Nikon D300 swop for Nikon D2xs

sophos9

sophos9

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I'm currently shooting a Nikon D300 with the Nikon battery grip, its a great camera and has produced some amazing shots.

I keep getting drawn into looking for D2xs's - I don't know why but I'm thinking of swapping the D300 for a D2xs

Is the D300 really a better than the flagship D2xs - I only shoot around ISO200 so noise is not an issue

What are you thoughts - worth a look or am I stupid?
 
what is it about the d2x you like and what would it give you over the d300
 
DiddyDave had one up for sale or possible trade D300 but withdrew here. He is on holiday at the minute but give him a shout when he returns as he might still be interested.
 
I'm not sure that there's really anything to be considered an upgrade on the D2xs over the D300.

High ISO performance isn't as good, but you always shoot ISO200.
D2xs is 5fps or 8fps in high speed crop mode, the D300 is 5fps or 8fps with the grip.
D300 has the 51 point 3D autofocus, D2xs has the 11 point autofocus of the D200.
Both 1/8000 max shutter speed, both have flash sync ports and 10 pin accessory ports.
Both weather sealed, both use a single CompactFlash.

I can't really think of any advantage of the D2xs over the D300 - except maybe that the battery lasts longer. :)
 
I would happily swap my D2Xs for a D300 any day of the week haha. I pretty much only use it as my fish eye camera now anyway though.
 
Good call...

The size and battery - I don't like the D300 without a grip and I know its petty but I dont like a bolt on battery pack

Responsiveness - the D300 is great dont get me wrong but I shoot a lot of bizarre places, low light AF hesitates and is a bit slow

Thats about it - I'm now looking into if the D2xs supports commander mode for strobist...
 
foggy4ever said:
DiddyDave had one up for sale or possible trade D300 but withdrew here. He is on holiday at the minute but give him a shout when he returns as he might still be interested.
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Great - will look into it :)

Kaouthia said:
I can't really think of any advantage of the D2xs over the D300 - except maybe that the battery lasts longer. :)
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Thanks for the info - what about the performance of autofocus? Its ok with 51 points but is a little slow on the D300 in low light conditions?

ruvor said:
I would happily swap my D2Xs for a D300 any day of the week haha. I pretty much only use it as my fish eye camera now anyway though.
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How come, what is it about your D2xs you dont like and favour the D300 for?

Thanks all for the replies :)
 
sophos9 said:
Thanks for the info - what about the performance of autofocus? Its ok with 51 points but is a little slow on the D300 in low light conditions?
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I can't speak for the D2xs, but I don't really have any problems on the D300s with the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR.
 
sophos9 said:
I'm currently shooting a Nikon D300 with the Nikon battery grip, its a great camera and has produced some amazing shots.

I keep getting drawn into looking for D2xs's - I don't know why but I'm thinking of swapping the D300 for a D2xs

Is the D300 really a better than the flagship D2xs - I only shoot around ISO200 so noise is not an issue

What are you thoughts - worth a look or am I stupid?
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No but the decision is really yours to make depending on your goals.

The D2X (not sure if there is a difference in D2Xs in this aspect I am describing) has better RGB filters on its sensor than any modern Nikon cameras. I'll attempt to explain it. When the chase for the better high ISO started, having technological limitations of the sensor and ADC ability, camera manufacturers (not only Nikon) employed a simple but effective trick. The RGB filter array that sits on top of the sensor weakens the light (just like ordinary filter on the lens would) so in all the recent cameras the filter arrays are weakened to let more light in. In other words they are made more transparent and less strong in separating R, G and B. As a result the colour separation of those is weaker than in earlier cameras. A few chaps on DPReview commented on this and one even did some measurements.

I would say that in possibly every other aspect the D300 is a better camera except this one. Whether it is important to you - only you can decide...
 
Sophos9, the D2x doesn't support commander mode in the same way the D300 with it's built-in flash does. You need the SB commander unit that fits on the hotshoe to control speedlights wirelessly.

I moved from a gripped D200 (virtually identical to a D300 with grip) to a D2x and foudn the change more than worth it. Okay, the technology of the D300 (the AF, better ISO noise control) is something the D2x won't match but handling is miles better than a Dxxx size body fitted with a grip. It's not as tall as a gripped D300 so buttons are closer together.

I'd also argue that the weather sealing will always be better on the high-end bodies, although Nikons are generally good regardless. Mine gets soaked (and I mean drenched) and I never feel unsure of whether it'll keep working.

Battery life is awesome on a D2x also; fitted with the EN-EL4 you'll get 1100+ shots; fit with the newer EN-EL4a and you'll get 2000 shots from one charge. Yes, spares are pricey at around £95 but they last a long time.

Have a look at the standard D2x and then upgrade the firmware - you get the same performance as the D2xs, minus the high-speed crop mask in the viewfinder - have a look here for the full list courtesy of Thom Hogan.

