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Due to a very recent decision to go to with 24" x 36" wrap around prints, which requires 28" x 40" prints, I have decided to go home to the full frame D800e. My original decision to stick with the WONDERFUL D7000 was that my prints were routinely 16" x 24". That is no longer the case, as it seems huge wrap-arounds are rapidly becoming the new norm. I will miss the DX forum, but as a photographer, even in retirement, I still desire to sell prints. Imagine.

As an older citizen, of 76, I also choose to not travel thousands of miles for "the shot". Therefore, I will be sticking to the wonderful four corner areas of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado. A great area for scenics.

So guess what? I will be going back to scenics. (Oh no! Yes! Aarrggg) Ghost towns served me well, but every photographer needs to do what he can do. I can no longer travel thousands of miles for a shot.

You can, however, bet your * that I will give it my all. Goal: 5-10 prints suitable for gallery hanging - per year.

By the way, this was not an inexpensive decision - but, heck, how long do I have? I LOVE photography and everything about it, always have, always will.

Well, it seems you are doing better than Ansel Adams. He was satisfied with one good image a year...

Steve Bingham wrote:Due to a very recent decision to go to with 24" x 36" wrap around prints, which requires 28" x 40" prints, I have decided to go home to the full frame D800e. ..........

Hi Steve,
I'm curious what lens set you purched to go along with your D800E as well as your first D800E impressions.
Kindest regards,
Stany

Hi Stany,

I actually decided the D800e was a little overkill for my needs. After shooting the D800 for a week I decided to get the D600 instead. I did get an excellent sample with zero dust or oil spots. A month later it still remains clean. However, to sort of answer your question:
1- Nikon 24mm f1.4
2- Sigma 35mm f1.4
3- Nikon 50mm f1.8
4- Nikon 70-200 f4

I purchesed these lenses on the following criteria - in order:
1- Resolution
2- Lack of CA
3- Lack of flare
4- Lack of distortion
5- Build and weather protection
I realize that 2 and 4 can often be helped in raw conversion.

I will be printing 2' x 3' on aluminum and a little resampling in PS CS6 gets me there. (Slightly larger than A1)
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Steve Bingham
http://www.dustylens.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.ghost-town-photography.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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MOD: Related topic: Steve, how good is the new 24mm F1.4?

Hi,
We want to buy a better digital camera for our family. We use Canon G2 since many years.
We have no clue about DX vs FX.
Budget is there for D7000 + lens or D600 + lens

Which camera (D600 or D7000) would you recommend to us and why? We want to use this for many years.

Thank you.
Erwin and Viviane

Your choice of camera can depend on a lot of factors.
1- Needs. Will you being printing as large as A1? Then maybe the D600 would be better.
2- Is weight of camera plus lens a factor? Then the D7000 might be a better choice.
3- Will you be shooting a lot in areas with minimal light (interiors without using flash)? The D600 is a little better (less noise) at higher ISOs.
4- Camera body plus lenses will cost you at least 2x as much for the D600.

Without knowing very much about your needs, I would tend to recommend the D7000 . . . or maybe its replacement (probably available in March).
In either case, please be prepared to read the manual and/or a book on the camera.

Steve

Let me further explain my reasoning above. I am now printing on 2' x 3' (roughly A1) aluminum instead of canvas wrap around. I have found with just a little resampling in PS CS6 I can come up with incredibly sharp prints of this size. For the difference in price (almost) I was able to pick up a Nikon 24mm f1.4 lens. The D600 is also a little smaller and lighter. In any case it seems to fit my needs a little better even if the D800e is obviously a better camera. I think 24mp in full frame produces excellent results. I have seen many huge prints (A0 and A1) produced with the old D3x and marvel at their detail. Your needs might well be different from mine.

Steve Bingham wrote:I would tend to recommend the D7000 . . . or maybe its replacement (probably available in March).Steve

Thank you for your advice, the shop adviced also to wait. We ordered D710 with 18-105 lens.

A few years ago I found better quality in images from FX cameras than from DX. That was the D300 compared with the D3.
Nowadays I don´t see any difference between D7000 and D800. So the reasons for spending a lot of money extra on those FX lenses can be spent on other things in my opinion.

I even use NEX or MFT most of the time, because they´re so compact and convenient to take with.

Boy, there are many reasons for the average (less ambitious???) photographer picking up a lighter, smaller body. Lots of excellent choices out there. I still insist on a viewfinder so I am a little limited. Heck, even very talented pros use these smaller bodied cameras when they are called for.