In response to a certain coworker who has recently decided to make the jump from one large tanker to another, I say don't make such a rash decision...why don't you just let me borrow them indefinitely? ;-)
You see, I've been sitting pretty on my Nikon stash, mostly for the same reason Mike saw constellations bearing the Nikon brand...we were fortunate enough to have a school that offered rentals of Nikon bodies, lenses, and flashes. We cut our teeth on those beat up donations, and even though they were in varying states of decomposition, they got us going. Now that I've been able to acquire a decent system, I don't feel the need to jump ship, I feel more inclined to expand. It's not so much establishing loyalty to a company...actually far from it. I tend to gravitate towards the most practical solution.
This is coming from a student's perspective: One who is terrified of an ominous and unknown future as he is moving onward. Yes class of 2012, this is my final year, which means I'll have to physically detach myself from the darkroom and brave the world without my waterwings. I know, don't cry for me young freshman, I'm sure I'll be able to pencil in a visit between all the fine dining and lush gigs I'll have going on. Anyway, I need to further prepare myself for what's in store. In short that means going Full Frame. APS has been good to me, but it's time to be a big boy.
Right now there are a couple ways of going full frame. I could stay true to Nikon and trade up for a used D700 since so many people are selling them in the wake of the D800. I could also jump ship and go for a used 5D Mark II, which I'm going to say is comparable in price to that of a well loved D700. Despite grieving over my old reliable lenses, I'd be buying new FX or EF lenses either way. However, I've been eyeing the D800. Considering the type of studio work I find myself getting entangled in, the high resolution can prove useful...although editing these large files might call for upgrading my computer to a quadruple-core, liquid nitrogen cooled, Frankenstein space station. One thing thats been engraved in my mind is this whole capturing multiple high-definition frames at a time thing. "HD Video" has become quite the commodity these days and if you're not up to par with video then you're falling behind apparently. Judging by the examples given, Nikon's test video gives one the impression that if you happen to have an extensive studio budget, you too can film the next Fast and the Furious/Grey's Anatomy crossover. All joking aside the low light performance is something I could definitely take advantage of. Ultimately the reason I find it hard to want to switch is comfort. This is just returning to the practicality thing...if you're comfortable with a system why not embrace it?
This is all hypothetical anyway...I'm more than happy with the D7000 I've got going on. It's proven worthy of all the insane projects I've been taking and can capture video. When the time comes and I find that money just lying around, I'll gladly make my way onto the full frame market. Mike made it clear that his switch wasn't to be taken as a game of branding battleship. Although he's jumping overboard and committing fanboy treason, I see merit to his move as someone who chases after practicality. Besides...it's only a matter of time before he condemns digital photography again and retreats to the woods to create tin types in a desolate log cabin.
While googling relevant quotes for this gem, I came across an extremely obscure one from Rocky IV: "American Commentator #2: They're going to have to stop this fight before somebody gets killed."
- Ol' Faithful
"Oh no, you've sunk to new lows!"