It's body upgrade time!

[enigmatic]

Hey guys and gals!

Last week I sold one of my motorbikes and decided that upgrading my camera body would be a good idea. I have been using a d3000 for about 2-3 years, and feel I have made good, if not great, progress. THere is a few things that irk me about the 3000 though. Pretty bad iso performance, would like a higher fps rate, and a bit easier to change functions etc. I was advised to checl out the 7000, as well as 2nd hand 700s and even the d3. As much as I wanted to upgrade, justifying the cost was hard (in my mind only!)

Then, on Sunday, a kangaroo decided to say hello to me on my motorbike at 100km/h, and whilst I sustained a broken collarbone, my camera faired slightly ,worse!





Now it is definately time for an upograde! I am pretty tempted to use this opportunity to go to full frame, a 2nd hand 700 or maybe a 600. Thats about my budget. I finf it hard to justify spending large amounts of money though!

I like to shoot motorspotr (bikes), people, my fish, the odd landscape, and am very keen to try macro and try as much as I can! I know that isn't very specific but I like to give everything a shot!

Any advice, help, criticism, anything would be very appreciated! Please excuse any bad typing, I am limited to one hand (my bad one!)

Cheers, Ash

[Mathy]

Good God! I've never seen the innards of a Nikon before Firstly, may I congratulate you on surviving the impact (I rode a M/C up until 4 years ago), with only a broken collar bone to show for it - and numerous bruises, I suspect

To me the question would be about what lenses you have. What you like to shoot has a bit of variety, and if you go full frame, then you'll need the lenses. Unless you have some FX lenses, you'll either be limited on a FF, or have to spend some extra $$ or save some. If you stay with something like the d7000 or another DX style camera, then if you have anything left of the mess that was your d3000, you can still use it Maybe check out the d7100?

Heal well, cheers Deb

ETA: Just re-read your thoughts on budget - seriously, have a look at the d7000 and use the spare $$ for some great lenses.

[Wayne]

Get the FX while you are updating. I feel that full spec DX bodies are a thing of the past from Nikon, they have released 3 FX bodies in just over 12 months (4 if you count the D800E) which shows a huge commitment to that form factor, and the only DX release to come close to the D300s replacement is the new D7100, which isn't a pro spec body IMHO and I don't think we will likely see one. Many people are moving to FX, and I think the pro-sumer market particularly, so I am hedging Nikon can see that and feel that only the enthusiast and entry level consumer is still particularly interested in DX.

If you choose DX now, you will probably end up stuck there for the next few years if you are adverse to spending large sums of $, whilst FX progreses along. The D600 is a cheap entry to the FX realm, and a better option than a used D700 costing not much less, and without video. The D700 is a wonderful body, I loved mine and shot it more than my D3 when I had both, but it is 5 years old come July, and much has changed since it arrived and all for the better.

Stretch that budget a little further, and you are spoilt for choice with the D800 on the used market in mint condition with perhaps 1-2k clicks selling at about US$2200 and a clean used D3s could be had for about US$3k. I sold mine just before Christmas for just over $4k to move to the D4, and I am seeing them now for $3k in like new condition.
They are also getting a little older at 3.5 years, but the difference between the D3s and D4 isn't huge if you are not shooting video for professional use. The ISO performance of the D3s is astounding and I would say on par with the D4 and it shoots 9fps in full resolution which ticks all your boxes, whilst the slower fps of the D800 is still quick enough for most things with all that ISO and resolution goodness.

Tough decision to be making, but it's nice to be in that position where you are spoilt for choice.

That body in your pic is wasted, I can hardly believe it is so smashed coming off a bike, looks like it was dropped from the top of a mountain. Where was it on the bike?

[ricktas]

Glad to hear the collarbone was the only human issue. Hope your recovery goes well.

Damn you wrote off that Nikon!

One thing I will tell you about the D3, if you decide to head that way, is you better know how to clean a sensor. It is the biggest dust bunny creator in the history of the universe. As well as myself, I know several people who have one and every one of us is constantly having to clean the sensor. We suspect the D3 sensor creates an electrical charge that attracts more dust than flies are attracted to the proverbial.

[Warren Ackary]

Glad to hear the collarbone was the only human issue. Hope your recovery goes well.

Damn you wrote off that Nikon!

One thing I will tell you about the D3, if you decide to head that way, is you better know how to clean a sensor. It is the biggest dust bunny creator in the history of the universe. As well as myself, I know several people who have one and every one of us is constantly having to clean the sensor. We suspect the D3 sensor creates an electrical charge that attracts more dust than flies are attracted to the proverbial.

