Anti Nikon 8800 Faq

The ANTI-Nikon 8800 FAQ

Reason's not to buy: I'm posting this because various Nikon groups defend a
brand marquee beyond rational thought. Nikon makes some fantastic products. The
8800 is not one of them. Some have suggested that the 8800 is "detuned" so as
not to threaten the excellent D70. This may be the case. I made the mistake of
buying one too soon.


1) Weak AF system. Despite the camera's many focus and metering modes, the 8800
is still not able to focus as well as other cameras costing less money. This
has been a Coolpix problem and extends to the 8800, the flagship of the line.
Some of the blame can be placed on the long lens which is certainly not the
brightest or fastest. Still, many others are reporting dismal problems with
focusing, especially when they owned cameras that could do better previously.
There has been great debate over this issue, but the real bottom line is that
too many cameras do better than the 8800 in this all-important area, even with
long zooms. It's the #1 dealbreaker.

2) Poor manual focus. A true manual camera has manual focus. When using the
manual focus mode and indicator bar appears on-screen showing the relative
focus position. There is no distance scale and no area enlargement of the image
to aid in focus. In conditions where the AF system fails, the manual focus is
equally useless.

3) Slow, slow! Shot to shot speed and shutter lag are almost laughable for a
camera of this cost. There's little point in arguing it. Try one for yourself.

4) No compatible flash. Nikon claims that the excellent SB600 and SB800 will
work…and they do. But some modes are not available. The Auto Focus assist IR
will NOT WORK at all. This fantastic feature could have saved the 8800's AF
problems. A call to Nikon tech support led to them telling me that the flash
was 75% compatible. Perhaps you can get a 25% rebate for Nikon!

5) NO true remote shutter release. The remote triggers the timer only!

6) ISO noise. Yup, it starts after 100, but no surprise here.

7) Unique thread size. In at least a brief attempt to cause trouble, Nikon
created a unique thread size for the lens, meaning you'd have to buy their
filters or an adapter at the very least.

8) Battery grip. Nikon sells a battery grip for the 8800 for 170.00 in most
stores. It's incredibly cheap. Check one out and see if you could hand over the
money for it.

9) Size: While the 8800 is compact, it's not that much lighter than a D70 with
a kit lens. We're talking real world weight here. Unless you are very lightly
built, neither camera is great for a long hike. I carry an Optio S5I when I
need a "small" camera. And keep in mind that a D70 is a lot easier to hold.

10) Finally. The cost of the Nikon 8800 averages over 800.00. For 2 or 300 more
you can have a D70, which will outstrip the 8800, even with it's kit lens. The
VR system of the 8800 is nice, but the D70's brighter optics more than make up
for it. A VR lens is available for the D70 for a LOT of money. Does the 8800
offer a good value? I don't think so. The main reason of the AF system, which
is too weak compared to other cameras. You can learn to live with it, but you
will suffer from it at times. Search the Dpreview.com forums for confirmation
of this problem. Nikon fans (mainly the ones who never owned the 8800) will
defend it using "user error" and "nature of the beast" arguments. Very sad. The
camera fails in too many respects to be a qualified success. If you shoot
mainly outdoors in bright light, the 8800 will please. But indoors that long
lens and the weak AF system will cause you fits at times. If you want this
level of performance, seek out a D70, or a lower cost digicam. Don't be fooled
by the MP count. The D70's larger sensor is far better and sharper. The 8800
assures that you will miss the shot over lag, poor focus or ISO noise at least
some of the time. These comments are based on the use of TWO 8800's. Of course
you can read plenty about these issues online. Rather than argue about these
problems, I strongly suggest that you test the 8800 in a store (or try a
friends) BEFORE YOU buy. My 8800 was returned in favor of the D70, but even my
Z1 was more bang for the buck and IT COULD FOCUS where the 8800 couldn't.

Good luck!

Capt. RB

While I can't confirm or deny the problem you are having, with reasonable
priced dSLRs from Nikon, Canon and Pentax, I see little value in these
prosumer cameras. The dSLR's high ISO noise performance, better dynamic
range and less processed look to the images are worth the price of
admission. With the availability of quality SLR lenses, the 6mp dSLRs can
outperform the 8mp prosumer units in resolving power as well.
John

"Bobsprit" wrote in message
...
The ANTI-Nikon 8800 FAQ

Reason's not to buy: I'm posting this because various Nikon groups defend
a
brand marquee beyond rational thought. Nikon makes some fantastic
products. The
8800 is not one of them. Some have suggested that the 8800 is "detuned" so
as
not to threaten the excellent D70. This may be the case. I made the
mistake of
buying one too soon.


