Priced at 3276$ would you call this a good deal? To be honest I only want it for the sensor, so I can use a technical camera. My D800E is stellar and will be my go to camera. But it does not have the look of a view camera and the selection of tilt/shift lenses is to be honest bad. I have the money for it, but I don't know if I should spend it. It seems to be a hassle using such an old sensor, no liveview for focusing etc. Then there is the LCC issues and such. Well, sorry for this post. I just need some pointers.
One of those cases where I think it's best to start with asking what will fit your needs best and then looking for the best place/price/way of getting it. Rather than finding something that is a good price and then seeing if it will fit your needs.
A D800E and Aptus 22 on a tech camera are
VERY different systems; they are really only comparable in so far as they are in the same ballpark of pricing.
Best option for you I think is to rent an Aptus 22 and a tech camera for a few days and go shoot real pictures and see:
- How you like the shooting process. It's slower and less easy, but it's also more traditional, considered, mechanical, and tactile. So depending on your personal preferences you may love it or hate it.
- How long it takes you to get the final result you want (including capture and post processing)
- The final image quality of both in your typical usage (whatever print size/media/style/processing you typically use)
A dealer like us (Digital Transitions) can do a rental of that equipment (all needed components and accessories) like that with the cost of the rental credited towards purchase. That means either you spend some money to find out that it's not right for you (in my opinion that's a great outcome - you can put the question to rest in your mind with minimal hassle/cost) or you find out that it is something you want and the final purchase price is still the same.
Aptus 22 is slow, "only" 22 megapixels with one shot (a 4-shot in-image-circle-stitch would place it at roughly 60mp), limited ISO and max exposure length and is "old". But looking at the images it has beautiful color, tonality, dynamic range (both technically and aesthetically), and works very well on a tech camera (no wakeup, low color cast) and a large sensor.
If the genre of tech camera shooting appeals to you and you have a limited budget this is a great place to start.