Gear for a amature. D700 or D7000

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Andrew
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The Conservative/Lib Dem axe has been swung and I'm being made redundant at the end of March. My wife has lovingly :bat: allowed me to spend a bit of my redundancy on camera gear. I'm going to have about £3,000 to spend (maybe stretch to a bit more for the right money).

With this in mind, I've been looking at the following kit:

D700
MB-D10 Grip
Nikon 24-70mm f2.8

My question is. Am I aiming too high? I consider myself an able photographer (interested in portraits/landscaps) but should I be thinking of more along the lines of a D7000 with a few lenses rather than a D700 with 1? Also, is the 24-70mm lens the right choice?

The main reason for thinking the D700 is that having just had a baby and that I'm emigrating in the summer this may be the only chance I have to be able to spend this much on a body. Should I take this as the opportunity to get this FX body? Or spend the money on a wider range of lenses on a DX body?

It's something that I've been thinking about and your comments are welcome.
 
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If it were me, I'd go for the FX. If portraits and landscapes are your thing it's the best choice.
 
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New baby and being made redundant ... so lets blow 3 grand on a camera. How many man points for that ?
 
New baby, redundancy and emigration... guess redundancy was a bonus, or has this led to the emigration???

24-70 is a great lens. I would also add the 50mm AFS 1.4 if going DX, or the 85mm 1.8 if FX (both are around £300, the 1.4 85mm is around £900).

70-200 VR is the next logical step, although overkill if its just portraits and landscapes. D7000 is supposed to be good, but I like the extra controls and the size of the 700, so that would be my choice.

Do you really need a grip though?
 
If you buy the D700 or D7000 now it will have a warranty that is worthless when you emigrate. Nikon only have regional warranties on the bodies. The lens is fine but not the body.

Just a thought to consider.
 
cambsno said:
New baby, redundancy and emigration... guess redundancy was a bonus, or has this led to the emigration???

24-70 is a great lens. I would also add the 50mm AFS 1.4 if going DX, or the 85mm 1.8 if FX (both are around £300, the 1.4 85mm is around £900).

70-200 VR is the next logical step, although overkill if its just portraits and landscapes. D7000 is supposed to be good, but I like the extra controls and the size of the 700, so that would be my choice.

Do you really need a grip though?
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Spot on! Decided to emigrate to my wives native Canada then a few days later got notice of redundancy. Very lucky I didn't hand my notice in.

Thinking behind the grip was being able to have a longer charge and achive the 8fps for the faster portraits (baby will be scooting around in no time).
 
PsiFox said:
If you buy the D700 or D7000 now it will have a warranty that is worthless when you emigrate. Nikon only have regional warranties on the bodies. The lens is fine but not the body.

Just a thought to consider.
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Had already thought of that. The out-laws are coming over from Canada and can bring it over with them in March (as I've found a Canadian eBayer seller that sells at a low price). Warranty should be ok that way.
 
If it were me I would keep that money very safe until I had emigrated etc and I knew I was financially safe and things had worked out. By then the D800 will be out and you could get that instead! ;)
 
That's a toughie :shrug:!

I started off with a D700, for similar reasons. I figured that I would only have a lump sum to spend on equipment once, so I should get the best kit that I could afford. Years later, I've worked my way backwards to get myself a complete 'DX' kit as well :thinking:. As a result, I have two lots of bodies, lenses, flashes, tripods etc., all optimised for either DX or FX.

Each has its benefits. In your case, I would say that it all depends on how much of a 'glass junkie' you are :naughty:. If (like me) you want to try your hand at every type of photography and are going to want 'fast' glass from around 17mm to 300mm, then you should really stick with the D7000 and shop for DX lenses.

Conversely, if you're pretty sure that the mid-range zoom is going to cover all of your needs going forward, then the D700 and the 24-70mm f/2.8 are a dream combination :). I don't have the Nikon 24-70mm myself, but even with the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 that I use on my D700, the image quality is really great.

