Am I crazy to even think of switching to Nikon? Here's my gear...

[jrista]

@LetTheRightLensIn:

Here is the simple fact of the real world: Wedding photographers, event photographers, landscape photographers, studio photographers, etc...have all been making FANTASTIC photos, for many years, with digital cameras that have far worse specs than the 5D III. It didn't matter if they had 8 stops, 10 stops, 12 stops or 13.8 stops of DR. It didn't matter if the read noise was 30 or 8 or 3 electrons. It didn't matter if ISO was limited to 800!

An extra stop or two of DR is not the end of the world, and it won't change things much in the real world. Your still going to have to use that reflector or fill flash. Your still going to have to slap on that GND filter. Your still going to need to expose properly, and if you need more saturation for a given aperture and shutter, your still going to have to use a higher ISO rather than a lower one. Your still going to have to be a cunning photographer. 

It amazes me how all this craziness has ensued (mostly on DPR, but also here) over the LEAST significant bits of ONE particular ISO setting that only matters to a FRACTION of the total number of shots that CERTAIN photographers may take SOME of the time. Seriously, ppl.

I think this thread is particularly indicative of the danger of making such a big deal out of something that really isn't. Poor @tonyp here, who's business is pretty heavily invested in some very expensive Canon lenses, is so worried that the 5D III is an actual DUD that he's literally thinking of switching brands...because the grass on the other side has been hyped up so much one would think it was quite literally a vibrant, neon green that glowed in the dark and tasted of ambrosia! I call that...the worrying of the average joe/pro so much that they actually consider wasting money to switch brands...a true disservice to your fellow photographer.


@tonyp: Keep your gear! Save you and your wife a LOT of money. There is absolutely no reason to worry that Canon is going to do you, your wife, or your business a disservice, now, next year, or far off into the future. They are an excellent company, they make excellent gear, they provide excellent service (speaking from personal experience, due to my own hands fault on several occasions, it really is EXCELLENT, FAST service), and they DO MAKE A COMPETITIVE PRODUCT.

Save yourself some worry, and realize that you have some fantastic gear already...the 5D III won't be any different. It'll certainly be an improvement over the 5D II on many levels.

[Seamus]

Short Answer:

Yes, you're crazy. (you asked for answer)

Short and sweet. That's how to answer the question.

[YellowJersey]

As I've said in numerous other threads, it's premature to seriously consider switching. I'd wait until the 5D3 and D800 are released before you make up your mind.

[PhilDrinkwater]

To be honest I don't think it's premature - I think it's crazy for the majority of photographers full stop. The people whose business may benefit from a third extra resolution and between 1-2 stops dr are relatively few. Maybe landscape photographers the most, but you still have to counter diffraction, and possibly studio photographers who had been considering m.f. A few others doing particularly large prints. That's it.

I've said it on another board but this frenzy is just because there's something with a bigger number which isn't even that relevant to most people. It's always about "best" and never about "good enough". 22mp is good enough for the majority.

Personally as mainly a wedding / portrait photographer I don't want more resolution and I don't believe any other wedding photographer should do either. It's just not needed. The 5d3 has great iq as the 5d2 did. I take that over a bit more mp.

Guys. Seriously. Stop letting the numbers dictate your decisions. In business the only option is to let your profit/turnover make the decisions and switching systems should happen very infrequently and then only when you have a very clear business reason.

If you can't get that into your head, you won't be in business long.

[TAR]

î dont think its a crazy idea..IMO i am also thinking the same but you have great investment in lenses. i dont have any L lens.
here is why i think Nikon is a better investment than canon.

Nikon offering its pro level tech in D800 . i hope it will be same in future ..people will expect to see same AF and metering in D5 and D900 or what ever. ( i hope AF layout and more cross type will be addressed in D900 and D5)

They are really competitive and constantly improving their gear.. offering equal or better lenses , you can expect more better newer lenses for sure.

pricing of nikon is cheaper than canon . D800 , 24-70..etc

and you can use Nikon lenses with canon with adapter (you all know) yes manual focus ..i dont think its a problem for pro..

finally i think Nikon would be a better future investment..i dont think there will be a reason for you to switch back.. anyway i am waiting for a proper d800 vs 5d3 review ..if canon did not decrease a price of 5D3 to 3000 ..i am buying a D800E ..i will invest in nikon .for me FPS is no value ..with my 7D , i never used a high speed ..always single shot. for me images from D800/E raw with 50% reduction at 25600 is usable for me. anyway with 2.8 or 1.4 lenses you dont go more than 6400 iso at night.

[smirkypants]

As a person who recently purchased some Nikon gear... you're nuts. I purchased Nikon gear for a specific, definable reason having to do with very clear needs. Your reasons for switching are not compelling at all. For the type of photography that you do, the differences between gear would be marginal at best. Don't do it.

