Summary: D800E for Close-Up/Macro Work
So Far, So Good, with some Caveats
I have written some of this elsewhere, but will incorporate it here for
those who missed it and want a summary. The Nikon D800E is IMO
a game changer for close-up and macro nature photography.
Whether used to stack photos on a rail or taking single-shot photos
of live critters, the camera excels. I know there are autofocus (and
probably other) problems floating out there, but I assume they will
be resolved by a firmware upgrade or camera replacement. I have
not run into them, but neither have I tested for the autofocus
problems. This is not to say the camera does not present new
challenges. It does.
D800E: Studio and Focus Stacking
I have extensively tested the D800E in the studio (or outside when
winds are calm), mostly on a focus rail, and the camera is
outstanding for this kind of still-life work - stacking. All is good and
this has been well documented (at least by me). The camera is
sharp beyond any others I have ever used. Period.
Even with limited single-shot experimenting, it seems to me that the
D800E will curtail some amount of my focus-stacking work by
replacing stacking with single-shot photos, especially in the field.
Where before I could not stack because of the ever-present wind in
the flatlands of Michigan, now I am encouraged to try single-shot
outdoor photos, either with an increased shutter speed or waiting
for a momentary lull in the wind.
This will almost certainly increase my still life work in the field. Until
the D800E came along, I mainly waited for a period of calm
regarding wind, and did my stacking during the calm. Those periods
of calm are rare here. Now I will see what single-shots can do.
However, I stack in the studio regularly, at least in the winter. I am
encouraged to approximate focus stacking with either a single-shot
carefully set up or a short stack of perhaps one to three layers. I
continue to be amazed at the amount of detail a single shot of a still
life will give me with the D800E. All I have to do is pay attention to
ISO, aperture, and the other factors that I would normally.