D300 vs. D700 - Snowboard / Horse / Motorsport photography

[rob_johnston4]

<p>I did a quick search, but hopefully not duplicating a previous question.<br>

Have had a D70 for years ( with ED lenses and a Sigma 50-500 )<br>

Unfortunately only a couple frames/second, so I want to upgrade. (wife wants me to get pick with all four hooves off the ground at Gallup, missing the grabs on some of the snowboarding shots etc.)<br>

Mainly shoot snowboarding tricks, Horse Riding, occasional Motorsport and the usual Clouds, Sunsets, Mountain tops etc -- all for fun, but need high quality for blow-up prints.<br>

Was originally thinking that spend more = get more.. but a bit of research makes me think that the D300 is better than the D700 for what I want. ( can't afford a D3 )<br>

Any suggestions? Will I need to get new lenses? (which ones and how much?)</p>

 

[Matt Laur]

<p>I would get a D300 with the MB-D10 grip to support higher frame rates, and save the money that would have gone to the D700, using it to buy good, fast glass. <br /><br />The D300 is very well suited to fast moving action work. In dim light, the D700 has some advantages in high ISO work, but if you have anything like decent light, the D300 is going to be better for some people in some ways.<br /><br />One thing that comes to mind: the two cameras share the same AF system. On the D300, the 51 AF sensors are distributed pretty well across the frame, making it quite effective for sports-ish subject matter. On the D700, those same sensors occupy a smaller area of the frame, making it actually a bit harder to track fast moving subjects. <br /><br />But none of that means anything if you can't get the motion freezing you're after, and that's all about shutter speed. And you can squeeze a bit more of that out of the D700's higher ISO capability, or use faster glass if you can get it. The good lenses are always the better bet, since it won't be long before both the D300 and the D700 will be those quaint old, slow, noisy bodies from back in dark ages of 2009.<br /><br />Depending on the sorts of venues you like, you sound like a prime candidate for Nikon's 70-200/2.8. It's a deamboat on the D300 for action shooting at intermediate distances.</p>

[rob_johnston4]

<p>wow. £1200 for the lense... then I'd need either a 17-35 or a 24 - 70... <br>

£3000 - £4000 to get kitted up. You've really got to pay to play, eh?<br>

What about my SIGMA 50-500 1:4-6:3D ? I'd rather get a good wide angle and make do with the SIGMA if I can; or is that really not good enough?<br>

What about my fast Nikor manual focus lenses from the 70's... or any of the ED lenses I have for my N90? <br>

Any use on these modern cameras?</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>The Sigma 50-500 is just too slow (especially at the long end) for sports in anything other than very strong light. Nikon's AF system is designed to expect at least f/5.6 to even work, so the f/6.3 on the Sigma might have it hunting for focus a lot, even in good light... and forget about poor light. Sports shooting rarely seems to happen under ideal conditions.<br /><br />As for the 17-35 or 24-70... well, it all depends on what you'll be shooting. If you go with the DX body (the D300), you could probably just skip both of those and get the 17-55/2.8 instead... and not sweat the gap between 55 and 70. Those two lenses will get a lot done for you.<br /><br />Your MF lenses, as long as they're AI or AI-S or later, will work on the D300. Whether you'll be happy with them depends on what you're shooting and how, of course.</p>

[elliot1]

<p>What size are the prints you are making?</p>

[armando_roldan]

<p>Ditch the 50-500mm. Its a TRY TO DO ALL amateurs lens and real stove pipe. A slow stove pipe at that.And you might get $600-700 for it.</p>

<p>You can get a low mileage D2h for $500usd and a 80-200mm f2.8 AF for like $400 and 300mm F4 AF for about the same price or even less than a D300 body alone. Now you got $1300 in high speed shooting gear and image quality will outweight the slight loss of megapixel from 6mb to 4.2mb in the D2h. I have made outstanding prints up to 11x14 with my D2h. Keep the D70 as a back up and even have another lens mounted on it ready to use depending on the changing distance of the subject. You can even add a used 18-70mm Nikon and SB-600 flash and still not spend as much as the D300 body alone.</p>

<p>By the way, the D2h will shoot 8fps. I have shot baseball players from the 3rd baseline and got the entire swing in only 3 frames since they swing that fast,...but once I got a barry bonds homerun just as the ball was lifting away from the bat. As in professional boxing, the human body is sometimes faster than a horse, a snowboard or even a motorcross/road race bike.</p>

<p>And do you really make that many big prints for FUN?....be honest. In the 70,000 shots I have taken digitally in the past 4 yrs, I have only made about 20 bigger prints and most were for some wedding shots I took with my D70s and the 18-70mm lens. I know you wish to shoot bascially sports but a nice short zoom like the 18-70mm is very handy and maybe $200 used in mint condition but you can always upgrade to a 17-55mm f2.8 for 5 times the price but thats if you stop having *fun* and start making money or want the best out out your images .<br>

its not the camera that get the great images, its the glass in front of it. And lots of shooting.</p>

<p>good luck selling Sigma and rent some fast glass from Nikon from a lens rental place. The difference will be amazing....then, you'll know what to do.</p><div></div>

[jorik_blom]

<p>HI.<br>

Pretty new to these forums, but your are right in my field. I have been shooting snowboarding for years. I was shooting with the D2x which I love. I I have upgraded to the D300 (also NOT the D3 due to the price tag), after comparing the D700 & the D300, I decided that paying the extra for the 700 was not worth while, especially as they do share the same processor. I also got the extra Mbd10 - which I find invaluable, (extra battery life, faster drive and the Vertical Grip). Plus out in the snow it just feels better in my hand. !!<br>

I like the D300's low noise quality - which is why I initially replaced my D2x. Also talking to various other "PRO" snowboard shooters and photo editors, you just cannot afford not to stay updated - It is a hugely competitive field, and any extra detail you can capture will only improve your quality, I find that due to the quick action, it is sometimes hard to compose perfectly, so cropping and having the extra MP to still give you a good quality file is imperative.<br>

Go the D300 - I was going to use mine mainly for night time or more critical shots, but found that I used it 99% of the time.<br>

Anyone want to buy an AMAZING D2x ???<br>

As far as lenses, don't try go too long. 80-200 2.8 is a must, but mainly I use a Vivitar 19-35. 3.5 (could use a 2.8 though) Oh and get a few SUNPACK Flashes !!!<br>

www.jorikblomphotography.com</p>