D300 or D7000

Red9R

Red9R

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Ian
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Right, I have not been doing as much photography as I had envisage doing when I bought my D70, I had hoped to take lots of photos of my son at Judo competitions but I ended up as a club coach with no time at events (doh!), with other hobbies getting in the way the D70 just gathered dust, I had no real direction re other types of photograph as it was so new to me, now having sold my Bike and leathers etc I have a renewed interest and time, to give it a go again.

When I got my D70 the D300 was king of the (Nikon) crop sensor cameras and I really wanted one for its (at the time) fantastic frame rate and hi ISO performance, having read several recent threads on here mainly in the D7000 arena the D300 seems to get panned for its poor ISO performance, is it really that bad? Or is the D7000 really that much better?:thinking: The D300 seems to me to be a better camera for putting a lens on and going, the 7000 it seems you have to fine tune each lens before it will focus?

I am lucky enough now to have the money to buy either of these bodies (second hand) , to use for indoor Judo, walking around with my kids and dogs and hopefully some wildlife (in all weathers) ,I am now struggling to decide between the two, if any of you who may have both could give me some advice based on real life use I would really appreciate it!! I will be investing in a 70-200 f2.8 (as I had hoped to years ago) and as funds become available some more quality glass.

Thanks up front for any help or advice
Ian
 
As a D300 user, I'd say that unless you need certain features of the D300, e.g.tougher body, takes, compact flash cards, etc, get the D7000 which is a superior camera where it counts, image quality.
 
depend what your main features are, for me high iso is the key factors so i went for the D7000. Also the D7000 overall performance, features and spec is not that bad.
 
Red9R said:


D300 seems to get panned for its poor ISO performance, is it really that bad?

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D300 ISO3200 shots, all with a 300/4 + 1.7TC with one pass through noiseware default settings





That first image without noiseware



The D300 has the mag alloy chassis, and a better focus engine, the D7000 has a newer 16mp (I think) sensor, however I have never studied one in detail.

If you are going to be doing a lot of indoor stuff then your best bet would be the D700, much cleaner high ISO images, and even better focus engine.
 
Spend the money on lenses, use them with the D70 until you really know what you want different. Then you can answer your own question ;)

fwiw, I was considering changing my D300 for a D7000 for the improved noise performance. However a day using a D7000 and i decided the improvement in IQ wasn't worth the extra money and reduced handling. But that is probably because I am very used to the D300 now, if I was starting from scratch I would probably be very happy with the D7000.

Toby
 
There are a few threads asking this same question so it's worth doing a search. I have been through this dilemma. In fact I still haven't bought one but I have decided on the D300. That said I really wouldn't be disappointed with a D7000.

Things that persuaded me toward the D300:

Additional external controls
Size and weight - (translate that as feeling very well built, though the D7000 is pretty good too)
Focus system, though this will be less important to me.
And the biggy, price. I'm happy to buy used, which means that I'll be paying almost £200 less for a D300 than a D7000.

Things that almost persuaded me to buy a D7000:

High ISO performance
Scene modes for my other half
Video
Bang up to date model rather than a couple of years old.

Pretty personal choice. They both seem pretty damn good to me.
 
Thanks for all the replies, as expected from here some very good points, Martyn that is a fantastic set, really shows that the D300 is more than capable, I would love a D700 but just cannot justify it as the only lens I have at the moment that would work is a 50mm 1.8 and I could not afford a 700 + the 70-200.
brman , in what way did you think the handling was worse on the 7000? I know this is a personal thing but it would be good to know.
NorthernNikon, Badboy & Gad-westy, thanks for the replies given me plenty to think about, I have used a D300 for a hour or so a while back, I think I need to try and get out with someone who has a D7000 and see how it feels being used.
Thanks again
Ian
 
in what way did you think the handling was worse on the 7000?
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Worse is probably the wrong word. Different is more like it. I use the D300 with a battery grip and like its solid feel and size. The D7000 is actually smaller than my old D50 I think so feels very small in my hands and doesn't balance as well as my D300. I also found the grip not deep enough. There are also minor differences to the controls (eg focus control) that felt a bit strange but again, that is purely because I am used to the D300 now.
I suspect if I had tried the D7000 with a battery grip it would be close enough to what I am used to so I would have no complaint.
I should add it still felt better in my hand than any canon I have tried :D
I was also concerned about the smaller buffer size on the 7000 for some of the stuff I do.

I also found the difference in noise performance between the two was not as much as I expected. I tend to complain about the D300 shadow noise at greater than iso800 but I managed to find similar issues on the D7000 in marginal lighting conditions. The D7000 does a better job but it is still no D3.
And, as has been shown here, the D300 is actually quite good noise wise for its age and category.

Bottom line was that I decided there wasn't enough difference between the two to "upgrade". However if I was starting from scratch I suspect I might have ended up with a D7000 plus grip.

