NIKON D700 FX TO DX OPTION.

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raider2727

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I have to say the Nikon D700 option to switch to Crop sensor size from FX which i assume is attended so you could use DX lenses, is a great option when you just need a little extra reach like a trip to the zoo.

Is this an option you use or is it just something in the menu you never tried?
 
I think the only reason is for DX lenses.

I don't see how it would give you any extra reach in this instance.

How different is it throwing on a 70-200VR on a D700 in FX mode, then cropping it in photoshop vs. a 70-200VR on a D700 in DX mode? I don't imagine it would be different at all.
 
Kaouthia said:
I think the only reason is for DX lenses.

I don't see how it would give you any extra reach in this instance.

How different is it throwing on a 70-200VR on a D700 in FX mode, then cropping it in photoshop vs. a 70-200VR on a D700 in DX mode? I don't imagine it would be different at all.
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yes you could just crop a FF picture, the point i was trying to make is that i think it could be used as i said as obviously a crop sensor image is magnified.
I was trying to find out if people use this option or if it is as you suggest a complete waste of time.

Obviously no point in paying Full frame price for a camera to use it in DX may as well save a fortune and buy a D300, so assumed Nikon must have added this for some useable reason.
 
raider2727 said:
yes you could just crop a FF picture, the point i was trying to make is that i think it could be used as i said as obviously a crop sensor image is magnified.
I was trying to find out if people use this option or if it is as you suggest a complete waste of time.

Obviously no point in paying Full frame price for a camera to use it in DX may as well save a fortune and buy a D300, so assumed Nikon must have added this for some useable reason.
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I think Nikon added it so you can use DX lenses with the camera, all be it using it as a 5.1mp camera. I think what you're suggesting is a waste of time,

you'd be better cropping in PS and using all 12mp at the start

Hugh
 
raider2727 said:
yes you could just crop a FF picture, the point i was trying to make is that i think it could be used as i said as obviously a crop sensor image is magnified.
I was trying to find out if people use this option or if it is as you suggest a complete waste of time.

Obviously no point in paying Full frame price for a camera to use it in DX may as well save a fortune and buy a D300, so assumed Nikon must have added this for some useable reason.
Click to expand...

The reason it's there is so if you connect a DX lens to the body it will crop out the un-usable part of the frame, so you get a 5MP image or something around that instead. It's to smooth the upgrade to FX as your DX lenses work. I think the main reason for putting it in though was to get one up on Canon, because their cropped lenses don't work at all on full frame bodies IIRC.

Pete
 
boyfalldown said:
I think Nikon added it so you can use DX lenses with the camera, all be it using it as a 5.1mp camera. I think what you're suggesting is a waste of time,

you'd be better cropping in PS and using all 12mp at the start

Hugh
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In reality it's actually always worth disabling the feature and using the camera FF if you don't mind losing the post processing speed. The reason I say this is that some DX lenses will give a larger than DX image so you can manually crop to more than the 5MP.
 
The cropped image on the D700 in DX mode is 5.1mp, the same image on a D300 would be 12mp. If you think that you would be constantly cropping the D300 is the body for you.
 
raider2727 said:
yes you could just crop a FF picture, the point i was trying to make is that i think it could be used as i said as obviously a crop sensor image is magnified.
Click to expand...
It's not really magnified though is it? It's just cropped.

The D700, in FX mode shoots a 12.1MP image (4256x2832). In DX crop mode it shoots a 5.1MP image (2784x1848).

If you shoot an image in FX mode and crop it in Photoshop to 2784x1848 pixels, it would be identical to the DX mode shot, would it not?

The only reason I can see to use DX mode on the D700 is if you're using a DX lens and have no other choice (ie, you don't have a D300 or D300s body with you to use instead).
 
Agree with the above.

All it does is takes the shot from the middle (DX Sized) portion of the frame, exactly like cropping in PP.
 
It's a handy tool if you have either DX lens or shoot with a mix of DX/FX cameras, you can then interchange lens without worrying, although as somebody else said you may be better off in some case with the DX camera as your loosing a lot of pixles with the in camera crop.
 
swanseamale47 said:
It's a handy tool if you have either DX lens or shoot with a mix of DX/FX cameras
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If you shoot with a mix of DX & FX cameras, wouldn't that negate the need for the function at all? Presumably then you'd just use your DX lenses on your DX bodies?

I have to admit, when I first heard about the feature on the D700 it did sound quite nice and I was intrigued, but the more I've read and thought about it, it seems that enabling the DX crop mode basically just turns your D700 into a D2h (a nice camera, but I'd still rather be using a D300s, or even a D200, if I were using DX lenses).
 
I thought that the point of the DX mode was to take the image and to know that the dx lens would cover that part of the sensor, otherwise you would have a heavily vignetted image. At least in DX mode you know that what you can see in the viewfinder will be included on your image, albeit at a smaller image size. (... and you will still get the low light performance).
 
A DX lens covers the same part of the sensor regardless of the mode the camera would be in, although if I remember right the D700 automatically goes into DX mode if a DX lens is connected?
 
Kaouthia said:
A DX lens covers the same part of the sensor regardless of the mode the camera would be in, although if I remember right the D700 automatically goes into DX mode if a DX lens is connected?
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yes - it also greys out the area of the viewfinder corresponding to the area of sensor not used

Hugh
 
boyfalldown said:
yes - it also greys out the area of the viewfinder corresponding to the area of sensor not used
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So it essentially crops the viewfinder?

Does this mean that it gets rid of any AF sensors in this greyed out area, so it can't utilise all 51?
 
Kaouthia said:
So it essentially crops the viewfinder?

Does this mean that it gets rid of any AF sensors in this greyed out area, so it can't utilise all 51?
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The sensors on the D3 are in the DX section, have a look here :)

edit: removed rubbish :p
 
Interesting... Ok, I'm definitely not going with an FX body until I can get the same relative frame coverage from the AF sensors that the D300s currently does. :)
 
Yeah the biggest criticism of Nikon FX is the central placement of the AF points. However there is a technical reason why they are where they are and its to do with the engineering placement of the beam splitting prisms used to divert light to the AF sensors and their subsequent placement. The answer apparently in the future will be use of hybrid phase-detect with full frame software controlled contrast detect.... rumours have it that the D4 will see this come to light....
 
If you like square format you can use the DX lenses on full frame because the crop sensor is about the same width as the height of the full frame sensor which gives you about 8.5 meg.
 
i could not afford a FX camera body and went for a DX.

but i love my DX body for wildlife and motorsport.

would like a FX for portraits and landscapes.

but just bought a Tokina 116 so can i really justify wanting a D700???
 
scottthehat said:
the d3x would be ok to use in dx mode i would think, as it still produces 10.4meg pics in dx mode at 7fps.
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The whole reason that I went the D3x over the D3 - 24mp for mag use, 12mp FX + 10mp DX for general use. Three cameras in one, and your FF lenses become 1.5 more powerful when needed. Result! :thumbs:
 
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