Thinking of swapping my Nikon D700 for a Nikon D3

ianbarber

ianbarber

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Approx 6 week ago I purchased a New D700 to replace my D300 because I wanted a FF sensor.

Although I really like the D700, I cant help thinking that I should have gone for a D3 instead.

Apart from the built in Battery Grip and the 100% view finder coverage would I see any advantages over the D700.
 
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Hi,

*** is ** d3000 like? and *** lens would be best to cover most subjects?

I am thinking of buying the d3000!

Thanks
krystle
 
daugirdas said:
Unless you are thinking about D3s, then no not really.
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The D3S is alittle out my league at the moment. The D3 are around 2.5k. I have never played with a D3 but looking at some youtube videos, they say the ISO is better and frame rate is better but when I have the Nikon Battery Grip on the D700 with AA batteries, I do get about 8 or 9 FPS
 
Not a lot, it depends what you use it for. The D3 does have twin card slots, the 100% viewfinder and extended battery with a quicker frame rate. Stick a grip on a D700 and it's just as good.
 
AliB said:
Not a lot, it depends what you use it for. The D3 does have twin card slots, the 100% viewfinder and extended battery with a quicker frame rate. Stick a grip on a D700 and it's just as good.
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:agree:

but if I was going to spend close to £2k on a D700 + Grip, I may as well shell out an extra £500 or so and get a used D3 :)
 
Rob 80386 said:
:agree:

but if I was going to spend close to £2k on a D700 + Grip, I may as well shell out an extra £500 or so and get a used D3 :)
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Or save £500 and get a warranted stonker of a camera.
 
Don't forget you'll lose the vibrating sensor if you go D700->D3. I enjoy the bare-minimum of invasive cleaning.
 
That's true! In 5 months of pretty full on use I've only had to clean one of my D700's once! :)

Nikon are also doing a free grip with the D700 so you could get an 85mm f1.4 to go with it and have utter sex in a camera. ;)
 
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swordjo said:
Or save £500 and get a warranted stonker of a camera.
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MPB have a warranted D3 just now for £2099.

I've been tempted by a 700 a couple of times, but it's not a D3. They just don't feel right with longer lenses on them :shrug: And if you're going to have it gripped all the time you're as well having the real thing.
 
dod said:
MPB have a warranted D3 just now for £2099.

I've been tempted by a 700 a couple of times, but it's not a D3. They just don't feel right with longer lenses on them :shrug: And if you're going to have it gripped all the time you're as well having the real thing.
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well this is it, I've also been tempted by the D700, but in all honesty, if I were to upgrade to Full Frame, I would go down the D3 route

:)
 
D3 is the Full Monty, but with the grip the D700 pretty much matches it, plus it has the pop-up commander flash.

Sounds a little like you want a D3 rather than need one ;)
 
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Its got to be a personal thing in the end.

Me, I love pro spec cameras and although I have not actually held a D700 when I look at it it does not do anything for me so I reckon I would go down the D3 route

stew
 
A lot of D700 owners chiming in I see. I wouldn't say a D700 "matches" a D3. It depends on what you need and mean by "matches".

If you want slightly faster autofocus, a single battery with a consistent number of frames per second in a smaller overall package that is a pro weather sealed body, get the D3. You won't be sorry.

A pop up flash is not a reason not to get a D3. If a pocket wizard, SU or SB-800 is keeping from getting a D3, then you don't need a D3 and won't see the benefit.

I've got a D3 and want a backup FX body and I'm seriously thinking about another D3 instead of a D700 as I just tried one on the weekend and the D3, well, makes the D700 feel like a weaker FX camera. If you try a D3 you will hear the difference in the shutter. It's solid. My D300s and the D700 I tried aren't in the same league in that area.

Better ISO on a D3? Not sure about that. The D700 is the same in that area from what I've seen in pictures.

The D700 is a great value for money and is such a capable camera and more versatile. But, if you want a pro body, get the D3.

If you don't need a pro body and want to save some money, get a D700. You won't be sorry. But again, pro body is D3 or D3s. or D3x, plain and simple.

To be honest, I think you want someone to convince you that you might have missed out on a D3. I'm not reading anything that is telling me you need the D3. Not trying to convince you, I'm just sayin.....

So, do you need a PRO body? That is the question.
 
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lol It's the same AF system in both cameras!

So sorry but the D3 is not "slightly faster" it's identical. ;)

If it's a D3 you have your heart set on you won't be disappointed.

I do have to smile at the "pro" being applied to the D3 and not the D700 though, especially considering how many pros I know using the D700 ;)
 
Go try a D3 out. Take a few snaps with one. You will see what we are talking about. It might convince you that you do want to go in that direction and you'll find a way to come up with the extra money.

