NJMatsuya Photography

Any new body is going to be good enough for 99+% of the people who can afford it 🙂 I've found that DxOMark scores are for people to nitpick and bitch about on forums, and have no practical use. Kind of like arguing about which car is better because of the largest number on the speedometer..  how often are you going to get up to 160mph and wish you could go 180mph?

+Jeff Matsuya you will be happy with any new camera you buy. Not because of how awesome all of the new tech inside it is. You will be happy because you are truly ready to upgrade. You have worked hard and whatever camera you buy will be well deserved.

Go for it +Jeff Matsuya !!

Any new body is going to be good enough for 99+% of the people who can afford it 🙂 I've found that DxOMark scores are for people to nitpick and bitch about on forums, and have no practical use. Kind of like arguing about which car is better because of the largest number on the speedometer..  how often are you going to get up to 160mph and wish you could go 180mph?

+holger feroudj , I'm not sure how to read that either – perhaps someone like +Jason Arney would be able to answer that since he's used both Canon and Nikon?

Up to A3 sized prints 13"X19" and you will see no difference between D3s and D600/800 after that print size those extra pixels begin to show there stuff.  
Take from this what you will: http://fstoppers.com/the-first-real-world-nikon-d600-iso-test  Similar noise at ISO 6400.  

+Jeff Matsuya you will be happy with any new camera you buy. Not because of how awesome all of the new tech inside it is. You will be happy because you are truly ready to upgrade. You have worked hard and whatever camera you buy will be well deserved.

Thanks +Jeff Austin , +Jason Arney .  I'm still gathering information so your input is invaluable.  I will make up my mind in the next week/2 weeks.  Even though it's tough to make a decision, it's nice to actually have the option (of making a decision) since we seem to be experiencing a torrent of very capable (and edging on the affordable) cameras these days.

Btw, did some comparison of Canon and Nikon cameras, and although I have no idea how exactly to read the test results, the dynamic range of Canon sensors, even for the newest cameras (5D MkIII) seem to be 11.5 Evs around while for Nikon it's like 14 Evs or something… does that mean that those sensors have 2-3 stops more dynamic range?? You'd think that's quite a huge difference with actual real-life consequences – e.g. you'd really feel that difference when shooting?

+Jeff Austin , yes, I know that whatever camera I get next will be fantastic compared to my current body.  I guess I'm just trying to determine which is the more versatile between the D600, the D800E, and the D3s.  (I've found the latter 2 available used online for not too much more than a new D600).

Since I don't see myself getting TWO bodies, I'm looking for one that will be most versatile and "grow" with me over the next 3-4 years.

D600 has some limitations compared to the D800/E and the D3S, but those aren't really a deal-breaker when all is said and done.  It's the fact that I can get  a used D800/E or D3S for not much more in terms of cost that's making me think more carefully.

The D800/E seems less useable in street and event photography situations.

The D3S is great for street/event, but I'm not sure how it handles landscapes (and how the tech will hold out compared to the others for the next 3-4 years).

Yep, I know I'm probably over-thinking this, and whatever camera I end up getting will be fantastic, but money is money so I want to make sure I have minimal regrets with whichever one I get.  🙂

+holger feroudj that is their take away. 1 point there is 1 stop of range (of light). I will say my prior camera (and current back up) scores a 12 and the D800E does provide dramatically more data per file – so the 12 versus 14.4 rating is accurate to me. However, I do digital blending and thus I use several exposures to extract maximum range.

Most importantly however, human eye sight is estimated at 24 stops. Thus, in same measure of speaking, even 14 isn't enough.

For me, once my PC could bear the weight of D800 files, my process time and effort did drop dramatically for it; however, the noise performance in the D3s is wildly better.

+Jeff Austin / +Jeff Matsuya   well, this score entirely confirms my estimation that they are the same chip. Different yields will garner different quality. For me, it makes me in no way bothered that I went with the D800E. Loved every minute of it.

+Jeff Matsuya "versatile" is more or less going to be the D700 then, lol… D3s lack of built in flash will harm that score. But, it is about 1 stop better in terms of ISO performance.