But I was serious about my comment on using your D70, if you haven't used it much then why not do so and get used to it? However much I like my D300 and lust after a D3s I have to admit to myself there are plenty of people taking much better pictures with D50s/70s etc than I can with my D300 so it wasn't really the camera that needed upgrading! ;)

Toby
 
brman said:
But I was serious about my comment on using your D70, if you haven't used it much then why not do so and get used to it? However much I like my D300 and lust after a D3s I have to admit to myself there are plenty of people taking much better pictures with D50s/70s etc than I can with my D300 so it wasn't really the camera that needed upgrading! ;)

Toby
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Sometimes it takes a comment like this to make look at what I really should be thinking about cheers Toby :thumbs:
 
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We have both, the 300s, to me is a much better body.

Many people, us included have had lots of issues with the 7000 straight from the box

Search Nikon rumours for examples.....
 
I changed from a D300s to the D7000 and while it's a good camera I wish I had kept my D300s.
 
It make sense to stay with the D300 or D300s if you already got one because the D300(s) is a pro camera body with same layout as the pro range.

D7000 uses newer technology so some features is better than the D300 in a way.

If you thinking about either one alot of *** will go for the D7k because of the newer technology, lighter and smaller.

Altho D7k is better on the ISO performance but in reality i don't shoot anything over 2k ISO anyway, so the D300 is good enough for that.

Up to you at the end of the day.
 
I'd keep the D70 and spend your new wealth on a decent lens or two. That's by no means a bad body, maybe a little long in the tooth but the only real downside to it is the screen.

The sensor in it is very good and having a built-in focus motor is a plus. If you had a D40 for example I'd have said upgrade.

IME it's the lenses that will get you excited about photography.
 
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Would be D7000 for me, the images I get on mine always please and surprise me and I find myself using it quite a lot and leaving the D700 in the house.
 
the d7000 has the green auto ameteur button
so that says it all !!!
d300 semi pro :cool:
d7000 ameteur :nono::nono:
 
Thanks for all the replies, I have decided on two things, first get some training, I am not great al learning from reading books etc so I am going to get so hands on teaching by a friend of a friend who's photographs I have admired for a long time :), as for the camera, I will be keeping the D70 and trolling the classifieds for a nice lens or two, that way if I do ever change up I will have the glass to do the new body justice!!
Thanks for all the advice, it is greatly appreciated!

Cheers
Ian
 
scottthehat said:
d300 is classed as a pro model by nikon.
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And alongside that, I was reading on the Nikon pro worldwide warranty that the D7000 also qualifies as a pro body (for pro warranty purposes) if used as a backup to one of their existing pro bodies (D300 and above)
 
Catdaddy said:
And alongside that, I was reading on the Nikon pro worldwide warranty that the D7000 also qualifies as a pro body (for pro warranty purposes) if used as a backup to one of their existing pro bodies (D300 and above)
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The D7000 is not on the Nikon pro list of accepted bodies.
 
Icee said:
The D7000 is not on the Nikon pro list of accepted bodies.
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Granted... but they do accept it under their pro worldwide warranty scheme if you use it as a backup to one of the pro bodies
 
Disagree with all the "pro" class comments. 1st at all obviously no one of them is "PRO" body...both are Semi-Pro models. Cause they´re not Full Frames. :rules: And also... D7000 is far better then D300s. Why? :shrug: Who cares about 1more frame/s on D300s body? D7000= newer=new technology,better image Q. new AF you just need to get used to it and its awesome. Better ISO and so on... just get over it. :bang: Compare sensors here and you´ll see... http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/680%7C0/(brand)/Nikon/(appareil2)/614%7C0/(brand2)/Nikon/(appareil3)/441%7C0/(brand3)/Nikon If I had to chose between those two...I´ll never go for old body but Always for new technology...[S2]D7000[/S2]

Btw: Does´t matter which one do you have if you don´t know how to use it...
 
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ref noise on the D300. I am one of those who complain about noise and often compare my D300 results unfavourable to my mates D3. The reason I played with a D7000 to see if it was worth swapping.

To redress the balance slightly I thought it was interesting to compare these two full res images....
(open them in seperate tabs so you can compare them)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jez_b/6196373632/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tobyjm/6196914721/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Both pics taken at the same time/place. One with a D3 & 200-400 f/4 (so some seriously expensive kit) and one with a D300 & 70-300 f/4-5.6.
Both processed differently so one has more contrast which affects things but even so I am amazed how close the results are in terms of noise and sharpness.

Toby
 
brman said:
ref noise on the D300. I am one of those who complain about noise and often compare my D300 results unfavourable to my mates D3. The reason I played with a D7000 to see if it was worth swapping.

To redress the balance slightly I thought it was interesting to compare these two full res images....
(open them in seperate tabs so you can compare them)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jez_b/6196373632/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tobyjm/6196914721/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Both pics taken at the same time/place. One with a D3 & 200-400 f/4 (so some seriously expensive kit) and one with a D300 & 70-300 f/4-5.6.
Both processed differently so one has more contrast which affects things but even so I am amazed how close the results are in terms of noise and sharpness.

Toby
Click to expand...

First link looks a lot better to me, what's been taken with what?
 
hate85 said:
Disagree with all the "pro" class comments. 1st at all obviously no one of them is "PRO" body...both are Semi-Pro models. Cause they´re not Full Frames. :rules: And also... D7000 is far better then D300s. Why? :shrug: Who cares about 1more frame/s on D300s body? D7000= newer=new technology,better image Q. new AF you just need to get used to it and its awesome. Better ISO and so on... just get over it. :bang: Compare sensors here and you´ll see... http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/680%7C0/(brand)/Nikon/(appareil2)/614%7C0/(brand2)/Nikon/(appareil3)/441%7C0/(brand3)/Nikon If I had to chose between those two...I´ll never go for old body but Always for new technology...[S2]D7000[/S2]

Btw: Does´t matter which one do you have if you don´t know how to use it...
Click to expand...
funny that because nikon clearly state here that the d300 is a pro model.http://www.europe-nikon.com/en_GB/p...Subnav2Param=0&Subnav3Param=0&RunQuery=0&ID=0
als the the d700o i a great camera and does have better high iso but as you said it is like 4 years old now, and the af is still better than the d7000 and the build quality is better to.
dxo rate the pentax k5 better than the d700 and d7000 so we should all buy that should we, i have played alot with a k5 and a d7000 and there both awsome but they dont match the d700 no way, and i dont find the image qualty of the d7000 and k5 any better than the d300 upto iso 1600 then it slightly falls behind,
 
hate85 said:
Disagree with all the "pro" class comments. 1st at all obviously no one of them is "PRO" body...both are Semi-Pro models. Cause they´re not Full Frames.
Click to expand...

Screenshot2011-09-30at220057.png
 
hate85 said:
Disagree with all the "pro" class comments. 1st at all obviously no one of them is "PRO" body...both are Semi-Pro models. Cause they´re not Full Frames. :rules: And also... D7000 is far better then D300s. Why? :shrug: Who cares about 1more frame/s on D300s body? D7000= newer=new technology,better image Q. new AF you just need to get used to it and its awesome. Better ISO and so on... just get over it. :bang: Compare sensors here and you´ll see... http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/680%7C0/(brand)/Nikon/(appareil2)/614%7C0/(brand2)/Nikon/(appareil3)/441%7C0/(brand3)/Nikon If I had to chose between those two...I´ll never go for old body but Always for new technology...[S2]D7000[/S2]

Btw: Does´t matter which one do you have if you don´t know how to use it...
Click to expand...

The Kodak SLR14n is a full frame Pro camera too and in the right hands produces a cracking result
 
scottthehat said:
both those pics look about the same just a different colour cast, alot of dust in the first one which is the d3,
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which is really my point. There is no question the D3 is a much better camera than the D300 and the 200-400 is in a different league (and 15x cost!) to the 70-300 but in that situation at least the D300 held its own. Which was my experience when I tried the D7000. Yes the IQ was better but in most situations it just wasn't enough of a difference to make it worth moving away from the 300.

The D3 does sensor does appear to attract dust although it might just be that I was more diligent with the dust off tool on the D300 pic ;)
 
PeterM69 said:
First link looks a lot better to me, what's been taken with what?
Click to expand...

That is the D3 but how much better? It is higher contrast so looks more punchy but then it also has more noise (look at the trees in the background). If you look at centre resolution (eg at the red fire access sign) there is no big difference in resolved detail.
Mind you, both were taken at about 1/100th sec at 400mm+ (full frame equivalent) handheld on a moving aircraft so it will not be the lens or sensor that have limited the sharpness!

Don't get me wrong, the D3 is a better image and it consistently makes better pics than my D300, particularly as the light drops off but to dare to even make a comparison shows the D300 is still a pretty damn good camera so those that dismiss it as old technology are missing the point.

Toby
 
To me those two links posted by brman unless I sat closely studying the photo's the difference in quality was very hard to spot for myself.

I have held a D7000 but found it felt small in my hands, so instead I have just recently brought a D300 second hand and it feels right in my hands like it's a proper camera due to the build and size of it.

I may be lacking on the high iso and megapixle rating but for taking pics that are mostly going to be printed out at A4 size max and shot in decent light I don't think I will loose any sleep over it.

I have read that just because a camera has more megapixels doesn't mean the picture will be a better quality as all it means is the sensor has more pixels crammed on it's surface.

I think it comes down at the end of the day if you want new technology over something older but with a well proven track record.
 
To me it's the d7000, at the end of the day that's going to give you the best final image.
 
scottthehat said:
the d7000 has better higer iso and more megapixels, but everything else the d300 wins.
Click to expand...

Nearly everything. For me the d7000 also produces much more pleasing files - more akin to the D700 - than the D300 too.
 
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