Encouragement and Suggestions

[jeff_conaway1]

<p>I purchased a Nikon D80, flash and two lenses about 3 years ago to take LOTS of pictures of my kids for my wife and I and to document their lives. My wife and I do not have many pictures of our childhood and we are making up for it! I have been saving my money for a 70/80-200 2.8 lens for sports and low light photos.<br>

While searching the web I came upon a "NIkon System" for $1200. So I purchased it. It included:<br>

DX1 with buffer upgrade and 5.? software, flawless with absolutely no wear or scratches.<br>

17-35 D 2.8<br>

35-70 D 2.8 (push/pull type)<br>

80-200 D 2.8<br>

SB-800<br>

Nikon filters, polarizers, memory, batteries etc.<br>

All parts were flawless and appeared to have very little use. They have been stored for years in a Pelican case. <br>

After playing with the D1x I have come to love the feel of the larger body camera and the balance with the much heaver lenses. So my questions is, should I keep the D80 and the D1x and go about life as usual or since both cameras are discontinued and the D1x is probably 8 to 10 years old should I sell my D80 stuff and the D1x and purchase a D300 with a power grip? My skill level is slightly above beginner and have mostly done point and shoot, so either way I go the equipment is above my skills and the D300 would be light-years beyond. I like the feel of the D1x and the fact that it is built like a tank and environmentally sealed so that weather is not an issue (I have been doing my research). But everywhere I look the opinions are as divided as the Republicans and the Democrats! Some love it and some say they are outdated. If I am to get money out of the sale I think now is the time to do it. If I wait the value will only decrease (but so will the cost of the D300). I am going round and round with this in my head. If you had the above equipment which way would you go? Encouragement and suggestions will be MOST appreciated!! <br>

Also, if you know of great web sites that offer portrait / kids sports lesson or tutorials please mention them here. I know that there are 1000's but I am looking for the best ones, taking advantage of everyone's vast knowledge!! <br>

Thanks in advance,<br>

Jeff</p>

[todd peach seattle, washi]

<p>If I had that, I'd probably "stand pat" rather than trade for one body. Then again, I'm a "two body" shooter. BTW, that's a smokin' deal you got.</p>

<p>Even if you don't shoot with two bodies on each outing, having a second body is just great "insurance" for breakage, dead batteries. fouled card slot, stuff like that.</p>

[pge]

<p>Hi Jeff</p>

<p>That was a very nice deal that you picked up. Consider the dx1 free.</p>

<p>I would say, use these two cameras for a couple of more years, they won't come down that much in value because they don't have much value left anyways. In a couple of years it may be time for a new camera to go along with that very nice assortment of lenses.</p>

[m_allegretta]

<p>Consider keeping D1x as a companion to your new D300, one mounted with the 17-35 and the other with 80-200.</p>

[vikas_kohli]

<p>Wow ! I am jealous of your "Nikon system" deal :) you got some nice lenses there, assuming all of them are Nikon lenses there.</p>

<p>I am also looking for best portrait tutorial / lessons and would appreciate that info as well..</p>

[tommyinca]

<p>What a deal! Now do the same for a used D700 :-)</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>Is there anything about that rig you have now that you don't like? If not, stand pat.</p>

<p>If there is something particular that you can not do or want to do, can you let us know what that is?</p>

[left_ayyones]

<p>The D1X only has 5.5 megapixels. To me, it seems like with that much weight, it's probably not worth keeping much longer unless you only <em>ever</em> want to print 4x6"-ish size.</p>

<p>If it were me, I'd absolutely keep the lenses, flash, filters etc. and sell the D1x body. If I only needed one body then I'd also sell the D80 stuff and any "DX" lenses that won't work on a full frame camera. Then I'd use the proceeds from selling the D1x (and possibly D80 stuff) to partially fund the purchase of a nice used D700 body and battery grip.</p>

<p>KEH prices a used D1x at about $350, and a used D80 at about $500. Sell both, and I'd be about halfway to my used D700. Of course, to avoid being camera-less I'd want to save up, purchase the D700, and then sell the other stuff, as it can take some time to sell old digital bodies. You may want to wait until the <em>new</em> D700 is introduced (D700s / D700x or whatever it will be called, maybe this year if you believe the rumors) as that will probably drive prices down a bit (on the other hand it will also drive down prices for your used stuff).</p>

