who has upgraded from a D70/80/90 to a D300s ?

[Sarasocke]

After Christmas I shall be upgrading my D80 to a D300s.
Has anyone else made this step ?
I'd love to hear what you found was better/easier. Or worse of course

The lenses I now use are a Sigma 18-200mm (my first ever lense, which I don't use much now), Sigma 17-70mm, Nikon 70-300mm, Nikon 50mm 1.8 and a Tamron 90 mm macro.

[hevans]

I upgraded last year at about this time from a D70s to the D300.

First off, the lack of a "green" exposure setting was noticed - particularly when used with the flash. I've since moved over (rightly so!) to using manual exposure with flash, as the results have always seemed to be too conveniently unpredictable with either A,V or P settings as the exposure is driven by the ambient light rather than the ambient+flash. This mostly hit home when trying to take the family snap shots on holiday.

Other than that, I've greatly enjoyed the upgrade and love the camera.

H.

[irv_b]

Hi Carol
I changed to a D300 from a D70 just a couple of months back and to be honest I'm still getting to grips with it. I think depending on how regular you shoot, there is a steep learning curve to get the best out of it (I shoot 98% in manual). There are still combinations of settings that I discover every day, I must say I like the flexibility some of the features and the fact the LCD gives you a better image to review. So all in all its a real positive thing and you'll enjoy it

[Hinfrance]

Can you give the name and address of your Santa Claus please?

[Sarasocke]

Thanks for the comments guys !

@ Hugh - I rarely use flash as I take so many animal pics, most everything else I manage with lights (a standard lamp and a torch  ) and/or a higher ISO. I don't actually own an external flash, but my birthday is soon after Christmas 

@ Irv - I shoot 98% in A. It gives me reasonable control for moving subjects (dogs ) and shallow DOF. I'd love to improve on landscapes. OT - your portrait in this week's comp is super.

@ Howard - You can't take it with you  I get so much pleasure from photography, I decided to upgrade to a camera which, I hope, will never need to be replaced.

[oRGie]

@ Howard - You can't take it with you  I get so much pleasure from photography, I decided to upgrade to a camera which, I hope, will never need to be replaced.

I'm with you there, but I know I have at least 1 more upgrade coming, I really want FF but with all the bells and whistles of the 7D I have now (except vid, dont really care if it has that or not)

[hevans]

@ Hugh - I rarely use flash as I take so many animal pics, most everything else I manage with lights (a standard lamp and a torch  ) and/or a higher ISO. I don't actually own an external flash, but my birthday is soon after Christmas 

The high ISO is definitely a big plus point over the aged D70s of mine. The difference from a D80 might not be as noticeable, but it will still probably be an improvement. But then, if going to the D3 range....the difference is a bit mind bending.

H.

[greypoint]

Had a D80 when they first came out and, to be honest, did'nt really find it a massive upgrade from the D50/D70 and sold it pretty quickly. When I returned to Nikon with a D90 last year I got a cheap D80 for a while as a back up for the summer. Both the D90 and D300 are a big leap forward from the D80 in terms of speed and AF etc. - the D300/D300s is a big step up in terms of build and handling. I had the chance to use my old D90, which is now owned by a friend, recently and it really brought home just how good the D300 feels. Learning curve can be as steep as you want to make it. It's just another camera and works perfectly OK for me using AP most of the time and adjusting ISO, exposure compensation and metering modes to suit - just using JPEGs. Up to the user how complicated or easy they want to make it! Works well with both the 17-70 Sigma and 70-300vr which are the lenses I use. It does'nt have the tendency to overexpose that the D90, and I think the D80, had. Go for it - would'nt upgrade the D300 for a D300s but after the D80 I'm sure you'll love it.

[Zenmer]

Yep I agree with Sue, for me the main problem when I occasionally use the D80 or D90 is having to go into the menus to change things, the D300 is all there on the body much like my D200

[spinner]

On the negative side, it make be a minor irritant or a bit of a shock. When I upgraded from D50 to D200 but I was unpleasantly surprised to find that things like the memory cards and the batteries weren't interchangeable. And the infared remote didn't work with it either. 

[nickt]

I upgraded from a d40 to a d300. I was shooting in manual mode on the d40 so I didn't find it too bad. I really like the fact that there are buttons on the body to change things rather than go through the menu. I find the camera is perfect for me and can't see myself upgrading for a long while. (Not really interested in video mode). I'd rather spend the money on better optics.
Nick

[Sarasocke]

Thanks for all your comments!

The 300s takes compact flash and SD cards and the battery appears to be the same. Could be that the infra-red remote doesn't work tho ...

The d3 would be wonderful, but for over 4000 euros I'd be frightened to take it anywhere in case it got scratched.

[spinner]

The 300s takes compact flash and SD cards and the battery appears to be the same. Could be that the infra-red remote doesn't work tho ...

Oh, guess I should have waited!

[Oldboy]

The d3 would be wonderful, but for over 4000 euros I'd be frightened to take it anywhere in case it got scratched.

It's a pretty rugged camera and will take more knocks than a D300.  

[spinner]

The d3 would be wonderful, but for over 4000 euros I'd be frightened to take it anywhere in case it got scratched.

It's a pretty rugged camera and will take more knocks than a D300.  

If you stopped antagonizing those birds you would get so many knocks.