mark_in_st._louis Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 I'm looking at that $4500 price for a D3 and B&H and wondering if it is my civic duty to take one off their hands. Don't want them to be stuck with palets full when the new models come out. The low light levels would help me a great deal in my photography (primarily indoor horse shows). Looking at grabbing an additional en-el4a, bl-4, and hoodman hoodcap. Anything else I should help B&H with on the order? Current inventory SB800, 70-200, 85mm F1.4, 50mm F1.4. And a D200 that will have to visit eBay to make this work and have me remain married. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tri-x1 Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Yeah, that marriage business always complicates things. My mate and I have an understanding: If I want to buy new gear I have to sell enough old gear to pay for it. Some day I won't have enough old gear to pay for the new gear and that's gonna be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce_margolis Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 I would think the D3 would be a big help with indoor shows since you say the lighting is low. I am sure someone will bring up the corner issue with the 70-200 lens but that might not be a concern for you anyway. While the body might be a natural for what you like to shoot, have you thought about whether your lenses will be long enough without the crop factor? Also, is there a reason the D3 works for you but the D700 doesn't? One thing you might consider is renting a D3 for a few days and see how it works for you. It sure doesn't look like you have to worry about the price going up any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 In mid to late June the price for the D3 at B&H was still $4999. In a little more than a month, it has dropped close to $500. Somehow I don't think it has stabilized yet. I have seen prices closers to $4000 else where, but I am not sure how reliable those stores are; they are potentially gray-market items. At this point I think it is prudent to wait for Nikon's pre-Photokina announcements before buying any "big ticket" items, unless for some reason you cannot wait another month or so. My feeling is that the D3 won't be the so called "flag ship" Nikon DSLR for much longer, and we can see further price drops once something better is out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_burgis Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Doesn't the D3 come with a protective plastic cover? Or are you just being prepared for when you lose it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonb Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Mark, I'm pretty sure the folks at B&H need no charity, but I applaud your concern for them. :-) I use a D3 for indoor sports, and I expect it (or the D700) would be excellent for indoor horse shows. You don't need the additional EN-EL4A and BL-4 unless you shoot a LOT of images (meaning thousands) in a day or simply want a back-up. Battery life is outstanding. I can't imagine what the next "flagship" model might have that would tempt me away from my D3. (More megapixels doesn't excite me.) Then again, I never imagined the D3 before it came out. If the post-Photokina line-up is a (high-megapixel) large body, D3, and D700, I'm not sure why the D3 prices would be all that much further reduced since it would still be the body of choice for the PJ and sports shooters. I'm thinking of the period when the D2X was the hot ticket but the D2H was still quite pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonb Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Ron, believe it or not, no, it does not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_watson Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 All asking us proves is that you're utterly beyond redemption, a hopeless case full of hypocrisy and self-justification. Why consult people who rush from rehab to retox whenever their credit card retreats into the black? Just buy the stuff and man-up to the consequences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tri-x1 Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 The D3 allegedly doesn't have the lcd cover because there is more camera around the screen to protect it--especially below. And the screen on both the D3 and D300 are made from a scratch resistant glass--much better than what was used on past models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_ Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Aside from the *you-need-to-pay extra" for a buffer upgrade to your soon-to-purchase D3 body (if you should want the extra speed for image transfer,) you should inquire from B+H if the camera they are selling has Nikon Capture NX2 or the old Nikon Capture NX CD? Oooops, another upgrade Nikon would like to sell you. Lighting in a horse arena should get good results up around ISO 5000 (my guess.) You might look into a water-proof (for dust control) bag to hold your camera and lens....dust on the sensor can be a minor problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_in_st._louis Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 <p> Thank you for your thoughts. Regarding the D700 vs. D3 decision, I've found that I really enjoy using the grip on my existing D200 since I have large hands and have never wanted to use the camera without it. So, the D700 with grip is actually a larger camera than the D3 from what I have seen. I've read some reviews of the D700 grip and think I would enjoy the D3s approach better if a grip is always going to be used. I actually like the voice recording feature of the D3. I see the new 2.0 firmware provides some of the D700 like features. And with the price down $500 or so the price difference is really not as large as when the D700 came out. Now we are looking at a $3250 vs. $4500 decision. Plus back to the marriage issue, I'll get in just as much caca buying either one, so I may as well go for it. Regarding the lens I find that the existing 70-200 is never used at 200mm in DX for my use, So, I'm hoping... As already mentioned, no LCD cover is provided on a D3. The 6 and 12 layer glass LCD covers look interesting but they use an adhesive instead of the mounting points that the Hoodman uses. </p> <p> Has anyone that owns the D3 ever had access to both the Kirk and the RRS L bracket? I'm curious what the advantages are of one over the other. Thinking about the Markins M20 red with this. