D300 or D700?

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serg

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Sergio
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Hi all,
I have a Nikon D60 which I bought just a couple of months ago to see if digital photography would appeal to me.
I have my former film era lenses as well:

Nikkor 50mm f1.8 and 28mm f2.8.

I do landscapes, and street photography mainly.

Now since photography is coming back as a strong passion I'd like to buy new gear.

As you can read from the title I can't decide between D300 and D700.
Well I would have taken a decision to be honest but wanted to know what people think.

If I'd buy a D300 I would still be able to use my prime lenses but will feel the need of a 18mm lens for which reason I would also buy the 17-55mm f2.8 which is about 900£ more.(so about 1900£)

If I bought the D700 instead I might keep using my prime lenses and maybe wouldn't buy the 24-70mm f2.8 which I feel is the right lens for me...(so about £1700)

The question is though I would maybe still feel the need for a zoom lens and I will still buy it later on....

Maybe also a D700 or a D300 wouldn't make a big difference to me as I'm not a pro?
And also 1700£ for a camera is a lot of money...
What does everybody think?


What would you do in my shoes?
 
I had the same dilemma and have decided upon the D700. I want an FX camera, 'just because'. I also tend to favour the kind of photography that demands wide angles.

You might consider the D90 instead of the D300, but you probably have.

The best advice, and it's what others will tell you, is to go and try them out. Then buy a D3 :)
 
I came back into photography wanting to stick to B+W film with a Nikon F100 after disasterous attempts with a D70 when they first came out. It soon became apparent that I am impatient and wanted to see the image as I took it, so got a D80 to satisfy my need :naughty:.

As I would take both cameras out I found it exceedingly restrictive moving from the full frame F100 to the crop on the D80 - I was therefore able to justify a D700 :clap: - since getting it though, I haven't touched the F100 :thumbsdown:

If you ever use Nikon film cameras still then stick with the D700 and your existing lenses!
 
One difference you need to realise is that the D300 has a cropped sensor of x1.5(?) (same as the D60 I believe) and that could make a big difference on your lenses. I think if you were to get a D700, pair it with the 24-70 2.8 - you'll have a great little family, plus you'll be shooting fairly wide at 24mm - which i'm sure is quite useful for your landscapes?

If you get another longer lens, then that'll be great for your portraiture as 70mm is a bit borderline I think. Thats why I have a Sigma 70-300 which is ok for now, it's a bit slow and quality isn't as good as my other lens but I hope to replace the Sigma with a 70-200 2.8 soon.

I used to have the D90. I decided that I wanted a FX camera because I wanted to shoot wide without having to buy a seriously wide angle lens (like 10-20) as thats quite pointless for me. I got the 24-70 2.8 and 24mm is as wide as I need to go for what I do.
 
My upgrade path was D80 -> D300 -> D700. DX vs FX aside, the main reason for choosing a D700 has to be it's low light capability. You mention you shoot street stuff, I would have thought that being able to shoot at 6400ISO with great results would be a big draw. If you're not fussed about this performance then maybe the extra isn't jusifyable.

If your aiming to be into your photography as a long term thing then I'd opt for the D700 despite the cost as you certainly won't regret it.
 
Are they both similar in capability for shooting sport? The obvious difference being the crop factor.

Thanks.
 
Jaz said:
Are they both similar in capability for shooting sport? The obvious difference being the crop factor.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Don't want to kick off a Crop vs Full war so check out the obvious differences it would make, i.e. Focal Length & Sensor Density.

With that aside, the slightly shallower depth of field is always a benefit, plus if shooting on overcast days or in poorly lit venues the high-ISO performance would be a great help IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I love the D300 but it's an expensive game when you get 12 months down the line, have a bag full of DX lenses and then realise you really want a D700. Been there done that. :)
 
If you have a bag full of old heritage lenses from film days, unless they are quite recent and with the latest fully functioning AF etc, you will want to change them anyway. So I would say that you will be effectively starting from scratch whichever way you go.

Full frame is great, but the cameras and lenses are much bigger and heavier, and more expensive, sometimes eye wateringly so. Crop format digital is very good indeed, and will blow away your film images. How much extra quality do you need? It costs a lot more in all sorts of ways, not just money.
 
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