Which FX.

RobH

RobH

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Hi Guy's,

I'm in th emarket for a upgrade from my D300, lcky enough to already have a 24-70 & 70-200 vr 11.

Budgeting round the 2k mark, but I'm struggling to decide between a used D3, D700 or a new D800.

I'm aware of the newer technology, but can the advances be that much in a few years?

Mainly shooting a bit of this and that.

Rob.
 
D800, in terms of IQ blows away the D3/D700.

D3 has faster frames per second and the D700 has faster FPS with grip, however the AF system on the D800 is better than both the D3/D700 (has identical AF to that of D4)

without a doubt get the D800
 
Much as I love my D700, if I was in your situation, i.e. you've got the lenses, and £2k to spend on a body, then I'd get a D800. Caveat to that is, as Tony has alluded to, you don't need the frame rate, and of course your computer can handle the larger file sizes without a hardware upgrade.
 
Hi Rob if I where in your shoes D800 for me as it will be great for landscape photography and as long as you have a powerful computer to process the large file sizes you will be very happy indeed with your lenses to go with it
Kevin
 
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Plus one for the d800

I was in your shoes but without two of the holy trinity. I toyed between the d700/600 and d800.

Absolutely awesome bit of kit

S
 
RobH said:
Hi Guy's,

I'm in th emarket for a upgrade from my D300, lcky enough to already have a 24-70 & 70-200 vr 11.

Budgeting round the 2k mark, but I'm struggling to decide between a used D3, D700 or a new D800.

I'm aware of the newer technology, but can the advances be that much in a few years?

Mainly shooting a bit of this and that.

Rob.
Click to expand...

If you have 2k too spend, the D800 is going to be better in terms of your ability to crop images without sacrificing image quality. If you are a pixel peeper or do a lot of cropping this is the camera to buy, no doubt.

However without cropping you would struggle to see the differences at normal print sizes, used you could also pick up a mint D700 with a grip for less than 1k and a 14-24 to complete the trinity for the same money or something else.

It is going to depend on what suits your needs best, they are all good camera's so it's impossible to make a wrong decision. Personally I wouldn't consider a D3 cost wise they fall half way in between and apart from the built in grip and some other minimal differences there isn't enough in it to justify the price difference between it and the D700. Also having the grip as an option can be handy on those occasions were you want to travel a bit lighter.
 
Soda Farl said:
If you have 2k too spend, the D800 is going to be better in terms of your ability to crop images without sacrificing image quality. If you are a pixel peeper or do a lot of cropping this is the camera to buy, no doubt.

However without cropping you would struggle to see the differences at normal print sizes, used you could also pick up a mint D700 with a grip for less than 1k and a 14-24 to complete the trinity for the same money or something else.

It is going to depend on what suits your needs best, they are all good camera's so it's impossible to make a wrong decision. Personally I wouldn't consider a D3 cost wise they fall half way in between and apart from the built in grip and some other minimal differences there isn't enough in it to justify the price difference between it and the D700. Also having the grip as an option can be handy on those occasions were you want to travel a bit lighter.
Click to expand...

No tommy not just for cropping. The dynamic range and tonal range is wayyyy ahead of the 700.

I knew you would be the first to make this suggestion SHOCK
 
TonyNI said:
No tommy not just for cropping. The dynamic range and tonal range is wayyyy ahead of the 700.

I knew you would be the first to make this suggestion SHOCK
Click to expand...

:bang: csb

Can't be bothered to even respond to that.

You obviously didn't read my post at all just jumped on your usual "the D800 is the best camera ever" bandwagon.

I didn't suggest the o.p buys either just said that personally choosing between the three, I wouldn't buy a D3. You and I have no idea what the o.p wants to use the camera for and regardless of what you think the D800 is not always the best answer.
 
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RobH said:
Hi Guy's,

Mainly shooting a bit of this and that.

Rob.
Click to expand...

Hi Rob

Could you elaborate please? To get fair and accurate feedback then your subject matter is key in deciding which model to opt for.

Don't rule out the D600 btw. Just so you are aware, getting the D800 will force you to upgrade PC hardware if the present spec is inadequate.

Regards
 
Hi all,

Thanks for the feedback currently, hardware isn't a issue as I've recently purchased a quad 4 @ 3.5 gb & running it with 32gb 1666 hz ram.

Subject matter,

Well I'm mainly in to shooting people ;) and done several 21st etc. sports not really my thing though do fancy at some point doing bikes / rally.

Rob
 
RobH said:
Hi all,

Well I'm mainly in to shooting people ;) and done several 21st etc. sports not really my thing though do fancy at some point doing bikes / rally.

Rob
Click to expand...

