my Nikon d4s. I just can not justify fast Canon RF lenses. The only real upgrade was buying the 100-500mm RF for birding and wildlife. I do enjoy some sporting events especially rodeos and some kids softball. Otherwise I do non pro landscapes and general street and pet photography. I am torn between shelling out the money for a RF wide angel and one fast prime or buying back some good used Nikon f mount lenses. I shot some roping events, indoors yesterday using the R5 and the only lens I brought with me the 24-105mm f/4 RF lens. The IS on the R5 and the RF lens worked great. I had to push the ISO to 20,000 with a speed of 1,000th of a second. I was able to obtain some nice, ok shots but to eliminate the noise I could live with I had to use some major clean up to the RAW files which made the images just a bit softer than I would like. I am going to take my d4s and the older 80-200mm, f/2.8 to see if I can obtain better results. Looking back hind sight is always 20/20 , I do not think I would do what I did again. Some pros and some cons....I will use the R5 the same as you but the R5 is no slouch for anything you might want to shoot. The RF lenses are just so darn expensive.

[@aussie8114]

Had my two D810 bodies for about 4 years. Very good camera. I don’t really need any better or the very modern tracking on the mirrorless bodies. The cost to swap over would be pretty high so I think I will stay with the D810 for some years ahead. I actually like the pop up flash, comes in handy at times.

[@joyoffilming9500]

Fully agree with your statements. Especially,at ISO64 this camera is a true beast. And, the video is quite nice. It's only HD with no IBIS. But colors are beatiful, and you even have some grading latitude in post when selecting a flat picture profile.

[@rjphoto66]

Just found your channel and as a longtime Nikon user will follow you. See my reply to your reply about mirrorless vs DSLR would live to figure out a way to check focus on a higher def screen that I could attach to my D810 without spending too much.

[@carloscipriani2438]

Este video es muy pertinente, muy necesario en estos tiempos. Una consulta: se puede confiar absolutamente en el sellado de las cámaras cuando tienen flash integrado?

[@jay-by1se]

So there is a website where you can compare the same photo taken by most cameras. The d810 equals or beats the z72 in detail. That's why I'm here, I was blown away. Only the Canon r5 was clearer and only a tiny bit.

[@laynetravis]

I bought mine 3 years ago.. best buy

[@johnleftwich650]

Good video on the D810. I'm an avid hobbyist and have a D700, D3 and a Z6.Been wanting to pick up either a D800 or D810 in excellent condition with low SC. I don't really care about video.

[@XSFlanger]

I've upgraded from D7000 to D810 primarily because almost all of my lens were FX and I wanted to check how it looks in full frame. My God it's night and day difference. D7000 which I adored now feels like a kid's toy compared to this camera. Focus is fast and on point, shutter is soft and quiet even in normal shooting mode and many more cool features.

[@thomastuorto9929]

Outside of a OOLY-5.6MP-P&S the D810 is my first & only FF digital camera. No regrets!

[@merkury06]

Well, you just convinced me. I was skeptical of the D800 and the D850 is a very big expense for an hobbyist. The D810 looks just right. Thanks!

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

I think 36 megapixel is plenty. The D810 has a good combination of resolution and low high ISO noise.

[@anthonymrbs]

I really liked your video. Some say a camera is just a tool but I could not disagree more. For anyone serious about photography a camera is an extension of yourself. It records not just what we see but what we feel. In March 2015 after having been retired for two years I bought my D810 as a retirement gift to myself. Honestly I thought if I could get five or six years out of it before needing to replace it with a newer model that would be good. But here I am now over nine years later and my D810 is still by my side traveling the country wherever I go and I see no need to replace it any time soon. I sometimes think about picking up a good used D850 but then have to ask myself why. Nobody needs multiple full frame cameras sitting around unless they shoot events where a backup is essential. I shoot landscapes so it is not. . Needless to say even when I do replace it in s few years I will never sell it .

[@Jack_Warner]

I bought mine in 2018. It had just over 9000 shutter actuations. I still have it. I thought about going for the D850, but then the file sizes were way too big and I get incredible images with the 810.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

I don’t see a big difference between the Z8 and D810 image quality. Love the D810.

[@kbruff2010]

Thank you

[@iggytse]

After failing to find any used D780 I am now looking for a D810 to mate with my 2 af-d lens I bought new with an F100 20 odd years ago.

[@Reason-fg4ik]

That's why I bought the D810 as my digital option. My D series Nikkor lenses I got for my F5 bodies are compatible with the D810. I saved a bunch of $$$ and was able to get some affordable 2.8G series Nikkor lenses. 24-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8

[@cypherdk85]

My D810 has almost 300k shutter clicks and has never been serviced, it still works amazingly. I did buy it used at about 200k clicks 4 years ago, but it's still going strong.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

That’s great to hear.

[@flatheadfletch]

I’m not a pro but love great images. That said, I run the D810 and a D4s. I personally don’t think you can be more rounded a photographer using anything else made today. I’ll never go mirrorless !

[@davewomack2216]

Love the D810 for portraits and landscapes . I use the D500 for wildlife because it locks on so much faster than the D810 for wildlife. Would love to have the D850 but prices for it have not fallen enough for me. Mirrorless cameras will hopefully drive down the price of my future D850. good review!

