Trey Ratcliff dumps his D800

Interesting article on why he dumped his D800 and went for the NEX system.


Hello Sony. Goodbye Nikon. The Story of why I am Switching from Nikon to Sony.

I'm not sure if I should post on this subject, since I'm just a newbie and no nearly as knowledgeable as many of my fellow members. But I am looking at this from my own point of view(newbie point of view lol), so here it goes.
This talented photographer named Ratcliff is very specialized, well off,pro photographer,and can afford to buy whatever new camera tech he likes, buying a new one if one breaks. So there is a huge set of constraints he doesn't have to consider, that most of us (in my opinion) are controlled by. duribility,the ability of bringing our old lenses to the new camera,the need to get as much run time as we can per battery,a variety of lenses to cover the needs of a various types of photos,brand name reputation we cab feel safe depending on to last,and many other considerations depending on each photographer's needs.
For me his reasoning only fits if your in close to the same position he's in. For an example. How many of us could afford to turn down a free top of the line camera we wanted bad, when there is no strings attached. Even if the sony is cheaper, he also says it's less durable,less user friendly. That alone would be a huge red flag for me.

But you much more knowledgeable members may have a different take on this subject. All I can do is give my opinion based on my needs, and what knowledge I have so far.

Exactly. He went to Sony for his own reasons and if he is happy with it, good for him. All you can do is give your own opinion. As the old saying goes, "different strokes for different folks". People can say all the bad things they want about the move. In the end, it is only their opinion and it is not them using the camera. I don't know much about the guy. But as you pointed out and as I have read, he does seem to be pretty well off and keen on the latest things.

But he does make a valid point there where he states he has 11 million followers.
i can bet anything that there will be some folks who would take his word as god's word and follow in his steps or at least would want to..

all said and done, mirrorless technology is definitely the way forward..
DSLRs would be phased out eventually..
WHEN that would happen is the point

WhiteLight said:

But he does make a valid point there where he states he has 11 million followers.
i can bet anything that there will be some folks who would take his word as god's word and follow in his steps or at least would want to..

all said and done, mirrorless technology is definitely the way forward..
DSLRs would be phased out eventually..
WHEN that would happen is the point

Click to expand...

I am with you. The old shutter box is going to go the way of the Dodo bird. It's not an "if", it's a "when".

Just look at what Sony has been doing: the NEX system, the Alpha SLT cameras and the RX 1. The RX1 is a full frame, compact camera. Nikon better be taking notes. Who cares about the smallest APS-C Coolpix camera and who on earth cares about the S01! Ugh!

I don't know the inside workings but Nikon don't seem to be caring about how things are going..
If they really were bothered, the D600 issue for one would have been dealt with better..
guess instead of taking charge, they are gonna stay behind, watch how things go & then step up...
that's the only logical explanation for me

As much as I love my Nikons, I think the company is stuck in a rut. The only thing they really have going for them, is their DSLR line-up. They should give up the mirrorless camera, unless they are going to get serious about it. Any new DSLR, is just a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses move. Nothing really, truly innovative.

All this talk of Sony, Nikon, DSLR vrs mirror less are completely meaningless.

I can imagine this same kind of talk between Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Boar bristle brushes are going out and they will NEVER replace sable bristle!

Mass produced paint? Rubbish! Hand made is far better!

In all of these arguments, the essential deciding factor is being missed.

It's ONLY in what you are comfortable with in producing your art. If that's Sony, then the decision is made.

I use Boar Bristle brushes and Nikon cameras because they work for me.

JMTCW

​Pete

Just wondering how you get the hair off of the Boar's behind for your brushes? lol It's all about personal choices and with those made choices, one has had to weigh pros and cons. The only way that you weigh pros and cons to make a decision, is to compare Sony & Nikon or DSLR and Mirrorless. Therefore, I am not to sure if it is all meaningless. If you chose Boar Bristle brushes, I am sure you compared the pros and cons of that brush compared to others, no?

AC016 said:

Just wondering how you get the hair off of the Boar's behind for your brushes? lol It's all about personal choices and with those made choices, one has had to weigh pros and cons. The only way that you weigh pros and cons to make a decision, is to compare Sony & Nikon or DSLR and Mirrorless. Therefore, I am not to sure if it is all meaningless. If you chose Boar Bristle brushes, I am sure you compared the pros and cons of that brush compared to others, no?

Click to expand...

You grab a handful and run like every demon in hell is hot on your heels! Because they will be!

The brush is dictated by the painting technique. I have both Sable and Boar along with synthetic brushes. I use each type of brush to achieve a particular effect.

But I STILL stretch all of my own canvas.

I have recently sold ALL of my Nikon DSLR equipment and downgraded to a P310. I've had a D40, D50, D60, D70, D90 and a D3100.

I am finding that the P310 is filling MY needs just fine since my health has deteriorated to the point of my no longer being able to carry the older equipment.

Do I miss it? Sure. Do I regret it? Absolutely not.

To each their own.

The point I was trying to make is that the pixel collection only matters when they are displayed.

​Pete

Cool Must have been a bit hard to part ways with your gear, but understandable. Any chance of seeing some of your paintings?

AC016 said:

I am with you. The old shutter box is going to go the way of the Dodo bird. It's not an "if", it's a "when".

Click to expand...

​Not for a long long long time thank god! Please don't hold your breath.

Sambr said:

​Not for a long long long time thank god! Please don't hold your breath.

Click to expand...

Sony already does it with their A99 and other Alpha SLT cameras. But I certainly won't hold my breath and wait for Nikon to come up with something similar.

I would absolutely prefer a smaller, mirrorless camera to a DSLR - provided that dynamic range, colour depth, image quality, exchangeable lenses, the quality of those lenses, build quality etc. are identical to what a D600 or D800 offers. Some of that has already happened, but until that all happens, I'll have to stick with the D600 and D800 I currently use.

I have a friend who has an OMD and shoots beautiful images with it. I'd love to use one too, it even has a viewfinder. But the photosites are I think 3.9µ, diffraction kicks in i don't know how early, dynamic range and colour depth are good but far less than those of the D800.

I think if I were aiming at an APS-C camera, I might look at the OMD as well, or at the Fujis. I would probably not buy a D3200, because the smaller size for me outweighs the advantages in image quality the D3200 may have over the OMD. But if you want the best in sensor quality, I think right now something like the D800 and D600 or the D4 are the way to go.

This just reminds me of the old laptop will replace the desktop, then the tablet will replace the laptop argument. All three are around and filling their own niche within the market.

To put it another way, most things camera related are still put in terms of the 35mm format. Mirrors are not going anywhere anytime soon I would bet.

http://mashable.com/2013/01/29/worlds-highest-resolution-drone-mounted-camera/

​Suck it, Sony.

I read the article and have been watching his photography for some time. There is a subtle "change" in the quality of his images. Granted, some of his HDR photos (taken with DSLR) are too "overcooked" for my taste, but he's known for this particular style and has a following because of it. One thing that HDR does for images is bring out the detail (not only tonal range) . . . especially if you use the "detail enhancer" in the program. Since he dumped the D800, his photos lack much of that fine detail.

He may just be tired of doing HDR and looking to experiment. He did comment somewhere on his blog that he had "words" with Nikon.

In any case, if anybody is following suit and dumping their D800 . . . please send it my way!

I'll be keeping my D600, D800E (when I get it) and even my D80 (for sentimental reasons).