I've used a D300s and I would buy one as a third body, no doubt, but I just love the way the D2x feels in the hand. You'll get abused D2x for between £600 - £750. Both mine have been minters with less than 30K shutter actuations.
 
specialman said:
You need the SB commander unit that fits on the hotshoe to control speedlights wirelessly.
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Or SB-800 or SB-900 in commander mode.
 
Great replies - thanks for all the info. Interesting about the RGB separation - fully supports some of the claims shots is comparisons, will look into that more.

Thanks specialman for the information, did not know that performance increase could be gained via firmware, adds an additional option to look into. I also think that changing to a SU800 is a good move for strobist - I've noticed the sync flash on the D300 when shooting macro interfering a little
 
You can't sync cord to a commander, you lose CLS. The whole point of CLS is "multiple off camera flash work". :)

You can use a TTL cable from the hotshoe to a commander or flash acting as a commander though. I do this on my D300s all the time to an SB-900 acting as both key and commander.
 
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Kaouthia said:
You can't sync cord to a commander, you lose CLS. The whole point of CLS is "multiple off camera flash work". :)

You can use a TTL cable from the hotshoe to a commander or remote flash acting as a commander though. I do this on my D300s all the time to an SB-900 acting as both key and commander.
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Great, thanks for the confirmation :)
 
Kaouthia said:
You can't sync cord to a commander, you lose CLS. The whole point of CLS is "multiple off camera flash work". :)

You can use a TTL cable from the hotshoe to a commander or flash acting as a commander though. I do this on my D300s all the time to an SB-900 acting as both key and commander.
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That's quite a neat way of doing things that I've yet to explore. Am I right in thinking there's pretty much no limit to the number of flashes you can use in this way?
 
Basically, doing it this way gives you 4 useful groups instead of 3, as you're now using the "Master" group as an actual light source.

The "Master" group is a group of 1 light, but you can have any number of flashes in each of the other 3 groups.

It's handy for when you're triggering lights you don't have line of sight to from the camera, but don't want to have the hassle of radio triggers and wandering over to flashes that may be 20-30ft away to adjust the power. Or, it means you can have key, fill, rim/hair and background lights on separate groups at separate power levels all controlled from the camera (or well, from however long away your TTL cord is).

This shot was done that way. Having the commander on the hotshoe, it couldn't "see" the hair light I had directly behind the model down the hall, so I had it in a 24" softbox on a light stand next to me via TTL cable.


Cindy by Kaouthia, on Flickr
 
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Thanks for the information on the flash - good way to increase channels

So after checking things out - I think a move to a D2Xs will be an interesting move :)

Would be good to make some comparisons between the D300 and D2Xs in the line of photography I'm in...

Now need to look into where to source :)
 
Ebay always has some good deals, as people are getting rid of their second bodies and moving to the D3 series.

I got my second D2x from ApertureUK. FFordes have a load in too usually
 
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Uhh I moved from a D2Xs to a D300 a year or two ago (now on a D700).

The D300 in all fairness whoops the D2Xs.

I wouldn't make this move if I were you.

What are you gaining with the D2Xs? Literally nothing! And do you know how big the difference in noise performance is?

Not to mention a D2Xs is going to be pretty worthless very soon, it's quite outdated now, you should really be upgrading in generations not downgrading?
 
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loplyg said:
Uhh I moved from a D2Xs to a D300 a year or two ago (now on a D700).

The D300 in all fairness whoops the D2Xs.

I wouldn't make this move if I were you.

What are you gaining with the D2Xs? Literally nothing! And do you know how big the difference in noise performance is?

Not to mention a D2Xs is going to be pretty worthless very soon, it's quite outdated now, you should really be upgrading in generations not downgrading?
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He said high ISOs aren't required. Used price on a D2x/xs is same as D300. It's more of a sideways move IMO....
 
loplyg said:
Not to mention a D2Xs is going to be pretty worthless very soon, it's quite outdated now, you should really be upgrading in generations not downgrading?
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D2Xs are still selling for good cash, the D300 will depreciate faster (and already has)...

I'm getting faster AF and better low light AF performance
Better RGB definition
En-el4a batteries
Additional LCD display
More controls on the body
True ISO 100

I never shoot above ISO 400 so not a problem for me :D

Only upgrade path is D700 or D3, I could absorb the cost of D700 but cannot warrant changing all my glass which is DX based. I dont shoot for a living...

Thanks for the advice though - its all helpful :)
 
I didn't like the D300 at all - always felt like half a camera - didn't like the bolt on grip either. I just does not have he feel of a pro body. Simple. I have two D3 bodies now but I still use my D2Hs - it has a unique quality. High ISO is not needed for everything.
 
Might also be worth your while looking at a D2Hs if you can find one. Great cameras - with a special 'look' to the files.
 
D2Hs is 4.1 megapixels - but don't let that put you off. Gives great pictures up to at least 18" - very fast AF and shooting speed. Smaller files than D2Xs. They might be harder to find now too.
 
It's not an expansion, if that's what you mean. :) ISO goes 100 - 800 then two HI expansion settings that basically equate to 1600 and 3200.
 
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