<p>Check out the tutorials here on photo.net of course (there are lots) and also check out http://www.photozone.de/Technique and the other tabs at the top (Imaging & Technology)</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>"So my questions is, should I keep the D80 and the D1x and go about life as usual or since both cameras are discontinued and the D1x is probably 8 to 10 years old should I sell my D80 stuff and the D1x and purchase a D300 with a <a href="../nikon-camera-forum/00WYbu#" target="_blank">power</a> grip?"</p>

<p>jeff, i have a d80 and a d300. the d80 is an ok camera, but its metering is flawed, and it lacks the low-light performance of the d90 and even the d5000. the d300 OTOH is an awesome camera. IMHO it's one of the best DX bodies ever made. i do not think you can go wrong upgrading from two obsolete bodies to a d300, which should serve you faithfully for many years to come. having the option to use the grip or not use it almost makes it two different cameras. i grip it up for serious shooting or heavy lenses, and remove the grip when i want to go light with a compact zoom or prime.</p>

<p>there is a learning curve with it, but if you already have a d80, it wouldnt be that bad. basically, you have a lot more control over what you shoot, and much better ergonomics. it's not so advanced that only advanced shooters can use it, but it is advanced enough that it will take some time to master.</p>

<p>here's the thing: you are right that the value of your current bodies can only depreciate more. OTOH, the d300 has already been discontinued, and even the d300s will be gone soon. So now is the time to get a d300. i personally think Nikon nailed it with the d300, to the point where there's not much they can do to make the camera better, other than adding extraneous bells and whistles. this is what is taking the d400 so long to come out. it will likely have more megapixels (somewhere in the 15-18 range) and possibly better resolution at base ISO, but i dont need that, since i shoot a lot in low-light situations and dont make excessively large prints. so i probably wont be getting a d400; instead i will wait for the D3s sensor to trickle down to a d700-size body.</p>

<p>in your case, the questions to ask are, will the d300 improve my photography, and is this a camera i can live with for at least the next 5 years? i would think the answer to both will be yes. of course it never hurts to improve your technique, so you can get the most out of your gear. but the d300 is 3 generations ahead of the D1X, which at this point is somewhat of a curio.</p>

[carl_becker2]

<p>I suggest you keep what you have and use it, save a bit starting now so you can upgrade in time. When there comes a time that the body will not allow you to do something then purchase a body that will, I would guess that would be ISO or AF performance. Your deal was good enough that the DX1 could be a paper weight and you are still ahead.</p>

[jeff_conaway1]

<p>"Is there anything about that rig you have now that you don't like? If not, stand pat."<br>

I am satisfied with the equipment and standing pat is what I want to do but I just needed to run it by others in case I was missing something. I like having 2 cameras. So at the moment I am good.<br>

"If there is something particular that you can not do or want to do, can you let us know what that is?"<br>

I am wanting to learn to "see" the picture then make the camera get it. Right now I am more point/shoot and pray. Generally I will delete 199 out of 200 shots. </p>

 

[wogears]

<blockquote>

<p>The D1X only has 5.5 megapixels. To me, it seems like with that much weight, it's probably not worth keeping much longer unless you only <em>ever</em> want to print 4x6"-ish size.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>My D70 only has 6.1 megapixels, and I can get a nice 11x14 out of it with most subjects. 8x10 with detailed landscapes.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>"Right now I am more point/shoot and pray."</p>

<p>This kind of says it all.</p>

<p>so let me amend my last post. if i were you, i'd first take some photography courses and get some books--understanding exposure by bryan peterson is an excellent tutorial--so you can understand the technical aspects of what you are doing. you have some good lenses, that's the most important thing. bodies come and go. but you need to be able to understand how to "see" the shot and capture it as you pictured it in your mind. even the best equipment cannot teach you this, although it's easier with good equipment.</p>

