Switching Camps
I’m considering ‘switching camps’ — something that, in the DSLR world, is both an expensive proposition and a nigh-on religious one.
In short, I want to go full-frame for the better low-light capabilities, wider field-of-view and tighter control over depth-of-field. Nikon’s D700 and Canon’s 5D Mark II make my shortlist, but more and more I wonder why I should choose the Nikon. The Nikon has a better AF system, definitely — but when it comes to low-light those extra megapixels on the 5D Mark II are less of a detriment than they should be.
But I think the one ‘feature’ that is endearing the 5Dmk2 to me is the video. DSLR video isn’t perfect, no; but the filmmaking flexibility it grants you is far superior to any camcorder in the price range. DoF control & superior image quality are what I’m after — it’s hard to go past 1080p @ 24fps with the benefits of being able to open up to f/1.4.
Nikon just doesn’t seem to have grasped this — their video seems to be more ‘tack on’ than ‘built in’. It’s disappointing that they’ve missed this, and further disappointing that they don’t offer a true competitor to the 21 megapixels on the 5Dmk2 as well. Megapixels are far from everything, that’s for certain — but the drawbacks of the extra pixels are less than they should be. Or rather, the Nikon doesn’t seem to have as many advantages as it should from having bigger photosites. There’s a difference in high-ISO performance, yes, but it’s not as big as I feel it should be.
I hope Nikon can stop playing catch-up and re-take some of the market segments they used to dominate. Canon needs a competitor to push them to improve, and consumers need choice.
Right now, I don’t feel like I have that.
