Eyes On The Prize (Part 2)

It just had to happen. The day (or year) when I decide to make a new camera purchase, the camera manufacturers decide at the same time to upgrade their line-up of professional cameras.

If ever I was going for a DSLR again I would probably go with this baby, the new Nikon D800 or its twin the D800E. This camera definitely wins the resolution race hands down with a whopping 36,3 megapixels on a full-frame sensor, twice the resolution of the Leica M9-P! And knowing Nikon this camera is sure to have the latest technology the photography world has to offer.  I remember how I was considering to buy this camera's predecessor, the Nikon D700, before I finally settled on the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. The D700 had just 12 megapixels. So Nikon has indeed come a long way. This will be a direct competitor to Canon's EOS 1D-X and will probably even sell more than its bigger brother, the Nikon D4, which for me is not as exciting a product.

The price is also very attractive, costing 1/3 the price of the Leica M9-P body only. Fitted with the 50mm Summicron lens the Leica M9-P costs four times as much! If price alone were the objective I would definitely go for this model, though it will probably be in back order for some months, like all new DSLR models. The Leica M9-P you say? It's always in back order, as most of the construction is hand made. Leica doesn't mass produce their top cameras. The local reseller here in Oslo has a minimum 30-day wait, especially for the black model which I am gunning for.

But I said "if ever". So that means I will keep my eyes on the prize and will not consider the Nikon D800. Sure it has twice the resolution, and will probably trump the Leica M9-P when it comes to noise levels on high ISOs. If I had the money to buy the Leica M9-P I would be able to buy the Nikon D800 plus two or three(!) of the best and fastest "G" lenses. But I won't. 

Size has a premium. And the Leica M9-P has this as the trump card. The Nikon D800 will end up weighing over twice as much and nearly two and half times larger than the Leica M9-P when fitted with the best lenses. And I just cannot see myself lugging all that weight anymore. Sure it will be a nice camera to have during gigs, but this camera will most likely end up staying in the hotel room when I am vacationing. And street photography? Highly unlikely. Most people get self conscious when they see you point a DSLR at them, let alone a professional DSLR with all the girth. So no, this camera is not for me. But it was still nice to look at the information on the web, and all the buzz and excitement that is going around. I will probably check it out once the local retailer here in Norway gets a hold of one. But that is as far as I am going to go.

(Photo courtesy of Nikon)