Even if you don't think you NEED one, hey, I'm a gadget guy too. I WANTED a D3 over a D700 and I'm not sorry one bit as I got mine for £1900 with 5000 clicks. Shop around and you might be surprised what you find.
 
I have. I've shot with a D3 and a D3s :)

I could afford either tomorrow but you are right, it's a want rather than a need.

Perhaps if I ever need a backup for the two D700's ;) lol
 
Its your money to burn, if a d3 is what you want, then I doubt anything we say will really change your mind as it sounds like you had already decided before you posted anyway. ;)

Personally, I love the D700, and yes I have tried a D3, which is also beautiful but doesn't give my small hands the flexibility of a smaller body when I need it. Horses for courses. Mind you, like Ali, I am quite disappointed to find that Nikon consider this a Pro body and now I find out it isn't :p
 
AliB said:
lol It's the same AF system in both cameras!

So sorry but the D3 is not "slightly faster" it's identical. ;)

If it's a D3 you have your heart set on you won't be disappointed.

I do have to smile at the "pro" being applied to the D3 and not the D700 though, especially considering how many pros I know using the D700 ;)
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Yes same FX Multi-CAM 3500 hardware, but the D3, D3S AND D3X, have a dual AF sensors, the D700 and D300(s) just have one AF sensor. That's what makes the difference.

Pros certainly use the D700. The D700 is certainly capable of making someone money, no doubt. The D3 is a pro body though and that's why everyone and their grandmother on the sidelines of sporting events shooting Nikon has a D3 or D3s and not a D700. Possible, but rare. Using the word PRO is just something I'm doing to set it apart from the D700. Nothing more. Don't read into it too much.
 
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ianbarber said:
I havent made up my mind, whats interesting is the amount of D700 users saying how good this camera is and not one person has said they are dissapointed with how it handles or performs.
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OK, turn that around.... lets pretend your really can't afford a D-anything-else atm, are YOU disappointed with the way it handles or performs in your 6 weeks of use? Ultimately thats the question you have to answer. If not, would that money that you perhaps can afford, be better spent on something else?
 
Does the D3 have better weatherproofing?
 
OK, turn that around.... lets pretend your really can't afford a D-anything-else atm, are YOU disappointed with the way it handles or performs in your 6 weeks of use? Ultimately thats the question you have to answer. If not, would that money that you perhaps can afford, be better spent on something else?
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The only thing i would say I am dissapointed with and I know you might thnk this is really small but twice now when I have been out with a couple of wildlife togs, they have commented on how noisey the shutter is.
 
Ok, its not quiet, but I can't say I have noticed it is particularly over noisy, even when sitting at the back of quiet churches during weddings. I am pretty sure everyone can hear it, but then I can hear the D3 shutters [possibly D3x/s, not sure tbh] of the guys I work with so..... :shrug:

I think what you need to do is decide HOW much difference it will make to you and if you can justify the extra cost [and depreciation on D700]. If those things are easy to answer then go for it, because if you don't, you will never love the d700 anyway and always be tempted to find fault and say "if I had bought the d3....."
If on the otherhand you are struggling to justify a reason to upgrade other than a possible pipe dream..... get out there and get some serious clicks on it :D
 
gman said:
Does the D3 have better weatherproofing?
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The D3 has brilliant weatherproofing - I don't know if it's better than on the D700 as I've not used one.
D3 copes well in torrential rain as well as dust-storms though...
 
I think the term pro body goes back a while when pros slr shooters were seen as press/sport photographers and wedding photographers were still shooting on medium format.

Ten years on and digital now rules and the top cameras like the D3 are still known as Pro and cameras like the D700 and canon 5d are known as Pro consumers.
 
ianbarber said:
Approx 6 week ago I purchased a New D700 to replace my D300 because I wanted a FF sensor.

Although I really like the D700, I cant help thinking that I should have gone for a D3 instead.

Apart from the built in Battery Grip and the 100% view finder coverage would I see any advantages over the D700.
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what boundaries have you actually hit with the 700, and how are they limiting you?
 
Get a D3 strap and stick a label over the D700 logo :D

I lurve my D3 :love: and haven't handled a D700, but it does rather sound like you wish you were wearing the D3 badge rather than disappointment in the actual performance of the D700.

;)
 
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texfoto said:
The D3 is a pro body though and that's why everyone and their grandmother on the sidelines of sporting events shooting Nikon has a D3 or D3s and not a D700. Possible, but rare. Using the word PRO is just something I'm doing to set it apart from the D700. Nothing more. Don't read into it too much.
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sports aren't the only area where you might need a high end body though. Unless you need the higher frame rate, and improved weather sealing, then the D700 is (I think) a better choice. I've never regreted choosing them over the d3, and saving a couple of grand buying 2 vs 2 D3s, but I don't need the additional toughness if the d3 so it was a bit af a bussiness decision to get the d700 instead (plus I prefer the lighter bodies)
 
I went down the D700 route purely because I like the smaller size and lighter weight. It makes a difference if you're carrying it around all day. If I were doing sports photography or something that required the higher frame rate the D3 would have been the logical choice.

