Ok it’s finally here, let’s get to it.
The deal breaker for me was can this camera’s upgrade make it a more versatile and universal piece of equipment that can expand it’s scope from that of the commercial/stock shooter, to include shooters like myself, who want the best of both worlds: the high pixel count but also a smaller Raw file size for clients who don’t need such high resolution.
Why would it matter so much to me? Simply put so I wouldn’t have to upgrade everything I have to meet the post production workflow of full resolution shooting with the D810. This would include new drives, new cards, a slower workflow if my hardware wasn’t improved etc.
The jury is only partially in with todays announcement. It does has the Raw Size Small Format, but what it is and how it does it exactly isn’t explained yet.
It says it’s a 12-bit file formate that is half the resolution (3680×2456 instead of 7360×4912) and approximately 1/4 of the file size of a full Raw file (one review says 16MP another says 9MP instead of the full resolution 36MP). How it does this isn’t explained and that’s the kicker. Does it semi-process the file, is it a true Raw file still, what’s taken out and what’s missing to make it a small Raw file????
Seems the great debate in my business anyway will have to continue a little while longer.