Upgrading to full frame camera?

JPhotography

JPhotography

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Hello!

I have Nikon D300 and I will need to upgrade very soon, so I have my D300 as a backup. Anyone had experience with D300 and D700? The only problem I see with D700 are lens...I have few lens that I love, and one of them was pretty expensive, but they are all DX lens. So if I would upgrade to full frame, I would need quite a lot of money for FX lenses. Would D700 be your logical step after D300?
 
You can still use DX lens on the D700, but will be cropped within the camera. But the D700 is the next step up from your D300, especially if you are after hand held low light shooting.
 
Nikon Fan said:
You can still use DX lens on the D700, but will be cropped within the camera. But the D700 is the next step up from your D300, especially if you are after hand held low light shooting.[/QUOTE

I knew for cropping... I won't be able to get FX lenses very quick, so you think that I should still get D700, and use my DX lenses?
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it is only the next logical step if you feel you are lacking something in your current camera or think a new camera could add something to your photography. Rather than looking at what you need to change to accomodate FX consider what you will gain from it and this should answer whether to go ahead with the upgrade.
 
CyBeRkId2002 said:
it is only the next logical step if you feel you are lacking something in your current camera or think a new camera could add something to your photography. Rather than looking at what you need to change to accomodate FX consider what you will gain from it and this should answer whether to go ahead with the upgrade.
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That was a very good answer. I think I am still trying to find a good reason for it, as D300 is quite nice camera. I would love to get few more lenses, but since I just started my own business, backup camera is a must...so I just wanted to hear any experience with D700....
 
Just to stimulate a little theoretical discussion which may be relevant here...

(My experience is all DX so I'm genuinely am interested in the answers given.)

It is accepted that when photographing people a wideangle lens will tend to distort features and create less flattering images whereas a longer lens will tend to keep things more in proportion. (I'm generalising here so lets not get bogged down in the merits of individual lenses etc.)

Keeping that in mind, if you compared a D300 with 35mm lens against a D700 with 50mm lens would the D300 produce images containing more distorion (exaggeration of noses etc)? If the answer is yes then I suspect that the D700 would be more useful to the OP as an events camera (particularly when you factor in the extra low light capability).
 
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JPhotography said:
I won't be able to get FX lenses very quick, so you think that I should still get D700, and use my DX lenses?
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What is the point? You'll be using the 'same' amount of sensor as you do with your current D300. Only you'll be at least £1500 out of pocket.
 
Voyager said:
What is the point? You'll be using the 'same' amount of sensor as you do with your current D300. Only you'll be at least £1500 out of pocket.
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... and the resolution in that small square of sensor will be much lower than the D300's.
 
Usually it's glass first and body second so my suggestion about this dilemma would be to get a second body ie:D700 because as you state you are in business and of course you do need a backup body. Or you could by a secondhand D300 body but I see that as moving sideways and not forward. So you have DX lenses at the present time but you will in the near future buy better glass.
 
Voyager said:
What is the point? You'll be using the 'same' amount of sensor as you do with your current D300. Only you'll be at least £1500 out of pocket.
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not even that - you'll be effectivly cropping from 12 to 5 mp.

Some DX lenses allegedly work quite well on FX - the D700 has an options where you can chose to use the FX sensor area with a DX lens, but personally I'd rather have my vignettes added in PP then added by the lens. Only some lenses produce even close to acceptable results this way.

The d700 sensor will show up shortcomings in your exisiting lenses - you really do need to pair it with the best glass to get the most from it

H
 
Using DX lens on a D700 is not ideal, but it does work. As already said you would make better use of your DX lens on your D300. All what I was saying is that they will work.
 
JPhotography said:
I have Nikon D300 and I will need to upgrade very soon, so I have my D300 as a backup. Anyone had experience with D300 and D700? The only problem I see with D700 are lens...I have few lens that I love, and one of them was pretty expensive, but they are all DX lens. So if I would upgrade to full frame, I would need quite a lot of money for FX lenses. Would D700 be your logical step after D300?
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As many have said - yep..

I wished I did it before getting the D300s after upgrading from the D90.... Now I'm the proud owner of a D700 :woot:

I did get the "pro" lenses before the upgrade to D700 & used them on the D300s before-hand...

So if you can afford too - get the D700 :thumbs:
 
Do you think that the FF will give you the extra ££'s in your photography business that you have spent in buying the camera as well as changing lens format so that you get the best out of FF.

People seem to think that FF is a logical step from a crop sensor - But is it really? Look long and hard and with a cool head, not a gear heart and see what a FF will give you. Has anyone said that your event pics are lacking in anything? Do you think they are? Is this just a gear itch?
 
You do not need to add expensive glass in order to benefit the power of D700. A Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 is a steal for the money and you can start with it. So are some old AI and AIS glass. Later you can add more lenses when the budget will let you do so.
 
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If you are happy with the results from a D300, why not stay DX? FF is obviously where most photographers want to be, but Joe Public who's having their portrait done wouldn't have foggiest what you're using.

Obviously high ISO performance is better up the range and if that's key, then it seems the only logical route. But if it's not a big deal, save yourself some dosh by buying a a D300s, put it back into other accessories and irt;s win-win....
 
I'll always recommend Lenses over bodies. Nearly every single time. Invest in glass, you wont regret that. At least with Canon anyway. I may be wrong with Nikon I honestly haven't a clue about the Nikon range.
 
White Rose said:
Just to stimulate a little theoretical discussion which may be relevant here...

(My experience is all DX so I'm genuinely am interested in the answers given.)

It is accepted that when photographing people a wideangle lens will tend to distort features and create less flattering images whereas a longer lens will tend to keep things more in proportion. (I'm generalising here so lets not get bogged down in the merits of individual lenses etc.)

Keeping that in mind, if you compared a D300 with 35mm lens against a D700 with 50mm lens would the D300 produce images containing more distorion (exaggeration of noses etc)? If the answer is yes then I suspect that the D700 would be more useful to the OP as an events camera (particularly when you factor in the extra low light capability).
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The exagerated perspective you get with wide angles is because of the closer shooting distance, nothing to do with the lens. 35mm is not a wide angle on a crop format camera, so you don't use it any closer to the subject than 50mm on full frame, so no big noses etc.

Full frame is all about image quality, nothing else, but unless you output to very big sizes/prints, you will struggle to notice it at all. And there are downsides to full frame, mainly cost and also long lens reach.

The quality of crop cameras is so good now, unless you definitely need the benefits of full frame, you'll be better of in every way with a cropper.
 
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