Question for the knowledged

[Warren Ackary]

Hi all

I have a D7000 that I am having trouble using (not the settings, its my hand). I have it and other bits on the market as I need a bigger body and I am also shooting sports.

I have looked up specs and am still scratching my head as I am trying to work out which of these bodies to get due to my budget (some input would be really great as you guys know more than I)

Nikon D300s, with grip of course OR Nikon D700 with grip. I talked to a guy about the D3s and had a play with it, awesome camera but about $2K out of my league. Budget is about $1,200.

Lenses Ive got are on my sig below.. thanks in advance for your time :th3:

[fess67]

I am not a Nikon guy and so can only give general advice but...........stretch the budget or wait. The camera is going to last you years....$2k over 5 years is $400 a year - worth it IMO

[Tommo1965]

what sports..if its footy the extra reach of the D300s will help..if its soccer or any other games played on a smaller pitch..the D700 is great with the 70-200...basketball is the toughest sport I shoot..the 24-70 does well on the touch line..I used to use the D700..great rig and cheap now..get a low count one owner model and your good to good

mind you even with footy its really only the Tap that's hard to reach...if they are playing the wings they sooner or later come your way..get the D700... that's my pick

[MissionMan]

My personal perspective is to watch the auction sites and pick up a low count D700. If you need to keep your budget low, drop the battery grip in the short term and just try pick up a low count D700, you won't need the extra fps and you can add it later when the budget allows.

[BLWNHR]

I've just been through the trials of buying a second body. I own a D700 and couldn't decide if I wanted FF or crop. I used to own a D300 (until it was stolen) and ended up with a D700 after that. I love full frame, I could never go back to crop frame for my main body.

However, I used to shoot a lot of motorsport. I gave it up as a regular gig but have been back a few times as a spectator, without the 1.5x crop of the D300 my 70-200 was next to useless. I was using my 1.4xTC for a bit but the speed of focus I lost frustrated the heck out of me. I've had a desire to get out and shoot motorsport again lately so that narrowed my search to a crop frame camera as a second body.

I used a D300s this time last year (Nikon AU's loan body for NPS customers), it was exactly as I remembered my D300, no better, no worse. I have some friends who own the D7000 and I was really impressed. I prefer the larger size of the Dx00 series cameras, but the D300s isn't a patch on the D7000 on a number of fronts.

Despite having less AF points than the D300 the AF is faster and more accurate (using the same lenses) on the D7000, it is even better than the D700 in many conditions, and the D700 is very very good. The D7000 also flogs the D300 for ISO handling. The noise in a D300 is far far FAR worse than the D7000. The D300 is an old body now, and it shows.

Sure you lose the high frame rate and a few menu functions, but as a second body I can handle that. Besides, I never used more than 3fps whether I was shooting V8 Supercars or soccer.

My $0.02 is keep the D7000 as a backup body and buy a D700, this seems to be a good kit. I shoot live music, sports, motorsport, portraiture and automotive stills, between the 2 bodies all the bases are covered.

In all honesty a D7000 is worth $650-700, I just paid $720 for one which was 2 weeks old, 24 frames and it came with a Crumpler bag! Save some money, the value of the D7000, buy a gripped D700 and be happy.

[zollo]

i agree with adams post above. you probably will be disappointed with a d300 after using the 7000. i've had both too (still have th 7k) and the 300 is too old tech now. in your shoes i would try to make do with a full frame d700 instead

[Warren Ackary]

A little bit of history.
I am shooting basketball with a 70-200VR1 BUT i want to get into a broader range of photography which would include indoor/outdoor shoots so weather seal will be a must that is why I am ignoring the D600

[BLWNHR]

so weather seal will be a must

That's why they invented electrical tape and garbage bags. Seriously.

When I was a V8 Supercars photographer it was raining, one of the most experienced and respected photographers in the country proudly pulled out his bright yellow JB Hifi bag and taped it to his camera. This was also the method used by 90% of the other photographers in the media room.

I shot for years without weather-sealed lenses or bodies back when I was using Pentax (film & digital), just garbage bags with an eye hole cut in it and some electrical tape. It also makes you a better photographer, you can't chimp because the LCD is covered you learn to trust your meter (but if you don't underexpose by 1/3-stop).

[Rattus79]

I shot for years without weather-sealed lenses or bodies back when I was using Pentax (film & digital)

All the Pentax digital bodies I've ever owned have been fully weather sealed ...
*ist DS, k10, & k5 (Which might I add is in your budget and is a superb camera)

[zollo]

weather seal will be a must that is why I am ignoring the D600

if that is the only thing holding you back from a d600 you are doing yourself a dis-service.
Nikon claims it to be weather resistant.
I can back that up since i have had mine in near cyclonic winds and rain.
and yeah, any camera will need protection actually being used in rain

[Rattus79]

and yeah, any camera will need protection actually being used in rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Iok1I6loC-Q

Edit: Double Post

[arthurking83]

I found the exact opposite with the D7K compared to the D300 in terms of AF speed. D300 was more decisive and faster compared to the D7000.

D600 would seem to be a bit of a wasted effort, if the D7000 form factor is the issue too.
D600 and D7000 share the same form factor and basically the same size. From memory, and I only handled a D600 for a good few minutes .. maybe 10-15... the D600 has a slightly chunkier grip that allows you to wrap your fingers a bit more comfortably. Still pains felt much less comfortable than the D300/700/800 tho.