1) Weak AF system. Despite the camera's many focus and metering modes, the
8800
is still not able to focus as well as other cameras costing less money.
This
has been a Coolpix problem and extends to the 8800, the flagship of the
line.
Some of the blame can be placed on the long lens which is certainly not
the
brightest or fastest. Still, many others are reporting dismal problems
with
focusing, especially when they owned cameras that could do better
previously.
There has been great debate over this issue, but the real bottom line is
that
too many cameras do better than the 8800 in this all-important area, even
with
long zooms. It's the #1 dealbreaker.

2) Poor manual focus. A true manual camera has manual focus. When using
the
manual focus mode and indicator bar appears on-screen showing the relative
focus position. There is no distance scale and no area enlargement of the
image
to aid in focus. In conditions where the AF system fails, the manual focus
is
equally useless.

3) Slow, slow! Shot to shot speed and shutter lag are almost laughable for
a
camera of this cost. There's little point in arguing it. Try one for
yourself.

4) No compatible flash. Nikon claims that the excellent SB600 and SB800
will
work.and they do. But some modes are not available. The Auto Focus assist
IR
will NOT WORK at all. This fantastic feature could have saved the 8800's
AF
problems. A call to Nikon tech support led to them telling me that the
flash
was 75% compatible. Perhaps you can get a 25% rebate for Nikon!

5) NO true remote shutter release. The remote triggers the timer only!

6) ISO noise. Yup, it starts after 100, but no surprise here.

7) Unique thread size. In at least a brief attempt to cause trouble, Nikon
created a unique thread size for the lens, meaning you'd have to buy their
filters or an adapter at the very least.

8) Battery grip. Nikon sells a battery grip for the 8800 for 170.00 in
most
stores. It's incredibly cheap. Check one out and see if you could hand
over the
money for it.

9) Size: While the 8800 is compact, it's not that much lighter than a D70
with
a kit lens. We're talking real world weight here. Unless you are very
lightly
built, neither camera is great for a long hike. I carry an Optio S5I when
I
need a "small" camera. And keep in mind that a D70 is a lot easier to
hold.

10) Finally. The cost of the Nikon 8800 averages over 800.00. For 2 or 300
more
you can have a D70, which will outstrip the 8800, even with it's kit lens.
The
VR system of the 8800 is nice, but the D70's brighter optics more than
make up
for it. A VR lens is available for the D70 for a LOT of money. Does the
8800
offer a good value? I don't think so. The main reason of the AF system,
which
is too weak compared to other cameras. You can learn to live with it, but
you
will suffer from it at times. Search the Dpreview.com forums for
confirmation
of this problem. Nikon fans (mainly the ones who never owned the 8800)
will
defend it using "user error" and "nature of the beast" arguments. Very
sad. The
camera fails in too many respects to be a qualified success. If you shoot
mainly outdoors in bright light, the 8800 will please. But indoors that
long
lens and the weak AF system will cause you fits at times. If you want this
level of performance, seek out a D70, or a lower cost digicam. Don't be
fooled
by the MP count. The D70's larger sensor is far better and sharper. The
8800
assures that you will miss the shot over lag, poor focus or ISO noise at
least
some of the time. These comments are based on the use of TWO 8800's. Of
course
you can read plenty about these issues online. Rather than argue about
these
problems, I strongly suggest that you test the 8800 in a store (or try a
friends) BEFORE YOU buy. My 8800 was returned in favor of the D70, but
even my
Z1 was more bang for the buck and IT COULD FOCUS where the 8800 couldn't.

Good luck!

Capt. RB

While I can't confirm or deny the problem you are having, with reasonable
priced dSLRs from Nikon, Canon and Pentax, I see little value in these
prosumer cameras. The dSLR's high ISO noise performance, better dynamic
range and less processed look to the images are worth the price of
admission. With the availability of quality SLR lenses, the 6mp dSLRs can
outperform the 8mp prosumer units in resolving power as well.
John

"Bobsprit" wrote in message
...
The ANTI-Nikon 8800 FAQ

Reason's not to buy: I'm posting this because various Nikon groups defend
a
brand marquee beyond rational thought. Nikon makes some fantastic
products. The
8800 is not one of them. Some have suggested that the 8800 is "detuned" so
as
not to threaten the excellent D70. This may be the case. I made the
mistake of
buying one too soon.


