Have you considered joining the dark side?...

[briansquibb]

Lots of people are switching. D800 is back ordered. My 5D3 is a great cam too...

Let them switch - that way the used market place will have plenty of top lens at knockdown prices

No intention of selling my canon gear though

Couldn't afford to switch without selling some kit - I have 3 large whites for example

[tron]

If the Canon 200-400 price is higher than the combined price of the Nikon 200-400, 1.4X TC and a D800 body, I'd seriously consider it.

Although I am not interested (I am an amateur, I do not need it and I cannot afford it at the same time)
this is the first reasonable explanation why someone should get a Nikon combination. A possible other combination could be a D800 with a 14-24 but still I would get a TSE-17mm instead (to complement my TSE-24mm II)

[Aglet]

JOINING is the correct word.  I can't justifiably contemplate a complete switch; too many accessories and lenses to consider.
 I  recently added a little D5100 to my collection, and a few lenses suitable for crop or FF.  Good for getting familiar with a different way of doing things.

DARK SIDE it also appropriate.  The N camp records "dark" better than the C camp can. 

Looking forward to another learning curve when my D800 arrives.  Meanwhile, now that I better know the specific shortcomings of the various EOS bodies I use, I should be able to avoid any massive IQ disappointments in challenging conditions.

Right tool for the job - it's good to have a choice.

[cliffwang]

Couldn't afford to switch without selling some kit - I have 3 large whites for example

on the same boat

[LostTraveler47]

At this point I'm so frustrated with the state of all things tech, I might sell everything, buy a Leica M7 with a 24mm lens, and actually enjoy photography for a change. 

[Lawliet]

Wouldn't I use both systems anyway I would - summer is coming, time for outdoor flash, and the D800 can be used with flash at about one stop faster shutter speeds(the data sheets play the actual difference down).
Which means not only twice the shots from a battery pack, but also faster t0.1-duration paired with shorter ambient exposure for better motion freezing.

[smirkypants]

If the Canon 200-400 price is higher than the combined price of the Nikon 200-400, 1.4X TC and a D800 body, I'd seriously consider it. Even better would be a 16MP, 10FPS DX D400 for $1000 less than a D800.

This is exactly why I bought a Nikon. EXACTLY. The 200-400 lives on the d800. I consider that a separate unit. I still shoot Canon for everything else.

[psolberg]

1/3 of a stop ain't all That much you're painting it to be. Barrely noticeable. Specially given the horrible CA issues at f1.2 and slow af which makes me wish canon would have decent 1.4 versions instead (cheaper and lighter too). If fps was an issue, I'd get a D700 which does 8fps for less than 1900 dollars used or go D4. You're just greatly exaggerating the pluses of a couple of lenses.

I wasn't listing the 50 and 85 because they are faster. They both posses a certain quality that is a combination of color rendition, contrast and oof quality that personally I don't find in any of the alternatives. That is why I purchased them in the first place and certainly I don't find the D800 offering anything substantial enough to warrant using lesser offerings instead.
Also, my post was a personal observation based on what I usually shoot but there are also other segments in which Canon offers better lenses. Super teles and tilt shifts on the wide end for example.

I agree canon has a better selection of telephotos (which aren't of my concern), but I see nikon has all the essentials covered which tend to the the fast 2.8 and f4 versions up to 600mm. T/S are very specialized and the only one I see nikon lacking for now is the 17mm. Again, a very specialty item which I wouldn't buy even from canon. So yes, there are particular models on both sides which are unique in both character and purpose, but it is a far cry from 10 years ago when nikon literally had nothing that was decades old and a severe lack of USM primes. Luckly for me, and I realize others may not share this, but nikon's lineup has same or equivalent versions of everything I need, and I even get to try that 14-24 everybody raves about 

Anyways, I've placed my D800 order. Now the waiting begins. I won't get rid of my canon gear until I have a few weeks to play with the D800. But given all the glowing reviews, I suspect this is it for me and canon, at least until the next generation arrives.

[briansquibb]

I am thinking of getting a 5D classic as a walkabout body

[DavidRiesenberg]

Anyways, I've placed my D800 order. Now the waiting begins. I won't get rid of my canon gear until I have a few weeks to play with the D800. But given all the glowing reviews, I suspect this is it for me and canon, at least until the next generation arrives.

Not sure Nikon will actually fulfill all current orders by the time the next generation comes.

j/k I am sure you will be more than happy with the D800

[bycostello]

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about dumping all my Canon gear and joining the Nikon camp but after crunching all the numbers its simply isn't worth it for me. I have a 5dii, a collection of lenses and speedlites that i've amassed over the years and to sell it all and start again just seems crazy.

I know a lot of people on here are hurt to have to admit that Nikon has a "better" camera in the D800 but really, what would you do with that camera that you can't already do with your 5dii or iii?

What brought me back down from my i'm jumping to Nikon high was the fact that i have all the gear i need right now to cover (pretty much) every situation i encounter on my photographic endeavours.

I will be upgrading to a 5diii in the future (simply for the AF) when the price is right but for now, just because cameras like the D800 or 5Diii exist doesn't mean that my 5dii stops taking photos...

... now where's my 35mm 1.4L ii? 

hate to say but a bad workman blames his tools.....

[briansquibb]

I know a lot of people on here are hurt to have to admit that Nikon has a "better" camera in the D800 but really, what would you do with that camera that you can't already do with your 5dii or iii?

Is it a better camera or just a camera with more mp?

[psolberg]

I just took delivery of my D800. I'm evaluating it and will decide if I sell the canon gear. IMO switching isn't such a big deal if you don't do it every 6 months.

[bycostello]

nah, cost way too much to change for not enough if any gain...

[psolberg]

another week with the D800 and looks like I'm keeping it for good.

highlights:
The dynamic range on this camera is beyond my expecations. shadows are recoverable to levels which no canon camera I've owened is capable of, and detail on the recovered areas is very very clean. You can also bring highlights from the dead in LR4. This is the first camera I've owned where a single still can effectively serve as a good HDR image by itself. I still need to bracket for extreme scenes and to retain color, but it is maknig me re-think what was possible before from a single image.

getting the most out of the resolution is relatively trivial with good nikon glass. This is after all the same pixel pitch as a 16MP APS-C body, not even 7D territory much less D3200. As with the 5DmkII, good support and technique is needed to maximize the gains.

Video is very detailed as I'd hoped. Much improved over the 5DmkIII waxy soft look on detailed textures. However like the MkIII, the codec just doesnt' deal with motion very well. Foturnately the atomos ninja 2 will be soon part of my rig to address that and I'll be recording from the clean HDMI out. Lastly, the mosaic engineering AA filter seems to address the moire issue (although it isn't anywhere nearly as bad as with the 5DmkII). I may get it just as an insurance piece of gear but nothing I've shot has had moire issues. I admitedly don't shoot a lot near brick walls or large horizontal patterns so YMMV.

I'm 90% sold on it. Just need to test it with more nikon glass. Btw, 14-24 nikkor. OMG. what a lens.