Sorry to hijack your post Rick.. I was like that with my lower end camera's from D3000 to D5100.
I found out from a Nikon Ambassador "turn all power off as the sensor becomes static before changing lenses", I did that, counted to 10 each time and changed a lens (also had to body turned to me to prevent dust flyer into the body). Havent had to clean my sensor since.. heck I cant remember but it must have been 11-14 Months.

[Wayne]

One thing I will tell you about the D3, if you decide to head that way, is you better know how to clean a sensor. It is the biggest dust bunny creator in the history of the universe. As well as myself, I know several people who have one and every one of us is constantly having to clean the sensor. We suspect the D3 sensor creates an electrical charge that attracts more dust than flies are attracted to the proverbial.

I can confirm (having had both D3 and D3s) that with the self-clean function on the D3s (absent on D3) there is no real dust issue like the D3 had.

[arthurking83]

Hey Ash, hope the collarbone heals well for ya.

As to Fx/Dx and your options. If you have any nagging doubts about whether to get Fx or not, then the answer is easy!
Go Fx. D700 is as good as any .. it may be low in Mp count, but the reality it that it's not an issue unless you regularly: crop heavily, or print at A0 sizes.

Any Dx lens will work as well on the Fx camera as it does on a Dx camera .. I do it all the time.

Until I decide on which UWA lens I actually want to invest in(plus the finances allow) .. I'm still using my Sigma 10-20mm on the D800, and no one has mentioned commented on any issues on my recent set of images with respect to that combo of gear.
But if you do go Fx and slowly invest in Fx lenses, you eventually end up where you really want to be.

Lingering doubts either way never really go away. If you get a D7000 or D7100 now, for a while you will be immensely happy with it and those Dx/Fx lingering doubts will go into hibernation, but rest assured they'll surface again .. but this next time you'd have already invested in a new body.
That money could have been better invested in a nice Fx sized lens.

You haven't got a list of your current lenses anywhere.

If your interests are things like motorsports, do you have any specialist lenses to associate with this genre?
Do you have any Fx lenses already?

[MattNQ]

Good to hear you are ok.
Hope it was just the kit lens on that?
Some days I wish my D3000 looked like that...then I might be allowed to finally upgrade

Thom Hogan is convinced a D400 is likely to appear this year...but to top the D7100 in spec, it will probably be priced over the D600.

You have some great choices - my own deliberations have not resulted in a firm decision on where I will go yet.
Grey market D7000 - low $700's (eglobal)
2nd hand D700 - $1100-$1300
grey market D7100 - $1200
D600/800 still a bit expensive, but some good 2nd hand D800's around now...as Wayne mentioned
D3s ... prices dropping as also mentioned.

As mentioned lenses are a big factor in deciding to go FX. What have you got?
Eg, for me, shooting sport my 80-200 is a bit short, so my main bugbear at going full frame is losing the crop advantage, but on the plus side, my Siggy 14mm will be super wide.

WIll the D600 handle your motorsport ok, or will the lower spec focus bug you? That said, it is still much improved compared with the D3000

An exercise for you to try....think that if I bought a particular body, what is missing that would annoy me (eg D7100 buffer maybe) . What don't I need (eg video perhaps ) and what features are a must.

Good luck in your search

[knumbnutz]

Hi Ash,
Its seems that we can now make a club !
I had a Roo jump in front of me at that speed (maybe closer to 130klm/hr as I was passing a 4wd at the time) and I put a handlebar through its head and tore a leg off, gladly his and not mine on both accounts. But I had a couple of abrasions and was coughing and peeing blood for a couple of days, but otherwise ok.

Glad to hear you are ok too, either of us could be a hell of a lot worse off ! ............and most importantly, how did the bike fair ?

Go the D600 if you can, while the D700 is awesome and probably cheap the D600 is newer and better Resolution without many downsides. BUT TBH, both will be good for what you want.

Importantly either way you go, get a couple of good lenses for Motorsport if thats your thing.

I don't think i would go to D7000 or 7100 with the FF D600/D700 so cheap. If you have a decent PC, then D800 is a good option too.

Look after yourself, and hope you get back on the horse soon !

Cheers
Neil

[enigmatic]

Thanks for all the speredy responses!

It was a 35,, 1.8 on the body at the time, so a loss, but not a huge one.