1) Weak AF system. Despite the camera's many focus and metering modes, the
8800
is still not able to focus as well as other cameras costing less money.
This
has been a Coolpix problem and extends to the 8800, the flagship of the
line.
Some of the blame can be placed on the long lens which is certainly not
the
brightest or fastest. Still, many others are reporting dismal problems
with
focusing, especially when they owned cameras that could do better
previously.
There has been great debate over this issue, but the real bottom line is
that
too many cameras do better than the 8800 in this all-important area, even
with
long zooms. It's the #1 dealbreaker.

2) Poor manual focus. A true manual camera has manual focus. When using
the
manual focus mode and indicator bar appears on-screen showing the relative
focus position. There is no distance scale and no area enlargement of the
image
to aid in focus. In conditions where the AF system fails, the manual focus
is
equally useless.

3) Slow, slow! Shot to shot speed and shutter lag are almost laughable for
a
camera of this cost. There's little point in arguing it. Try one for
yourself.

4) No compatible flash. Nikon claims that the excellent SB600 and SB800
will
work.and they do. But some modes are not available. The Auto Focus assist
IR
will NOT WORK at all. This fantastic feature could have saved the 8800's
AF
problems. A call to Nikon tech support led to them telling me that the
flash
was 75% compatible. Perhaps you can get a 25% rebate for Nikon!

5) NO true remote shutter release. The remote triggers the timer only!

6) ISO noise. Yup, it starts after 100, but no surprise here.

7) Unique thread size. In at least a brief attempt to cause trouble, Nikon
created a unique thread size for the lens, meaning you'd have to buy their
filters or an adapter at the very least.

8) Battery grip. Nikon sells a battery grip for the 8800 for 170.00 in
most
stores. It's incredibly cheap. Check one out and see if you could hand
over the
money for it.

9) Size: While the 8800 is compact, it's not that much lighter than a D70
with
a kit lens. We're talking real world weight here. Unless you are very
lightly
built, neither camera is great for a long hike. I carry an Optio S5I when
I
need a "small" camera. And keep in mind that a D70 is a lot easier to
hold.

10) Finally. The cost of the Nikon 8800 averages over 800.00. For 2 or 300
more
you can have a D70, which will outstrip the 8800, even with it's kit lens.
The
VR system of the 8800 is nice, but the D70's brighter optics more than
make up
for it. A VR lens is available for the D70 for a LOT of money. Does the
8800
offer a good value? I don't think so. The main reason of the AF system,
which
is too weak compared to other cameras. You can learn to live with it, but
you
will suffer from it at times. Search the Dpreview.com forums for
confirmation
of this problem. Nikon fans (mainly the ones who never owned the 8800)
will
defend it using "user error" and "nature of the beast" arguments. Very
sad. The
camera fails in too many respects to be a qualified success. If you shoot
mainly outdoors in bright light, the 8800 will please. But indoors that
long
lens and the weak AF system will cause you fits at times. If you want this
level of performance, seek out a D70, or a lower cost digicam. Don't be
fooled
by the MP count. The D70's larger sensor is far better and sharper. The
8800
assures that you will miss the shot over lag, poor focus or ISO noise at
least
some of the time. These comments are based on the use of TWO 8800's. Of
course
you can read plenty about these issues online. Rather than argue about
these
problems, I strongly suggest that you test the 8800 in a store (or try a
friends) BEFORE YOU buy. My 8800 was returned in favor of the D70, but
even my
Z1 was more bang for the buck and IT COULD FOCUS where the 8800 couldn't.

Good luck!

Capt. RB

Bobsprit wrote:
[]
Rather than argue about these problems, I strongly suggest
that you test the 8800 in a store (or try a friends) BEFORE YOU buy.
My 8800 was returned in favor of the D70, but even my Z1 was more
bang for the buck and IT COULD FOCUS where the 8800 couldn't.

Good luck!

Capt. RB

Well, before purchasing we compared the Nikon 8800 against the Panasonic
FZ20 long zoom and ended up buying the FZ20, and not just because of the
lower cost. I don't agree with some of your criticisms (e.g. it's
deliberately crippled versus the D70), and I think your views are stronger
than mine. The 8800 and D70 really are aimed at different users - those
who want or need to have a bagful of lenses versus those who do not. With
any camera, you should try before purchase, to see if the ergonomics suit
you.

