I'm curious, not familiar with medium format but I have seen the new D810 being mentioned as basically a medium format camera. The sensor size is the same so how are people making this determination, just curious if anyone can speak on that.
Most of that is just marketing hubbub. You'll read some reviews and opinions from people who compare stats, but I doubt any of them have actually shot with a medium format camera. The D800 is very impressive, but I wouldn't call it a competitor.
1. Sensor size
The D800's sensor is massive. Forget about the 36MP for a moment, I'm talking about the actual sensor itself, in inches (or mm if that's your thing). It's already a full-frame sensor, which has benefits over crop, but it's large even for a normal full-frame. Still...as big as it is, it's not as big as a medium format sensor. You can get some great DoF with the D800, no doubt. But the DoF you can get with medium format is incredible. No comparison in my opinion.
2. Dynamic range
This is the other major comparison point of D800 vs medium format. I can honestly say that the dynamic range of the D800 is something to behold. As in, you can literally capture HDR-level range with a single exposure. It's that good. 12-14 stops of range, depending on who you ask/read. This is on par with medium format.
3. Color capture
This is the game changer. DSLRs capture in 14 bit, versus 16 bit for medium format. What's the big deal, right? It's 2 points.
- 14 bit = 16,384 color values per channel
- 16 bit = 65,536 color values per channel
That's an enormous difference. Colors are richer and more true to life with medium format.
Take a look at the photos of Annie Leibovitz and Joey L. They're two commercial photographers who use medium format to great effect.