Your call in the end though :thumbs:.
 
For portraits and landscapes (and there'll be plenty of those in Canada!) I'd always opt for a FF body if budget allows. The 24-70 is a useful lens and you'll find the 70mm end great for portraits.

As mentioned above, you may yearn for something a little longer, and a 50mm f1.8 would probably fit the bill.

And good luck !

Steve
 
I have recently bought a D700 and Nikon 28-300FX lens and a Nikon 14-24 FX lens.
I think you are getting some good kit. But I would go for the 28-3ooFX lens instead of the one you mentioned (my opinion though). You will be pleased with the results from your camera, and as said above FX is the way to go.
 
Naboo32 said:
That's a toughie :shrug:!

I started off with a D700, for similar reasons. I figured that I would only have a lump sum to spend on equipment once, so I should get the best kit that I could afford. Years later, I've worked my way backwards to get myself a complete 'DX' kit as well :thinking:. As a result, I have two lots of bodies, lenses, flashes, tripods etc., all optimised for either DX or FX.

Each has its benefits. In your case, I would say that it all depends on how much of a 'glass junkie' you are :naughty:. If (like me) you want to try your hand at every type of photography and are going to want 'fast' glass from around 17mm to 300mm, then you should really stick with the D7000 and shop for DX lenses.

Conversely, if you're pretty sure that the mid-range zoom is going to cover all of your needs going forward, then the D700 and the 24-70mm f/2.8 are a dream combination :). I don't have the Nikon 24-70mm myself, but even with the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 that I use on my D700, the image quality is really great.

Your call in the end though :thumbs:.
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I've got a bit of DX kit built up already, which I was going to keep hold of, so I can see the same happening with me. Thanks.

Jelster said:
For portraits and landscapes (and there'll be plenty of those in Canada!) I'd always opt for a FF body if budget allows. The 24-70 is a useful lens and you'll find the 70mm end great for portraits.

As mentioned above, you may yearn for something a little longer, and a 50mm f1.8 would probably fit the bill.

And good luck !

Steve
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Thanks. I've got a 50mm 1.4G at the moment, that will definitely be coming with me. I'm itching to get out there and start capturing the awesome landscapes!

markyboy.1967 said:
Shop around and buy used if you can and get yourself a D700, 24-70 and the 16-35 VR if your doing landscapes and portraits and im sure you could get an MB-D10 and a few cards thrown in.
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I've looked at the 2nd hand market and the 700's seem to really hold their value. I've found the 700 body for around £1,500, which isn't a great deal more than the 2nd hand equivalent. For a few hundred ££ more I'd get a warranty.
 
repap said:
Spot on! Decided to emigrate to my wives native Canada then a few days later got notice of redundancy. Very lucky I didn't hand my notice in.

Thinking behind the grip was being able to have a longer charge and achive the 8fps for the faster portraits (baby will be scooting around in no time).
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I only have a D300, and never use the max fps. Set it to CL and I think just 3 frames. I have a boy coming up to 3 and a 3 month old girl, and not really needed anything faster yet.
 
Simple... buy whatever you want on finance the day before you leave the country... and dont leave a forwarding address! :p
 
If you can stretch to it, a D700 with a 24-70 and a 85mm 1.4 or 1.8 would be a fantastic setup for baby photos and landscapes. I would also add an SB-600 to give you some off camera flash options for the baby photos. If you go second hand on the lenses you could get it all within your budget.
 
ShawWellPete said:
If you can stretch to it, a D700 with a 24-70 and a 85mm 1.4 or 1.8 would be a fantastic setup for baby photos and landscapes. I would also add an SB-600 to give you some off camera flash options for the baby photos. If you go second hand on the lenses you could get it all within your budget.
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Although I found the SB900 much better (and easier) to use than the 600 so would suggest that.
 
PsiFox said:
If you buy the D700 or D7000 now it will have a warranty that is worthless when you emigrate. Nikon only have regional warranties on the bodies. The lens is fine but not the body.