BTW: I did get a Nikon 8400, which offers fast and accurate focussing, and
a zoom range from 24mm wide-angle. If the 8400 performance could be
combined with the Panasonic's f/2.8 Leica IS lens and manual focus in the
8800's replacement Nikon would surely have a winner!

Cheers,
David

Bobsprit wrote:
[]
Rather than argue about these problems, I strongly suggest
that you test the 8800 in a store (or try a friends) BEFORE YOU buy.
My 8800 was returned in favor of the D70, but even my Z1 was more
bang for the buck and IT COULD FOCUS where the 8800 couldn't.

Good luck!

Capt. RB

Well, before purchasing we compared the Nikon 8800 against the Panasonic
FZ20 long zoom and ended up buying the FZ20, and not just because of the
lower cost. I don't agree with some of your criticisms (e.g. it's
deliberately crippled versus the D70), and I think your views are stronger
than mine. The 8800 and D70 really are aimed at different users - those
who want or need to have a bagful of lenses versus those who do not. With
any camera, you should try before purchase, to see if the ergonomics suit
you.

BTW: I did get a Nikon 8400, which offers fast and accurate focussing, and
a zoom range from 24mm wide-angle. If the 8400 performance could be
combined with the Panasonic's f/2.8 Leica IS lens and manual focus in the
8800's replacement Nikon would surely have a winner!

Cheers,
David

Bobsprit wrote:
[]
Rather than argue about these problems, I strongly suggest
that you test the 8800 in a store (or try a friends) BEFORE YOU buy.
My 8800 was returned in favor of the D70, but even my Z1 was more
bang for the buck and IT COULD FOCUS where the 8800 couldn't.

Good luck!

Capt. RB

Well, before purchasing we compared the Nikon 8800 against the Panasonic
FZ20 long zoom and ended up buying the FZ20, and not just because of the
lower cost. I don't agree with some of your criticisms (e.g. it's
deliberately crippled versus the D70), and I think your views are stronger
than mine. The 8800 and D70 really are aimed at different users - those
who want or need to have a bagful of lenses versus those who do not. With
any camera, you should try before purchase, to see if the ergonomics suit
you.

BTW: I did get a Nikon 8400, which offers fast and accurate focussing, and
a zoom range from 24mm wide-angle. If the 8400 performance could be
combined with the Panasonic's f/2.8 Leica IS lens and manual focus in the
8800's replacement Nikon would surely have a winner!

Cheers,
David

JohnR wrote:
While I can't confirm or deny the problem you are having, with
reasonable priced dSLRs from Nikon, Canon and Pentax, I see little
value in these prosumer cameras. The dSLR's high ISO noise
performance, better dynamic range and less processed look to the
images are worth the price of admission. With the availability of
quality SLR lenses, the 6mp dSLRs can outperform the 8mp prosumer
units in resolving power as well.
John

John,

I've used SLRs and no longer do I wish to trail round a bagful of lenses,
flashguns, tripods etc. etc. Yes, some people /need/ those things, I
choose to manage without. Heck, what would an IS lens covering 432mm at
f/2.8 weigh and cost? A lot more than my Panasonic FZ20 I'm sure!

I stopped carrying an SLR outfit in 1998, and started taking photos again.
I have never looked back.

Cheers,
David

JohnR wrote:
While I can't confirm or deny the problem you are having, with
reasonable priced dSLRs from Nikon, Canon and Pentax, I see little
value in these prosumer cameras. The dSLR's high ISO noise
performance, better dynamic range and less processed look to the
images are worth the price of admission. With the availability of
quality SLR lenses, the 6mp dSLRs can outperform the 8mp prosumer
units in resolving power as well.
John

John,

I've used SLRs and no longer do I wish to trail round a bagful of lenses,
flashguns, tripods etc. etc. Yes, some people /need/ those things, I
choose to manage without. Heck, what would an IS lens covering 432mm at
f/2.8 weigh and cost? A lot more than my Panasonic FZ20 I'm sure!

I stopped carrying an SLR outfit in 1998, and started taking photos again.
I have never looked back.

Cheers,
David

JohnR wrote:
While I can't confirm or deny the problem you are having, with
reasonable priced dSLRs from Nikon, Canon and Pentax, I see little
value in these prosumer cameras. The dSLR's high ISO noise
performance, better dynamic range and less processed look to the
images are worth the price of admission. With the availability of
quality SLR lenses, the 6mp dSLRs can outperform the 8mp prosumer
units in resolving power as well.
John

John,

I've used SLRs and no longer do I wish to trail round a bagful of lenses,
flashguns, tripods etc. etc. Yes, some people /need/ those things, I
choose to manage without. Heck, what would an IS lens covering 432mm at
f/2.8 weigh and cost? A lot more than my Panasonic FZ20 I'm sure!

