My understanding is that you are coming from the 7D. I shot DX Nikon bodies from 2007 till I bought the D810. My D810 purchase was predicated on selling my D7100, however, for some period of time I used both. When I sold the D7100, it was tough. My point is that each camera has areas of strength and weakness and while you can normally work around them, it is never as satisfying or effective. And now that I am back to one body, I know how incredibly handy it is to shoot with 2 bodies. I've shot both sports and events with dual bodies and it is awesome. which is why I will be buying a D500 to go with the D810. Once I tasted it, I can't go back.
Yes, I had the 7D, and its features were second nature to me. It has just been too far-passed by modern technology to be happy with it anymore.
I agree with you, and the 2-Body Paradigm is what I hope to begin this new season with, and to facilitate this in the field I have purchased the
2-Camera Cotton Carrier to make "instant usability" a snap.
Basically, my goal in the field is to try to document
specimens + habitat ... and switching lenses is a pain in the @$$.
(Hence the need for 2 cameras, with totally-different lenses attached.)
I have my Sigma lenses as field lenses + wide-angle.
At the moment, I still have my 7D + 10-22 as the "habitat" camera/lens combo.
Eventually, I will get the Nikkor 14-24 mm and have that on the D810 for habitat, with the Sigmas attached to the D500 for specimens.
Right now, all I have is the D810 because the D500 isn't available.
Attached is an image showing the 4 cameras in discussion 7D, 1DxMKII, D810 and D500. Listed are the crop from full frame, the Megapixels, the frame rates and the effective focal length equavalent of a 600mm lens. That Sigma Sport 150-600mm is 960mm equavalent on your current body at just slightly smaller pixel count than the 600mm it will be on a 20MP 1DxMKII!!!
It's funny. When I first decided on Canon, several years ago, it was because Nikons were more expensive and Canon's offered "more for less."
Now, it is the opposite.
The Canon 200-400 is $11,000 ... compared to the Nikkor 200-400 II for $6900.
The Canon 5DSr is is $3800 ... compared to the Nikon D810 for $2800.
I just can't justify staying with Canon, financially.
Okay, so the Nikon D5 is a bit over-priced at $6400 compared to the new 1D X II at $5900.
But the D810 was a no-brainer at $2900, compared to the 5D Sr at $3800.
Yes, the Canon 200-400 is the best ... but it's
not $4000 better
Yes, the Canon 11-24 is better than the Nikon 14-24 ... but it's
not $1,100 better
For me, this is just too much of a disparity in price to justify the modest gains in quality.
The simple fact is, the D810 is a better overall camera than the 5DSr, and the 14-24 is an excellent lens.
With a D810 + 14-24 combo, I am out of pocket $4600 for an exquisite combo.
With the 5Dsr + 11-24 combo, I am out of pocket $6,800, with a better lens but a
not-better camera.
Nikon is simply offering better cameras
and a
better value now (IMO) ... and superb lenses also.
While there are a few areas where the 1DxMKII would certainly be the best camera to have of the 4, I suspect about 90% of all shooting circumstances will be covered better by the D810 or D500 or combination of both.
The 1DX Mark II seems to be a better value than the new Nikon D5.
(I like the look of the D5 better, though ... and I will bet its price goes down shortly ...)
The D810 is a WAY better value than the 5DSr ...
The D500 is simply BETTER than the Canon 7D Mk II in
every possible way ...
Ultimately, I don't want to invest a bunch of money in the 1DX Mk II and have only 1 camera.
I would rather buy
2 cameras and have
both at the-ready ... to alleviate the need to change lenses.
I have been tinkering more with the D810 since I last posted, and have benefited from your tip to just leave AF 'on' on the body.
I have set the ISO to 'auto' so I don't have to move my hand of the lens to adjust the ISO.
From there, I can tinker with f/stop + Shutter speed, and the ISO will intelligently select the best choice (even though I prefer to select my ISO myself).
I hope to take it out for its first real spin over the weekend.
Jack