Just a thought to consider.
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I'm not sure that's quite correct, if you've bought the camera personally (ie not bought a grey import here, or bought one online from HK) and have the receipt etc to prove it I'd reckon you should be okay, you'd need to double check with Nikon in the destination country though...
 
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D700 , 24mm 1.4g , 50mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.4d , I know this will be slightly higher than your budget but i'm sure you can squeeze a few more hundred quid from somewhere
 
Oh Lord I wish I hadn't read this thread...I was about to upgrade my camera to a D7000 and also buy a 70-200 F2.8. My main use is for portraits and also action/sports. I already have a 50mm F1.4 G and an 18-200mm.

Maybe I should go for a D700 instead?!?! I was looking second hand but they really do hold their value incredibly well, I was hoping that might be a cheaper option but they seem poor value when you can get a new one for not much more.

Thing is I do like the idea of the D7000 because I'll still be able to use my 18-200 when I go on holiday as with a young family I need to travel light. What is the D700 in crop mode like for those odd occasions? Or is that an absolutely shocking idea ? I would actually miss the extra range of the crop sensor with the 200mm but I suppose that's what TC's are for :)
 
I'm always amazed when people mention D700 and D7000 in the same breath as if they were in some way comparable.

They both have "7" and "0"s in the name but that's where the similarity ends.
 
boliston said:
I'm always amazed when people mention D700 and D7000 in the same breath as if they were in some way comparable.

They both have "7" and "0"s in the name but that's where the similarity ends.
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The question comes about because the D7000 is arguably the best crop sensor camera Nikon make (until the D300S is replaced and you don't need the "pro" features ) and the D700 is the next step....big one that it may be.
 
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Flash In The Pan said:
I'm not sure that's quite correct, if you've bought the camera personally (ie not bought a grey import here, or bought one online from HK) and have the receipt etc to prove it I'd reckon you should be okay, you'd need to double check with Nikon in the destination country though...
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According to the website, warranties on digital products purchased outside Canada are not supported by Nikon Canada: http://help.nikon.ca/app/answers/de...n-service-warranty---digital-imaging-products

Safest bet is to buy it in Canada either now via the wife's family, or when you get there. Vistek in Toronto have the D700 for $2,399CAD which I think is equivalent to £1,500. That's cheaper than buying it in the UK. http://www.vistek.ca/store/DigitalSLRs/238284/nikon-d700-body.aspx

The same shop has the 24-70mm at $1,749CAD which is £1,094 - cheaper than the UK again. http://www.vistek.ca/store/CameraLenses/233582/nikon-afs-2470mm-f28-g-ifed-nikkor-zoom-lens.aspx
 
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The question is really do you want a DX or FX camera.

D7000 is the best nikon DX and the D700 your only real choice FX wise but in terms of weight and money there's a huge difference between the two formats
 
tim_uk said:
The question is really do you want a DX or FX camera.

D7000 is the best nikon DX and the D700 your only real choice FX wise but in terms of weight and money there's a huge difference between the two formats
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I would prefer a D300s to a D7000 but I prefer the D300s's pro form factor to the D7000's consumer form factor, even though there is more hi tech wizardry in the D7000.
 
Having played with a D7000 recently, they are very, VERY, good for their size. Amazing what Nikon has done with it really.

However, if you think this is the only chance for a fair while to afford a FX body then I would probably for that. The D700 is an awesome camera and will happily give you a good few years happy use.
 
cambsno said:
Although I found the SB900 much better (and easier) to use than the 600 so would suggest that.
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SB900 is more powerful and easier to use, but it's just a light source and, unlike with better lenses and sensors, you do not get an improved image.

I've got an SB-900 and two SB-600's and the only thing I wish the SB-600s had is a sync socket and the SU-4 (trigger on flash) mode. On a budget I would take two SB-600s over one SB-900.

But I get your point...
 
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