[bycostello]

apples and oranges nothing cannon can't do that nikon can and vice versa, save your money and spend it on something worthwhile...

[elflord]

My wife and I started up a photography business last year.  I'm currently in the process of getting her a camera body.  We primarily shoot family portraiture and are moving into weddings this summer. I currently have:

Canon 5d Mk2
Canon 35L 1.4
Canon 50L 1.2
Sigma 85mm 1.4
Canon 135L f/2
Canon 580ex II

I do have the mark 3 preordered but damn the D800 is tempted... I could sell everything and start from scratch... I would lose some money yes, but does Nikon have equivalent primes as Canon does?

What are you hoping to gain from switching camera bodies ? Just an opinion, but I think the glass is more important -- so instead of shopping for a camera body and asking if Nikon has "equivalent" lenses, you should look at the lenses from the different manufacturers and ask if the bodies are "equivalent".

[dilbert]

My wife and I started up a photography business last year.  I'm currently in the process of getting her a camera body.  We primarily shoot family portraiture and are moving into weddings this summer. I currently have:
...
I do have the mark 3 preordered but damn the D800 is tempted... I could sell everything and start from scratch... I would lose some money yes, but does Nikon have equivalent primes as Canon does?

The D800 may allow you to print larger if you are doing tripod shooting for family portraits.

However when it comes to weddings, the D800 is going to be challenging to use hand held because there are increased shutter speed requirements due to the smaller pixels. For example, with a 50mm/1.4 on both the 5D3 and D800, you'll need to use a faster shutter speed on the D800 to reliably obtain sharp photos when hand held than you would with the 5D3. The 5D3 may deliver sharp results at 1/80 but expect to need 1/100 or 1/125 with the D800 in the same circumstances, etc. IS will help to some extent. The other side of that is because you need to shoot at 1/125, you'll need a higher ISO than you will with the 5D3.

[meli]

D800 is going to be challenging to use hand held because there are increased shutter speed requirements due to the smaller pixels.

Perhaps im not sufficiently knowledgeable but i highly doubt this it true, according to your theory that means that in the same scenario you would shot a d700 or 5D1 with 1/40?

[PhilDrinkwater]

D800 is going to be challenging to use hand held because there are increased shutter speed requirements due to the smaller pixels.

Perhaps im not sufficiently knowledgeable but i highly doubt this it true, according to your theory that means that in the same scenario you would shot a d700 or 5D1 with 1/40?

As resolution increases, the shutter speed needed to get a sharp photo *AT 100% ZOOM* increases. If you're happy with shooting and scaling down to 5d3 or d700 resolution, you can get away with a lower shutter speed and still have a visibly sharp image.

For my wedding work I never check focus at 100% 5d2 resolution. If I'm unsure I can get away with something, I scale it down to d700 resolution since that's acceptable focus for my albums.

[poker_jake85]

As resolution increases, the shutter speed needed to get a sharp photo *AT 100% ZOOM* increases. If you're happy with shooting and scaling down to 5d3 or d700 resolution, you can get away with a lower shutter speed and still have a visibly sharp image.

For my wedding work I never check focus at 100% 5d2 resolution. If I'm unsure I can get away with something, I scale it down to d700 resolution since that's acceptable focus for my albums.

You do know that is a myth right?

It's hard to believe you shoot weddings.

[meli]

You do realize that with this theory you would have to be even more careful with a simple 7d rather than a D800 and u would need a 100kg tripod for a sony A77 or a 2-ton mount for that 41mp nokia?

[dilbert]

D800 is going to be challenging to use hand held because there are increased shutter speed requirements due to the smaller pixels.

Perhaps im not sufficiently knowledgeable but i highly doubt this it true, according to your theory that means that in the same scenario you would shot a d700 or 5D1 with 1/40?

Let me answer that in another way.

With the 5D2 and an unstabilised lens, for maximum sharpness, it is recommended to use 1/2xfocal-length, compared to the traditional 1/focal-length for 35mm film.

The requirement in speed is because the angular size of the pixel decreases meaning that fine detail can more easily be blurred.

The higher the MP count goes, the more exacting the requirements are in technique.

[PhilDrinkwater]

As resolution increases, the shutter speed needed to get a sharp photo *AT 100% ZOOM* increases. If you're happy with shooting and scaling down to 5d3 or d700 resolution, you can get away with a lower shutter speed and still have a visibly sharp image.

For my wedding work I never check focus at 100% 5d2 resolution. If I'm unsure I can get away with something, I scale it down to d700 resolution since that's acceptable focus for my albums.

You do know that is a myth right?

It's hard to believe you shoot weddings.

What an exceptionally rude and unnecessary response. You must be great to hang out with.