D810 v 5dIV for landscape work

Hi

 

My nephew is getting into photography and is looking for a DSLR. He has the choice between the above two cameras. He has the option of either at reasonable prices. He played with them yesterday and likes the feel of the Canon slightly better than the Nikon and says he wants to buy this. The Nikon is slightly cheaper, though not massively and he's not invested in either system.

 

I was urging him to go with Nikon though, as the D810 seems better for landscape to me, and this is one of his main interests along with wildlife.

 

I have a Canon myself but for him, Nikon seemed a better bet. I was really basing my thoughts on resolution, lack of AA filter, and dynamic range. I'm not sure if I'm right though. Obviously it's up to him but I did feel he might be making a mistake. I thought I'd ask for your views for his consideration rather than just listen to me banging on

Dunno.

You could take the Pentax K1D into consideration too; same sensor as Nikon, worse AF but IBIS... Glass might be a tad pricier and no, it is not really for wildlife.

Does "better" matter?

If you 've been around for a while: Look up your old(est) camera's specs on DxO mark. - Did you take great pictures with it? - I'd guess so, Was resolution fair? - How ridiculous does it look compared to even the 5D IV?

Isn't Canon glass a tad cheaper than Nikon's and the 5D the lighter camera of the two?

Sorry it is hard to come up with sound advice, especially with landscape photography in mind. - Dynamic range is surely nice to have and somebody going by the comparison tests might notice the Nikon offering 1.2 stops more. Nonetheless I'd call missing those lamenting on a very high level.

 

To argue against Canon I'd pick his interest in wildlife. If I was into that stuff, I'd want a D500 with Nikon's 200-500mm for starters.

 

Anyhow: I think the two brands are close enough to pick one's choice hands on. I picked the 5D for myself due to the previous versions of 70-200/2.8s and never really warming up with Nikon's menus. - YMMV, his too and why argue at all?

Or: Why pick a DSLR for landscapes? - The EOS R might be a better bet, to do them with a 24-105 zoom.

Here's a short comparison: Nikon D810 vs Canon 5D Mark IV - Photography Life

I was really basing my thoughts on resolution, lack of AA filter, and dynamic range.

My thought exactly - Nikon has better dynamic range at low ISO whereas the Canon beats the Nikon at ISO above 400; the Sony A7RIII beats either in that regard.

Rather than basing the decision solely on the camera, I would take the lens selection into account. And, of course, the budget. I would also include the Nikon Z7 in my considerations - despite the sparsity of native Z-mount lenses. But in combination with the 24-70/4, it would make a good start for landscape photography. A 14-30/4 is supposedly arriving next year, and the current F-mount 70-200/4 could be used via the FTZ adapter. Sony has an excellent 12-24/4 and 24-105/4 as well as a 70-200/4 that would make a nice landscape kit. Sony/Zeiss also offer a variety of excellent primes.

I think that any recent APS-C model is more than adequate n practice, and certainly so for a beginner. Buy a "pre-owned" one on eBay and cost ceases to be much a factor.

Even many "full-frame" models are getting pretty affordable too.

 

I have seen a lot of photos taken with various marques at my Photo Collective, and I've never seen anybody pick out what camera was used to take them on a consistent basis.

Thank you for your comments. Since my posting, I believe he's pretty much made up his mind to take the Canon. He's not a total newb and knows a bit but I was trying to interfere, erm help him, decide.

 

I imagine the truth is either will be absolutely excellent for his needs.

 

Thank you for reassurances too :)

If he wants to do excellent landscape photography he should consider a view camera.

If he wants to do excellent landscape photography he should consider a view camera.

 

Particularly using the wet=plate medium. :rolleyes:

I would love to be an excellent photographer myself, but can't afford that, I'm afraid ;)

Probably way too late but for future reference he should also be considering a used Canon 5DS R. Just picked one up myself. Staggering IQ. With landscape photography one's personal style and methods will determine first which lenses the person wants to use which will then determine which camera system to choose. Thinking outside the box something like a mirrorless full frame or mirrorless medium format will take any lens by any manufacturer you may choose. Years ago I bought my Canon TS-E 17mm before I even had a body to put it on!