Best Nikon out of camera jpeg (nikon D700?)

[darkosaric]

Hi all,

In rare occasion when I use digital - I want to get best possible without playing in post processing. So, I do not use raw, I use jpeg. Never used raw, not planning to start now. My research gave me D700 Nikon as best solution (I have analog Nikons, not to change brand). And so far I am satisfied, just out of curiosity - anyone knows some other camera with even better out of camera jpeg quality? Or which settings one should use/avoid?

Thanks,

 

[Billy Axeman]

A useful setting is D-Range (Pentax) or D-Lighting (Nikon). This is very convenient for reducing the occurrence of overexposed and underexposed areas at the same time (on the far right and left side of the histogram), which can happen in bright light (sunlight). Usually these settings can be tweaked for the amount of correction.

Using D-Range or D-Lighting works better than exposure compensation which shifts the complete histogram. For example when in bright sunlight exposure is reduced the histogram shifts to the left and the shadows are too dark.

Other more common settings for JPEG are contrast, brightness, saturation, hue, and filters for monochrome (yellow, orange, red, green). The filters are digital of course and only applied to the JPEG, not the RAW. A yellow or red filter can help to prevent an overblown sky in bright weather as an extra measure alongside D-Range or D-Lighting.

Combinations of settings for bright weather and/or overcast weather can be set for an optimum histogram and stored as User settings, which can be selected quickly.

I have a Pentax especially for monochrome JPEG and in practice it produces quite easily the correct histogram without being too critical, while other camera's struggle to get it right (Nikon 1 V2, Olympus E-M1X).

 

[mshchem]

I have no experience with the D700. I have had a D3 bought used, a D5 bought used. The quality of the images are great with all 3. I sold the D3 and D5, if I hadn't needed the money to fund the new equipment I would have kept both. I had a D800, it made great pictures. Same deal with a D200, (that I never used.)

My current favorite camera is the Fuji X Pro 3, it's so much fun to fool around with the film simulations. The prime lenses are cheap, especially used.

 

[Ariston]

I've only used Nikon DSLRs, and digital point and shoots. The D700 is my favorite. I have to say that my wife's D3300 is no slouch, and it focuses INSTANTLY with the new stepping motor lenses. But the D700 seems... I guess I would say creamier. And the full frame gives me more of what I expect perspective wise.

 

[shutterfinger]

I have a D300 and D800 and shoot only in RAW. Conversion is quick with Capture NX-D to TIFF 8 or 16 bit or jpeg. A minor levels adjustment in PS is all that is needed to suit my taste. I want the most detail and best lossless storage available.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have a D300 and D800 and shoot only in RAW. Conversion is quick with Capture NX-D to TIFF 8 or 16 bit or jpeg. A minor levels adjustment in PS is all that is needed to suit my taste. I want the most detail and best lossless storage available.

a vote for the NIKON D800;(didn't like the colors of the D700)but also loved the D200;I only shoot RAW! why waste info?

 

[Billy Axeman]

The OP wants to shoot JPEG, let's see what the advantages are of that, and forget the rest for a moment.

 

[Billy Axeman]

Some camera manufacturers, like Pentax, are putting a lot of effort in their processing of the JPEG (because there are many JPEG shooters in Japan) and they implement all sorts of settings for the user to fine tune the result.

What is Custom Image?
http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/custom_image/

This is a good overview what you might want in a camera to shoot JPEG's, and to compare from the user manuals what the various brands have to offer.

 

[beemermark]

I have the D700 and upgraded to the D750. Both are good thought the D750 is better. I think any higher end DSLR will make great jpegs today.

 

[darkosaric]

Thanks guys for the feedback. I will check this D-Lighting setting .

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Thanks guys for the feedback. I will check this D-Lighting setting.

D-lighting battles extreme contrast scenes and does a good job if not overdone 'auto' works best for me.

 

[Down Under]

My two D700s when I bought them (one new in 2012, the other used in 2017, gave me the best JPEGs out of the camera that I've had in 12 years of digi-shooting. That is until I bought my D800 last year. I've never looked back. (The D700s are nowadays still used, but mostly by my partner.)

About 18 months ago the older of the pair, with 130,000 actuations, began overexposing by up to a full stop. Maddeningly, this wasn't constant or even consistent, so I had no way of knowing if the results of any given shoot would be normally exposed or a full stop over the top. I dislike chimping on-site, so I diddled and fiddled and tested just about every variation I could think of, also several suggested by other posters on this site. At first I kept notes, but after a while I got bored with this and just scribbled words on bits of paper. I look at the latter now and find very little of what I recorded makes any sense to me. Ah, memory.

Then the second D700 with less than 20,000 actuations on the speedometer, began doing the same. Annoyed, exasperated, frustrated, maddened, I went out and bought a used D800 with 1,800 actuations, which gives me spot-on exact exposures just to my liking.

Eventually the two D700s which by then were becoming shelf queens, saw the light (a bad pun, I know) and somehow reset themselves to exposing normally. Problem resolved, in one way or another.

To this day I've no idea what if anything I did in my many tests, worked or not. I do most of my shooting on the road in Southeast Asia, with harsh light and high temperatures to contend with, much the same as living out here in rural Australia where the midday sun is enough to burn the fur off a 'roo. The three most consistent fixes I came up with, using a polarizer, adjusting the exposure compensation by one-third or two-third stops but no more (I've noted the advice from #2 in this regard and I agree with it), and setting the D-Lighting, appear to have been the closest contributors to my success in rejigging my D700s to expose correctly. Or did they fix themselves? I'll really never know.

 

[shutterfinger]

Nikon D800, Tokina 20-35mm f3.5-4.5 at 20mm, aperture priority at f8, ISO 100
In camera Tiff-cannot upload, file not recognized.
In camera Jpeg small:

In camera Raw converted to Jpeg in Nikon Capture NX-D:


Files reduced in PS CS 5.1, no other editing. Color profile Nikon sRGB.

 

[Russ - SVP]

I am pleasantly surprised at how good the JPEG's straight out of my D780 look. (ISO 12,800)