Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

By now many people have reported on the internet problems with Nikon D800 and D800E autofocus. It is frequently reported that autofocus points on the left side do not work well. On four cameras (two D800s and two D800Es), I can confirm the problem! I have extensively tested four of these cameras (see testing notes below) and all four did not focus well when using the left most center focus point. Because those problems were so pronounced, I decided to return the cameras and did not test the other left side focus points. Internet reports discuss problems with those as well. It has been reported that the D800Es perform better than the D800s. That is somewhat consistent with my experience. The left autofocus points were worse on the D800s; however, I had one D800E with poor autofocus overall. That same D800E also had a broken electronic release connector when I received it. The other D800E performed better overall than the three other samples, but still not good enough. All four have been returned. What happens? Using standard autofocus, the camera will not focus well on the left most (center) autofocus point. In Live View mode you can get good focus (either manually focusing at maximum magnification or by using Live View autofocus). In side by side comparisons, Live View produces better results than standard autofocus. In many cases the differences were substantial with standard autofocus not producing results that were acceptable. Internet reports suggest many of the left side focus points have problems, not just the left center one. While that may be true, as I mentioned above, I did not test those on my four cameras because the left/center focus point off was enough to justify returning the cameras. For some people, not having the left autofocus working well won't matter. For me, I regularly shoot vertical landscapes and other vertical compositions where the left side selective focus points are very useful. I've been using the selective focus points on my D300 for years and find them quite valuable. Taking advantage of them has become very quick and simple for me and it is a feature that makes me more productive. So, I want them to work on the D800/E! There may be another serious impact of this problem even if you don't have that same needs as I do. Internet reports suggest that the 3D focusing function of the camera will also be degraded by left focus points not working correctly. For those interested this is how I tested the cameras, here's the process: - Put three focus targets on a wall corresponding to the center focus point, the left most center point, and the right most center point - Take shots where the selective focus points are on the center target, the left target, and the right target. Take four shots each with autofocus and four shots each with Live View (in other words, 8 shots per target, 24 shots per sequence. Another way of thinking of it is 4 comparison sets per target and 12 comparison sets per sequence) - Repeat sequence at different focal length and camera distance - Repeat all of the above with a different lens - Compare results in Adobe Lightroom side by side with the Library view X/Y comparison tool - On my first two cameras I used manual focus for Live View and on the second two cameras I used Live View's autofocus (by the way, the latter is very good!) - I also experimented with using autofocus fine tune on individual lenses. On the second two cameras (i.e. the replacements), I did all of the above and then repeated after setting the appropriate AF Fine Tune per lens. AF Fine Tune, in some cases, seemed to reduce the problem. However, I did not reduce it enough to make either camera's performance acceptable - So, this is literally hundreds of side by side comparisons across four cameras. Given the amount of reports on this problem on the internet, I suggest anyone wanting one of these cameras consider waiting until internet reports show purchasers regularly getting good cameras. Alternatively, if Nikon acknowledges the problem and guarantees new cameras don't have it or guarantees that they can fix it if one camera does have it, then I will try again and purchase another. In the mean time, I'm waiting. On the point of Nikon repairing the cameras, most of the online posts I have read indicate that Nikon service centers are not able to fix the problem at this time. For me personally, I was really looking forward to the upgrade from a D300. I really do want the D800/E to work! Instead, I've been really disappointed! Finally, a note on customer service...I purchased the D800s from Amazon and the D800Es through B&H. Both companies facilitated the camera returns and replacements. They were both supportive and helpful and did everything a purchaser could want when dealing with such a bad situation. Nikon seems to have been silent on this left autofocus issue, and that has NOT been to their credit. The good customer service provided by Amazon and B&H, in dealing with Nikon's problem, does both companies credit!