Hypothetical spec question

[ajf]

I keep looking at the newer high pixel full frame bodies from Canon and Nikon.
Whilst hypothetical at the moment, if you were buying from scratch, what body and 2 or 3 lenses would be the best combination?

I photograph mainly static subjects of flowers and vehicles, so typically 24-70mm (with close focus) range plus macro sometimes.
Occasionally do motorsport so range up to 300mm/400mm?

I went from Canon APS-C to Micro 4/3 and love the system and actually think it is better quality but still feel a lack of overall sharpness and clarity compared to photos posted here with full frame cameras, from the likes of mrk and raymond.

 

[D.P.]

I would say the Nikon D810. Canon have bumped the resolution and to be fair the 5DS does have canon's best performing sensor but it is still well over 2 stops behind the D810 in term of Dynamic range as base ISO.
The resolution difference is actually much less than you would expect form the numbers since the number of megapixels is equivalent toe the resolution squared, you want to look at the linear resolution increase along a single axis. The 5DS is something like 12% more than the D810, 15% is typically quoted as the minimum increase required a for a visual difference for the average person.
Still, it depends if you want the highest possible resolution to make prints with slightly more detail, or you want/need a higher dynamic range to improve shadow detail, preserve highlights, rescues photos when the flash failed etc.

The other big difference is cost.
The canon 5DS R is £3200, the D810 is £2300.



There are a lot of differences between lenses overall. The mainstays 24-70 and 70-200 get updated by Nikon and canon every 7 years roughly, each time one of them updates the lens there is a very small increase in performance and they leapfrog each other. Both companies are increasing lens prices but Canon tend to be doing this slightly more aggressively than Nikon, but plenty of exceptions and you can only really compare prices with lenses released at the same time because every new release seems to add 30-50%!

 

[ajf]

Thanks for the comments. Pretty much the same as my initial thoughts.
Whilst the high resolution of the 5D S is tempting from reading reviews of it, I am also aware of the superior dynamic range of Nikon sensors.
This was the biggest benefit I found with my 4/3 system. It seems to have much more leeway when editing bright or shadow areas.

I am not printing bigger than A3, so I guess it depends who noticeable the extra resolution detail would really show. Certainly with close ups of flowers some of the finer detail gets lost in my current set up.

 

[D.P.]

Thanks for the comments. Pretty much the same as my initial thoughts.
Whilst the high resolution of the 5D S is tempting from reading reviews of it, I am also aware of the superior dynamic range of Nikon sensors.
This was the biggest benefit I found with my 4/3 system. It seems to have much more leeway when editing bright or shadow areas.

I am not printing bigger than A3, so I guess it depends who noticeable the extra resolution detail would really show. Certainly with close ups of flowers some of the finer detail gets lost in my current set up.

I find a m43 setup a perfect compliment to my D800.

the D800 images are on a different level but the m43 camera exceed the quality of my old DX DSLR (D90).

But i don't think it is an either or thing. My Olympus epm2 is perfect for big hikes, alpine mountaineer, ski touring up volcanoes, or when I just want a casual walk in the park with my family. The D800 is great for serious landscape and wildlife but the weight difference is hard to comprehend.


I also suggest a D800, especially refurbished/second hand. They are very similar to the D810 and half the price leaving you plenty of money for lenses.

 

[a1ex2001]

If I were starting from scratch I'd get a Nikon d750 they seem to be a great balance of price and performance. In reality my 5d mkii is more than adequate and probably massive overkill most of the time and won't be going anywhere soon even if dxo mark says it's poo!

 

[ajf]

Thanks again for thr comments.
Nice to hear another FX user also has an M43 system
I was intending to keep this anyway, as said above, the weight advantage out and about is great, and one of the main reasons I moved away from my APS-C.
However I have started doing more 'studio' shots (actually a coffee table and white paper roll in the spare room. Lol) and it is here where I really want to take the move up as weight and size are less of an issue. I already have a tripod so easy to manage.

Just looking on MPB at giude used pricing and interesting that the D750s they have are more than a D800E. I believe the 'E' version has the anti aliasing filter removed? is the same as the difference between the new Canon 5 DS and DS R?