<p>framing and composition are very important, and one thing which can help in this sense is a prime lens. i'm always amazed, when i force myself to shoot with just a prime, how much it aids my compositional technique. with a prime, the fixed focal length helps train your eye to see the world from the perspective of the lens. if you take enough shots with it, eventually this will come naturally. with a zoom, you have to work harder to get a precise sense of framing, letting the scene dictate the composition rather than the composition dictating the scene, if that makes any sense. so, instead of buying a new body when you havent fully mastered your other ones, i'd consider plunking down $120 for a 50/1.8 (which is a good short portrait lens on DX) or a bit more $$ for something in the 28-35 range (for candids and street photography).</p>

<p> </p>

[denis_kucharski]

<p>You have more than enough gear now. I have a 5 megapixel Olympus E-20 and I have printed 12x18 landscapes with it looked at from two feet away that look plenty sharp. Portraits at 11x14 are perfect. You have some great lenses and two great camera bodies to enjoy. For low light shots, just use your flash or a tripod. Or use a fast prime lens, like a 50 f/1.4. Don't let NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome) get the best of your pocketbook. Be strong, young Nikonian. Let the force be with you.</p>

[john_tran14]

<p>My recommendation is: Since you can afford to upgrade, you should, and sell the D1x and D80 at a low price to someone else who can not afford a newer model. You know how happy you are when you get a good deal. It is your turn now to make someone else happy to buy your D1x and D80 at a very low price. Maybe it's better to sell the two cameras to two different people (so there will be more happy people)</p>

[dd_toth]

<p>I'm always annoyed with the whole outdated thing. If it works for you continue to use it and once you feel limited by your gear, then sell it and upgrade. Yes it has less megapixels then the cameras coming out now, but some pros would prefer that because it produces less noise. If you are wanting to make large prints from your images like 16x20 then a camera with more megapixels will benefit you but if all your doing is making 4x6 to 8x10, with the odd 11x14 print, then you will be fine with what you got. Stick with your instincts and enjoy using the gear you have. How much you paid for it doesn't matter.</p>

[dave wyman]

<p>"The D1X only has 5.5 megapixels. To me, it seems like with that much weight, it's probably not worth keeping much longer unless you only <em >ever</em> want to print 4x6"-ish size."<br>

I don't think this is true. Even if true, post processing would allow for significant upsizing. From a normal viewing distance, I don't doubt a D1X could be successfully used to create an image the size of a billboard.</p>

[jeff_conaway1]

<p>I want to thank everyone that has commented here. I am weighing each comment and suggestion before making my decision. </p>

<p>After using the D1x for over a week, here is what I have found: (1) The batteries are the pitts! I put in a fresh battery on Friday evening and took about 20 shots. Saturday I was able to take 5 shots before the camera froze and would not take anymore (would meter and focus but no shutter). This is even though the battery meter shows 1/2 battery. No warnings, beeps or otherwise, just quit! NOT good at all. I plan to take the batteries to Batteries Plus and have them refreshed. (2) The 2gb CF Microdrive card takes about 4 seconds per picture to upload vs the 1 second from the D80 SD card even though the files from the D80 are larger. Is this normal? Older tech vs newer? (3) After a few unscientific tests with the AF speed using a non AF-S lens I am unable to determine any difference between the two cameras. (4) The D80 menus can be tweaked to just about match the color from the D1x (remember I am a new at this so this is with an untrained eye). My first experience with the D1x was "Wow, look at the color!!", but I can now get the same from the D80...Learning!!!! (5) The D1x body and battery weigh the same as the D80 body, battery and the 35-70 2.8 lense. (6) And last but not least I have found that I really love the feel of the D1x body, especially with the 70-200, the feel, balance and button placement just feel natural. It's like the camera clings to your fingertips!</p>

<p>So, right now my thoughts are to sell the D1x. I can live without the feel of the D1x but I can't live with missing the picture because the battery decided to quit! </p>

<p>One other thing I did learn is that the lens can make the difference!!! The color, clarity and focus from the new (older) lenses with glass make a BIG difference to this untrained eye vs the kit DX lenses I have for the D80. It's as if everything in the pictures just "popped". Almost like you could just step into the picture.</p>

<p>Thanks again for the advice and comments! Keep them coming, I love to learn from other's experiences.</p>