My other lenses are a 50,, 1.8 I never used due to no af on the 3000, a tanmron 17-50 2.8, and a nikon 70-200 vr ii i got for my 21st

Guess I will be doing a lot of research and shopping around! I was hoping to spend <2k and am happy to go grey market. Might need a lens as well but we will see!

The 600 looks pretty good, worth the extra $600ish from a used 700?

Sorry about the short reply and typing mistakrs, one handed is hard!

Also! The camera was in a bag on the back of the bike which muist of just exploded, as my mate said all my stuff was spread all over the road!

Thanks so far!!

quick edit and i hope i can link this - theresw not many pics on here but here is my flickr thingo!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enigmash/

[arthurking83]

......

My other lenses are a 50,, 1.8 I never used due to no af on the 3000, a tanmron 17-50 2.8, and a nikon 70-200 vr ii i got for my 21st .....

I think it's a no brainer then, you have capable enough lenses for Fx now .. and the Tammy is probably good enough to 'get you by' until you either want to upgrade to a proper 24-70/2.8 type lens, or you could forgo that for a while longer and get an UWA lens if you think you need one too.


Now the question is ..... D700 + $600 for another lens, or D600 without an extra lens.

[enigmatic]

I think it's a no brainer then, you have capable enough lenses for Fx now .. and the Tammy is probably good enough to 'get you by' until you either want to upgrade to a proper 24-70/2.8 type lens, or you could forgo that for a while longer and get an UWA lens if you think you need one too.


Now the question is ..... D700 + $600 for another lens, or D600 without an extra lens.

Haha. My question exactly! 700 + $600, or the d600! If I wait i Could maybe affird the 800, but that is a lot more than I would like to spend, especially as I would like to upgrade my lenses and buy a few new ones!

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated!


Thanks for all the other advice guys, lots of research happening today

[CarlR]

I decided on the D600 over the D800 and took delivery of it about 3 weeks ago. Very happy with it. It is a definite improvement over my D5000.

The criticisms of the D600 have been published all over the web. The one that was of most concern to me was the central clustering of the AF points, but so far, this has not been an impediment. Depending on your preferred subject matter, this may or may not be an issue (or reason to go for the D800). I haven't seen any of the reported dust spots so far either.

[enigmatic]

I'd say that $1100 is at the high end for a good D700 now(now that the D800 is much lower in price than initially and that the D600 is where it is).

Some idiots seem to think that a brand new D700 is going to sell for close to $2400(nowadays!!) when a D800 can be had for a few hundred dollars more
(which is going to hold it's S/H value better in the coming three years!!)

D800 and D600 pricing really puts a brand new D700 in the $2K range maximum, and I'd even say that because the camera is now such old tech(ie. no video, etc) ... it really should be at D600 pricing levels.

1/2 that for a used version ... = $1000 as a real price level. $1100 for a good one, and maybe $1200-1300 max for a hardly used version.


A good point to keep in mind is that a D700 in about three years may only be worth about $500-600, as more and more S/H D800's and D600's appear on the market too.


The question you need to ask yourself Ash is: How much money do you think you can justify in the next 6 months to 1 year for new lens purchases.
I can almost guarantee you that the 17-50 in Dx mode on an Fx camera will be useful to you only in the very short term .. so this if this FOV range was important to you in Dx, it may be one that you might want to update quickly. But you may also want other looks to your images too(eg. wide angle, or wider/longer prime lens shallow DOF rendering too).

If those sorts of things are elements that you may find appealing or interesting to explore, they can be done on the cheap with manual lenses.

Think about where you main usage lies .. eg. if you mainly use the longer end of the 70-200 lens, you may want to look into a good quality teleconverter as a priority.
If you think you may want to explore more widescapes, then obviously a wider lens is going to be a priority.

But the real question is, no matter what you get now, how much do you think you can afford/justify in the next year or so .. during which time you will develop more GAS!!


if this helps you to make a longer term decision and I haven't really checked, but I reckon the Tammy 17-50/2.8(non VC) may sell for about $200-$150 on ebay if you're lucky.

I wouldnt worry too much about loads of lenses...ive just bought a 1.8 50m afs.and love it ....
leaving the heavy 24-70 in the camera case for now

There are a number on ebay Australia right now that range from cheapest at $1075 with 3 days to go and has 17 bids, under warranty through to one with 1500 shutter count at $1389 with almost 4 days to go and 14 bids so far, others all very close to $1100 or already in excess of that.

