Camera Craniums: The Photography Community for Enthusiasts

General Category => General Photography => Topic started by: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 08:20:41 AM

Title: payment at last
Post by: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 08:20:41 AM
i got back from a 4 day golfing break to find that i have the cheque to replace my camera :beer:, i want to stay with Nikon but is the D300 still the best option for the money?
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: picsfor on August 21, 2010, 08:42:27 AM
i know i'm not a Nikon user - but if were going to look at a Nikon i'd be going for the D700.

Almost a stripped down D3.

You ask anyone who has a D300 and D700 and i'm betting that the D300 only comes out as a second camera to avoid lens changing...
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 08:51:26 AM
i'll have a look at 1 while i wait for the funds to clear
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Graham on August 21, 2010, 09:15:08 AM
Quote from: picsfor on August 21, 2010, 08:42:27 AM

You ask anyone who has a D300 and D700 and i'm betting that the D300 only comes out as a second camera to avoid lens changing...

        Well Andrew, since you mention it, I do have a D300 and a D700, and as luck would have it, the D300 is for sale along with it's DB10 battery pack!
                           Graham. ;) :tup:
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Mick on August 21, 2010, 09:23:21 AM
Quote from: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 08:20:41 AM
i got back from a 4 day golfing break to find that i have the cheque to replace my camera :beer:, i want to stay with Nikon but is the D300 still the best option for the money?

Good result Alan.  Glad you got that sorted.  :tup:

Quote from: Graham on August 21, 2010, 09:15:08 AM
]

        Well Andrew, since you mention it, I do have a D300 and a D700, and as luck would have it, the D300 is for sale along with it's DB10 battery pack!
                           Graham. ;) :tup:

Graham, might be worth adding it to the Items for sale (http://cameracraniums.com/forum/index.php?board=16.0)  I know some of the guys have had results doing this.  ;)
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Graham on August 21, 2010, 09:43:04 AM
Quote from: admin on August 21, 2010, 09:23:21 AM
Quote from: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 08:20:41 AM
i got back from a 4 day golfing break to find that i have the cheque to replace my camera :beer:, i want to stay with Nikon but is the D300 still the best option for the money?

Good result Alan.  Glad you got that sorted.  :tup:

Quote from: Graham on August 21, 2010, 09:15:08 AM
]

        Well Andrew, since you mention it, I do have a D300 and a D700, and as luck would have it, the D300 is for sale along with it's DB10 battery pack!
                           Graham. ;) :tup:
Will do Mick. Iv'e just got to sort out what to include.
                            Cheers.  Graham.

Graham, might be worth adding it to the Items for sale (http://cameracraniums.com/forum/index.php?board=16.0)  I know some of the guys have had results doing this.  ;)
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Oldboy on August 21, 2010, 09:58:13 AM
Quote from: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 08:20:41 AM
i got back from a 4 day golfing break to find that i have the cheque to replace my camera :beer:, i want to stay with Nikon but is the D300 still the best option for the money?

Look at the D300s as it might do all you need. Suggest you go into a camera shop like Jessops and feel both cameras to see which might suit you best. Glad you sorted out the insurance claim.  ;D
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: rksmith51 on August 21, 2010, 10:49:50 AM
Quote from: Oldboy on August 21, 2010, 09:58:13 AM
Quote from: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 08:20:41 AM
i got back from a 4 day golfing break to find that i have the cheque to replace my camera :beer:, i want to stay with Nikon but is the D300 still the best option for the money?

Look at the D300s as it might do all you need. Suggest you go into a camera shop like Jessops and feel both cameras to see which might suit you best. Glad you sorted out the insurance claim.  ;D

Like olboy said, its very very important to hold the cameras in your hand, the 700 has a better high iso range and is full frame, so find out if any lenses you have are compatible.

Bob
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 12:38:11 PM
the lens' that i have are
105mm vr micro N
12-24mm 1:4 G ED DX
AFS VR 70-200mm 1:2.8 G
AF-S 18-70mm G ED DX
the lens that came with the camera was with the body
is there a site to see if they will fit the d700?
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Jonathan on August 21, 2010, 01:13:43 PM
>> is there a site to see if they will fit the d700?

Yeah - right here ;)

105 and 70 - 200 will work perfectly.  The DX lenses will work fine but will cause severe vignetting unless you turn the sensor down to 5 million pixels.  It's possible the camera will do this automatically (though it can be overridden).

@Graham - how much?  I need a small / light 3rd body now the D2s have gone.  Idly wondering about a D50 or D3100 but D300 would do if it was cheap :)
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Graham on August 21, 2010, 02:16:20 PM
Quote from: Jonathan on August 21, 2010, 01:13:43 PM

@Graham - how much?  I need a small / light 3rd body now the D2s have gone.  Idly wondering about a D50 or D3100 but D300 would do if it was cheap :)

        I'll send you a p/m.
                    Graham.
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 05:45:41 PM
[quote author=Jonathan link=topic=1529.msg17526#msg17526 date=1282392823

105 and 70 - 200 will work perfectly.  The DX lenses will work fine but will cause severe vignetting unless you turn the sensor down to 5 million pixels.  It's possible the camera will do this automatically (though it can be overridden).
[/quote]

what are ideal replacements ? it will depend on the prices as to whether i upgrade.
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: picsfor on August 21, 2010, 06:37:26 PM
what ever you do Alan - do not pop into the shop and try out a D700 before you get the prices to work out if you're going to upgrade.

