Nikon D800E

[V-Spec]

So.

I've not really been posting much in here recently, mainly because i've been out and about so much - getting shots rather than really thinking about gear and such - i've used the same setup (large format 5x4) for about 4 years now, and i've just been busy using it wherever possible..

I've just discovered that my main camera (Technikardan 45S) has developed a rather annoying problem and has resulted in the shots from the last outing (9 days in Scotland and various islands) as being totally written off, due to light leakage inside the bellows.

I've really enjoyed shooting 5x4 velvia 50 but my supply of quickload is rapidly running dry (it's no longer produced) and I was looking into moving to a digital medium format rig, such as a second hand Phase One P45+ or a second hand Mamiya/Leaf system..

However - the new Nikon D800 series seems to look pretty awesome, with some of the comparisons showing hardly any real world difference between the D800 or a phase one rig. When I consider that my existing setup with all lense weighs in excess of 65lb, I could get rid of all that.... it's quite tempting lol.

Does anyone here have any experience with the new D800 or have any knowledge recommendations? I used to shoot a 1DS MkIII and that was pretty good, my only real worry is the lenses - coming from large-format the lenses are all absolutely immaculate, and i'd most likely go for a zoom....

basically any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated..

 

[V-Spec]

Thanks guys

Tbh, the D800E is very tempting, but it's all a bit weird having shot 5x4 religiously for the last 3-4 years, where the quality and sharpness is beyond anything i've ever seen.. However on the flipside nobody really cares that my images are 100 megapixels because I'm normally only printing on A2 maximum, and an ordinary person isn't pixel peeping.

One of the reasons I liked 5x4 so much was because of the way you make pictures, composing upside down, the aspect ratio and of course the movements, but there comes a time where it's costing me around £150 to have a bunch of shots processed, and meanwhile the rest of the world is digital... AND i'd like to get back into all the wildlife stuff I was doing.... hmm...

I've thought about going to medium format film, with a mamiya 7ii or something along those lines, but there doesn't seem any point when you look at the D800e - which seems to be resolving more detail and comes with all the obvious conveniences.


All in all I could get setup with a D800e and a lens or two for around £3.5k.. a second hand Phase One P45+ along with a suitable body and 1 lens, will set me back around £8-10k if I get everything second hand off ebay, and maybe £7-9k if I go with a mamiya/leaf setup...

at the end of the day, if the best digital MF backs (iq160 etc) are barely better, then I doubt a P45+ is going to be any better, certainly not 2.5x the cost better... hmm