I'm Going to Recommit to 35mm-Sized (full frame) Sensored Cameras for the Remainder of the Year

Renovated and moved Lee Hall (Newport News, VA) railroad station
Nikon D810 with the Nikon 24-120mm f/4 G VR lens at 32mm (click to enlarge)

For the majority of the past two years, I have primarily used my Olympus M4/3 cameras for my photography.  I have been very, very pleased with the images, the cameras, lenses and the versatility of the system.  I have made some very pleasing images with that gear. They are technically up to professional standards in every way.  I have written extensively about the benefits of M4/3 and how much I like going smaller, lighter and less expensive, but maintaining high quality.

Because I have been very happy with those images, I have seriously toyed with divesting myself of all of my "full frame" digital gear.  But, before I do, I want to use my "full frame" gear exclusively for a period of a few months to see if I find a difference in my photography as well as my images.  By difference in my photography, I mean a subjective difference in how I feel about using the gear, how well it works in a variety of situations, how I react to the extra weight, bulk and size.  Additionally, I believe that with different cameras, one tends to photograph differently and with different styles.  I know that I look at the world differently if I am carrying a point-and-shoot camera or if I'm carrying a medium format film camera.  I also want to examine those differences.

As far as the images go, I want to find out if I see subtle differences in the images themselves.  These would be subjective and subtle differences in color, dynamic range, micro contrast, extremely fine detail, etc.  In other words, if there is a difference in the "feel" of the images—the look, so to speak.  I don't know how to explain it better than that, but when I look at my images from different cameras, the overall "feel" of the images changes.  I think I fundamentally photography a bit differently.

Recently, I purchased a Nikon D810.  As I had written about the E-M1 correcting any shortcomings of the E-M1, the D810 corrects any shortcomings of the D800E, which I still have, but will now sell. So you ask, why would he buy a D810 if he is thinking about selling his full frame gear?  The answer is, I may not.  But, in the mean time, I wanted to use the new D810 for a few months exclusively, to ascertain what I have written above.  In my preliminary tests, the camera is one terrific imaging making machine, in every way.

I will be going on an extensive road trip in a few days.  Originally, I planned to take only my M4/3 gear as I have on the past two road trips.  However, this time, I will only take my D810 and full frame gear to assess the difference between traveling and using only M4/3 versus traveling and using only full frame, versus traveling and using a combination of the two, as I have in the past.

Are M4/3 images excellent?  Yes.  Are "full frame" high pixel/high dynamic range images even better?  Well, there are different measures for "better."  I'll let you know at the end of the year if they are "enough" better to keep a full frame system around in the future.

Stay tuned and I will write about my thoughts and experiences using the D810 on this upcoming road trip.

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.


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