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

Thanks Dave. I use a Z6 and Z8 for a lot of my work but I will never sell my D810. It keeps on going, I use it a lot for studio type portraits.

[@davewomack2216]

Tks for the replay. I have had my eye on the new Z8 for a while. All reviews are good and it would be a stretch to change systems with the amount of dslr bodies and lenses I own. Maybe some day I can move to that. Good luck to you and keep making those videos.@@julesvuottosphotofocus4696

[@outfield1988]

Bought a used one recently. I hope it works good for me.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

As long as it was taken care of it should be fine. Do you know how many shutter actuations it has?

[@marcusgrandon3640]

I love my D810 to death. Bought it used in 2017 for $1000 and it's been the best camera I've ever had. It has been my main camera for 7 years. Image quality is most amazing even in 2023. Just could never justify getting a D850 over the D810. I've finally decided to go mirrorless and just ordered a Z8. I'll not part with the D810 though. All this time, I've never had a want for better image quality. I don't even really thing that the Z8 will be much better in that respect, but I decided to upgrade for the other features like the tilting screen, focus stacking, and the faster auto-focus.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

You will love the Z8 too. I sure do.

[@grantgauvreau2744]

Would you recommend the d810 over the z7? I’m looking to get a new-to-me camera, and am wondering if the premium for the z7 is worth it. I currently have 10 or so AI-S lenses. Can’t quite decide the best path forward. Thanks in advance!

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

Image quality is close between the 2, although the Z7 is 45 megapixel while the 810 is 36. A lot depends on what type of photography you are doing. The Z7 has a completely silent mode and has AF points covering almost the entire screen. The 810 has two card slots, much better battery life and a proper grip with vertical controls. However if you like using those manual focus Ais lenses the Z7 is a better choice because of magnified view and focus peaking making them easier to focus. Good luck.

[@rjphoto66]

Focus is the main issue of why my D810 sits in the bag most of the time. A few years ago I got the Z6 because of the focus peaking and improved EVF and LCD screens. I would use the D810 more if I had an external monitor but not sure I want to spend the money for one and think they mostly at used for video. Checking focus on the D810’s LCD screen is disappointing compared to the Z6.

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

thanks for the effort and sharing. any thoughts on the D810 vs D800/D800E? thumbs up.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

The D810 had several improvements. I can’t remember what they are right now. Just do a Google search. I think the 810 is a better choice.

[@totallynotmyeggalt6216]

I am currently looking at full-frame cameras due to the lackluster low-light and autofocus performance of my D7000. Would you recommend the D810 over a Z6 at a similar price ($800-900 US in good condition for both)? I do not mind the size and weight of a DSLR, but I've also never tried mirrorless so it's possible I just don't know what I'm really missing.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

The Z6 is superior to the 810 for low light photography both with respect to noise and autofocus.

[@gavinleung1271]

Not sure why the Interval Timer shooting function cannot be selected under the Shooting menu of my D810. Can you help on this? Thanks!

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

Did you set the time of day in the setup menu? Also you need to set an interval in shooting menu under interval and then click start. Let me know if this works for you.

[@slv5102]

Great video! Have you used D700?

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

No, but I know people who have and they love it. Very good high ISO performance equal to the D3.

[@philmtx3fr]

@@julesvuottosphotofocus4696 @SLV thé D700 one of the best digital FF ever made and with a long life (which is quite rare in the digital area). It s one of my favorite ! Nikon did some jewels for amateurs & pro in FF or APSC which are now quite affordable : D700 & D810, D300 & D500, D3 & D4 are my favorite.

[@califmike2003]

Is there any eye focus ? how do you focus on the eyes in portraits ?

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

There is no eye focus on the 810 or any Nikon DSLR. You just put a focus point on the eye.

[@califmike2003]

@@julesvuottosphotofocus4696 thanks for the reply that might make the Sony a7r III a better option.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

@@califmike2003 The Nikon mirrorless cameras such as the Z6,Z7 and Z9 have eye focus.

[@califmike2003]

I think this camera is about $900 on ebay with a decent shutter count, for $200 more you can get a Sony A7r iii with 42 mp and eye auto focus and a shutter rated for 500,000 no brainer, ohh and a tilt rear screen and ummm 4k video.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

I suppose you are correct. However, if you already shoot Nikon and have several lenses and a limited budget the D810 would be a better choice. Also it depends on what you shoot. For action the Sony is a better choice. For landscape the Nikon is because of ISO 64 and the better dynamic range.

[@thomastuorto9929]

For anyone who owns one, Nikon will stop servicing these cameras sometime in Dec 2023. Not to say you can't get it serviced at a small certified repair center but, There will be lee to no parts available.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

Thanks for the information.

[@jvlyenlimon9319]

I would like you to show pictures and your work. No need to spend too much time in talking about the specs and functions. Most people already know that.

[@julesvuottosphotofocus4696]

You make a good point. Thank you.

[@kentxx12]

A Brick of heaviness.

[@kentxx12]

Nikon has not ever had the right color.But Canon has it :)