Wataru said:
He is now considereing converting back to Nikon (he was formerly an F3 user, but started with Canon in DSLR.

I think this kind of story will become more common in the coming months. When I was a student in the film days, I shot Nikon just because that's what was available to me at the time, and there was no clear distinction between it an Canon. After the digital revolution, I switched to Canon and could not ever imagine picking up a Nikon body ever again. Well, I gotta eat crow now, because Nikon has pulled a large enough of a gap on Canon, at least for my shooting needs, that I'm going back to Nikon. The lackluster products from Canon the last 4-5 years tells me that I'll be shooting Nikon for a while.

That said, I plan on keeping my Canon point-and-shoot, printer, and ink cartridges :)

V8Beast said:
I can understand brand loyality, but when people get personally offended by how I chose to spend my money and my decision to switch brands, that kind of fanaticism is rather preposterous. Even if you are a fan boy, I don't see why you can't acknowledge that a competitor has come up with a great product. For instance, someone on the Canon forum stated how they weren't at all impressed with the D800. Then in another thread, the same person said how impressed he'd be with a 22 mp 5DIII with a 19-point AF system that didn't even have dual card slots of weather sealing.

Personally, I always want the competition to push the envelope of development because ultimately, regardless of which brand I'm shooting with, it will force everyone to develop more competitive products.

Absolutely right. I only said we shouldn't be too hard on them. ;-)

V8Beast said:
....Personally, I always want the competition to push the envelope of development because ultimately, regardless of which brand I'm shooting with, it will force everyone to develop more competitive products.

V8Beast: that was very well put. My colleague is a 5DmkII owner, mostly shooting high school sports action for publication in local newspapers, but he has a a long history in archetectural shooting medium format. (he lives in Kyoto, one of the best places in the world for subject matter.) He is now considereing converting back to Nikon (he was formerly an F3 user, but started with Canon in DSLR. His intent is to take advantage of the D800e plus12-24 f/2.8. But I expect he will be well served to keep his Canon glass, as there will be certainly be bodies from Canon.

I visited your website and really enjoyed your photos. They are beautiful.

jonnyapple said:
Let's not be too hard on the Canon fanboys. I think it's pretty natural to defend the tech that we've bought into (if anyone is familiar with Robert Cialdini, think "commitment and consistency") because we start to make it a part of who we are (see SkintBrit's "welcome to our world" comment above, for example).

I can understand brand loyality, but when people get personally offended by how I chose to spend my money and my decision to switch brands, that kind of fanaticism is rather preposterous. Even if you are a fan boy, I don't see why you can't acknowledge that a competitor has come up with a great product. For instance, someone on the Canon forum stated how they weren't at all impressed with the D800. Then in another thread, the same person said how impressed he'd be with a 22 mp 5DIII with a 19-point AF system that didn't even have dual card slots of weather sealing.

Personally, I always want the competition to push the envelope of development because ultimately, regardless of which brand I'm shooting with, it will force everyone to develop more competitive products.

I also can't believe how far Nikon has pushed the specs to price envelope with the D800. I think it's very consumer-centered of them to avoid crippling it the way they have.

Let's not be too hard on the Canon fanboys. I think it's pretty natural to defend the tech that we've bought into (if anyone is familiar with Robert Cialdini, think "commitment and consistency") because we start to make it a part of who we are (see SkintBrit's "welcome to our world" comment above, for example). I think you're now seeing a shift of the Nikon crowd to accept that more megapixels could actually be a useful thing. Lest you think I'm mocking, though, I feel like I'm part of that (have a look at this thread: http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=2235 ).

I'm hoping to get the D800 at some point, too. I've been saying I want the D700 replacement since 2008, but I'm still not where I want to be with lenses so it's looking like it will still be a few years. Have fun with it, V8Beast, and welcome to our world. ;-)

+1

V8Beast said:
While Canon has been wallowing in mediocrity the last 4-5 years, Nikon has been consistently delivering products that the market has asked for. The D800E is a perfect example. Offering a camera without an AA filter is rather ballsy of Nikon, but people have been asking for such an option for quite some time. Canon, on the other hand, is more concerned with deliberately castrating its mid-range models to protect its flagship bodies. I truly amazed how far Nikon has come in the last 8 years.

