D810 DX Mode + 1.7x Tele + 70-200 2.8

Hi guys,

I have literally just switched from a Canon 5D III to the Nikon world and have a D810 on the way. My plan is to get the 'holy trinity' of lenses pretty early on (14-24 2.8, 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8).

I like doing some occasional race track photography and a bit of extra reach is useful for that. So I figured the cheapest way to extend my reach is to get a 1.7x tele convertor for the 70-200 2.8, getting me 340mm reach in FX mode.

However, I wondered if I can run the D810 in DX mode as well to apply the 1.5x crop? I mean I could crop in post anyway since I will have plenty of detail thanks to the 36MP.... But is the above possible and what would be the downsides / effective megapixels I am left with after a DX mode with 1.7x tele?

Thanks
Tom

I believe the megapixel count of the D810 is lowered to 15.3 when shooting in crop mode. Better to shoot at the full 36mp and crop in post.

The only benefit of shooting in the 1.2x or 1.5x crop modes is reduced file sizes which should increase the number of shots you can fit in the buffer. If filling the buffer even with the D810 is not a concern I think the FX mode gives you much greater framing opportunities and margin for error

Ok then,

I think shooting in FX mode with the 1.7x tele is probably the best bet then. Should leave plenty of room for cropping in post with the full 36MP.

smythie wrote in post #18042626
The only benefit of shooting in the 1.2x or 1.5x crop modes is reduced file sizes which should increase the number of shots you can fit in the buffer. If filling the buffer even with the D810 is not a concern I think the FX mode gives you much greater framing opportunities and margin for error

The other benefit to DX mode is higher FPS though. That might come in handy for racetrack shooting. Keep in mind that you need a battery grip for the higher FPS functionality.

Thanks for that update. I presume you also need the EN-EL18 or EN-EL18a (D4/D4s/D5 battery) in the grip for the higher speed?

No. Just the EN-EL15. Just to clarify my earlier post, base FPS is 5. DX Mode gets you to 6 FPS without battery grip, but 7 FPS with the battery grip.

Here is a good resource for switching from canon to the D810 like I did. Kind of a cheat sheet for the myriad settings available on the D810:

https://photographylif​e.com …ended-nikon-d810-settings

Ah, thanks. I remember the D700 and D300/s needed the D3 battery in the grip to shot quicker (8fps rings a bell). Thought it might have been a similar case with the D810 (pretty sure it makes no difference with the D750 though)

You may be glad to hear that I own a D810, Nikkor 24-70, Nikkor 70-200 VRII and a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III. I also mainly shoot bikes, specialising on panning both on road and track. I don't switch to DX for one obvious reason. Megapixels. You don't have to have the subject filling the frame but you can crop later with enough pixels to print up to A3 or even A2 size. Works great enough for me. The switch to DX mode is the same result but with the downside of having to frame the subject perfectly. It's an obvious choice isn't it?