Will Nikon launch a 52MP D4X?

[paulraphael]

and thats why you guys read and post in a thread called "52MP D4X"? :deadhorse:

Well, touché, obviously.

But I'm not advocating ignoring the nuts and bolts. Just taking the emphasis off the hamster wheel of chasing that last couple of percentage points of ... whatever it might be. That becomes an avocation in itself. The same energy (and funds) can be directed toward doing the work.

I'm an artist, so funds are predictably limited more than if I were a top-tier commercial photographer or law firm partner with a hobby. So the questions are about doing an honest cost/benefit analysis. It's not "can I see the difference between this print and that print?"—of course I can. Anyone here can. I'm asking, "is the difference between this print and that print worth the money, time, and energy that could be spent on other aspects of this endeavor?" Framing it this way has led me make different choices than I did ten years ago.

I'm bumming around this forum specifically because questions like this. I'm trying to improve my work by downsizing. I'm seeing the first dslr that looks capable doing what I'll ask of it, and am excited about the way it's going to effect my workflow and productivity. And like a lot of people, I'm doing a lot of speculating about it before it finds its way into my mailbox.

 

[Paratom]

Well, touché, obviously.

But I'm not advocating ignoring the nuts and bolts. Just taking the emphasis off the hamster wheel of chasing that last couple of percentage points of ... whatever it might be. That becomes an avocation in itself. The same energy (and funds) can be directed toward doing the work.

I'm an artist, so funds are predictably limited more than if I were a top-tier commercial photographer or law firm partner with a hobby. So the questions are about doing an honest cost/benefit analysis. It's not "can I see the difference between this print and that print?"—of course I can. Anyone here can. I'm asking, "is the difference between this print and that print worth the money, time, and energy that could be spent on other aspects of this endeavor?" Framing it this way has led me make different choices than I did ten years ago.

I'm bumming around this forum specifically because questions like this. I'm trying to improve my work by downsizing. I'm seeing the first dslr that looks capable doing what I'll ask of it, and am excited about the way it's going to effect my workflow and productivity. And like a lot of people, I'm doing a lot of speculating about it before it finds its way into my mailbox.

Well, in the end I am not here to defend the S2 or MF (even if I sometimes do), but because I am -like you -interested how good the D800 and an eventually coming D4x could work and what others think about those cameras.

 

[fotografz]

Actually, this has been a somewhat refreshing thread, and I for one applaud the notion of concentrating on pursuing the art of photography as it relates to gear ... as nicely stated by paulraphael.

While I am at a stage of life and past success that allows me to select any damned thing I want, that success (advertising creative) was built on the shoulders of being an artist. As such, it is not beyond my memory that such things as a Leica S2 would have been as remote a possibility as winning the Mega Lotto. In art school I often had to select between a tube of paint or having lunch ... the paint always won. Sometimes I'd play cards in the student lounge and either have both, or neither.

Even today with the option of selecting anything, there are still "artistic" priorities that force decisions ... I recently sold off some exotic lenses that many would die to own, and re-invested all the proceeds into additional lighting equipment ... because the impact on my photographic art and commercial work would be far more visible than another f/stop or 20 more mega pixels.

So, I totally agree that we should set aside the notions of "better than" which is subjective to each person's creative objectives and/or end use, and concentrate on what something can do, so people can see if it fits or not.

Also keep in mind that some of the criteria argued here is meaningless to some other photographers. I don't shoot 9 month olds and the kids running around the backyard with my studio camera ... and frankly wouldn't invest in a 36meg Nikon to do that either. When I shoot in the studio it is always tethered, all manual, using T/S and often a different finder ... and it's for clients that are pickier than most on this forum, they inspect for perfection and bitch a storm if too much retouching is required ... and how they use the same shots can range from the web to 8' commercial prints lining the walls of a trade show booth with viewers inspecting the product details at nose length. The day I stop doing that work is the day I can sell off my 60 meg MFD system.

Choices are need driven ... some need more, and some have other more pressing priorities.

-Marc