On Sun, Feb 3, 2013 at 12:08 PM, Bob Sullivan <rf.sulli...@gmail.com> wrote: > Dave, > How about giving us some more personal insights on 'diffraction issues > with most lenses.' > I'd like to know so I could get out in front of that issue. > Regards, Bob S. > > On Sun, Feb 3, 2013 at 12:43 AM, David Savage <ozsav...@gmail.com> wrote: >> And loving it! >> >> ...except for the diffraction issues with most lenses...
Suggested reading: http://www.bythom.com/nikond800review.htm Particularly the section entitled: "Resolution, Diffraction, and To E or Not to E" His summary: "There, I said it: the D800 and D800E are demanding cameras. If you're buying them for image quality (and I'm not sure why you'd be buying them otherwise), the possible output can be spectacular, but getting there takes work. I suspect the Big Croppers will poo-poo that. They'll think that they can just treat the D800 like a point and shoot and then crop to get the picture they want. They'll be disappointed, as diffraction and sloppy camera handling can make those 12mp crops look worse than if you had just used a 12mp camera with the right lens in the first place. As I noted earlier, if you're an aggressive cropper, the D7000 is a perfectly fine choice for you, as it's basically the same thing at 1.5x crop, much less expensive and thus you're more likely to be able to afford the right lens in the first place." Buying a D800/E is a bit like buying an exotic import automobile that requires you spend more money to add on to the garage and then pay a fortune for parts, accessories, and premium fuel. You virtually have to upgrade your computer/storage in order to handle the increase file sizes. You'll virtually have to spend several times what the body costs you for fast lenses that can take advantage of the resolution and perform well corner-to-corner. You'll also need to spend more to get the equivalent reach that you enjoyed on your APS-C. That 500mm lens is only giving you a 500mm FOV, not the 750mm equiv. FOV you enjoyed on you APS-C. (Same problem on the macro end of the spectrum with far shallower DOF to "pay" also). Realistically, you probably need to commit to spending nearly 10K to get a decent compliment of lenses for the D800 and the computer upgrade you will have to have, as well. I can see why there has been such debate, even within Pentax headquarters. The current APS-C cameras are (as I believe Mark Roberts said, quite some time ago) inhabiting a sweet spot for the majority of photographers today. That doesn't mean that the market doesn't think they need "full frame" and will kick and scream until they get it. I like how Thom breaks down his D800 recommendations by the types of photographers and where they are "coming from". I think that same breakdown could be applied to Pentax owners. They say "the customer is always right", but I don't think that is true. Some people buy before they even understand the true price they will pay. They can spend their money anyway they like, of course. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