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_bradtke Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Mark I am just wondering what kind of shows you are doing. I shoot Dressage, Hunter Jumper and Barrel racing at indoor arenas. The Barrel racing is the only one that I don't use my 120-300 on. For that I use a 105 f/1.8 I find myself at 300mm a lot with the Dressage and HJ and thats on a D300. I would love the high ISO capability's of a D3/D700 but I do not want to loose the reach (crop factor) of the D300. For the indoor arenas I shoot 800 ISO is common. I am usually at 1/500 at f/3.5 or 1/800 at f/2.8 if the background is really ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomweis Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 <p>A D3, glass, acce$$ories, and now a Markins ballhead? Man you are getting in deep. Kirk and RRS both make excellent products - I've used both. I believe they are even priced the same at this time. As for the ballhead, I've never used a Markins, but I have used the Kirk BH-3, Acratech, and now I own the Arca-Swiss Z1 (figured I'd try the original...) and I like it far better than the other two. I'm a Canon user now, but I feel your pain... getting the 50mm f1.2 I want would probably un-marry me real fast.</p> <p>Oh, and don't forget a real nice carbon fiber tripod on which to put all your nice new shiny stuff.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josephwalsh Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Mark, your use of the plural in the title startled me at first: "D3s? Holy cow, the D3 is obsolete already?!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djthomas Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Mark-- I use the Markins M20 ballhead with the Kirk L-bracket on my D300 with grip. (About the size of a D3--maybe just a tad larger.) Other than to change/charge the second battery in the camera body, the grip and bracket never come off. I have been extremely pleased with this combination and find this ballhead very well made and absolutely steady at every angle I've had my camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_in_st._louis Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 In answer to horse show questions, for me horse show = Miniature Horse. AMHA and AMHR shows. Typically halter & driving. Not quite as mocho as most that are interested in horse shows. But thats my hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_bradtke Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Hey Mark Minis are tough to shoot. I find that there legs go so fast its hard to get the stride right. If you can nail that my hats off to you. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnw63 Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 When I read "Mini horse" and "fast moving legs" I got the image of Droopy the Dog's horse in my head. Just a blur of motion under a slow moving thing. Too many cartoons as a kid, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twmeyer Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Rather than being eventually stuck with last year's camera (poor fellow) or getting a divorce just so you can upgrade, why don't you consider raising your prices? Or is this photo thing entirely for your own amusement? in which case, I am siding with your wife... t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_ Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 "I would love the high ISO capability's of a D3/D700 but I do not want to loose the reach (crop factor) of the D300." The D3 body has three formats: FX, DX, and a 5:4 ratio. You can mount a FX lens and shoot in DX mode, giving you the crop and high ISO settings, if you wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthuryeo Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 To say the least, the ISO 6400 mode works. These were shot in a room without any light except the LCD screen of the computer. <br> <img src ="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2733967695_af787418ef.jpg"> <br> <img src ="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3040/2733969665_6dda0b91cb.jpg"> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_hanley1 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I still find it amazing that so many people believe the DX crop is somehow a teleconverter. The crop is just that, you are only using the center portion of the image circle. A 300mm lens is a 300mm lens, the only difference is the angle of view presented to the sensor, not magnification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack_e Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Mark~What you say is true, but up until now the resolution (pixel density) is so much greater on the DX sensors. This enables greater magnification without loss of detail. And of course this allows greater cropping. As some one who shoots wildlife, you can never get enough magnification or resolution. So until Nikon puts out a high pixel density FF the DX sensor is superior for my needs. I would like the higher ISO performance but it is trumped by my need to crop. Just my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_bradtke Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Sure Gerald I could use the crop mode on a D3.Then I am down to 5 mp. Might as well use my D2h for that kind of resolution. Mark The narrower angle of view is what allows me to fill the frame with a 300 f/2.8 instead of having to carry a 400 f/2.8 I shoot multiple formats and have for many years. I have understood that focal length is focal length no matter if its a 50 mm on a F or a 50 mm on a RB67. Please excuse my sloppy terminology in my previous post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthuryeo Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Mark, >A 300mm lens is a 300mm lens, the only difference is the angle of view presented to the sensor, not magnification. Have you pointed a DX and FX camera at the same subject and looked thru the viewfinder with the same lens? The one on the DX viewfinder is magnified. That is an advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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