D700 vs. D300s ?? what??

[Tami]

After all my research, I knew what I was buying... off to ProPhoto to get the perfect camera for me (or so I thought)

D700 $2,500.00

When I got there we talked about what type of shooting I do, what sort of work I do the most:
Sports, lots of action with a few weddings and portraits tossed in.

after an hour of talking and looking at everything both cameras have to offer and what they do....
I came home with the D300S and a new lens Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 just under $2,300.00

did I make the right choice? does anybody have any input? I have 14 days to return for a full refund.... I have read all the reviews on the internet.....

 

[Ken Rockwell Fan]

I personally would have bought the D700 for ginormous view finder and better ISO capabilities. But it all boils down to what camera you like best and what fits your budget.

As far as that lens goes the Tamron has a DC motor for the autofocus which is noisy and slow compared to Nikon's and Canon's comparable lenses. For around the same price you can pickup a used Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 which is built much better than the Tamron. The 80-200 is a professional lens. It has dust and moisture seals, plus it uses the older screw type autofocus, so there is no internal motor to wear out inside the lens. If you take good care of it, it will last a long time. I love mine.

 

[ann]

Last year I went through this stuggle. I took my camera and a memory card to my dealer.

I took a series of photos with that body, D100, same images with a D300 and then the D700. All of course with the same lens.

Took the memory card home and pulled up the same image on each body and compared them to each other. I had shot a scene with each major focal length on a 35-70 2.8 lens at each full stop.

If i was going to only shoot jpeg, the D300 would have been the winner as i liked the way the "chip" processed the images; however, since I shoot RAW, the D700 won hands down.

Only you are going to know if you made the right choice for you.

 

[KmH]

One word did it for me ...Sports. That means D700 for the ISO and resolution.

 

[mwcfarms]

D700 is from what I hear an amazing camera. What were you shooting with before? Congrats on the new gear though.

 

[Snyder]

Price comparison from BH
Tamron Lense - $729.00
Nikon D300s - 1,449.00
Grand total of $2178 not including shipping

Like everyone the lens is disappointing, the D300s can shoot HD video if you don't care about that the D700 is the way to go. But even so now I would buy the D7000 for it HD video capability.

 

[Ken Rockwell Fan]

I totally forgot about the new D7000.

It's a no brainer. Take that D300s back now and order a D7000 off the internet ASAP. The D7000 is much better than a D300s and it only costs $1200.

 

[mwcfarms]

I totally forgot about the new D7000.

It's a no brainer. Take that D300s back now and order a D7000 off the internet ASAP. The D7000 is much better than a D300s and it only costs $1200.

Isn't the D7000 still a crop sensor? I mean I think when I am upgrading I will be going to full frame and that is a huge factor. The D7000 looks great and performs apparently very well but still a crop sensor. I guess it all depends on the OP's plans and what she/he was shooting with.

 

[tirediron]

I totally forgot about the new D7000.

It's a no brainer. Take that D300s back now and order a D7000 off the internet ASAP. The D7000 is much better than a D300s and it only costs $1200.

In what respect? The OP seems to indicate that he's going to be shooting commercial work. That is no place for a plastic-bodied camera without weather-sealing. The D7000 may have some minor performance upgrades, but compared to the D300s, it's a plastic toy.

 

[ann]

well the D300 is a cropped sensor, and the 7000 certainly has great reviews.

 

[Tami]

yep these were all the factors I took into consideration :er:

I was looking at the D7000 and was impressed with what I was reading until I got down to the grit... lots of outside shooting, in the rain, snow and who knows what.... this nocked it out for me, I need the extra protection as well as push buttons to make changes

The D700 wow what a camera, hands down I was getting that one due to the high ISO (one word wrestling matches....) however the few sports photographers that have shot with it with fast glass said :thumbdown: on the shutter speed....

when I played with the D700 in the left hand (yes I am left handed) and the D300S in the Right the shutter speed with the same glass was faster :hugs: all I could see is that Rugby girl in the air wrapped around the other player with the ball pumped out of her grasp or the basket ball boy stuffing it in the basket... getting that fast once only shot.

I have been shooting with a D200 (by the way I love it) I must have gotten a good one because all the bad I have heard... I have not experienced ?? lucky or something battery life was amazing, not a ton of noise... lower light well that could be better but it was doable.. with a little noise reduce in PS, When I purchased this camera I knew hands down what I wanted...

It is not like the old days... You like Nikon or Canon and then you went and purchased the pro camera :mrgreen: oh the old days... now we have so much to look at- stuff that I never used to worry about....

and of course one of the things I keep being told is a good photographer can create a great picture with any camera (not sure that includes me because I cannot for the life of me use a point and shoot pocket camera) there is something to be said for that.

I am not sure I purchased the right camera- however another thing that I took into account was the limitation of FF lens, While most of my lens' are non DX (only 1 out of 7) The ability to use any lens you want to with the D300 is a good thing... and the extra focal length

thank you all for the help-

 

[KmH]

:scratch: Are you talking about fps (frames-per-second)?

...however the few sports photographers that have shot with it with fast glass said :thumbdown: on the shutter speed.

 

[Tami]

sorry yes FPS....

 

[mwcfarms]

On DPnotes I saw this quote and didn't know this.

14-bit RAW burst rate

Unlike the D300, the D700's fps (frames-per-second) burst rate does not drop to 2.5 in 14-bit NEF / RAW capture mode.
On the D700, you get to capture photos at maximum bit depth without having to sacrifice continuous burst speed, which is 6 fps without the battery grip, and 8 fps with the MB-D10

Might be of interest to you.

 

[Tami]

hay I saw that too.... good source of information

this is from the nikon web page:

Compared: D700 vs D300
The D700 has a “full 35mm frame” FX sensor, the D300 is DX.
The D300’s focus points cover more of the frame than they do on the D700, unless you’re shooting in crop (DX) mode.
The D700 has better button customization options
The D700 is 12.1mp – the D300 has a very slightly higher resolution of 12.3mp.
The D700 has a 95% viewfinder, the D300 is actually 100%.
The D700 is *very* slightly larger (see images above), and heavier – it’s 1074g (37.9 oz) to the D300’s 925g (32.6 oz).
This looks like a very short list. It is. What you are paying for with the D700 is that incredible sensor, plain and simple.

it does come down to the sensor- what is a girl to do maybe Nikon will just give me one of each and let me use them for a year and I will let them know which one stood the test of time