D3 or D700

ftmftm

ftmftm

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David
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Looking at both not sure which one to go for, If get a D3 it will be used for weddings and studio, or the D700 it will be used just for weddings, any comments welcome.
David
 
Unless you need to beat people with it or take it into the jungle/desert/Belvedere, S. London, then the D700 will be fine for both weddings and studio.

I'm seriously considering a D700 'sans grip' as a third body later this year. Now that I'll actually be paying for my own kit...lol
 
boyfalldown said:
Why wouldn't you use the D700 for studio also?

Hugh
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I'm guessing the D2X will still be used in the studio.

Personally I'd go for the D700. Practically the same camera but with a few newer features that the D3 doesn't have yet it's a lot cheaper.
 
-Rob- said:
I'm guessing the D2X will still be used in the studio.

Personally I'd go for the D700. Practically the same camera but with a few newer features that the D3 doesn't have yet it's a lot cheaper.
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but surely the comment about studio use and the D2x would also be true if the OP bought a D3? :shrug:
 
Get a D700 a save yourself a heap of cash! Image quality between the two is indistinguishable - no reason why the D700 can't be used in the studio too... I'd say only get a D3 if you need the few extra frames per second it offers, which in studio or at weddings i don't think you will. I bought a D3 because I got an astonishingly good price (£2200 new!), but now wish i'd bought a nearly new D700 i was offered for £900 less and put that money on glass - i love the D3 but dont need the extra fps even for motorsport.

With the D3s just out and D700 rumoured to be next for replacement, be careful not to pay too much for either camera.
 
I'll say D700 for the same reasons as stated by the diving man above.

And, cos I bouht one last week !!!
 
Unless you want/need a grip and/or the extra weatherproofing of the D3, the D700 is probably the best bet.
 
AlexW said:
Nice thing about the D700, still has pop-up flash for CLS control.
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Which makes it even cheaper when you add the commander to the D3

My advice would be to try the handling of both. I just bought 2x D700's and to be honest I'm glad I bought that over the D3. The weight of the D700 with any of the holy trinity of lenses is quite enough , especially if you are using it for an extended period of time.

Either that or get ye to the gym! :D
 
D3 has larger view finder, dual card slots, better sealing, faster fps and shutter and control dials for portrait format.

D700 has in built sensor cleaner, built in flash,.

For weddings a D700 would probably be the sensible option all things considered.
 
It might be that when shooting in studio you want to have the portrait position grip, hence choosing the D2 over the D700. Also the 100% viewfinder might also be important.

Personally for weddings Id prefer the smaller body, particularly since you're likely to use 2.
 
I've been using a D700 for about 3 months now and have relegated my D2X to being my backup body. I must admit that I've struggled a little in the transition as things are just that little bit different when it comes to handling the D700.

I never realised just how much I use the vertical shutter release until I didn't have it anymore - so the battery grip is now on the shopping list. This last weekend I was forced to rent a D3 as Nikon still haven't returned my D700 from service. I have to say that the D3 immediately felt 'right'. The control layout was the same as my (t)rusty old D2x and the bulk felt right too.

Do I regret having saved the money by buying the D700 and not the D3? No. I will get used to the differences in the bodies (assuming Nikon return it to me!)

Simon
 
the lack of sensor cleaning on the d3 really puts me off and the option to take the grip off pushes me towards buying a d700 as the alternative :)
 
ShawWellPete said:
I like to use the D700 with a grip but it's nice to put a 50mm 1.4 on, take the grip off and "go light" every now and again.
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I agree - D700 and 50 in one hand and flash in the other. Works a treat in some situations.

But I still keep the grip on for some reason :bang:
 
i got the d700 over the d3 as i do not shoot sports, i kept my d2xs for studio use and as soon as use the d700 i sold the d2xs and bought another,

they r brillant


wedding and studio for the money they r hard 2 beat.

y buy a second hand d3 when u can buy a d700 with 2 years nikon cover.. good luck
 
If I was shooting high value subjects like weddings, I'd punt for dual flash slots over and above anything else. How many disasters would you need to have to save the difference?

