In digital photography
there is a constant need, or at least want, to upgrade to the latest
technology. Nikon's new D800 has been a huge hit for the company, and
falls within my price range. This 36mp camera is all the rage and
consistently out of stock. I won't be upgrading because for what I
shoot, this camera just doesn't hit the spot. Short story, I'm just not
a landscape shooter for profit and don't see the need, as it has
drawbacks for shooting action.
Whitewater Kayaking: The key moment in whitewater
generally lasts for half a second. I tend to shoot short bursts, and
the burst rate of the D800 is only 4fps while shooting in FX, and gets
a modest boost to 6fps in DX mode with the battery grip attached..
Sure, my current D700 is only 5fps, but there is a large difference
under the surface. For ~$150 you can get a third party grip, third
party EN-EL4 battery and BL-3 battery door. This pushes the D700 frame
rate up to 8 frames per second in FX. I've found for bursts to be
effective in the key moment they need to be 8-10 fps, otherwise you're
better off just timing one hopefully perfect shot.
Weddings: I've started shooting weddings, they are more fun
that I would have ever guessed and good business. The D800 would be
better for weddings, but I like shooting raw images. Raw image size
from the D700 isn't too bad since it's only a 12mp camera, mine tend to
be around 15mb per file. With the D800 files coming in around
35mb for the same file settings, the editing process is going to take
longer, even with a high end computer. Factor that over thousands of
images and the problem is clear.
What about the D4? Size is always a problem with these bodies,
they just don't fit well in Watershed drybags. Simple as that, too big,
too heavy.
