D2x D300 second body

[jack flannery]

<p>Hi,<br>

I upgraded to a D700 from D200 and rather miss DX a bit. I also ride a motorcycle exclusively so weather protection is important and I would hate to frag my camera in weather. I'm thinking about getting a second body and used D300's and D2X's are about the same price. I consider the D2x because of the ergo's and rain protection. Frankly, I would like to handle a "pro grade" body without spending a bunch of cash. I would use it for mostly daytime photography. The D700 is magic BTW, and a definite upgrade from the D200, a fine camera in its own right. Any opinions? Thanks.<br>

Jack</p>

[wpahnelas]

<p>Di700 and D300 are a great matching pair -- that's what i use. i'm not so familiar with D2x, but the weather sealing on the D300 is as good as i'd expect from any camera (that's not an underwater model). the only cavaet is, the grip isn't as well-protected, as water can seep between the grip and body and cause shorting -- but you haven't mentioned the grip, so that's probably moot.</p>

 

[ddrake]

<p>Jack,<br>

I was faced with the same question. I ended up going with the D300 because it is newer technology than the D2x. The D2x is a fine camera, but I finally decided that the newer processing in the D300 outweighed the pro body design. I added the MB-d10 grip to the D300 and it has a very nice feel. Good luck. </p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>The D700 and D300 are essentially the FX and DX versions of the same camera. If you ever buy an MB-D10 vertical grip, it can be shared by both cameras.</p>

<p>The D2X has the following disadvantages:</p>

<ol>

<li>Once you get used to the 3" LCD on the D700, the one on the D2X will seem annoyingly small.</li>

<li>The larger D2X is probably less convenient on a motorcycle.</li>

<li>The D2X uses a different AF system from the D700.</li>

<li>The D2X has no live view (not sure you use that feature).</li>

<li>The way to magnify and reduce the image on the back LCD is different on the D2X and D3 family. The D2X uses the same way as the D200: hold down the magnify button and rotate the command dial.</li>

<li>The D2X has very poor high-ISO results in today's standards.</li>

<li>The D2X is not UDMA compatible and its memory write speed is a lot slower than that on the D300 (and D700, D3).

</ol>

<p>At least to me, the D700 and D300 seem to be the much better couple. In the OP's case, #1 and #2 are likely major issues. The others are probably minor inconveniences (since the OP mainly shoots during daytime). For others, those issues could be significant.</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>+1 for D300. I'm using a D200 in addition to D700 for now, until prices drop more on the D300. #6 is important to me.</p>

[John Crowe]

<p>The D2X does have that nice pro build. Be sure to check one out in person because they are large and heavy. I use mine solely at ISO 100 for outdoor sports, and reviews say it outperforms the D300 at this ISO setting. </p>

<p>My full frame camera is completely different from the D2X and while I do make the adjustment back and forth fairly seemlessly I could see the advantage of having the D300 if it is very similar to the D700. The same comment goes for the rear LCD screen, having the same or nearly identical one would be a plus.</p>

<p>The other advantage of the D2X, for those few of us that use a lot of manual focus lenses, is that it is the last Nikon body that readily accepts the autofocus teleconverter, Nikon TC-16A. It works extremely well on my 135/2, 200/2, and 400/2.8. It's focusing range, and speed, is much more useful than many people report. I have considered a second D2X and second TC-16A to make events easier to handle. </p>

[ramon_v__california_]

<p>did you sell the d200? that would have been a great second body for dx.<br>

anyway i'd vote for the d300 echoing shun's words.</p>

[laurentlacoste]

<p>Nothing can compare with those pro-bodies regarding all the features they offer in one single camera. Yet, as other posters pointed out, you might consider the fact that it is not always practical to carry around such bulky and heavy cameras.<br>

I've used the D2X since 2005 and I'm still impressed today by its IQ, but miss the higher ISO capabilities and better dynamic range of more modern cameras.<br>

Last little nitpick about the D2X. Mine is now four years old and the rubber grip around the body needs to be stuck again in various places as its original sticking device has begun to dry and has to be replaced. This of course is a minor inconvenience, but surprised me when it began to happen.</p>