p.6 #3 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
Congratulations to Nikon for producing a very fine photographic device at a very reasonable price, and for giving photographers the option to order the body without an AA filter.
I am happy for the Nikon shooters, because this body appears to be everything that most of advanced amateurs (and even pros) would like to shoot with. I know I would.
p.6 #6 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
Can't wait to see how the apologists will explain the 5Dx with no pro focus, no weather proofing, no dual cards, no 100% viewfinder, similar megapixels and similar price. Oh and I'd put money on it...
p.6 #7 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
skibum5 wrote:
SNIP
And yet another various reason for my thoughts is this new quote from DPR "Ultimately, the most interesting thing about these launches is the fact that Canon feels the need to update various full-frame lenses, almost as if something likely to test the quality of its existing versions was in the offing."
SNIP
This is an interesting point; more so in light of the conventional Photo 101 first day blurb along the lines of "amateurs talk about bodies, pros talk about lens, and photographers talk about light".
The new big whites are lighter and have better IS than the Nikon long glass, along with a price tag that erases the old advantage Canon had over Nikon long glass.
I mainly use Canon, and love the 1d4 because the 1.3 crop means a 300/2.8 gives the same FOV as a 400/2.8 on a d3. But I also shoot with a couple of Sigma bodies which can produce great IQ and the best rolloff of any bodies I know of under the right conditions. But the recent Sigma sd1 has suffered because there are not a lot of lens up to the task of its sensor.
The Nikon 200-400 and 14-24 are probably the best two Nikon lens in terms of dealing with a big new sensor; but Canon has the mpe65, the TS line, the 200, the 100-400 great bang for the buck, 400/5.6 best bang for the buck, and the newer and lighter 300/2.8, 400/2.8, 500/f4, 600, and 800, not to mention the expected 200-400 with built in 1.4TC.
I have no idea what Canon has up its sleeve body wise, but certainly Canon has released some very impressive lens; even if they are very expensive.
The most impressive thing to me about the d800 is the price; that will certainly put pressure on Canon and everyone else. This has to be a good thing.
p.6 #10 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
RobertLynn wrote:
In all seriousness, the pressure from Nikon is good. May drive Canon to offer some different products quickly, or get me to buy some Nikon products.
+1
my first reaction after seeing the sample images was "wow, i'm impressed" - with ever the slightest tinge of jealousy (having committed many many thousands just this past year to new Canon lenses)
but after the initial shock died down, the truth is there's really not a lot I can't already accomplish with the still excellent 21mp 1Ds3 with good lenses & (hopefully) solid technique/post.. this probably goes for 95+ % of all pro photographers (everyone except those needing billboard-sized/medium format quality images for the majority of their clients).
the technology at our disposal is incredible & additional impetus to improve our equipment further can only be a good thing.. the d800 seems like a very well-rounded product for what it's geared for though, kudos to the folks at Nikon.
it's an exciting time to be a working photographer, even with the poor economy & ever-growing # of GWCs accepting gigs for peanuts..
p.6 #12 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
kaycephoto wrote:
but after the initial shock died down, the truth is there's really not a lot I can't already accomplish with the still excellent 21mp 1Ds3 with good lenses & (hopefully) solid technique/post.. this probably goes for 95+ % of all pro photographers (everyone except those needing billboard-sized/medium format quality images for the majority of their clients).
This is of course a lot smaller and in many ways more advanced that a 1Ds3 and for a price not that different to what the 1Ds3 is selling for 2nd hand. I'm hoping it kills the 1Ds3's used price and I can pick up another one.
Another point of course is that the camera is pointed straight at medium format territory. Been playing with the jpgs and comparing to MFDB RAW files, to be 100% honest, I think that this camera vs a 28/33 megapixel back, the MF only wins due to the more expensive primes used in comparison to the nikon zooms used in those samples if we're talking sharpness and detail (can't comment on DR/Depth/Color till we get RAW files to play with). The price difference though is incredible. A lot of people will be musing this point...
Assuming the new 24-70 will equal or slightly best the Nikon, if I was NOT shooting sports, wildife, BIF and didn't have so much invested in Canon glass then I'd go Nikon but to be fair we should wait to see what the next 5D will bring and then compare. At that point, the pricing will probably be almost equal but the rumours aren't pointing towards a high MP 5D so who knows.
p.6 #14 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
Beni wrote:
This is of course a lot smaller and in many ways more advanced that a 1Ds3 and for a price not that different to what the 1Ds3 is selling for 2nd hand. I'm hoping it kills the 1Ds3's used price and I can pick up another one.
Another point of course is that the camera is pointed straight at medium format territory. Been playing with the jpgs and comparing to MFDB RAW files, to be 100% honest, I think that this camera vs a 28/33 megapixel back, the MF only wins due to the more expensive primes used in comparison to the nikon zooms used in those samples if we're talking sharpness and detail (can't comment on DR/Depth/Color till we get RAW files to play with). The price difference though is incredible. A lot of people will be musing this point......Show more →
def good points.. i didn't think about size/weight much but the D800 will be killer for many people who don't want a super heavy camera (a lot of people seem to complain about that for the 1-series/D3-series cameras) just for image quality, esp at the moderate price-point vs performance offered.. for the rare 'critical' studio/product shoots I do, i would probably consider renting a D800.
can't speak for MF setups though.. wayyyy out of my ballpark haha, safer for me not to even think about absolute image quality along those lines.
p.6 #15 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
So far this is all well and good, 36MP whoopty doo or something, but after a few moments I think my enthusiasm is a bit tamed...
