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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
New to Nikon - D3 or D700? Opinions?
Brian Mount, Photographer
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Simi Valley | CA | USA | Posted: 12:52 AM on 03.15.10 |
| ->> Alright, I've made the decision to finally switch over to Nikon after months of decision making and poor results with Canon. I have shot a couple of sports and weddings with both the Nikon d3 and d700 but wanted to hear some opinions from those who use them on a regular basis. Which would you go with if you were switching over? the D3 or D700? All opinions wanted. Thanks in advance |
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Max Simbron, Photographer, Assistant
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Phoenix | AZ | USA | Posted: 1:30 AM on 03.15.10 |
->> If you're new to it, I'd consider the D700, it's more versatile a body, takes cheaper batteries, and cost half as much. The money saved could go toward lenses. I'd also consider getting a used one.
Plus, later on if you decide you must have a D3, and want two bodies, it will be less expensive (based on used prices continually lowering), and if you then realized you'd like the frame rate upgrade for the D700, you just need to buy the special cap and a battery, not the D3 style battery charger (which you'd already have from the D3). |
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Erik Markov, Photographer
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Kokomo | IN | | Posted: 1:33 AM on 03.15.10 |
->> I've had a D700 since Jan. 2009. I shoot Canon at work, but the Nikon is my personal stuff and I've been shooting it for nearly 20 years. I don't say that as an argument for you to switch over, I get tired of the black vs. white (lens) argument.
I can't comment on it for sports since I use the Canon for that at work and don't shoot much sports in my off time, but I do a lot of street photography, portraits, social stuff. Same stuff along the lines of weddings. And I do a bit of light painting and HDR. Noise at exposures up to 6400 are pretty nice with ok light, and beyond that iso is still usable under certain conditions. And there are plenty
of posts here about the D3's iso abilities.
I went from a D70 to the 700 so it was a bit of an upgrade. The thing I like about the D700 is the feel of it, very solid. Feels heavier than my MkIII I think but specs are comparable. The D700 is very weatherproofed.
Thing I like about Nikon overall is it's prime lens selection. Maybe that doesn't matter to you, depends on how you shoot. I have several of their zooms also, but for my money I just love the 20mm, 50mm 1.4 and 85mm.
If I was shooting sports also I think I might want the D3, but not at the sacrifice of good glass either. Depends on your financial state and what lens you need I guess. If you like shooting sports with a 50mm or at most a 80-200 zoom then the D3 it is. But if I had to choose between a D3 or 300mm, I'd go with the 300mm and D700. Just weigh your options carefully.
Can I or anyone tell you that you'll fall in love with it? No. I like Nikon better than Canon, but thats me. Nikon has always just felt right in my hand. Other people feel that way about Canon. And thats good for them. They're all just tools, but its nice to feel comfortable with them also. |
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Kirby Yau, Photographer, Assistant
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 2:07 AM on 03.15.10 |
->> Brian, I love my D700. It's a great workhorse. If you make the transition before March 27th. Make sure you cash in on the Nikon instant rebates on lenses (http://tinyurl.com/yfbs3pw).
Talk to Jeff Snyder at Adorama for the 24-70 and 70-200 combo with either a D700 or a D3s. |
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Jesse Jones, Photographer
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Ponte Vedra Beach | Fl | USA | Posted: 2:26 AM on 03.15.10 |
| ->> I have been shooting with a D700 for the last year. It is a great camera. With the grip and the D3-series batteries it is a good body to shoot sports with. Great camera for the money. |
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Richard Walker, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 2:43 AM on 03.15.10 |
->> I got a D700 first and loved it. When it came time that I needed a second body, I scrounged and found a used D3 for a reasonable price (a few hundred more than a D700 + grip). I love that camera, too. It really depends on what you're planning to shoot, and how you'll be using the camera. Do you need the bells and whistles of a D3?
My D700 did flame out once already (the dreaded "CHA" error), but has since been repaired. It is, indeed, a workhorse, and very-well built. If you're on a budget, the D700 is an excellent camera for the price. I'm really impressed with it.
On a side note, now that I'm shooting FX, I'm hooked on the full-frame aspect. I don't think I could go back to a smaller-sized sensor camera. |
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Brian Mount, Photographer
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Simi Valley | CA | USA | Posted: 3:02 AM on 03.15.10 |
| ->> I shoot primarily weddings so full frame would be ideal, but I also shoot a great deal of sports too. Can the d700 go between frame sizes like the D3 can? |
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Nic Coury, Photographer
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Monterey | CA | | Posted: 4:14 AM on 03.15.10 |
->> If you're mostly shooting "still" stuff, i.e. portraits, weddings, documentary, news, etc., get the D700 for all the reasons past posters have mentioned.
I've had mine since it came out and 90K clicks later and one trip to NPS, it's the best camera in the world. I shoot sports quite a bit and it's fantastic. I'll take off the grip when I travel and it's great.
Small-ish, great high ISOs, nice 12mp files, and very user-friendly. |
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Jonathan Castner, Photographer
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Denver | CO | USA | Posted: 10:47 AM on 03.15.10 |
| ->> If I were a dedicated sports shooter then I'd want the D3. But instead I go for the D700 and grip with the EN-EL4 battery. This way I get 8fps for fast stuff but also without the grip on I get a smaller, lighter and less obtrusive body that has the same chip and processing guts as the D3. The sleeper feature in the D3/D700 debate is the built in controller flash on the D700 so you don't have to use a separate unit to control your SB-800/900's for easy portraits. I got spoiled by this function on my old D200's and won't go back. |
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Phil Hawkins, Photographer
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Fresno | ca | usa | Posted: 9:27 PM on 03.15.10 |
| ->> You can hammer nails with the D3. Better rain resistance, larger buffer, shutter count higher... If you need the durability then the D3 is the way to go. Image quality is mondo-bueno on the D700, but you gotta baby it; can't sling it around like you can the D3. |
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