Nikon upgrade dilemma

[Tommo1965]

yes I agree on the noise levels of the D700..so much easier to denoise a High ISO image and still have something that looks good, rather than plastic skin and soft everything.

Ive a 70-200VRII..best lens I own for sure..although the 17-35 F2.8 I have performs very well too..Ive yet to get my 24-70...had too many expensive holidays just recently..so I have to put that off for a while

[mongo]

The 24-70 is an excellent lens from all accounts. However, while the 24-135 is Not as good, you may be peasently surprised with its performance. Mongo's Tamron 24-135 performs remarkable well on his D800 (temporary AF issues aside for the present).

[Wayne]

I sold my D700 + MB-D10 a few weeks back after returning from Singapore with a D800 in hand. I would have kept it, but SWMBO just looked at me strangely when I suggested it, given I also have a D3s. She said "You aren't a camera collector". I still think it is a ground breaking camera, frame rate, noise performance, focus performance etc all fantastic attributes, and remembering it shared much with the flagship of the day , the D3 when it was released. Testament to how good a camera the D700 is, one only needs to see how popular it remains after 3 years on the market.

I sold it for $400 less than I paid for it almost 3 years ago...
Do I miss it? Kind of, I used to prefer shooting it more than my D3, ended up selling my D3 and keeping it as my only body for a while. It is hard to really miss it when I have the D3s now though, but if I just had the D800, I would have kept it no doubt.

The D800 is a different beast, a little slower FPS, but noise, resolution, size, weather sealing etc all point to this also being a legendary body in the DSLR timeline, a medium format killer in 35mm clothing. I'm looking forward to using the D800 alot more in coming months once I finally move home to Sydney.

[Tommo1965]

The 24-70 is an excellent lens from all accounts. However, while the 24-135 is Not as good, you may be peasently surprised with its performance. Mongo's Tamron 24-135 performs remarkable well on his D800 (temporary AF issues aside for the present).

agreed Mongo the tamron is a very good lens..even if you ignore what they are worth...but take that into account and they are extremely good...I just prefer a lens that when zoomed doesn't change my exposure and DOF {variable aperture }..but that being said the tamron is a great walk about lens

[N*A*M]

i went through a similar process as you. i had a D300, 17-55, 70-200. it was pretty sweet. the 17-55 kept me on DX for a long time, but eventually i succumbed to the D700. without the crop factor, the 70-200 becomes a different beast. you can use it in ways that are not possible with a crop body. without the D300 and 17-55, i had to replace it with the 24-70.

D700, 24-70, 70-200 was pretty much all i ever needed for event shooting. it never failed to deliver killer shots. but now that i've slowed down and stopped shooting events, i've drifted away from the heavy f/2.8 zooms. however, i'll never forget the feeling of 100% confidence and trust that i had in that combination.

enjoy this period of learning and loving the D700. get to know its meter and viewfinder, work with its raw files in a good converter. lastly, print, print, print, and marvel at what this camera can do. the files up rez very well, so don't sweat about missing pixels. just focus on killer composition, interesting subjects, and perfect exposure.

you've made the right decision.

[MissionMan]

you've made the right decision.

No he didn't. He still doesn't have the 24-70. That would have been the right decision

[Tommo1965]

i went through a similar process as you. i had a D300, 17-55, 70-200. it was pretty sweet. the 17-55 kept me on DX for a long time, but eventually i succumbed to the D700. without the crop factor, the 70-200 becomes a different beast. you can use it in ways that are not possible with a crop body. without the D300 and 17-55, i had to replace it with the 24-70.

D700, 24-70, 70-200 was pretty much all i ever needed for event shooting. it never failed to deliver killer shots. but now that i've slowed down and stopped shooting events, i've drifted away from the heavy f/2.8 zooms. however, i'll never forget the feeling of 100% confidence and trust that i had in that combination.

enjoy this period of learning and loving the D700. get to know its meter and viewfinder, work with its raw files in a good converter. lastly, print, print, print, and marvel at what this camera can do. the files up rez very well, so don't sweat about missing pixels. just focus on killer composition, interesting subjects, and perfect exposure.

you've made the right decision.

cheers Nam..thats a great post..and food for thought...I just purchased a black rapid strap, its great for spreading the weight of a 70-200 and gripped D700...I wish Id bought on a while back..plus Ive got rid of the damn pesky neck strap that was always in the way ..

what converter would you suggest for my raw files..currently Im using either Lightroom or Adobe bridge with camera raw

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No he didn't. He still doesn't have the 24-70. That would have been the right decision

yep I feel the gap in my lens selection...UK holidays kill the old bank balance though ...Ill get one soonish..once I recover ..LOL

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you have way too much Gear Wayne...

lucky Git..

I sold my D700 + MB-D10 a few weeks back after returning from Singapore with a D800 in hand. I would have kept it, but SWMBO just looked at me strangely when I suggested it, given I also have a D3s. She said "You aren't a camera collector". I still think it is a ground breaking camera, frame rate, noise performance, focus performance etc all fantastic attributes, and remembering it shared much with the flagship of the day , the D3 when it was released. Testament to how good a camera the D700 is, one only needs to see how popular it remains after 3 years on the market.

I sold it for $400 less than I paid for it almost 3 years ago...
Do I miss it? Kind of, I used to prefer shooting it more than my D3, ended up selling my D3 and keeping it as my only body for a while. It is hard to really miss it when I have the D3s now though, but if I just had the D800, I would have kept it no doubt.