Looking at past recent sales (that actually sold) on eBay Aus, there are;

1) $1281; Description below-
This item is used and has light cosmetic wear. The camera is in perfect working order, and has been very well looked after. Selling as I am changing camera platforms and selling all my Nikon gear.

Included in this auction;

D700 body
body cap
2x EN-EL3a batteries
Battery charger
Shoulder strap
cables

Does not include box or manual however a PDF manual can be found here http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/dslr/D700_en.pdf
Shutter count is 59489

2) $990: Description below-

Nikon D700 Body
Used camera body in perfect working order
Bundled with the following:
Screen protector
Hot shoe protector
2 batteries + charger
Neck strap (unused)
User Manual and Quick Guide
4x CF memory cards: 2gb, 8gb + 2x 16GB
All original packaging
113000 shutter actuations

Please note: The rubber hand grip is starting to come loose (please see images).
There are some minor dust spots on the sensor

This is a great camera and takes fantastic photos. I'm selling because I've upgraded to the D600.

3) $1450.02: With 34 bids Description below-


Hi Folks!
I'm selling my beloved Nikon D700 which was used as my backup body for 3 years, I've barely used it and has only approx 11K actuations.

- Perfect condition, No Dents / Scratches...See for yourself in the photos! It's basically been babied since i bought it.

- Comes in original Box with all accessories! + Extra battery + Nikon DK-19 Eye Cup! (Original Eye cup is in the box)

Let me know if you've got any questions.

Happy Bidding!

(International Bidders message me for Shipping Costs)

4) $1525: With 15 bids Description below-
BODY ONLY
SHUTTER COUNT 6551
AS NEW CONDITION
STRAP
BATTERY
FIELD GUIDE
MANUAL
CHARGER


So it seems very clear that there is still high demand for a D700, particularly a good used one, and more importantly as I noted, it's very hard to come by an excellent one for $1100 in Aus. It also seems that most are being sold via auction and running their course, only 1 or 2 using "buy now"
Based on what I have shown above, the current average price for a D700 on eBay Aus is about $1311, almost 20% more than the quoted $1100, and that should tell you it is hardly worth buying one over a D600.
Hope that helps...

Thanks you three - you've sopld me on a d600 and maybe a 50mm 1.4. ! The 700 seems very overpriced 2nd hand and I have found 600s in Aus with a warranty for ~$1800

I decided on the D600 over the D800 and took delivery of it about 3 weeks ago. Very happy with it. It is a definite improvement over my D5000.

The criticisms of the D600 have been published all over the web. The one that was of most concern to me was the central clustering of the AF points, but so far, this has not been an impediment. Depending on your preferred subject matter, this may or may not be an issue (or reason to go for the D800). I haven't seen any of the reported dust spots so far either.

Thanks, good to hear. I keep reading aboyt dust spots!!

[Cage]

from me for the D600.

I'm delighted with mine.

That D3000 sure looks in a sad state.

[Rattus79]

Ok, so the Camera's busted & You're slightly bent, and I'm going to guess the roo just bounced away... so...

Important question:
How's the Bike???!!

On the plus side, looks like you could reuse that Nikon Strap ....

[Analog6]

Ok, so the Camera's busted & You're slightly bent, and I'm going to guess the roo just bounced away... so...

Important question:
How's the Bike???!!

On the plus side, looks like you could reuse that Nikon Strap ....

I think the lens cap is Ok too! Glad you are Ok, and that the collarbone heals up quicky. I don't think I have ever seen a more efectively destroyed camera. Can you claim it on accident insurance (if you have it for your bike)?

[enigmatic]

I think the lens cap is Ok too! Glad you are Ok, and that the collarbone heals up quicky. I don't think I have ever seen a more efectively destroyed camera. Can you claim it on accident insurance (if you have it for your bike)?

I didn't have valuables cover but I did try

- - - Updated - - -

I think the lens cap is Ok too! Glad you are Ok, and that the collarbone heals up quicky. I don't think I have ever seen a more efectively destroyed camera. Can you claim it on accident insurance (if you have it for your bike)?

I didn't have valuables cover but I did try

[Bear Dale]

Don't you own a screw driver? Why haven't you tried a DIY repair job on that camera?

[enigmatic]

Cheers guys! The bike will probably be a write off. 2nd honda ive owned, both gone at ~2000km!

Once I can use both arms I'll have a crack at repairing :P

- - - Updated - - -

Cheers guys! The bike will probably be a write off. 2nd honda ive owned, both gone at ~2000km!

Once I can use both arms I'll have a crack at repairing :P