D90 or D300??

[indeedies]

This is gut wrenching. I have about $1200 to work with and am really starting to get into my photography. I've decided that this is something I want to pursue and am no longer looking at it as a hobby. I've read tons of information from this forum and other sites, books, magazines, and spoken to many people. I have a pretty good grasp of the fundamentals and have taken most of the advice from this forum to heart. I shoot family and friends for free to build my portfolio, I read everything, and now I have an internship with a local photographer who will really challenge me artistically and show me what it takes to run a business.

So my question is, should I take the plunge and get a used D300 and save for some more glass or get the D90 and the Sigma 70-200 2.8?

I'm primarily going to be shooting portraits, seniors, families, children, and when I'm good enough weddings and events. I know the d300 has the superior build and is weather sealant (living in the Seattle region this seems like a good idea). I also know it has the better focusing (51 pt focus?). But I'm confused on the full frame thing? What does this mean and how will it impact my photos?

I think I can pull about $500-$600 with my current gear on CL so I may be able to talk the wife in letting me spend about $1400. I might be on the couch for a night or two though

And I'm also confused on how older lenses work on these newer bodies. I know my current glass will but if I do buy older stuff will it work equally as well? Meaning will the motors in the lenses work with the new bodies?
Truly appreciate the advice and help!

 

[Montana]

Neither camera is full frame. Both of those cameras are crop sensor cameras.

 

[JSD]

Neither camera is full frame. Both of those cameras are crop sensor cameras.

Thats right, neither camea is full frame. D700 and all the D3 range are. As for lens compatability go to nikon dot com and look for their charts that show what features work with which bodies. You should be able to find the lenses you are interested in and check them against any body. Sorry I dont have the link handy. I have a D300 and love it. I like the security, heft and feel of the metal body, and I use all 51 focus points regularly.

 

[ghache]

I was in the same situation as you couple months ago.

The d300 is a great camera but the D90 was more what i was looking for.

After thinking about it for a while, i went for the D90 because it was cheaper than the d300s/d300, less weight and has a really good performance not really far behind the d300. The money i had left, i bought a better lens and had some money left to buy some stuff for a home studio.

the other thing is, resale value on the D90 is really good and selling to upgrade for a new camera would be a problem or for the price, its a nice small lightweight camera you can use as a backup once you buy a magnesium monster!

 

[PhotoXopher]

Simple.

If you can afford the D300, get it. If you're on the fence, have the funds, and plan on shooting pro - I see no reason why you wouldn't go this route.

That said, any DSLR can give you great results doing most of what you listed in most situations. The D90 will serve your needs quite well, and off the top of my head the only things that the D300 body will give you that the D90 cannot are:

Enhanced functionality with older lenses.
More frames per second.
Fully functional battery grip (D90's doesn't provide a directional pad).
Great range for bracketing (9 frames vs 3).
Sturdier body.
Weathersealing.
Better viewfinder.
Enhanced exterior controls with more user definable options.
Uncompressed RAW format.
External microphone support.
Autofocus in movie mode.

Sure, you could get the D90 and some nice glass now - or you could get the D300 body and a $100 50mm f/1.8 lens that will meet your needs until you decide to shoot weddings, at which point you could have saved up enough from your other work to get more glass. Either way you'll probably want that 50mm in your kit.

Push come to shove, you could really get by for now with a D40 and Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 HSM Macro and an SB-900 for a total of around $1200.

 

[KmH]

Of the 2 the D300 has a much better auto focus module, a longer shutter life, the weather sealing, and would get the nod for doing paid work.

The D90 and the D300 have the same image sensor, so they have virtually the same ISO performance. Neither have sufficient ISO performance for doing weddings and indoor events for pay, IMO.

You would want at least a D700 to have enough ISO performance for shooting those. The D700 has a full frame image sensor.