D700, 0r D3S?

My 2p worth...Am actually thinking about trading my D3 for a D700. Why? It's big, it's bulky, and the lack of a pop up flash is a major pain! Photography is not my job, so as an amateur I naturally lusted after the best at the time, but sometimes the fully professional models don't have what's best for your needs. Do you prefer light cameras? Could you do without an inbuilt commander (i.e. SB900 mounted everytime you need off camera flash)? No inbuilt gridlines?

And finally if you're saying yes to all those questions...if you can do without high ISO, stick with the D300s. I have a D300s and in many ways it suits me much better than the D3.
 
and if you buy one check its new,i just spoke to jessops who tell me when they opened a boxed D3s for a customer they found it had 8,000 shots taken on it.
nikon said they didn't know how that could be.
the shops offered me it for a bit less,i said no its S/H it needs to be a lot less than that.
 
loplyg said:
It's a shame Nikon haven't yet put the D3S sensor in a D700 type body (ie with a removeable grip and popup flash).

All things considered I'd prefer the D3S over the D700 but the price doesn't justify it, unless you absolutely really definitely need the video or extra 1.5 stops of low light performance.
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You're all kind of missing the point here: it's not just that the D3s has an additional 2 stops of useable ISO at the top end, but that performance at lower ISOs is also much better compared to the D700 and D3...

That's why I'll be upgrading, not for the video or for the ability to shoot at 64,000ISO...
 
i also wanted the quiet shutter mode for pindrop concerts,churches etc.
 
Wilko - since you've already got an MB-D10, it's worth pointing out that a D3s is smaller than a gripped D700.
 
Why not wait a few months and see what the D4 is all about?
 
jpw said:
I would suggest that has more to do with the £7000 lens than the £3500 camera :D
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maybe but its still a cracking shot :lol:

well i have now a D3s arriving tommorow.

i was told that nikon said there would be nothing new untill next christmas.
 
I suppose that another thing to consider is, will you have the funds to upgrade again in the next few years, or are you expecting to keep your next camera for much longer :shrug:?

Bit of a devil's advocate post here, I'm afraid :naughty:, but If you blow your entire budget on a D3s now, will you be able to find another 3 or 4k in a three of four years time to get the next 'best' Nikon DSLR :shrug:? Unlike lenses, (digital) camera bodies are being superseded (in terms of performance) at a scary rate. It wouldn't surprise me if someone (Nikon, I hope ;)), come up with an effective way of increasing the dynamic range of their sensors (surely the 'golden goose' of digital camera development :naughty:) before long. When they do, old '5 stop' (or whatever the range actually is) DSLRs are going to be as worthless as 4MP-sensored monsters like the D2H are today :(.

OK, perhaps my estimates are a bit off, but my point is; can you afford to keep up with the technology, or are you in danger of committing yourself to being stuck with ageing technology, because you've blown your wad on today's best :|? Only you know the answer to that, but it's something which has kept me away from spending so much money on a camera body (so far ;)).

Good luck with your decision!
 
And thats always going to be a problem with camera bodies! You buy one, and the new improved one is just around the corner.:thumbsdown:
 
dont keep chasing upgrades you will never be satisfied. :shake:

fyi...grays offer 6mths interest free credit and 3 or more years warranty if you subscribe to the nikon magazine they produce.if that helps your decision.:cool:

ps or you can buy my secound D700 thats on sale :thinking:
 
wilko said:
And thats always going to be a problem with camera bodies! You buy one, and the new improved one is just around the corner.:thumbsdown:
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Exactly :(. This is why I content myself with the medium-high end models, as I know that I can afford to replace them every few years (that and the fact that I'm only an amateur who doesn't even need cameras of this quality anyway :lol:).
 
I've got a D3 and D700, I've been thinking about upgrading to D3s for a while, but really waiting to see if Nikon have any new offerings in the first half of 2011. Rumours are that the D800 wil be announced in the spring, in which case if the specs are right then I may swap to two of those. I'd then hope that in a year or so the D4 will come along, if specs are righ I'll upgrade one of the D800's, and I'm then set for another couple of years until the whole thing starts again. Unless of course the D800 doesnt match the D3s ISO performance, in which case my plan is scuppered.
 
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Speaking to the Nikon guys at Photokina they confirmed there'll be no 'significant' movement on the still-camera front at Pro-level for at least 18 months (as of last Sept).
The 'new' thing will be upper-prosumer/lower-pro bodies (think D700X or S-type bodies)with 'much better than current' full-HD video capability.

Why do we believe them? Because the Army spends a lot of money with Nikon (through Calumet UK, who were also present at the meeting) and if they 'stiff' us when it comes to planning the next procurement tranche, we'll just go to Canon. Simple.

If I don't get a D3s now it won't kill me, nor would the images be realistically any different from those taken on my D3 bodies.
It's just a 'nice to have'...
 
Well all this talk sent me over the edge...one shiny new D3s on interest free from Jessops this morning, one cared for D300S and MBD-10 on a certain 'net auction site already! Now to change my TP kit bag listing...
 
Totally off topic, but I just wanted to say that I really like what Nikon have done with the D7000 :). The idea of a magnesium bodied camera, the size of a D90 (give or take), really appeals to me.

Of course, being a new model, the price is about the same as the (mag-bodied) D300, which is a bit confusing :thinking:. Still, the idea that better build quality is working its way down through the Nikon chain is a very welcome notion to me :naughty: - even if it does cost more.

As I said, totally off topic, but it's off my chest.

