D3 vs SD14 ($5000 vs $500 camera)

Well, not really a shot by shot face off.  It is just that I use both of them for work daily (I use a few different cameras actually).  The only reason I’m mentioning the monetary difference is because for 1/10th the price of a D3, the SD14 can really hold it’s own.  I love that FOVEON sensor!  (On a total sidenote, I  wish Apple would someday support the RAW X3F format so that their OS and apps like Aperture will someday be able to view thumbnails of their files and someday be able to convert the RAW files).

The gallery link below has images shot with both cameras (12 images in the gallery).  Half the shots were taken with a Sigma SD14 and the other half with a Nikon D3.  They were all bracketed.  The SD14 shots were only 3 AEB, whereas the Nikon shots were 5 to 9 frames (varied).  (I’ll cover lenses used tomorrow night)

I’ll go into detail with why I shot with one camera over the other for certain shots (tomorrow night).  For now I leave with you the gallery link to see if you can guess (without looking at the EXIF data) which camera shot what.

Now before you crucify me with comments about composition.  This client likes to hold the camera, stand in roughly the spot he wants the shot and he snaps a photo.  We run through his rental units and then he takes off and leaves me to go back and get close to his angles, but make sensible adjustments.  For rentals, the customers don’t care about Architectural Digest shots.  They want to see where the HD TVs are in the rooms and they want to see the proximity of the beach and ocean.  That’s it.  This is why so many of my shots on my portfolio are taken at high vantage points… to see up and out the window in order to show them the beach and ocean below.  “COOL” architectural shots taken from lower vantage points will not entice a guest to pay $5000-$10,000 a week in paradise.  The water and beaches will.  Hence the angles.  Nuff said.

http://www.digitalcoastimage.com/destin/405w/index.html

If you are super curious, … I’ve already spilled some of the beans on Twitter (my follow me link is on the upper right hand side of this site).  In fact, I post a TON of stuff on twitter that never gets posted here on this blog.  Probably 10 to 1 more information posted there simply because I try to keep the blog posts limited to HDRI topics whereas on twitter I discuss photography, film, video, VFX, etc.

My account on twitter is:  http://www.twitter.com/HDRphotography