+1

True Dat

sfteague said:
Hey, nice work BTW. You'll like the move to Nikon. I am a D700 shooter, and I have been very jealous of the resolution the 5dII held over the 700. So for me the 800 also sounds like a great fit also (except I ordered the 800E).

Thanks for the compliments and the glass recommendation.

IMHO, the only advantage the 5DII had over the D700 was resolution. My dream camera was a cross between a 5DII and a D700, and Nikon has created just that - and then some - with the D800. What I find amusing is how all the Canon fanboys that always made fun of Nikon for its low megapixel bodies are now saying they don't care about resolution.

Canon fanboy: "Man, 36 MPs are way too much. Those files are going to take up way too much hard drive space. Those files are going to require too much RAM to process. There's no way Nikon can triple the MPs over the D700 without a ton of noise. If those rumored D800 specs are true, it's going to cost $4,000."

While Canon has been wallowing in mediocrity the last 4-5 years, Nikon has been consistently delivering products that the market has asked for. The D800E is a perfect example. Offering a camera without an AA filter is rather ballsy of Nikon, but people have been asking for such an option for quite some time. Canon, on the other hand, is more concerned with deliberately castrating its mid-range models to protect its flagship bodies. I truly amazed how far Nikon has come in the last 8 years.

mirtos said:
I know it will be a while before you get it, but when you do, let us know what you think. good and bad.

Thanks!

Will do. I've never been shy about heaping praise or criticism on products I rely on to make a living. In fact, pointing out the shortcomings of the Canon model lineup has made me quite unpopular on the Canon forums as of late. LOL.

Danny Ocean said:
14-24 you mean :) but yeah the 12-24 is great for DXer

Yes, sorry, I did mean the 14-24. It's easy to buy the right one -- just make sure you're spending 2 grand and there is no longer any confusion :P

sfteague said:
Hey, nice work BTW. You'll like the move to Nikon. I am a D700 shooter, and I have been very jealous of the resolution the 5dII held over the 700. So for me the 800 also sounds like a great fit also (except I ordered the 800E).

I'll echo the recommendation of others here to get the 12-24, 24-70, and 70-200 lenses. I have the 24-70 and 70-200, and they are great lenses -- and I've been lusting after the 12-24 for quite a while now.

14-24 you mean :) but yeah the 12-24 is great for DXer

Hey, nice work BTW. You'll like the move to Nikon. I am a D700 shooter, and I have been very jealous of the resolution the 5dII held over the 700. So for me the 800 also sounds like a great fit also (except I ordered the 800E).

I'll echo the recommendation of others here to get the 12-24, 24-70, and 70-200 lenses. I have the 24-70 and 70-200, and they are great lenses -- and I've been lusting after the 12-24 for quite a while now.

One thing I would say about the VR lenses is not to give VR too much credit. It does make a difference, but Nikon says "up to four" stops of difference. In my experience it's only really a reliable 2 stops. So that makes your consideration between a VR F4 lens and a non-VR 2.8 lens really an even comparison in terms of how well you can hand-hold them, and that doesn't really take into account depth of field.

I would also say that a couple of primes are a great addition. The 50mm 1.4 is a great lens and really affordable (your only complaint may be that it doesn't have the "pro feel" versus the aforementioned lenses). And the 85mm 1.4 (if the perspective it gives suits your style) is a REDICULOUSLY sharp pro lens. For some reason the 85mm 1.4 feels like it's in a league of its own for me in terms of sharpness -- even versus nikon's very sharp pro zooms. I think that will be even more evident when it shines on 36MP worth of sensor.

Thanks for the update V8beast, I was wondering if you had made the switch yet. As mirtos said, let us know your thoughts (and some pics! :-) when you have had a chance to use it. "Welcome to our world".

I know it will be a while before you get it, but when you do, let us know what you think. good and bad.

Thanks!

Just put in a pre-order for the D800. I can't believe Nikon has produced a camera this good for $3,000: 36 megapixels, 51-point AF, 4-6 FPS, dual card slots, and weather sealing. Considering all the pixels, I am very impressed with the high ISO performance in the sample shots I've looked at. I shall miss my Canon glass, but I'm really looking forward to putting the D8000 to use.