The D800 is a different beast, a little slower FPS, but noise, resolution, size, weather sealing etc all point to this also being a legendary body in the DSLR timeline, a medium format killer in 35mm clothing. I'm looking forward to using the D800 alot more in coming months once I finally move home to Sydney.

[Warren Ackary]

LOL..ive bought a D700. .. couldn't help myself...

Good desicion! Combined with the 24-70 is an awesome combo & the D700 is a magic body for studio shoots also.. congrats

[Wayne]

you have way too much Gear Wayne...

lucky Git..

Is there such thing Steve?
I just got a new Chubby, 200/2VR which I had before, and sold, but I missed it..

[Tommo1965]

Is there such thing Steve?
I just got a new Chubby, 200/2VR which I had before, and sold, but I missed it..

I had a play with one in a store near me.. probably the nearest Ill ever get to using a 200F2...awesome piece of kit... I've got lens envy

[Feg]

D700 rocks.D800 went backwards with frame rate .36mp ,whatever.

[phototyke]

congrats on the purchase.....I have the d700/d300 combo and love it.........I just knocked back the d800 wait list call since I dont need 36mp,huge files and slower fps.......I thought I did when all the hype came out!..........(do need the D4 though but thats a long way off,ha!)

[Tommo1965]

im starting to wish Id never sold my D300s ..I miss the reach for footy Taps...damn...I knew I shouldn't have sold it !!.....still love the d700 though

[I @ M]

im starting to wish Id never sold my D300s ..I miss the reach for footy Taps...damn...I knew I shouldn't have sold it !!.....still love the d700 though

1.4x converter costs less than a D300s body even new. The DX crop mode still yields useful shots.

[Blueywa]

I thought I had an 'as new' D700 on fleabay only (11,200 activations) but someone with no idea what the new ones are selling for beat me and paid toooo much for it.
Patience will pay off Im sure, ha-ha ha.
Enjoy yours Steve.

[Tommo1965]

Andrew

Ive a 1.7 TC..but to be honest I wasn't too impressed with it doing sport on my 70-200VR II....quite few missed shots due to slower AF..and the IQ was a bit off...not a patch on the naked lens...how much better is the 1.4tc ?

the 1.7 is good for static shooting or slower action


Bluey

Ive seen the prices on D700 drop in the past couple of weeks..with most selling around the $1600au mark ..mind you they were all up in the 20-30K shutter actuations....I scored a grip for mine the other day from Gumtree ..I paid the going rate ..but was happy to have no postage and see it before buying ..

[Wayne]

Steve,

On my original 70-200/2.8VR with the 1.4x, focus is of course slower, but it is marginal. I find the same on the 400/2.8VR and almost no detectable difference on the 200/2VR. I do notice a somewhat more pronounced slower focus effect when using the 1.7x and 2x.

Andrew is right though that a Nikon 1.4x is cheap compared to a D300s body, it is lighter and smaller so carrying the extra body might be a problematic option for some. I can say that the crop modes on both my D3s and D800 yield great results.

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Steve,

On my original 70-200/2.8VR with the 1.4x, focus is of course slower, but it is marginal. I find the same on the 400/2.8VR and almost no detectable difference on the 200/2VR. I do notice a somewhat more pronounced slower focus effect when using the 1.7x and 2x.

Andrew is right though that a Nikon 1.4x is cheap compared to a D300s body, it is lighter and smaller so carrying the extra body might be a problematic option for some. I can say that the crop modes on both my D3s and D800 yield great results.

[Tommo1965]

Ill give the crop mode a burl....but up till now I thought it was just giving you a masked DX crop of the available 12 MP image ?..and so cropping later in PS would yield the same results ?

I almost bought a 1.4TC from a local seller for $250..kicking myself I never grabbed it..it was passed in cause no one took a punt

[MissionMan]

Ill give the crop mode a burl....but up till now I thought it was just giving you a masked DX crop of the available 12 MP image ?..and so cropping later in PS would yield the same results ?

I almost bought a 1.4TC from a local seller for $250..kicking myself I never grabbed it..it was passed in cause no one took a punt

I ended up with a grey market 1.4x as they are available for half the price. I don't mind going local for bodies and lenses (where there is only a limited price difference) but I couldn't justify it on the 1.4x when I don't use it as much. The difference between the 2.0x, 1.7x and 1.4x is quite large. If you have a look at some of the review comparisons by some independent photographers you'll see that most clearly state that the 1.4x is substantially better. I grabbed a mates one 2x and 1.4x and the difference there was massive. I'd see if I could try a friend's 1.4x and see how you go. I would lend you mine, but I'm in VIC.

[Lance B]

Ill give the crop mode a burl....but up till now I thought it was just giving you a masked DX crop of the available 12 MP image ?..and so cropping later in PS would yield the same results ?

Yes, better to do it in post process where you have the option to crop where and by how much. The D700 doesn't take too kindly to cropping due to the limited pixels, better to use a TC if possible.

The 1.4x TCII on the 70-200 works brilliantly. I have also used the 2x TCIII with great results, but best up to about 15-20mts after which the IQ can fall off a tad.

A few samples of the 1.4x TCII + 70-200 f2.8 on the D700:





CROP


Some samples from the 2x TCIII + 70-200 f2.8 on the D700:





CROP



WIDE OPEN AT f5.6!


I do have more images from the 70-200 f2.8 + 2x TCIII combo, but they ar taken on the D7000, not the D700, but you can see the excellent sharpness from this combo. These are all at high ISO's, like ISO3200 or ISO5000 or ISO6400:

This is at distance, say about 15mts, maybe more:

ISO3200


ISO5000


ISO6400