Your Move Nikon..50 MP?

BVS

Further, isn't the importance of a camera's dynamic range ability dependent on what your photographing? A shot of a bird in flight with the sky in the background probably doesn't have much dynamic range to start with, so both Canon and Nikon are likely to look very similar. However, with landscapes and shots with lots of range the differences should be more apparent.

Of course, this is what mystifies me about the 5DS. I would think landscape shooters are the ones to most want the increased resolution, but they also need lots of dynamic range. The 5DS has got lots of rez, but the DR is (as one reviewer put it) sub-5DMKII level.

Snowleopard

Moving from a D70 to a D700 to a D810, I have not changed my shooting style meaning just snapping a photo and then cropping the living daylights out of it because I went from 6mp to 12mp to 36mp. I actually enjoy the extra detail in the photo's I have by actually framing the picture the way I want to begin with.

If I had 50mp, 80mp, 100mp, 200mp, I still would not change, because when you look at the 4ft x 6ft prints on the wall you will understand why.

For 72dpi web graphics, I guess who cares....

WestEndFoto

A bird in the sky will have a lot of Dynamic Range, unless the sun is shining directly on the bird with no shadows. Lots of bird shots where the exposure of the bird is dead on will have a blown out sky.

Regarding megapixels, I will be happy when there is enough resolution for detail in the iris on a full body shot. I don't think we are quite there yet. Further, lenses have a ways to go to nail this as well. If FX can't do it, I will move up to medium format when that becomes affordable (meaning a camera and three lenses for less than $25k). However, once this is achieved, megapixels will not matter much to me.

Also, it is fine to say that there is no point because once you print it to a certain size, you can't tell the difference. But I like zooming in and looking close (and even with prints 15 years ago I used a loupe). We are in the digital age and most photos never get printed. I think that the relevance of this argument is declining.

Also, lots of comments say "if properly exposed", "if you use a tripod and shoot at ISO100", etc etc. This is all fine if you can control the lighting, but if you can't better performance will start to matter more.

My two bits.

spraynpray

"Also, lots of comments say "if properly exposed", "if you use a tripod and shoot at ISO100", etc etc. This is all fine if you can control the lighting, but if you can't better performance will start to matter more."

Don't forget that using Hi ISO has a massive effect on DR so there is always incentive to shoot at the lowest possible ISO, whatever the body.

WestEndFoto

"Also, lots of comments say "if properly exposed", "if you use a tripod and shoot at ISO100", etc etc. This is all fine if you can control the lighting, but if you can't better performance will start to matter more."

Don't forget that using Hi ISO has a massive effect on DR so there is always incentive to shoot at the lowest possible ISO, whatever the body.

Sure, but my point is that differences in performance will matter more when you can't shoot at ISO 100.

donaldejose

spraynpray: I am so glad to hear that the difference in Canon and Nikon dynamic range in prints is apparent to you. I would like nothing better than to have lots of Canon shooters switch to Nikon. The larger Nikon's share of the market, the more money they have for R&D and all us Nikon shooters benefit from the new products they can produce.

spraynpray

spraynpray: I am so glad to hear that the difference in Canon and Nikon dynamic range in prints is apparent to you. I would like nothing better than to have lots of Canon shooters switch to Nikon. The larger Nikon's share of the market, the more money they have for R&D and all us Nikon shooters benefit from the new products they can produce.

For sure it is apparent on two prints (Canon and Nikon) if the photographers are of similar proficiency Don, but it is still easily possible to get a worse print from a Nikon file than a Canon if you are not optimising your exposure and editing.

paulr

Not to memtion the profile of the paper and the printer is calibrated correctly to the screen and camera

Printing is a art form in itself. and fewer photographers are doing their own printing today, regardless of the cost factor which is no longer a cheap option.

Pistnbroke

I did not read all the 11 pages but to me the advantage of a 56MP camera would be a DX crop of 24 MP so it becomes dual format and I can use all my lenses.
Its not worth me moving from a D800 which I only use with a 14mm lens until I can go to 56MP. Then I have a bad selecton of Nikon Zoom lenses (24-120 and 28-300) to use with it both of which I have owned sold and don't rate.

retread

I did not read all the 11 pages but to me the advantage of a 56MP camera would be a DX crop of 24 MP so it becomes dual format and I can use all my lenses.

While I have always liked the dual format idea I think I would still have both formats. I would have less money invested than if I had two FX bodies and most likely less weight when carrying both cameras. In this case the biggest advantage I see is the smaller file size of the DX crop mode. That said why not just shoot in FX and have more to play with in post to compose the shot. Yes I know it is best to compose in camera but sometimes time is short and the subject just does not cooperate.

donaldejose

retread: Yes, shooting a 56MP body in FX size rather than in DX size offers great cropping flexibility. Break free of the standard ratios for a print and crop in whatever odd ratios please your eye. Of course, your prints will require custom framing but I very much like having the flexibility to let my eye determine the horizontal/vertical ratio rather than arbitrary standards.

WestEndFoto

Unless you are using the finest lenses, your cropping ability will most likely be limited by the resolution of your lenses, not you sensor.

snakebunk

I say bring on the pixels :-). I understand that it is most often not needed, but that applies to sharpness, fps and most other things we cherish as well. If the files are too big you can use sraw, crop mode or shoot in jpeg. I know that I sometimes (as in rarely) need more than 36 mp.

WestEndFoto

I say bring on the pixels :-). I understand that it is most often not needed, but that applies to sharpness, fps and most other things we cherish as well. If the files are too big you can use sraw, crop mode or shoot in jpeg. I know that I sometimes (as in rarely) need more than 36 mp.

Well said.

retread

Unless you are using the finest lenses, your cropping ability will most likely be limited by the resolution of your lenses, not you sensor.

Yes, that is why I a slow building a kit. I try to get the best I can.

I say bring on the pixels :-). I understand that it is most often not needed, but that applies to sharpness, fps and most other things we cherish as well. If the files are too big you can use sraw, crop mode or shoot in jpeg. I know that I sometimes (as in rarely) need more than 36 mp.

Hopefully the DX or the DX mode of the FX would give us the FPS we want. I shoot the grandkids sports and wildlife so have need good FPS.

donaldejose

I think we are going to see a new series of higher quality lenses, like the Sigma Art series, produced once sensors top 50mp. Zooms may not make the cut. That's ok. We can go back to zooming with our feet.

WestEndFoto

I think we are going to see a new series of higher quality lenses, like the Sigma Art series, produced once sensors top 50mp. Zooms may not make the cut. That's ok. We can go back to zooming with our feet.

I think so too.

Ironheart

I think we are going to see a new series of higher quality lenses, like the Sigma Art series, produced once sensors top 50mp. Zooms may not make the cut. That's ok. We can go back to zooming with our feet.

I think so too.

Meh, you just need to think outside the (nikon gold) box:


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1023797-REG/zeiss_2075_837_15_to_30mm_cz_2.html
For $24K you can have your cake and eat it too. The only compromise in this lens is the weight, a svelte 5.7 lb (2.6 kg).

WestEndFoto

Meh, if they didn't bother with trying to eliminate focus breathing, then I am sure it would be less than $20k.

Can you imagine zooming and manually focusing at the same time. That is a skill in itself.

Ironheart

It is! A buddy of mine is a "focus puller" on production film crew, imagine having two hands and an extra brain at your disposal just for focusing. Makes the Multi-CAM 3500 seem primitive in comparison :-)

spice3d

As someone who shoots mostly primes and often crops the hell out of images, the more MP the better! Mo data is mo betta. Also, it doesn't take a genius to predict that Nikon's next DSLR models will have more. The D810 badly needs a refresh and I can't wait.

spraynpray

As someone who shoots mostly primes and often crops the hell out of images, the more MP the better! Mo data is mo betta. Also, it doesn't take a genius to predict that Nikon's next DSLR models will have more. The D810 badly needs a refresh and I can't wait.

I don't think the D810 is anywhere near needing a refresh and I'm sure that any higher mp body will augment rather than replace it.

WestEndFoto

My next body will be a D820 and my D800 will be a second body. I hope it has more megapixels. It is easier to deal with to many than not enough.

Golf007sd

Isn't technology advancement great? I mean real...50MP on D-SLR in the hand of the public at large. How many of them really understand what it take to use such a body? Every day, I see people walking around the streets of San Diego, with D-SLR...as expected we talk and within a matter of minutes I'm educating them on what they have and how to use it.

I welcome the next body nikon offer that is going g to have massive MP..but lets hope it does not get in the hands of those that can truly know how to use it.

spice3d

As someone who shoots mostly primes and often crops the hell out of images, the more MP the better! Mo data is mo betta. Also, it doesn't take a genius to predict that Nikon's next DSLR models will have more. The D810 badly needs a refresh and I can't wait.

I don't think the D810 is anywhere near needing a refresh and I'm sure that any higher mp body will augment rather than replace it.

Augment would be good too.