I'm also one of those that needs a comfier feeling camera body. I carry my camera in hand all the time and don't use shoulder straps.
I had trouble handholding a D7000 for more than about 10-20 mins, as to maintain a firm grip on the camera, and not lose it whilst in hand, it cramps up my hand. I don't suffer the same issue with the D300 and D800 tho, as the camera sits a lot more comfy in the actual palm of my hand. With the D7000, it's teetering precariously only with the firm grip of my fingers(hence the cramping). D600 felt similarly small.

I think the choice of either a D300s or D700 will come down to what size print you need to make. If you can get away with the crop mode of the D700(and therefore 6Mp), the D700 offers more in the long run.

Two other alternativs could be that you could wait for a D300s replacement from Nikon, or go and try out a D7100. While the D7100 is based on the D7000, it may have some tweaking with respect to the shape of the grip/body.

You also said that the D3s is $2K out of your price range, but have you considered a D3. While they are a lot older in terms of actual age, the sensor is the same as the D700, and the performance is better.

D3's can be found for prices approximating $2K.

Some major differences between D3 and D3s are video, buffer size, and one stop better high ISO ability in favour of the D3s. Do you need those advantages?

[AVALANCHE]

Do you have a battery grip with your D7000?

I have large hands and use the battery grip with my D7000 and I can happily hold it all day...

As for weather sealing, I use a shower cap! With the open end to the screen and I put a hole on the other end to perfectly fit the lens through. Works great.

[Warren Ackary]

Do you have a battery grip with your D7000?

I have large hands and use the battery grip with my D7000 and I can happily hold it all day...

As for weather sealing, I use a shower cap! With the open end to the screen and I put a hole on the other end to perfectly fit the lens through. Works great.

Yes I have a battery grip but find when shooting landscape mode my hand gets caught under the lens.. I have no worries when shooting portrait though.
Am seriously looking at the D700 now (unfortunately due to a few purchases today even the D3 is out of reach).

[Darey]

Have you considered the D800 ?
From memory you get around 5 frames per second, weather proofing and the crop factor (selectable) is 16 M pixel.
This camera has the larger form factor of the D3s, D700 etc:
I'd recommend the D800 if you budget can stretch a little.

[Warren Ackary]

Have you considered the D800 ?
From memory you get around 5 frames per second, weather proofing and the crop factor (selectable) is 16 M pixel.
This camera has the larger form factor of the D3s, D700 etc:
I'd recommend the D800 if you budget can stretch a little.

Thought about it, that was all.. not fast enough for sports at 4FPS large file size also.

[arthurking83]

The D800 feels more sluggish for fast shooting than the D300 does .... D700 feels even faster than the D300.

Even with a fast CF card, the buffer still takes a considerable time to clear, once it fills up. The same CF card used in the D300 takes only a couple of seconds to clear by way of comparison.

I suppose you could use the D800 for some sports, and you'd have to be very disciplined.

Without the D400, Nikon's current lineup seems to have a massive hole in it.

I reckon a 24Mp full frame D400 with a minimum of 6fps, larger buffer than the D600 and built around the D800 body would be ideal for your situation.

[Warren Ackary]

I reckon a 24Mp full frame D400 with a minimum of 6fps, larger buffer than the D600 and built around the D800 body would be ideal for your situation.

Magnessium body also :th3:

[Tommo1965]

trouble is that body doesn't exist Arthur :)

Warren..

If the D800 is anywhere near the budget..get that..as its still as fast as the D700 as far as FPS go..but in crop mode....I know I know its crop mode , but that's still a 16 MP image shooting at 5 FPS and clears the buffer as fast as the D700.....plus the sensor is a lot more forgiving in DR and if you make a bit of a error in exposure , the D800 has a lot more latitude to bring the image back to where its should have been.....plus it has video if you ever need it..

also the D800 has the 1.3x crop mode which is as fast as shooting the 1.5x dx mode ..and not a lot smaller than the full sensor size...very handy for sports

sell the D7000..get a D800..if the D800 with the sale of the D7000 is in the budget .


and before its pointed out to me :)....this is using standard batteries..i know the D700 will shoot faster using the larger D3 battery ...but I never had one of those ;)

[arthurking83]

......


and before its pointed out to me :)....this is using standard batteries..i know the D700 will shoot faster using the larger D3 battery ...but I never had one of those ;)

And you also get the frame rate boost using AA batteries in the grip(if a grip is acquired, which it must be for use with a ENEL4 battery anyhow).

[Tommo1965]

thats also true for the D800 Arthur..i think that goes to 6 fps in either dx or 1.3 crop mode..where as the D700 will do 8 fps...mind you the D800 1.3x mode is still producing a 22 MP images ( or there abouts ) so pretty decent FPS for the D800 I feel

at 36MP it slows to 4 FPS..but that's a lot of info to capture and store for a humble DSLR...a lot of MF cameras would love to shoot that fast..LOL

anyway Warren might not want to spend that much right now..so if not a D700 is still a good camera..its just not as versatile as the D800 or as future proofed ..

[Warren Ackary]

Hi guys.. Diana said when "Hardly normal" had a special on 11% off & 36 ,months interest free she asked if I wanted a D800, I had just come from shooting the Hawks game and I wasnt happy so I looked up the specs and decided for me this is not the camera I would use for what I do.

Ive had a D300/D300s a D700 (yes thats right, a D700 but for a week) and now the D7000 but I can rightly say, the short time I had the D700 I loved how it felt and the menu (although very similar to the others it was to me anyway, more user friendly).

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This is the other reason I liked the D700, my hand.. body is just the right size.