Can You Say "D800"?

More or less set in stone. That's how I would say it. I don't want to update my previous entries anymore to make it look like this was what I wanted all along. I'd be lying more to myself than to others if I did. So go ahead and laugh. I'm laughing myself!

I finally came to terms with the fact of the matter: I am fickle-minded. My mother has told me this time and time again, and I didn't believe her. She knew me better than I know myself!

The research ends here and this is the choice that I came up with. The reason behind the choice? A camera which will take a long time to outgrow. A tool which will not be outdated for quite a while. The Nikon D700 stayed "current" for a good three years since its launch. The D800 will probably last longer.

The experience I had at the Leica stand during last Saturday's photography convention left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't blame Leica! I blame the employees of Bresson AS. I never really told the whole story, since some people might call me sour grapes. But here it is: they almost wouldn't even let me touch the Leica M9 they had on sample. I got to hold it for a few seconds, but it was snatched away from me just as I was about to look through the menu. Probably I didn't look "good" enough to be a potential Leica user. Probably they are right.

I was pondering, too, about spending NOK 80,000 on a camera that is already almost three years old. Sure the build is exemplary, the lenses are superb. But it's still an outdated camera in digital terms. Leica will probably upgrade the sensor to keep up with the competition. The question is, how much will THAT cost?

So I had to let the economist in me take over and think practical. The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is seriously overpriced. So the Nikon D800 fits the bill perfectly. The body only price is equal to the price of a D800 and a good prime lens. But I did not decide based on that factor alone. 36 megapixels is was more than I would need right now. But I probably will need it as I get more portraiture and wedding gigs. The lenses are marginally cheaper. It already comes with a protective cover on the LCD. It has a time lapse function so I don't have to purchase a cable anymore when I start my star trails project early this fall. And the entire setup will cost me under NOK 30.000!

Of course I do have to make compromises. I have to shoot with prime lenses to keep the weight down and not break my neck. For now the D800 and the AF-S Nikkor 50mm F1.4 G (yes I had to google it because I've never used a Nikon DSLR so I'm not familiar with their lens terminologies) will suffice. It will be JUST THE RIGHT SIZE AND WEIGHT for street photography and photography walks. And since I am no longer saving NOK 80,000 but NOK 30,000 I can free up resources to travel to the Philippines later this year and visit my family (my mother will still faint though when she hears the price of this camera in Philippine Pesos).

And with money to spare I might even be able to purchase the AF-S Nikkor 85mm F1.8 G (yes I also had to look that up) lens for portraits. Then I will be officially back in business! Not that taking pictures is my day job. I wish it were. But it's my passion. It's what keeps me motivated on a day-to-day basis. Simply put, photography keeps me happy. So it's worth the investment, don't you think?

The D800 will probably be in back order for many months so I will have to be patient. At least they would have already ironed out software bugs by the time I am ready to part with the cash. In the mean time I will have to keep saving so I will have that cash to begin with! But since I am no longer saving such an obscene amount (NOK 30,000 is still pretty obscene but realistic), I feel the goal is much easier to attain, and the victory, I predict, will be just as sweet!