So I take it a lot of your shots will be taken hand held?

From my own personal perspective I would be swaying towards the D600. For me the D800 is best on a tripod where potential of any slight movement is eliminated. The 36mpx will a) exaggerate somewhat any slight movement during handheld shooting, b) force you to shoot at a slightly faster shutter speed than is normally given. You may have a steady hand so you may be OK with either.

Other opinions or experiences may differ of course.
 
Ignore D700/D3 now and get one of D4/D800/D600 depending on your budget.

These 12mp cameras are still fine cameras. I would think twice before upgrading from them, but if you have D300, definitely get one of these newer models. They are just so much better. Not just image quality, but many small tweaks that together mean a difference.

I've recently upgraded my D700 to D600 which is essentially one class lower camera, but I am still amazed how big steps these cameras did in last couple of year. I could't believe how long I could live without working liveview implementation, f/8 focusing, inteligent auto-iso, quick shooting bank switching, dual card slots and hundreds of other small things. Then add twice as many pixels, two+ stops of dynamic range and improved high-iso, etc....
 
RobH said:
Hi all,

Thanks for the feedback currently, hardware isn't a issue as I've recently purchased a quad 4 @ 3.5 gb & running it with 32gb 1666 hz ram.

Subject matter,

Well I'm mainly in to shooting people ;) and done several 21st etc. sports not really my thing though do fancy at some point doing bikes / rally.

Rob
Click to expand...
D800 without a doubt then, its no slouch for sport either, i was forced into using for sport for the first time last night

http://gcsports.zenfolio.com/p649796395/h5919e5da#h5919e5da
 
Gary Coyle said:
D800 without a doubt then, its no slouch for sport either, i was forced into using for sport for the first time last night

http://gcsports.zenfolio.com/p649796395/h5919e5da#h5919e5da
Click to expand...

That image is fantastic. I really like it. :-)

I recently switched from D90 to D800 and the difference is truly night and day. If you'd asked me about 2 months back how my D90 was limiting me then I don't think I could've answered it as I loved the D90 to be honest. That was until I picked up the D800 and it is significantly better in every single way. I shoot mainly portraits (out and about and home studio) and its a real game changer for me. The IQ coupled with the 28-70 f2.8 is amazing.
 
Just to try the higher frame rate, never ever seen the point in using crop mode to get in tighter, you have more control by shooting "loose" in FX and cropping later in post
 
Great shots Gary, am beginning to lean against the d800.

Cheers

Rob
 
If it was me - a cut down price D3X. I'd absolutely love that (D4 is just way too expensive at the moment). D600 is also looking pretty good, but only as backup/travel kit due to size and other limitations
 
I wouldn't take D3x. Used D3x are still very expensive (price higher than new D800) and image quality is inferior to latest generation of sensors.

The body and handling is great, but the sensor is inferior to D600/D800. Moreover, there are significant gaps in feature set: no video, no sensor cleaning, dumb liveview implementation, slow framerate, old generation graphics pipeline, standard iso range only to 1600, etc.
 
I'd not bother with a 2nd hand D3 as there's not enough difference to warrant shelving out the extra cost between it and a 2nd hand D700.

If you've got the lenses you need then you probably should go for a D800. If you want more forgiving quick handheld shots and often take over 1000 shots in one day then go for a gripped 2nd hand D700. Do that and you'd still have enough for that 14-24mm to complete the lens set:thumbs:

I've got same lenses as you and have been looking at a 2nd body to go with my D700 but I just have no need for 36mp. Last Sunday I took 2000 shots in raw at around 24GB - on D800 that would've been more like 70GB:eek:
 
Well, I've decided to go the D700 route and then to grab the 14-24 to complete the trinity ;)

taking into account my D700 is gripped and I can use it on that as well as the spare batteries. I then look for a D800 at a later date.

Thanks all for the input.

Rob.
 
RobH said:
Well, I've decided to go the D700 route and then to grab the 14-24 to complete the trinity ;)

taking into account my D700 is gripped and I can use it on that as well as the spare batteries. I then look for a D800 at a later date.

Thanks all for the input.

Rob.
Click to expand...

In your position I would probably have went the same route. The D700 while no doubt older tech is still very much a fine camera and if your keeping your D300 it will be easy to switch between the two. It's handy as well being able to share a grip, batteries etc.

The 14-24 is a lens that has been on my own wish list for a while and some time soon I will need to complete the trinity myself.

As you say you can always move to a D800 later on down the line and if the D800 thread on here is anything to go by there seems to still be a fair amount of people having issues with them, so holding of may not be a bad thing.

Best of luck with your new gear, I would be interested to hear how you get on with the 14-24 once you get it.
 
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