I stopped carrying an SLR outfit in 1998, and started taking photos again.
I have never looked back.

Cheers,
David

Thanks,

Perfect timing as I was planning to buy the 8800 tomorrow. You have
confirmed many of the doubts that I had and now will look at the
Panasonic Z20 and others.





On 05 Dec 2004 14:31:32 GMT, (Bobsprit) wrote:

The ANTI-Nikon 8800 FAQ

Reason's not to buy: I'm posting this because various Nikon groups defend a
brand marquee beyond rational thought. Nikon makes some fantastic products. The
8800 is not one of them. Some have suggested that the 8800 is "detuned" so as
not to threaten the excellent D70. This may be the case. I made the mistake of
buying one too soon.


1) Weak AF system. Despite the camera's many focus and metering modes, the 8800
is still not able to focus as well as other cameras costing less money. This
has been a Coolpix problem and extends to the 8800, the flagship of the line.
Some of the blame can be placed on the long lens which is certainly not the
brightest or fastest. Still, many others are reporting dismal problems with
focusing, especially when they owned cameras that could do better previously.
There has been great debate over this issue, but the real bottom line is that
too many cameras do better than the 8800 in this all-important area, even with
long zooms. It's the #1 dealbreaker.

2) Poor manual focus. A true manual camera has manual focus. When using the
manual focus mode and indicator bar appears on-screen showing the relative
focus position. There is no distance scale and no area enlargement of the image
to aid in focus. In conditions where the AF system fails, the manual focus is
equally useless.

3) Slow, slow! Shot to shot speed and shutter lag are almost laughable for a
camera of this cost. There's little point in arguing it. Try one for yourself.

4) No compatible flash. Nikon claims that the excellent SB600 and SB800 will
work…and they do. But some modes are not available. The Auto Focus assist IR
will NOT WORK at all. This fantastic feature could have saved the 8800's AF
problems. A call to Nikon tech support led to them telling me that the flash
was 75% compatible. Perhaps you can get a 25% rebate for Nikon!

5) NO true remote shutter release. The remote triggers the timer only!

6) ISO noise. Yup, it starts after 100, but no surprise here.

7) Unique thread size. In at least a brief attempt to cause trouble, Nikon
created a unique thread size for the lens, meaning you'd have to buy their
filters or an adapter at the very least.

8) Battery grip. Nikon sells a battery grip for the 8800 for 170.00 in most
stores. It's incredibly cheap. Check one out and see if you could hand over the
money for it.

9) Size: While the 8800 is compact, it's not that much lighter than a D70 with
a kit lens. We're talking real world weight here. Unless you are very lightly
built, neither camera is great for a long hike. I carry an Optio S5I when I
need a "small" camera. And keep in mind that a D70 is a lot easier to hold.

10) Finally. The cost of the Nikon 8800 averages over 800.00. For 2 or 300 more
you can have a D70, which will outstrip the 8800, even with it's kit lens. The
VR system of the 8800 is nice, but the D70's brighter optics more than make up
for it. A VR lens is available for the D70 for a LOT of money. Does the 8800
offer a good value? I don't think so. The main reason of the AF system, which
is too weak compared to other cameras. You can learn to live with it, but you
will suffer from it at times. Search the Dpreview.com forums for confirmation
of this problem. Nikon fans (mainly the ones who never owned the 8800) will
defend it using "user error" and "nature of the beast" arguments. Very sad. The
camera fails in too many respects to be a qualified success. If you shoot
mainly outdoors in bright light, the 8800 will please. But indoors that long
lens and the weak AF system will cause you fits at times. If you want this
level of performance, seek out a D70, or a lower cost digicam. Don't be fooled
by the MP count. The D70's larger sensor is far better and sharper. The 8800
assures that you will miss the shot over lag, poor focus or ISO noise at least
some of the time. These comments are based on the use of TWO 8800's. Of course
you can read plenty about these issues online. Rather than argue about these
problems, I strongly suggest that you test the 8800 in a store (or try a
friends) BEFORE YOU buy. My 8800 was returned in favor of the D70, but even my
Z1 was more bang for the buck and IT COULD FOCUS where the 8800 couldn't.

Good luck!

Capt. RB