I don't print that large very often, so the 36MP would surely be a waste and a drain on PC resources most of the time (and I say that using an i7 quad-core iMac 27" with 12GB RAM).
Granted, the sample images look great, but these are shot in near-perfect conditions...conditions I don't have most of the time.
And, TBH, 36MP isn't that much linear resolution than the 5D2 -- not as much as one thinks when comparing 21 vs 36.
In the end, kudos to Nikon for introducing the D800, especially with the E option (I'm a Nikon fan in most respects). I really like the fact it's 100% VF while retaining the on-board flash (which is just superb and so convenient for a little fill or flash commander).
Maybe I would be a bit more hyped if they would have introduced an sRAW type option like Canon does - it's not all the time one needs 36MP (think - shots of children at the house or whatever) and not everyone loves shooting JPEG (frankly I really dislike most JPEG engines save maybe Olympus's).
I'm also very curious to see if it has the electronic front shutter curtain, or does it still flop around the mirror like crazy when you're bracketing landscape shots using a 2sec timer or Live view(36 x 3...shutter the thought!). So far, as far as I know they don't use electronic front (at least up to the D700 and D7000), so not having this option in a very high-resolution camera in 2012 would be a bit disappointing, at least to me, especially since the 36MP is going to greatly amplify any camera shake.
I realize MLU and remotes are made for a reason, but the 5D2's method of just entering LV to compose and focus, then pressing the shutter for a 2-sec timer and 3 exposures without any mirror flop was just sublime (that mode lived as C3 when I owned the 5D2).
p.6 #16 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
This will be a great camera for fine art landscape photographers and fashion photographers who may want a more responsive body and may be able to ditch their super expensive medium format digital gear.
If you print HUGE (40"+ prints), this would be awesome.
For the rest of us, it's pretty much a drain on computer resources and storage. I mean, it'll make incredible large prints, but at 30" and smaller, I doubt you'll see any difference over something like the 5D II. Heck, I bet it would be hard to tell even up close against the D700 in 24" and smaller prints.
I'm at a point now where I really have to upgrade my machine (it's definitely time...I'm running a Core2 duo with 4 GB of RAM), because it's just choking on my GH2 and GX1 RAW files...takes forever for lightroom to generate the pixel level data and if I need to edit a 16 bit TIFF, it basically destroys my machine (which I do when I do black and white conversions on shots with a lot of sky...the JPEG compression turns to mush during conversion).
My current machine would probably be useless with these files, and even with a top of the line machine, these files will be unwieldy to work with. If you really need the resolution, it will be a godsend, but I am really surprised they don't have an sRAW at about 16 MP.
p.6 #17 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
Jman13 wrote:
This will be a great camera for fine art landscape photographers and fashion photographers who may want a more responsive body and may be able to ditch their super expensive medium format digital gear.
If you print HUGE (40"+ prints), this would be awesome.
For the rest of us, it's pretty much a drain on computer resources and storage. I mean, it'll make incredible large prints, but at 30" and smaller, I doubt you'll see any difference over something like the 5D II. Heck, I bet it would be hard to tell even up close against the D700 in 24" and smaller prints.
I'm at a point now where I really have to upgrade my machine (it's definitely time...I'm running a Core2 duo with 4 GB of RAM), because it's just choking on my GH2 and GX1 RAW files...takes forever for lightroom to generate the pixel level data and if I need to edit a 16 bit TIFF, it basically destroys my machine (which I do when I do black and white conversions on shots with a lot of sky...the JPEG compression turns to mush during conversion).
My current machine would probably be useless with these files, and even with a top of the line machine, these files will be unwieldy to work with. If you really need the resolution, it will be a godsend, but I am really surprised they don't have an sRAW at about 16 MP.
I doubt that as the resolution increase of the 5D2 became apparent in 8x10" prints. Noting a 24" print from a 12MP D700 to a 24" print from a 36MP D800 would be identical is simply ignorant.
p.6 #18 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
cputeq wrote:
...
I don't print that large very often, so the 36MP would surely be a waste and a drain on PC resources most of the time (and I say that using an i7 quad-core iMac 27" with 12GB RAM)....
Time for an upgrade then.
Seriously, 36mp will hinder some old computers and will make the need for what is now expensive storage go through the roof, but unless Nikon has really screwed up and the IQ is bad for all other conditions outside the studio, this camera is going to blow Canon out of the water - unless they too have a competitive product in the wings.
I'm absolutely pleased that Nikon has released this, even if I rarely need 36mp. It shows us what's possible (especially at this price point), and how much we've all been missing in the way of performance, features, and capabilities while Canon eeks out another small change and provides mediocre features (card slots, AF, VF, FPS, etc.).
If I was a professional landscape shooter in the Nikon camp, I wouldn't ever think about MF again.
p.6 #20 · D800, 36mp, af at F8, ect, press release out
eskimochaos wrote:
I doubt that as the resolution increase of the 5D2 became apparent in 8x10" prints. Noting a 24" print from a 12MP D700 to a 24" print from a 36MP D800 would be identical is simply ignorant.
I agree. The whole notion of my computer would be too slow is such a lame excuse. You can get a blazing fast computer for less than $2000. Problem solved.
