D300 logical upgrade?

theory

theory

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Martyn
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Hey guys,

I really want full frame, have done for ages but never wanted to throw the cash at it and lose the pixel density from the cropped images I get out my camera now.

Basically, I want to buy a D700, D600 or D800 and I'm not sure which I should be going after. I like the high MP factor because I think I'm not losing anything if I shoot in DX mode, but I'm not actually sure how much it really matters having never put my hands on one.

Should I be going after the D700? This feels like the sensible choice to me, but not if it means I buy cheap and buy twice (particularly as they still seem to hold at least a £700 second hand price). If I take a shot of the moon with my 400mm lens, will it be as sharp with a D700 as it would be from my D300 (which funnily enough isn't as sharp as my D80 at low ISO)

The D800 seems like the obvious choice, but it costs a fortune. The D600, to me, appears like it's too heavily handicapped (for the money) - I like the AF I have, I like the bracketing and I like the shutter and flash speed options... but then I do like that it's small and probably has way better IQ than my D300.

Which camera should I be lusting after? Is pixel count all it's cracked up to be when I'm cropping down to 20% of my original image?

sorry for the newbie thread, I've done a lot of reading and still feel totally unsure.
 
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Sounds like you need the D800, but if budget matters a lot, then the 600 seems like the next best bet for output. Not so much for handling and control though, you want the D700 for that. You'll either have to compromise somewhere or spend more than you expected to.
 
Martyn,

Looking at your location, if you want to try a D800 in your setup, just give me a shout
 
Gary Coyle said:
What will you mainly use the new camera for will probaby have the major impact on your choice.
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He mentions cropping down to 20%, that is some hefty cropping! And going on the avatar, he likes to shoot the moon. I think the D800 is what he's after but sounds like budget is an issue.
 
Does sound like an 800 to me, although I went from the D300 to D700 and its perfect, but I shoot portraits mainly and dont need the extra MP.
 
My Avatars a Dog but i dont shoot them LOL, would sticking with a crop camera D7000/7100 and adding a TC be of any use for shooting the Moon, no idea myself and no idea if full frame would be of any advantage in this situation.
 
Gary Coyle said:
My Avatars a Dog but i dont shoot them LOL, would sticking with a crop camera D7000/7100 and adding a TC be of any use for shooting the Moon, no idea myself and no idea if full frame would be of any advantage in this situation.
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Yeah, but I'm putting 2+2 together loosely here, guessing, c'mon ;) What else would you crop down to 20%?

I agree the D7100 is a good option. Not quite the sturdy body he's used to, but the output would be more than sufficient for heavy crops.
 
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Hey, yeah that's pretty much it - I'm a hobbyist really, but my shots are to create memories, to learn (we're always learning right?) and as such varying from the unoriginal but somewhat obligatory SLR shots of wildlife in motion, cars, people (events), bit of macro and of course, the moon or sunset/sunrise against a nice backdrop.

I think I know I want the D800, but I'm wondering if it's wise or not and how much I'd lose by settling for a D700 - really full frame DOF was what I always wanted, as my most treasured photos are the ones with just enough DOF to isolate and store a really nice bunch of memories. But then, I've been suckered by pixels and even though I could find millions of high res pictures of the moon, there's something about getting a nice sharp one yourself - not that it's the only thing I shoot! :)

I have pretty standard glass though, the 400mm I shot with I picked up for £50 and starts from 5.6 - it's amazing for the cash really, and I'm sure the D300 covers up some of it sins.

boyfalldown - that's a really decent offer, I might take you up on that. Thanks!
 
1_PIC_3558.jpg


There we go. It's been compressed but otherwise, that's just a 100% crop.

But really, most of my shots are memories (which vary from people, holidays - basically snaps, but nice ones that have been thought about with a bit of something special chucked in)
 
£50!! Jaysis! I'd love a bargain like that. Great moon shot too, holds the detail, the craters around the edge, even with a heavy crop.
 
Cheers! Yep, old lenses are great sometimes, you just need to take a punt and get something that's out of fashion... it's slow, but the moon is bright :)

Do you think that extra pixels would resolve much more detail? I'm guessing "of course", but I wonder what the same shot on a D700 and D800 would really look like when cropped to show the moon at the same size?

BTW I realise I'm now painting myself as the moon guy lol - it's just the best example I could think of to demonstrate my point but my priority is FF which would help with most of my pics (and would obsolete one or two of my lenses unless I went DX mode)
 
I took this one using the D800 and 70-200 lens in DX mode:


Oct 27th 2012 12am Moon by Cagey75, on Flickr

That was back in late October last year, the moon is always great around that time.

That is a substantial crop too. Even in crop mode, 200mm seems short for the moon!
 
That's cracking - is it sharpened up at all? Don't suppose you have the original uncropped image laying around?
 
Not much sharpening from what I can remember. It would have been an upping of clarity, contrast and black levels. That's what i find I do most for moon shots. I too love to do my own ;)

I haven't used sharpening much at all since buying the D800E. I could have the original RAW about someplace, but I have changed Pc/laptops 3 times since then, and I am the most un-organised person you could ever meet. I'll have a look, but doubtful I'll find it.
 
Excluding the FPS,the D800 is a D700 and D7000 rolled into one.
 
The ability to crop in heavily was the main reason I bought a D800 (which I run alongside a D700). I never bother shooting in Dx (or 1.2x crop) mode - just accept a few fewer shots per card and crop into the Fx image!
IF the moon shows its face in the next day or 2, I'll try to remember to take a few with the D70, D700 and D800 and crop each to a tight moon.
 
Cheers Nod, cropping can save so many photos - particularly when I give the camera to someone else then straighten and crop a bit. Sometimes there are portraits shots, or two people looking at each other in a crowd and recovering these is always a bonus. D70/D700 and D800 comparison offer is wonderful too, you're a gent.
 
TBH, I crop for the extra apparent reach rather than to rescue a situation! I used to have to crop to straighten horizons but the D800 (and the D700) have built in levels so I can shoot straight horizons now!!!
 
Keith, yep. Oops. Kind of excited :)

Bob, those links are wonderful. If only I had read them yesterday I would probably not gave bothered to post. They tell me exactly what I started to suspect and more, so I'm pleased about the upgrade d800.

Thanks!
 
Now to work out if I need a split prism for this thing. I kinda like the one I have in my 300 for MF lenses.
 
theory said:
Now to work out if I need a split prism for this thing. I kinda like the one I have in my 300 for MF lenses.
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I've been reading about how to use the Nikon (and others') green focus dot to determine the micro-adjustment setting for lenses. So, if it can do that job, won't it do the job for you using MF?

I know that the focus points on the D300 cover more of the frame than on the D800 (link) but surely a split prism only works at the centre, so you've got to be better off using the camera's focus points? Or am I missing something...?
 
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