D7000 to D700 upgrade or downgrade

[zamanakhan]

Do it, it seems like a decent deal. For an extra $1000 tho I would be tempted by the d800 instead.

 

[vipgraphx]

Yeah I know but its slower for sports and I really don't feel like buying a new computer because I know that these files may cripple a quad core i5 with 8gb of ram processing HDR 3-7 frames on a daily basis. I think I would at least need to get 16 gigs of ram. and replace the processors with quad core i7. That alone is going to be an expense. I am all about saving time and I process photos in between jobs and time is of the essence. My system is relatively fast thes raw files but I have noticed since I have been doing HDR my fans are kicking on more frequent which is saying that either there is something wrong with the fans or the the computer is starting to show that HDR can take its tole on your computer. I used to do animation and video editing and so years back I bought a $7000 dollar tower with dual xeon processors two seagate scsi 15000rpm hard drives and 8 gigs of ram and a 256meg nvidia quadro fx graphics card. This was back in 2004 and the system was a beast. what I would need to date would be something like that but with todays technology to feel confident that my computer will be able to hang.

Maybe I could have someone email me some D800 bracketed raw files and do a test and see what happens. I still think in the long run though you will need more power regardless. Nothing worse than a file that takes a few minutes to apply a filter. Now think about HDR if you are using 5 brackets and merging them into photomatix whats that going to do and how long will it take when you move your sliders to adjust. I know it will take longer and there will be lag.

I don't know I keep thinking if this is the right move or should I wait to see what happens with the D400. I just know that I want the capability of faster FPS and more AEB 7-9 is ideal for me. If the d400 is still a DX I know it will have what I need and I could look into the sigma 8-16 for the super wide angle lens and forget about the 14-24 2.8 nikon. All though in the back of my head I never will...hahahahaaha

My brain hurts

 

[zamanakhan]

i was just looking at another thread by markw and according to him there isnt a hugely significant difference in processing time. The other important thing is for sports its better to time your shot with a 4fps than foolishly shoot 12fps for 4 sec. The problem with that is that you have waaay too many pics and if you time it right you get the one good picture you were after anyways. Maybe pm markw, he may be able to send you the raw files.

Needing more power is pretty much an endless road. You will eventually have to upgrade the computer no matter what, this time you are upgrading the camera before you do the computer.

I know what you mean but i have a feeling the d400 will still be a dx as well, if its not then i think i will be getting one as well. if it is dx, i may keep the d7000 or go for the d7000 upgrade again. I was wondering whether Nikon may release a d700s or d710 maybe, with a lower mp and higher iso sensitivity (not saying the d800's is bad, but imagine how much better it could be if it was 16 or 24mp.) I only think this might be the case because they stated the d800 is not a replacement for d700, but then again they did the same with the d90.

 

[JeremyDueckPhoto]

I have a D300 and a D700 but I use the D700 ALL the time even though the D300 is a great camera. The focusing of the D700 is 2x better than the D300. The 700 is a little slow for sports but with a grip its pretty much a great setup for most anything. I checked out the D7000 once and Id take the 700 all day, anyday.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I have a D300 and a D700 but I use the D700 ALL the time even though the D300 is a great camera. The focusing of the D700 is 2x better than the D300. The 700 is a little slow for sports but with a grip its pretty much a great setup for most anything. I checked out the D7000 once and Id take the 700 all day, anyday.

I'm thrilled with the performance of my D700 too. And now the D700 is a bargain, might pick-up one as my backup body and retire the D80!

 

[vipgraphx]

i was just looking at another thread by markw and according to him there isnt a hugely significant difference in processing time. The other important thing is for sports its better to time your shot with a 4fps than foolishly shoot 12fps for 4 sec. The problem with that is that you have waaay too many pics and if you time it right you get the one good picture you were after anyways. Maybe pm markw, he may be able to send you the raw files.

Needing more power is pretty much an endless road. You will eventually have to upgrade the computer no matter what, this time you are upgrading the camera before you do the computer.

I know what you mean but i have a feeling the d400 will still be a dx as well, if its not then i think i will be getting one as well. if it is dx, i may keep the d7000 or go for the d7000 upgrade again. I was wondering whether Nikon may release a d700s or d710 maybe, with a lower mp and higher iso sensitivity (not saying the d800's is bad, but imagine how much better it could be if it was 16 or 24mp.) I only think this might be the case because they stated the d800 is not a replacement for d700, but then again they did the same with the d90.

I hear ya on the never ending road. I have to upgrade software every year or two to keep competitive in my profession. I do feel though that the D800 is just to much for what I really want. It seems like its great if you want to make 1 mile long prints. I also think unlike the D700 that it is more of a specific use type of camera. Even by adding the grip you gain 2fps which still from what I have read can not be done at 36mps you have to drop down. So its pointless. I think its a landscapers dream camera.

