Rooz wrote:nor is it a crime to be critical of something that appears to me, as a consumer, to be limited in my choices as a system owner.
No, it's not.
But your ignoring (forgetting, avoiding) a number of points here.
First of all, the D800 is clearly not targeted towards you. Nor to me. Not entirely. I love the concept of 36MP (and yes, for once, this is a case where MP do make a difference: we're moving from 12MP to 36MP. While not an order of magnitude, this is a significant increase. I've not done the math, but it's huge, and especially when coupled with the removal of
AA filter.
I've used and love medium format cameras, and I've used and love large format cameras. They each are very different tools and provide us, as photographers, with specific characteristics that enable pros to do their jobs. What's been happening for a while is that the lines between MF and 35mm have been blurring for quite some time. The D800 may well remove that line completely; I don't know.
Let's return to the D4 for a moment ...
sorry i dont buy that line. the alternative is spend double ? no sale.
It is not just "an alternative". The D4 is a very different camera system in its own right. It just happens to share the same lens system, but its target demographic is very different, and it is very clearly set to play a big role at the upcoming Olympics. Consider some of its features. Yes, it's fast. Very fast. Not necessarily a good point in a studio camera. Yes, it's supposed to have great low light capabilities. When I'm in a controlled studio situation, with good lighting, do I care about that? Hardly. But perhaps I need to have every last bit of detail from that piece of expensive jewellery?
What about the D4's remote usage capabilities? Do you consider the fact that I can have a D4 sitting at some point, a few hundred meters away, along an athletics running track, but controlled by me through my iPad, to be totally trivial? Especially if that's how my cameras earn their keep?
Let's take a sports publication that sends a troupe of 'togs to a major event; perhaps, again, the Olympics. They will set up their own intranet at this event, allowing their 'togs to show and upload their images, in real time, to their on-site servers. They can have images on the web within minutes, and in this day and age, that's a very serious consideration.
While that sort of capability might not be worth the price of entry to you, to a major sporting publication, it'll be a very small part of the equation.
What I see happening is that the D800 may supplant the D3x.
if you want to do studio work buy a hassleblad.
You were commenting that the D800 is US$3k, and that the D4 is double that, and not (for you) worth the price of entry. What's the current cost of a 'blad digital system? According to the local site, you can start at $16500 for a
H4d-31 kit, with an 80mm lens.
For the same investment, I could have a D4, a D800, and a good selection of glass. Plus two high quality video cameras rolled into the bargain. As good as the 'blad might be, I'm not convinced that the 'blad, with just the one 80mm lens, would permit me to turn in better work than the Nikon kit for the same $$$.
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:05 am
[Hey, we are going to be in the market for a new D700 sometime soon as well]. But I just picked up a c56MP* camera yesterday for $150!
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