Beating a Dead Horse - Nikon D7000 vs. D800

[rsutton1223]

I know this is probably something that has been covered more times than people really want to talk about...but I couldn't find any solid answers or suggestions based off of my current situation. So...instead of continually letting my head spin, I thought I would just create a post to see what you guys think.

I currently own a D7000 and it has been a great camera. The surprising part for me was how much better the low light performance was in comparison to the D300s I had. Overall it has been fantastic.

Most of the photography work I do (outside of shooting my 6 month old all of the time) is automotive and portrait. While most of the automotive work is actually stationary or rolling, there are several instances a year where I am shooting track days and races. A friend of mine recently received his D800 and the camera really intriqued me. One, I have never made the switch to full frame (D80 to D300s to D7000), so the ability for landscapes, automotive work and portraits to have more control over DOF and actually run at the specified focal length is something that I have had full frame envy over for quite sometime. Adding to that, I have started using the D7000 for video work and the full frame capability with better video specs makes the D800 a draw as well.

The question is whether or not I will miss the faster burst shooting speed of the D7000 and if I really need to step up to the D800. It might just be a case of the "I wants" with the new body released...but part of me is thinking that the investment would gain me some benefit down the road by finally stepping up to full frame. The reason I haven't done it in the past was the cameras were too big for some of my use, but the D800 is much more manageable in size and weight.

I guess at the end of the day I have 3 options.

1. Keep the D7000 and save the money.
2. Keep the D7000 as a second camera for days I need the burst and a back up and pick up the D800 as my main body.
3. Pick up the D800 and sell the D7000 to offset some of the costs.

What do you guys think?

BTW...the lenses I use regularly are the following 135/f2 Nikkor, 50/f1.4 Sigma, 35/f1.8 Nikkor, 18-200 VR Nikkor, 12-24/f4 Tokina, 8mm Fisheye Adorama House Brand. I also rent other Nikkors depending on what I need that day for a particular shoot (70-200, 50-500, macro, etc.).

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[cgipson1]

You will need top end lenses with the D800... many 3rd party, and lower end Nikon lenses are not considered optimal for the D800. So you might need to upgrade some glass to get full use of the D800.

[Bogs]

i'd totally get d800 but it costs 3 times more than d7000. maybe next year...

[Mach0]

Maybe a d700 perhaps?

[rsutton1223]

You will need top end lenses with the D800... many 3rd party, and lower end Nikon lenses are not considered optimal for the D800. So you might need to upgrade some glass to get full use of the D800.

Yeah I understand that part. The D800 is more lens sensitive than any Nikon released to date. It will love the 70-200 VR and my 135 f2...but I might as well toss the 18-200 if I go the route of replacing the D7000

Maybe a d700 perhaps?

I have to have the higher end video capabilities of the D800 if going full frame.

The other option is to sell the farm and switch to Canon with the 5D Mark III. The specs of that camera is actually what I needed Nikon to release.

[mjhoward]

You will need top end lenses with the D800... many 3rd party, and lower end Nikon lenses are not considered optimal for the D800. So you might need to upgrade some glass to get full use of the D800.

The D800 and D7000 essentially have the same pixel pitch.

[Audible_Chocolate]

Keep both. Start any big jobs and you will want 2 bodies

[spacefuzz]

well I think the D800 is almost a myth at this point. I know no one who actually has gotten their pre order filled. :-/

If it helps you, I am selling my D7000 and my lenses to upgrade to the D800. Plan to slowly rebuild my lens collection over time with full frame glass.

[BullockPhoto]

well I think the D800 is almost a myth at this point. I know no one who actually has gotten their pre order filled. :-/

If it helps you, I am selling my D7000 and my lenses to upgrade to the D800. Plan to slowly rebuild my lens collection over time with full frame glass.

Not a myth - I have had my D800 for a few weeks, and it lives up to the hype... it is a SUPERB camera.

[2WheelPhoto]

You will need top end lenses with the D800...

That's any body. Better glass means better pics.
If it wasn't like that no one would have bought higher priced good glass before the d800.

[rexbobcat]

You will need top end lenses with the D800...

That's any body. Better glass means better pics.
If it wasn't like that no one would have bought higher priced good glass before the d800.

But doesn't it depend on resolution? A smaller picture has less resolution, and therefore does not require as much resolving power coming from the lens. A larger photo is opposite.

[zamanakhan]

You'll have to pretty much have to rebuild your entire lens collection. Your wide, fish eye and 18-200 are all useless. I would sell off all of those and get a d800. With those and d7000 sold you'll be pretty close. About burst, you'll just have to learn to time better, however if u still want more shoot in dx mode for full burst, better than keeping the d7000 just for speed. I am actually looking into the same thing, kinda hoping there will be another fx but it's wishful thinking.

[Vtec44]

To be honest, I don't believe the "top quality glass for the D800" myth. Obviously you'll want the best quality glass for your cameras, D800 is no exception. I don't think any of the Nikon FF glasses will have problems resolving the 36.3mp. I have a couple of similar old and new Nikon glasses that I will mount on the D800, whenever Amazon ships it to me, to compare.

[zamanakhan]

To be honest, I don't believe the "top quality glass for the D800" myth. Obviously you'll want the best quality glass for your cameras, D800 is no exception. I don't think any of the Nikon FF glasses will have problems resolving the 36.3mp. I have a couple of similar old and new Nikon glasses that I will mount on the D800, whenever Amazon ships it to me, to compare.

Same **** glass looks **** on everything. However I have to say that I did notice a difference in quality switching from d5000 to d7000. The d7000 were blurrier but it was mostly due to af issues. My d7000 had a lot more af issues, I am beginning to think since they added at fine tunning they are less calibrated from the factory.

[Vtec44]

However I have to say that I did notice a difference in quality switching from d5000 to d7000. The d7000 were blurrier but it was mostly due to af issues. My d7000 had a lot more af issues, I am beginning to think since they added at fine tunning they are less calibrated from the factory.

You may need to send it in and have Nikon recalibrate the AF system. Mine had a slight back focus issue and I sent it in. Now I can focus on a pencil tip and it will be incredibly sharp at 100% zoom.