JY said:
@V8Beast, just so you know if the rumored spec of d800 is correct it only does 4fps in FF and 6fps in DX mode.

That will actually work out quite well. Instances where I'll need the full 6 FPS are for pan blurs or grabbing shots of race cars on the track, in which case I won't need all the megapixels anyway. The extra reach of DX mode will be a plus in those situations as well. I'm liking the intention to switch even more by the day!

Thanks again to all for the help and happy holidays!

Welcome to the forum, V8B. I hope it's a smooth transition for you.

Good point, as someone who has never shot with a Canon DSLR, I often forget that it's a perk of using Nikon.

SkintBrit said:
You haven't mentioned Nikons menu system or ergonomics, some of major reasons us Nikon users use what we do?

I also neglected to mention that the Nikon bodies offer built-in flash control. I have to use a separate flash as a master to trigger my off-camera strobes, which can get quite clunky in certain situations.

@V8Beast, just so you know if the rumored spec of d800 is correct it only does 4fps in FF and 6fps in DX mode.

You haven't mentioned Nikons menu system or ergonomics, some of major reasons us Nikon users use what we do? Have fun opening all those Gold boxes! Merry Christmas :-)

P.S. No, I knew you weren't saying the 70-200 was a plasticy lens, I was just pointing out that it fitted your criteria nicely. By all means rent a 14-24 if you'd like, but seriously just buy it, you'll never regret it, it's one lens Canon can't shake a stick at!

mirtos said:
If you dont mind me asking, whatis it about the specs of the d800 that makes you more impressed/interested than the d700? I dont mean this as a troll post, i mean this honestly.

It's not so much a D800 vs. D700 issue, but rather a Canon vs. Nikon issue. Compared to the 5D and 5DII, the D700 offers a far superior AF and frame rate, comparable dynamic range, and better high ISO performance. Hopeful that the 5DIII would address some of the shortcomings of the 5DII as compared to the D700, I held off switching systems. Un

I already liked the D700, and the D800 seems like it will retain all of the positive attributes of the D700 and improve upon them in other areas. So not only will I get a far superior AF system and FPS compared to the 5DII by switching to Nikon and the D800, I'll also get a nice bump in resolution. These factors are enough to push me over the edge and make the plunge to switch systems. Of course, a lot of this remains to be seen until real bodies are in the field, but I'd be stunned if the D800's noise suppression and DR didn't at least match that of the D700.

As of now, no one has any idea when the 5DIII will be released, while a D800 announcement seems imminent. I know rumors are just rumors, but the latest in the rumor mill is that the 5DIII will get some variant of the 1Dx's 18 mp sensor, a 50-25,600 ISO range, 3-4 FPS, and at best a 19-point AF system. There is some speculation that the AF system will be an even lesser version of the 7D's 19-point system. Considering that AF and FPS are my biggest gripes with the 5D and 5DII, this is very bad news. I'm not a gambling man, but even if the 5DIII gets a sensor that closes the resolution gap between it and the D800, I doubt it will come anywhere close in terms of AF and FPS.

So my choices are switch systems and start shooting with a camera that better suits my needs within the next few months, or wait indefinitely and hope that Canon can counter with something that can truly compete with Nikon in this segment. If I stick with Canon, the only option for a full-frame body with a professional-grade AF system is the $7,000 1Dx. No thanks.

ericbowles said:
The classic set of Nikon pro lenses would be the 14-24 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8, and 70-200 f/2.8 VRII.

Hence, why they call them "The Holy Trinity Set." :)

V8Beast said:

... Interestingly, while my editorial clients love wide-angle shots, I despise them, but this is primarily due to my disdain for distortion. I plan on renting both the 14-24 and 16-35 before making a purchasing decision for the wide end of my shooting needs. The lack of distortion on the 14-24 in the tests I've seen look very impressive to say the least!

The 16 -35 does distort but it easily corrected in Lightroom 3, using the lens profile correction, you can set LR to do it automatically on import
if the subject is not moving, the VR allows ridiculously low shutter speeds