Who's making the switch to Nikon / D800

Reading over at the Nikonian site, I see a lot of Nikon shooters worried about the density of the sensor in regards to the 36mbs. Seeing as they have been conditioned to less mbs, I can see how this discussion has evolved.

Shadowblade wrote in post #13892508
The increased pixel count is helping a lot of us, particularly landscape and studio shooters.

Smooth interpolation may avoid pixellation, but doesn't add any extra detail. Instead of pixels, you just see blur.

Sure, this may not show up at 'typical viewing distances', but large (1.5m wide and larger) gallery prints are often viewed up close, at 20cm or less, which are much closer than 'typical distances'.

uh... who views gallery prints @ 20cm? It's like the 1080P vs 720P debates...... on a 32" screen....

At some point, pixels have optimal use. Luckily, the Nikon has some real improvements, such as the addition of video and features related. In body flash is nice to have too.

pbelarge wrote in post #13895884
Reading over at the Nikonian site, I see a lot of Nikon shooters worried about the density of the sensor in regards to the 36mbs. Seeing as they have been conditioned to less mbs, I can see how this discussion has evolved.

Wait till they figure out they are going to have a heck of alot more noise to deal with as well. Especially the pixel peepers. Lots of disadvantages to larger files. It doesnt always smell like perfume in MP land. They will find out soon enough

The big thing about this camera is that people who own BOTH 5D and 7D's would not need to own both. This camera does it all sort of. It would be nice if there was a low light mode that could match the low light of the D4, and then a high Mpx mode to get the "crop" effect or just use the full mpx..... maybe nikon thinks extreme low light should only be reserved for their pro lineup, then do a swap for high mpx for their prosumer lineup? It's almost like going backwards with a switch and bait.

Because of the D800, this is now possible: http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=gF_qQYrCcns

I was reading Moose Peterson's blog the other day and he was talking about the new D4 and D800. He had some pretty relevant comments:

Specifically about the D800/800e

Granted...just opinions of a single photographer...but a damn good one whose opinions have some validity IMO.

Geonerd wrote in post #13895878
So, what's so special about it? I see 36 million pickles. That's 'nice,' if not exactly Earth shattering. The price of the camera, plus top end lenses that have some hope of matching the sensor's resolution, will be steep. Who's supposed to buy this, rich gear dweebs and a few genuine professionals, right? Seriously, why do you presume anyone would want to 'switch' in the first place?

36mp is special.
Pro and accurate AF is special.
Spot on TTL is special.
Weather sealing is special.
Raw HDMI video out is special.
Facial exposure recognition is special (imo)
100% VF
Dual card slots
High DR
In camera HDR

and all that for $3k? Sounds special to me. And if canon cant match that within a few hundred dollars... I am switching. I've been waiting for a good excuse to switch back... and this surely is it.

jthomps123 wrote in post #13895995
36mp is special.
Pro and accurate AF is special.
Spot on TTL is special.
Weather sealing is special.
Raw HDMI video out is special.
Facial exposure recognition is special (imo)
100% VF
Dual card slots
High DR
In camera HDR

and all that for $3k? Sounds special to me. And if canon cant match that within a few hundred dollars... I am switching. I've been waiting for a good excuse to switch back... and this surely is it.

Most of those new features are great, but switching costs a lot of money, and for most shooters, it's not really worth it. Switching means giving up the canon lineup of lens which is a whole lot cheaper than nikon and more extensive.

The 24-70 nikon was pretty expensive last I checked. Sure, if price were no object, the switch would be easy.

shack wrote in post #13895978
I was reading Moose Peterson's blog the other day and he was talking about the new D4 and D800. He had some pretty relevant comments:



Specifically about the D800/800e


Granted...just opinions of a single photographer...but a damn good one whose opinions have some validity IMO.

Almost exactly what Jeff Ascough told me when I spoke to him about the 1DMKIV. I asked him his thoughts on the 1Dx....you can bet he has had his hands on one. Exactly word for word on the comparisons. "You cant compare a 1Dx to a 1DMKIV......totally different sensors, entirely new AF system, superior image quality. they are not in the same league. Both do different things."

I think canon is smart in that they are obviously not running down the MP road in this price market. If 5D3 has any AF system at all, it will turn some heads and opinions towards canon. Image quality and noise is everything. 36MP's is not the answer.

Like others have said, 36MP is just too much for the average shooter. You're also going to have to invest in external hard drives for storage and probably pick up some more memory for your computer to handle these files in PhotoShop (not to mention have enough room on your scratch disk so that PhotoShop doesn't get bogged down). The MP war is silly, just because it has more doesn't mean it's better. Wait until the camera has been out for a few weeks and see reports by real world users and then make a decision. Also, isn't the "in camera HDR" only composed of two shots? If so, that is not enough for most situations to accurately capture the dynamic range.

umphotography wrote in post #13896079
I think canon is smart in that they are obviously not running down the MP road in this price market. If 5D3 has any AF system at all, it will turn some heads and opinions towards canon. Image quality and noise is everything. 36MP's is not the answer.

The 5D III with improved AF along with the latest/greatest processor and taking the ISO to the next level would make it a very appealing camera to me. Keeping the MP about the same would be just fine. Leave off the popup flash but add remote flash control would be nice (but not a deal killer). Video capability is here to stay but is of no value to me so whatever they do is ok.

It would be cool if Canon could make these relatively minor tweaks to an already great camera, and actually LOWER the MSRP since all the R&D and tooling is in place, meaning those are costs already accounted for in the II. How popular would it be with a sub $2,000 street price?

Lol, I love the idea that "noobs" are pursuing more MP's. So so so so so so so many noobs must have pre-ordered the D800, I mean that's a lot of noobs, because the preorders are sold out. Haha! And I really pity all the noobs who shoot medium format. They wasted a lot of money on medium format cameras with high MP when they really could have achieved the same quality with light. Haha!

You guys are right, we can all take exceptional photographs with the gear we currently have. But interest in the D800, or increased MP, does not make one a noob. EVERYONE here understands the pros/cons of shooting with a high MP camera. For some the pros outweigh the cons.

I'd consider the D800, but want to wait until it's in the hands of normal people and not those working for Nikon. Be nice to see what the rabble has to say about this thing before getting one. I'm sure the various posts and images of those who have used one have gone thru the Nikon public relations washer, and frankly I don't place much stock in them.

Not switching. Its gear. Use what you got. In this hobby, you will go broke if you keep chasing for the best.

I don't see where anyone wants to buy the D800 based on MP's?