Cos once you do - you'll leave the shop with one. And i'm a Canon owner  :tup:
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 07:06:20 PM
i did go into a shop in Wigan today but they don't stock anything over £350, probably for the best ;D
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Oldboy on August 21, 2010, 07:52:45 PM
Quote from: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 12:38:11 PM
the lens' that i have are
105mm vr micro N
12-24mm 1:4 G ED DX
AFS VR 70-200mm 1:2.8 G
AF-S 18-70mm G ED DX
the lens that came with the camera was with the body
is there a site to see if they will fit the d700?

As JR says, the 105mm VR will work fine. The 70-200mm F2.8 VR will work fine at F4 or greater but at F2.8 you may see dark corners. This is why I use a 1.4 converter mostly with mine, as a carry round lens. The 12-24mm F4 will work fine with a FX from 17mm and above, but below this it will show dark corners. The 18-70 is useless on a full frame camera. And yes I have all these lenses.  :tup:

As to which ones to get then suggest the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 but might be a bit expensive at just under £1,200. Greys of Westminister have a 35-70mm F2.8 secondhand at £395. If that's too dear then consider the Tokina 28-70 Pro-X F2.8 but I can't find one on the web. Strange as I brought mine form Jacobs for about £210, as I couldn't get the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 at the time. Have a look at other AIS lenses as most of those were made for film cameras and work fine with full frame digital cameras. Just check the chart on Nikon's website to make sure they work with full frame digital cameras.  ;D
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 08:05:44 PM
Quote from: Oldboy on August 21, 2010, 07:52:45 PM
As to which ones to get then suggest the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 but might be a bit expensive at just under £1,200. Greys of Westminister have a 35-70mm F2.8 secondhand at £395.

the 2nd hand price is fine, it'll be quite the investment, just need to pluck up the courage to buy them
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Oldboy on August 21, 2010, 08:10:51 PM
Quote from: alan1572 on August 21, 2010, 08:05:44 PM
Quote from: Oldboy on August 21, 2010, 07:52:45 PM
As to which ones to get then suggest the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 but might be a bit expensive at just under £1,200. Greys of Westminister have a 35-70mm F2.8 secondhand at £395.

the 2nd hand price is fine, it'll be quite the investment, just need to pluck up the courage to buy them

I know, that's why I suggested secondhand AIS lenses. Also, check out Mifsuds.  :tup:
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: alan1572 on August 22, 2010, 09:11:42 AM
what about these?
Nikon Nikkor 24-85mm F2.8/4 AF-D IF
Sigma lens AF 17-70mm 2.8-4.0 DC
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Eileen on August 22, 2010, 12:24:19 PM
Glad the payment has been sorted out for you Alan.

Nikon have just announced a new 24-120 f/4, designed as a general purpose carry-round lens for the D700. It is expensive and won't be ine the shops for a few weeks, but may be worth considering. When I first bought my D700 there wasn't a good value standard zoom available and I thought the new 24-70 both very expenive and a bit of a beast of a lens for a standard zoom so I bought an older Sigma (28-70mm) and a 24mm prime. The prime lens was fine but the Sigma, designed as a film lens, vignettes very badly at its widest on the D700 and has cost me a few pictures. So I'd caution against investing in an older 2nd hand lens unless you can try it in the shop to be sure that you're happy with it.

As for plucking up the courage to buy - I understand where you're coming from but the D700 is a wonderful camera. Even if you're not into taking pictures in dimly-lit interiors, being able to have an extra stop or two of latitude can make the difference between getting that macro or other outdoor image or a blurry miss.
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Graham on August 22, 2010, 03:18:11 PM
Quote from: Eileen on August 22, 2010, 12:24:19 PM
Even if you're not into taking pictures in dimly-lit interiors, being able to have an extra stop or two of latitude can make the difference between getting that macro or other outdoor image or a blurry miss.
I'll second that, I'm quite happy to use 800 or even 1600 as my "Walk about" setting.
                             Graham.
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Jonathan on August 23, 2010, 05:36:15 PM
What Eileen said.

Nobody's seen it yet and it may look very dull on paper but I bet that new 24-120 will be loverly on the D700.

Boring but lovely ;)

@Graham - 4 digit ISO?  Wuss.
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Graham on August 23, 2010, 06:05:55 PM
   Jonathan. I am not a wuss! I'm just careful! ;)
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: alan1572 on August 23, 2010, 06:41:52 PM
Quote from: Graham on August 23, 2010, 06:05:55 PM
   Jonathan. I am not a wuss! I'm just careful! ;)

consider your d300 sold...pm sent :)
Title: Re: payment at last
Post by: Graham on August 23, 2010, 07:00:02 PM
Quote from: alan1572 on August 23, 2010, 06:41:52 PM
Quote from: Graham on August 23, 2010, 06:05:55 PM
   Jonathan. I am not a wuss! I'm just careful! ;)

consider your d300 sold...pm sent :)
:) :tup: