D90 as a motorsport body???

viper_biker

viper_biker

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Gareth
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I'm wanting to add a second body to my little collection as swapping lenses is a pain, plus I also promised my better half I'd get her a camera (I sold our Pentax kit about a month ago as there was no point in having 2 different systems) I mainly shoot motorsport, bikes to be precise and do so with a D300. I'd love another D300, but I can't afford one :( so would the D90 be a good acompanyment to it for motorsport? Really, what I'd like from the body is a good sized sensor that can A/F and that performs well at a reasonably high ISO. I'd consider a D200, but I believe these can be a fair bit noisey if taken above ISO400. Am I missing something here also with the older bodies in the D80 for example or is it 'too old' now-a-days? I also appreciate that the D90 will feel cheaper than the D300, but then again the difference in retail prices is about £400 so I'm expecting that. I'm going to go down to Calumet or Jessops to get a feel for it, have a play about with the menus and compare it to the D300. Any thoughts, hints or tips?
 
The D200 is nearer to what you're used to when it comes to the handling, but the D90, as you say, is better at higher isos. The menu systems are pretty similar D300->D200, but the D90 has a lot less options and is obviously more plasticky.

The D80 is basically a D90 body with the D200 sensor, so in that respect it is the worst of both worlds, with the plasticky consumer build and poor high iso performance.
 
viper_biker said:
Any thoughts, hints or tips?
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Not much apart from that it will obviously feel different to use from what you're used to. Try and focus on the images it produces rather than any ergonomic/functional differences.
 
What do you want the second body to do?

The D90's AF system is not the same as the D300, so you might be vastly disapointed if you imagine you are getting a motorsport tool like the D300 for half the price...
 
And if you wait just a little longer the price of the D300 will bomb... watch for the first official announcement of the D400... coming soon!
 
I have a D90 as my backup. Unless those extra couple of FPS is critical for you, it's fine. The AF is a touch slower, but it's barely noticeable.

And of course there's the benefit of being able to get wobbly movies out of it :D
 
Noise on a D200 isn't bad at ISO400 - at 1000 maybe but it's still acceptable. I shoot at between ISO400 - 800 a lot and print up to A3 in magazines without any problems. Of course, it's not as good as the D300 for noise reduction but it's still a good piece of kit and cheap too.

I suppose it's all about what your shots are being used for. If it's editorial, such as for a motoring newspaper/mag then image quality isn't key – they'll be looking for a good shot first and foremost. If it's for A2 posters then of course you'll see noise regardless on all but the mosst expensive bodies.
 
I have about £600 or so to spend. As for what I want it to do, I want it to do everything my D300 does LOL I hate having to stop and swap lenses over (not that I have the best of glass, but its the best I can afford) And I'd mainly be using a 300 f4 on the D300 and a 70-300VR on the 2nd body (sold my 70-200 f2.8 Tamron this week) as well as the 50 on the 2nd body for pit-walks.

The 2nd body, as I said, will be shared with my partner and I for when we go out together to take photo's. The D300 is beyond her but she is a fast learner. If I could find a D300 for about £600 that would be great, but they seem to be staying around the £1000 new and £750+ used and I really can't afford that much.
 
Just wait! You'll see a D300 will be 600 quid just as soon as the first whisper of the D400 comes out!
 
Right. I'm going to use the D90 as my main body at Donington next week and see how it goes. D300 will have the 28-70 on it for paddock / pit walk use only :p
 
I know nothing more other than Nikon will release a successor to the D300, it will probably be called the D400 and when it comes out D300 second hand prices will take a beating as people dump them to upgrade...

No secret squirrel stuff, just the same thing as always...
 
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