As for weather sealing, I've always just assumed the D3 was better though I can't find any direct comparisons online. If you're battling sandstorms like Arkady then go for a D3 to be on the safe side. :)

Are you going to actually see the benefits over the D700 in whatever it is you shoot?
 
ianbarber said:
The only thing i would say I am dissapointed with and I know you might thnk this is really small but twice now when I have been out with a couple of wildlife togs, they have commented on how noisey the shutter is.
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The D3 has a louder clunk than the D700 which is why I said it sounded more solid. The D3s has a quiet mode and I heard someone use it this weekend. It is quieter in that mode shooting pics. Not sure I would shoot in that mode all the time though as I don't know if it affects performance in continuous modes.

I know someone who shot a symphonic concert and it was a must to be silent. He built a foam box as movie shooters do to sound proof the shutter clunks.

Wildlifers and birders shoot D300's (cropped sensors) a lot for the subject on pixel ratio. A D700 sounds a little more solid than a D300 but the D3 has an even louder shutter. Distracting? I guess if you are shooting birds or wildlife in library type quiet settings with only the bugs and birds making noise it can be noticeable.

I know of several folks using FX Nikon bodies and I never hear them say a word about needing a quiet shutter on a body. I guess they aren't sneaking up on the wildlife. It's all meant to be shot at a distance anyway.

Regarding your comments about no one being disappointed with the D700, I agree and I hear the same sentiment on Nikon only forums as well as forums with mixed gear members. Everyone is more than satisfied with the D700. It is a fantastic camera and I may go with one as my backup. The ONLY reasons I'm thinking of wanting a D3 line of camera is price, similar battery (no more EN-EL3E's), and the fact that I don't think it is so big anymore.

Someone asked about weatherproofing........Nikon says the D300, D700, and D3 line are environmentally sealed. Doesn't say whether one is more sealed than the other but as a single enclosed D3 line body compared with a body/grip, I would say it is better sealed than the other two for that reason alone.

Go hang out on Nikoncafe and you'll get better feedback than here from Nikon folks who shoot day in and day out in all sorts of scenarios. They have been most helpful for me in improving my photography. This question you ask about the D700 vs. D3 is being asked a lot lately (myself included) due to the price inching closer. I say go try one and see how you think it feels shooting with it in the store or shooting a friends. If you lived near me I would let you shoot mine to see what you think vs. the D700.


Good luck. I think you have enough information now to make the decision. Oh, and don't get me started on what to do with my D300s. I may go all FX!
 
I've had my D700 for 18 months and have never had a situation where I've wished I had a D3 instead. It is a superb piece of kit.
As for weatherproofing, I used it on a wet weekend in Paris for 2 days constantly in the rain without any problem.
If there's a plus point for the D700 over the D3 it has to be the sensor cleaning. D700 users rarely, if ever, have to 'swab'.
 
I had a D700 for a few months and sold it to upgrade to a D3. I don't regret it. The swinger for me was dual cards, slightly better framerate and 100% viewfinder. I love my D3!
 
The dual-cards has come in very handy for me, especially this past weekend. The backup is priceless to be honest if you are getting paid to snap pics. Now if I could just afford an Epson 7000 hard drive card reader that would be great.
 
I have a D3s (not the D3) and a D700 with grip, these are my thoughts.

D700+ Grip
Pros
Having a little button near your thumb on the additional grip for focus point selection
Active Sensor "cleaning" when you switch the camera on / off
Can cope with everything I've given it - including short periods of torrential rain.
Built in commander for Nikon CLS remote flash
Cons
The grip (Nikon version) I've found can be a bit flaky at times especially if there is moisture about. I had to take it off when I was shooting a swimming tournament as it briefly stopped working (I think it got splashed by a swimmer) It is fine now though.
With the grip installed it is bigger than the D3

D3(s)
Pros
Really Long battery life - I've shot a wedding and a trip to the zoo on my D3s and still have over 1/2 battery left (I don't know why I spent money on spares)
Dual Card slots (I find mine really useful as if I forget to swap the cards at a critical point in a wedding I don't runout of space)
100% viewfinder
Cons
I Have to resort to focus and recompose in portrait mode as the focus point selector is placed too far away for my fingers
No active sensor cleaning on D3 (although it is there on D3s)
Have to resort to SB900 or SB800 if I want to use Nikon CLS remote flash.

Overall I wouldn't swap the D700 for a D3 (D3s is a different story the ISO performance is stunning but also a big jump in price)
 
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