Swapping to Nikon. A few questions.

[kitalight]

Mildew comes from poor ventilation and moisture buildup. Keep your lenses out of their cases and in a space where there is adequate air circulation. Damprid is an inexpensive way to remove moisture from a closet or cabinet and it works very well. Also do not use leather lens cases or camera bags as they are a great growth media for mildew spores.

Here in south Florida I keep a fan facing my gear to keep air moving...stagnant air is the devil's breeding ground for mildew....

[dwswager]

Been shooting Nikons for 30 years.  Skip the 800E and go to the D810.  The D810 has probably 80 refinements to it and operates faster.

The easiest way to tell "pro" lenses in Nikon is to look to see if they have Crystal Nano Coat.  Only top of the lines lenses get an element with NCC.  There are other Nikon lenses that might be weather sealed and durable as well.

The 24-70mm f/2.8 is awesome.  Same with the 70-200mm f/2.8.  The 12-24mm f/2.8 is the 3rd member of the Holy Trinity, is an awesome lens, but has a bulbous front element prone to flare and most find the 16-35mm f/4 VR more functional even with bad distortion at 16mm and not being quite as sharp.  Also the 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5 well outperforms it's $750 price point but is not weather sealed.

The micro Nikkors are the lenses that pretty much made Nikon.  The discontinued 70-180mm Zoom Micro Nikkor is awesome as well.  The 58mm f/1.4G is magnificent.  None of the 50mm lenses are all that special.  The f/1.4G is the best, but the f/1.8 AF-D model is fine and can be bought around $100!  The new AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 is sharper than the 70-200mm f/2.8 with the 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters.  And the 200mm f/2 and 200mm-400mm f/4 are both great.

[synn]

Any Nikon lens with a gold ring can be considered "Pro". Almost all of them have the nano coating too.

[shadowblade]

Why does it matter if a lens, camera or other piece of gear is 'pro' or not? I care about the results, not the category of gear used to make it. That's why I shoot landscapes with 'pro' Canon tilt-shifts, Nikon 14-24, some Zeiss and Sigma lenses and a number of Canon and Nikon longer zooms, on a decidedly non-pro Sony A7r. Because it gives me the results I want, which I can't get from another combination of gear.

[LKaven]

Why does it matter if a lens, camera or other piece of gear is 'pro' or not? I care about the results, not the category of gear used to make it. That's why I shoot landscapes with 'pro' Canon tilt-shifts, Nikon 14-24, some Zeiss and Sigma lenses and a number of Canon and Nikon longer zooms, on a decidedly non-pro Sony A7r. Because it gives me the results I want, which I can't get from another combination of gear.

In Nikon's case, it can mean a few things that might be meaningful to one, or not.

It generally means a certain level of build quality, able to stand up to heavy daily use for years at a time.  It means weather-sealing.  It does not always mean optical quality. 

Case in point: the Nikon 85/1.4G versus the 85/1.8G.  The 1.8 is optically on a par with the 1.4.  The bokeh on the 1.4 is just a bit better.  But the 1.4 has metal construction and weather sealing.  As a value proposition, it really does make a difference what your uses are.  The cost per use of the 1.4 is very low, but the cost to buy in is high.  If you are a professional who is making money from using it, it is worth the price as an investment, otherwise, less so.

In the case of, for example, the D4, it means speed and connectivity, as well as durability.  Other cameras match or exceed it in image quality for less money. 

[bernie west]

Mildew comes from poor ventilation and moisture buildup. Keep your lenses out of their cases and in a space where there is adequate air circulation. Damprid is an inexpensive way to remove moisture from a closet or cabinet and it works very well. Also do not use leather lens cases or camera bags as they are a great growth media for mildew spores.

Thanks for the tip!  I haven't got around to getting a dry cabinet yet.  Naughty, I know.  The humidity is bad here. 

So I ended up getting the new D810 with the Nikkor 14-24 and the Tamron SP 24-70.  VERY happy with my purchase.  There's a lot to like about this camera compared to the old 5D.  So much control over the capture.  And of course the bigger images and better IQ are definitely good!

[bernie west]

Why does it matter if a lens, camera or other piece of gear is 'pro' or not? I care about the results, not the category of gear used to make it. That's why I shoot landscapes with 'pro' Canon tilt-shifts, Nikon 14-24, some Zeiss and Sigma lenses and a number of Canon and Nikon longer zooms, on a decidedly non-pro Sony A7r. Because it gives me the results I want, which I can't get from another combination of gear.

I wanted the best weather sealing and build construction for out in the field.  Better IQ doesn't hurt either, obviously.

[Petrus]

Thanks for the tip!  I haven't got around to getting a dry cabinet yet.  Naughty, I know.  The humidity is bad here. 

So I ended up getting the new D810 with the Nikkor 14-24 and the Tamron SP 24-70. 

I have had 14-24 for 2 years and it has found actually surprisingly little use. It is big and heavy and have to be careful with the bulging front element. So it is going to the gear closet for special use only, replaced by the new 20mm f/1.8 in the bag. 95% the time 24-70 or 24-120 is wide enough for me, but the new 20mm would be nice when doing artsy shooting with 20, 35, 50 , 85 and 135mm Nikkor and Sigma (35 & 50) fast primes.

[David Anderson]

I have had 14-24 for 2 years and it has found actually surprisingly little use. It is big and heavy and have to be careful with the bulging front element.

I agree and tend to use the 28 1.8 over the 14-24 most of the time - it's a fantastic lens and light.

[Hans Kruse]

Been shooting Nikons for 30 years.  Skip the 800E and go to the D810.  The D810 has probably 80 refinements to it and operates faster.

The easiest way to tell "pro" lenses in Nikon is to look to see if they have Crystal Nano Coat.  Only top of the lines lenses get an element with NCC.  There are other Nikon lenses that might be weather sealed and durable as well.

The 24-70mm f/2.8 is awesome.  Same with the 70-200mm f/2.8.  The 12-24mm f/2.8 is the 3rd member of the Holy Trinity, is an awesome lens, but has a bulbous front element prone to flare and most find the 16-35mm f/4 VR more functional even with bad distortion at 16mm and not being quite as sharp.  Also the 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5 well outperforms it's $750 price point but is not weather sealed.

The micro Nikkors are the lenses that pretty much made Nikon.  The discontinued 70-180mm Zoom Micro Nikkor is awesome as well.  The 58mm f/1.4G is magnificent.  None of the 50mm lenses are all that special.  The f/1.4G is the best, but the f/1.8 AF-D model is fine and can be bought around $100!  The new AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 is sharper than the 70-200mm f/2.8 with the 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters.  And the 200mm f/2 and 200mm-400mm f/4 are both great.

I mostly agree but the Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 is not a lens I would recommend. I really needs an upgrade with better sharpness in corners and in the sides of the image. Center sharpness is awesome. Although not ideal I chose the Sigma 24-105 f/4 for the D810. And the two other zooms are the Nikkor 70-200 f/4 VR which is better than the f/2.8 VRII (which I sold again) and the Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8. The latter is not without flaws though.

[Petrus]

the Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8. The latter is not without flaws though.

Optically it is an amazing lens, as good or better than almost all equivalent primes. Flaws: size and weight, flare, exposed front lens.

[Hans Kruse]

Optically it is an amazing lens, as good or better than almost all equivalent primes. Flaws: size and weight, flare, exposed front lens.

And focus shift. I have had some cases where sharpness was not that great and possibly focus shift could have caused it.