Besides, don't buy a D3, get the D3S - worth it for the sensor cleaning.

These comments are purely aimed at commercial use. If its strictly amateur hour, then probably some of the earlier comments are more relevant.
 
alexkidd said:
price wise it's a pretty hefty jump from d700 to d3s though :)
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Have you seen how much people pay for wedding photos??!

:bonk:
 
The wedding market is currently anywhere between £150 and £15,000!

So that's a bit of gross assumption that everyone is willing to hand over large wedges of cash for their wedding photos.

Like most things it's a balancing act, you can't go shelling out £15K (like Nikon tried to convince me to do) unless you are already getting the income stream to support that level of purchase. Sometimes you actually need to make the more prudent purchase.

I have to say that I've never had any kind of card failure and shooting on two cameras does minimise the risk and even having a dual card slot on my 1Ds I never used it so it's not a feature I was particularly concerned about. I do use an Epson P unit to back up on site and always have a copy before I leave the venue and my first job is to back up the files and back up again.
 
i use 3 bodys at a weddings for different reasons, and a 16gb card holds 1200 raw files. no real need for a two card holder. also the weight for a d3 fully loaded is something else. working for 9/10 hrs weight becomes an issue.
 
r1andy said:
also the weight for a d3 fully loaded is something else. working for 9/10 hrs weight becomes an issue.
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At least you are only using short glass... try it with some long stuff (and everything else you need for a day in your pockets too). Its a man's world in motorsport (y)
 
hahaha...or wear body-armour as well...lol

I just did a job using my D3x and 50mm f/1.4 and it weighs nothing compared to the D3 bodies with 24-70 and 80-200 on them...
Still had to pop back to the tent for the 14-24mm though as it turned out to be something different to the usual Group Photo...
 
Battery on D3 seems to last for ever in comparison to the EN-EL3e......

tbh I bought a D3 because every shot is precious and I wanted the best.
 
Thanks for all the replies,
Im going for the D3 but my next question is, D3 or D3s
Is it worth the extra money for the D3s,
It will be used for wedding mostly, I suppose the D3s is better iso.
But is it really worth the extra money.
Thanks again
David
 
Well if you want to buy it new with a warranty, you can only buy a D3S.

Problem solved?
 
ftmftm said:
Thanks for all the replies,
Im going for the D3 but my next question is, D3 or D3s
Is it worth the extra money for the D3s,
It will be used for wedding mostly, I suppose the D3s is better iso.
But is it really worth the extra money.
Thanks again
David
Click to expand...

If i'm honest - probably not.

You get an extra stop or so of high iso performance, and sensor cleaning built in.

For that you will pay an extra £1400 on top of a good clean used D3.
 
rogan200 said:
Get a D700 a save yourself a heap of cash! Image quality between the two is indistinguishable - no reason why the D700 can't be used in the studio too... I'd say only get a D3 if you need the few extra frames per second it offers, which in studio or at weddings i don't think you will. I bought a D3 because I got an astonishingly good price (£2200 new!), but now wish i'd bought a nearly new D700 i was offered for £900 less and put that money on glass - i love the D3 but dont need the extra fps even for motorsport.

May I ask where you purchased your new D3 from at £2200 please ;)
Click to expand...
 
ftmftm said:
Thanks for all the replies,
Im going for the D3 but my next question is, D3 or D3s
Is it worth the extra money for the D3s,
It will be used for wedding mostly, I suppose the D3s is better iso.
But is it really worth the extra money.
Thanks again
David
Click to expand...

Not sure if you can still get a D3 new :shrug: So if you're left comparing a S/H one with a new D3s, that's going to be a big price difference. Personally, if you can afford it, buy the new D3s with two years warranty, regardless of the fact you've got a few extra features. :)
 
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