I have a Nikon D90 with Nikon 18-200 and a Sigma 10-20 mm lenses.

This is more than adequate for my routine needs.

But I also do 4 x 5 photography with a view camera using film and scanning it on an Epson V700 scanner. I am now 79 years old, so it gets increasingly difficult to use my view camera, which I really enjoy, because of all the gear I have to carry around. So I am considering alternatives. I am willing to spend a lot because, at my age, my savings don't need to last as long, so I can afford to splurge.

I posted a question in a large format forum about getting a 6 x 9 view camera with a digital back, and several people suggested that I could do as well or better as I do now with a Nikon full frame camera such as the D600 or D800, at least as far as image quality is concerned.

So my questions about the D800 are as follows. Which lens or lenses should I consider getting? Also, I really enjoy what I can get with movements in a view camera. Because there is so much more depth of field in a smaller format, movements are not as necessary, but assuming I want a tilt shift lens, which lens should I consider?

I don't need to make wall sized prints, but I would like to make 16 x 20 prints which from several feet away seem to have view camera quality. But, keep in mind that I may need to do considerable cropping to mimic the rise/fall and swing capabilities of a view camera.

Finally, should I consider the D800E? Or will it require too much fiddling to avoid moire? And will I be satisfied enough with the resolution of the D800?

Leonard Evens
Professor Emeritus, Department of Mathematics, Northwestern University