OK, you can have your thread back now :D ....
 
lol @ Andy :)

To be fair I asked the same question fo Nikon before buying by D700's in Feb. When shelling out over £7K on gear I wanted to know I was not buying something that would be obsolete in just a few short weeks.

So spoke to Nikon UK and they were spot on with their schedule. Absolutely honest which is good to know. Can't speak highly enough of them :)
 
x777 said:
Well all this talk sent me over the edge...one shiny new D3s on interest free from Jessops this morning, one cared for D300S and MBD-10 on a certain 'net auction site already! Now to change my TP kit bag listing...
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see my previous check the shutter count when you get it
just in case.
 
mine arrived today :eek: i can just feel how good it is the high iso is insane :cool:
 
It's pretty special, huh? Thanks to you and Arkady2 for pushing me deeper into the dark side!
 
Think carefully mate.
First of all, what's your purpose of photography. If it's just for family purpose or some other simple purposes then D700 may works very well, even your old D300 can do the job. But if you intend to earn money from photography, then D3S is best choice.
Secondly, how big is your budget? If the D3s price means nothing to you, then lets go for it. Otherwise, save some money with the D700 and have extra money purchasing lenses.
Finally, never depend on equipment. Be creative and create the maximum by the minimum.

Hope you get the best choice.
 
that's good advice.

for me it has to be FF i just cant get on with a cropped sensor.
the D700 is one great camera but as soon as you pick up the D3s you can feel the difference.

i just wish it was the same size as the D700,but you cant have everything.
i now have one of each,perfect i would say.

i sold a lot of lens and a D700 to buy the D3s leaving me with a fine selection of prime lens that i prefer and one zoom 70-200mm f2.8.
the lens i most regret selling is the 35mm f2.

out of interest here's the lens i now have for full frame.
each has a purpose for the photography i do and a very verastile lineup.

20mm f2.8D
50mm f1.4G
84mm f1.4D
105mm f2 DC
105mm f2.8 macro
70-200mm f2.8
300mm f4
1.4 TC
1.7 TC
 
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ngthanhcong said:
Think carefully mate.
First of all, what's your purpose of photography. If it's just for family purpose or some other simple purposes then D700 may works very well, even your old D300 can do the job. But if you intend to earn money from photography, then D3S is best choice.
Secondly, how big is your budget? If the D3s price means nothing to you, then lets go for it. Otherwise, save some money with the D700 and have extra money purchasing lenses.
Finally, never depend on equipment. Be creative and create the maximum by the minimum.

Hope you get the best choice.
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I like the thinking Cong. In my book that goes all the way down to the lowest denominator . . . my partner is no 'tog', disabled too, but enjoys a 'picture walk' with me, she is happy with her A640, it fits her disability perfectly . . . me, I was withing a hairs breadth of a D7000 :| . . . stepped back, re looked at my needs rather than wants. A new D90 does me just fine, looking at some change in the glass department instead:thumbs:

CJS
 
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OK maybe a bit biased here as Im a D700 owner but I cant think of a better camera. Yeh the D3s is the dream but I cant honestly think I have came across any situation that I would have thought the D3s would have been better.
You have not said what you need the camera for, if your doing black cat shots in a coal mine with no lights then yeh OK maybe a D3s, but for weddings, gigs and anything else a 700 is great plus its got build in flash for CLS and when not gripped is lighter and smaller than its big brother.... something to bear in mind.
Either way I dont see how you can loose, both are great.
 
Well i'm looking to purchase mid year, so maybe there may be a D700 upgrade by the time i'm ready to buy?
 
I had this dilemma, and it purely came down to cost for me.

The D700 won the day, with it a lot lower in cost it enabled me to put more towards pro glass and a couple of sb900's.

The real reason I wanted a D3s was for the video, I really want to try my hand at DSLR video. But the D700 option enabled me to go pro equipment wise, and it gives me more equipment to learn and more shooting options so really was the best decision.

I still want a D3s though, and that is what I think every time I pick the D700 up :(
 
And that is what bothers me. Video recording really does not bother me at all.
 
Harvey_nikon said:
I still want a D3s though, and that is what I think every time I pick the D700 up :(
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That's the real killer, right there.

I also have this half-baked theory that by purchasing 'the very best' that's on offer, I can never use the excuse "the camera wasn't up to the job" when I look at all my lousy photos.
I can never look at an image and say "it would have been better if I'd had an XYZ instead of an ABC..."
 
wilko said:
And that is what bothers me. Video recording really does not bother me at all.
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that's what i thought until i tried it
i haven't read all the manual yet so i stuck a 20mm lens on and videoed my nieces birthday cake/candles etc.it was so easy and the quality is superb.

the sound of the shutter is very different and it just feels more robust.i took indoor portraits at the high ISO as well it handles it all with ease.
 
Arkady2 said:
That's the real killer, right there.

I also have this half-baked theory that by purchasing 'the very best' that's on offer, I can never use the excuse "the camera wasn't up to the job" when I look at all my lousy photos.
I can never look at an image and say "it would have been better if I'd had an XYZ instead of an ABC..."
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Exactly how i'd probaby feel. I think i should wait until the replacement for the D700 comes out? Video capture on a stills camera will never be of interest for me. I have a HD camcorder that does exaclty what i need it to do. I just want to upgrade to a full frame DSLR for portraiture, and landscape/architectural photography to give me the DOF flexibilty you don't have with a cropped sensor. Also, the amazing iso capabilities you get with either the D700, and D3s are another good reason to upgrade, too.
 
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