I have a D300 and a D700 but I use the D700 ALL the time even though the D300 is a great camera. The focusing of the D700 is 2x better than the D300. The 700 is a little slow for sports but with a grip its pretty much a great setup for most anything. I checked out the D7000 once and Id take the 700 all day, anyday.

Thanks for your insight its good to know. The more I thin about it the more I feel that the D700 will be a great camera for me for what I am looking to have. More brackets, faster FPS (with the grip) and to be able to use the 14-24 effectively. Since it is a full frame camera I believe even though its 12mp you can still get the print size that a D7000 can. Only draw back at this point is loosing the reach of the D7000 paired with the 70-200. Even though I now 200 is 200 and after many hours of research yesterday I know that that when you consider the crop factor at full resolution you do get closer to your subject. Since its in the camera crop and not a photoshop crop the image is going to look like you are much closer and you will not loose resolution. That is the only negative I see in this decision and to be honest with you folks I am not sure if that is a bad thing if you get better quality photos.

I think my decision is made in my head....I think.....

 

[xposurepro]

D700 is an awesome camera but there's no way I would buy one today knowing that for only 400 more bucks I could get a D800 which is a massive upgrade over the D700. There would have to be a $1000 price difference for me to even consider it.

 

[vipgraphx]

There is about a $1322.99 price difference if I buy local and $1050 if I bought online with free shipping..I am getting it used for $1950. New they are selling for $2199 so yeah there is a nice difference plus that extra cash can go towards the 14-24.

If I decide that I need the D800 once they are in stock without having to wait until until god knows when I could sell the D700 easy for what I paid if minus a couple $100 I am sure...But the reason I don't want the D800 is the sensor is just to big. Files are going to be to big which means another hard drive more ram even more processing power. I kid you not I know what I am talking about in this area...People might not think so but you will need more power or you will find yourself waiting around a lot. At least for what I do. So its not just the camera cost of the D800 it is also the added $$ expense of having to really beef up your computer or buy another one. I find it hard to believe that I can do HDR like I do now and not sacrifice time with the computer processing and rendering.

 

[poker_jake]

D700 is an awesome camera but there's no way I would buy one today knowing that for only 400 more bucks I could get a D800 which is a massive upgrade over the D700. There would have to be a $1000 price difference for me to even consider it.

I just bought mine new for $1949, with a grip under $2200. I had the same d800 vs d700 but decided on the d700 due to lower price, higher fps (for sports/airshows/action shots), and 12mp is still more than plenty especially since most are downsized for web use anyway. So unless you need video or print
bigger than 36x24, the d700 is great bang for the buck especially since it can be found under 2k now.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

D700 is an awesome camera but there's no way I would buy one today knowing that for only 400 more bucks I could get a D800 which is a massive upgrade over the D700. There would have to be a $1000 price difference for me to even consider it.

Man wow where do you shop to spend so much on a D700

 

[vipgraphx]

I'f there is a little haze on the upper left part of the screen does that pose a problem? I just checked out this d700 and when looking at the screen there was a little haze on the upper left. Should I pass

 

[vipgraphx]

Thanks for all your help. I bought the D700 last night. I went and looked at one in the afternoon and it looked ok but had a haze between the back screen glass and LCD screen in the upper left and right corner. I also noticed dust of particles in between there. My gut told me not to mess with this one as it probably was exposed to moisture or I have heard some people who will order new glass and heat up the glue lift it up and replace it. It could have very well been that but i was not whiling to risk it. So I drove up to Phoenix and purchased the original one I was looking at. I paid $2000 but it came with the grip and an extra battery and charger along with a remote shutter remote. It is mint condition looks brand new with 5k shutter count.

I am going to have to get a memory card and card reader to test this out. So far just by looking at as I never have seen one in person it looks very well built. And I noticed in the menu there are way more controls that than the D7000. I am sure there will be a learning curve but its always fun to learn.

I considered the D800 after I have the money in my hand from the sale of my D7000 but the 200mb file size is just enormous. If I took 5 brakets that is 1gig file size poring into photomatix....that is crazy. Plus I now save my original exposures ( I use to through them away ) and I can easily see running out of hard drive space real quick.

I look forward to testing the bad boy out and in the end I think I made the right choice.

 

[Trever1t]

Good deal congratulations!

 

[vipgraphx]

what do you recommend for a memory card for 8fps. Scandisk Extreme or another brand?

Do you use a fire wire card reader or usb? The guy who sold this to me said I should look into a firewire card reader.

with my D7000 I just used the built in reader on my imac but can't do that now.

 

[Trever1t]

I use SanDisk exclusively, not that other brands aren't as good, just haven't had any issues with that brand. I use a USB reader on my laptop but my main edit machine has a reader built in. USB 3 reader would be faster than firewire if you have USB 3 on your machine. Either way, even regular USB 2 upload speed isn't any issue.