full frame body options

[gpdunc]

<p>I apologize in advance if this question skirts several of the unacceptable post topics. My purpose is to have a discussion on several FX bodies. My Nikon progression has been N80, D70, D7000 and I have the following lenses: 28/2.8D, 50/1.4D, 85/1.8D, 80-200/2.8D, 18-200/DXVR1, 55/2.8AISmicro. And these albums are very typical of me. http://img.gg/j9Cx91h http://img.gg/3sNwuRU</p>

<p>My most recent purchase was the 28mm to give me a prime in the approximate range of a normal lens, I rarely use the 50mm and never use the 85 because of the multiplier. My thinking is that I would use those lenses more if I had a fx sensor. I'd also like the greater dynamic range of the newer sensors & processors. My other concern is that I'd like to get a wider lens or maybe a wide zoom in the mid teens to high 20s (or mid 30s) range.</p>

<p>Now I'm going to write some things that may be completely off base, which is part of why I'm posting. My first look was the D700, which would work for me since I wouldn't miss the video of the D7000, but I don't know whether its wise to buy a digital camera from an older generation than the one I'm trying to improve on. If the prevailing wisdom is against the D700, my next look is towards a D750 or a used D800. from a technical standpoint, is the end product of the sensor/processor in the D700 an upgrade from the D7000? I've read many reviews and compared the specs of the new D750 to the D800. One thing I do like about the D750 is it's weight and small size, so I'm leaning toward it more for that reason. On the other hand, if I bought a D700 I'd have more options for a good wide angle lens.</p>

<p> </p>

[andylynn]

Hey Geof,

 

It seems like you're doing pretty well with your current kit, but if you want FX, well, nothing wrong with that. I went from a

D7000 to a D700 for a while and I thought of it as an improvement, mostly in low light shooting and because I liked the

larger body. I don't think I'd buy one of those now, mostly because of the improvements of the last few years.

 

A D800 or D850 would be a step up. The main difference between them really is the body style - would you rather have

the larger D800 or smaller D750?

 

You can keep all your lenses except the 18-200. You might also sell the 85, because if the 50 on DX is too long for you

the 85 on FX is going to be similar. If you want a wide zoom I'd take a look at the Tokina options. The 17-35 is particularly

good, being affordable and not very large.

[polizonte]

<p>"On the other hand, if I bought a D700 I'd have more options for a good wide angle lens." Do you mean that because of the cost difference between the a new D750 vs used D700, you would have money left to invest in a wide angle lens? You have some nice lenses, in your situation I would opt for a new D750 then sell what you do not use and buy the wide angle lens. I replaced my D700 with a D800 two years ago, with no regrets. If I were starting over though, I would get the D750 and video does not interest me either.</p>

[ShunCheung]

http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00bo2D

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Current DX sensors, including the one in the D7000 are utterly close to the FX sensors. Yes, there is some gain in dynamic range and high ISO, but not a day and night difference. If this is your only argument for getting a full frame body (and if your previous thread, that Shun linked to, was a typo all along between D700 and D7000), then I would just stick to APS-C and save a decent amount of money. The D7000 isn't an "old" sensor that has been surpassed by much. You're not going to see huge differences.<br>

As for using your lenses more.... Get lenses that suit the sensor size. And/or sell the lenses you don't find yourself using. Neither 50 f/1.4D or 85 f/1.8D are in the category "great lenses worth hanging onto". A lot also depends on how you use your 80-200; if you use it now for things like wildlife, it will suddenly be annoyingly short. And how much do you use the 18-200? Is it worth getting the (quite more expensive) 28-300, or another lens in this range?<br>

While I love my D700 and have no plans of upgrading, I wouldn't get one at this point. The D750 solved what was missing on the D610, while the D810 solved most of what was missing on the D800. The D700 remains a brilliant camera, but not something I'd buy now.</p>

[gpdunc]

<p>Hey, Thanks for the help. @Tom, the nikkor wide zooms would be out of consideration if I opted for a D750/D800. </p>

<p>It seems my feeling about the D700 might be born out by your comments. That's okay, I don't upgrade often so when I do I like it to be a good bump up. I was thinking if I bought a D700 I would keep the D7000 and DX lens. I still have my D70 which my sons use occasionally.</p>

 

[gpdunc]

<p>@wouter, so your primary body is the d700? I have no interest in buying/selling lenses. Interests change and esspecially not if they don't fit into my long range view. I see aps-c sensors staying around for people who want extra reach. I've only ever needed more reach for macro and supermoons. But I do see fx sensor bodies coming down in price. And at the same time if I buy a wide zoom, should i buy a DX version and further invest in DX or jump now to FX and perhaps find a fx lens that's doesn't need to be quite so wide. Thats the dilemma with staying on DX. BTW, your pictures have been cycling below since you posted ~very nice.</p>

[kylebybee]

<p>keep your D7000 and invest in a good long lens (300mm f/4 minimum) then use the FX body for your wide lens shots.</p>

 

[eric_arnold]

<p>the d700 sensor is getting a little old in the tooth. it's still a good body if you mainly shoot sports or action but if i were you i'd go for the d750.</p>

[gpdunc]

<p>part of me also thinks that perhaps now is the time to look at alternative systems before I plunk down my hard earned money on a hobby, albeit one that is personally enjoyable.</p>

<p>thanks everyone for your suggestions, looks like I'll be shopping on Black Friday. If anyone sees a deal on a D750 PM me please. I might take a few more suggestions re; a wide lens... The tokina 17-35 mentioned by Alan is just what i was looking for and it gets good marks.</p>

[elliot1]

<p><em>"...alternative systems before I plunk down my hard earned money on a hobby..."</em><br /> <br /> <em>When it comes to camera gear, bodies are always your worst investment financially when it comes to camera gear because they depreciate so quickly, REGARDLESS of the brand. And you can use that to your advantage because bodies from just a few years ago are effectively bargains today. For example, D800 bodies, whether you are looking at the D800 or D800e, can be purchased for about $1500, about half of their new price. </em><br /> <br /> <em>"the d700 sensor is getting a little old in the tooth"</em><br /> <em><br /></em>The reality is that although the newer sensors are indeed better/improved than sensors from just a few years ago, they have not improved tremendously to the point that bodies from just a few short years ago are totally obsolete. In fact, to me they are today's bargains. Image processing software has improved tremendously over the past few years and has given older sensors a new life, narrowing the gap tremendously from old to new. For example, when I first got my D3, I was very unhappy with the results at ISO 6400, and now I get excellent noise free results at high ISOs (I shoot RAW and use DXO Prime noise reduction). I am not questioning whether the newer and improved bodies give better image quality, they do. But sometimes it doesn't matter depending on print size and how you shoot/process your images. You may not see much of a difference, and certainly may not need to 'plunk down' excess dollars.<br /> <br /> The D7000 body you currently have improved enough at high ISO (ISO 6400) over previous DX bodies that I found the final results were almost as good as my D3, (shooting RAW and processing with DXO, and this was before DXO Prime noise reduction became available). So perhaps the best questions to you Geoff are what are you doing with the images you shoot and do you shoot RAW, and if so, how do you process your images? What are you dissatisfied about with your D7000?</p>

<p>In fact, based on the album of images you posted, you may not see any truly noticeable improvement over your current body, even though technically images from a new body will indeed be a bit better.</p>

[gpdunc]

<p>Elliot, I hardly know where to start, thanks for your post; you're saying the D7k is a perfectly suitable platform for me (based on the images I linked above) and if an upgrade were justified I should buy a little behind the bleeding edge for maximum value. I agree with the buying philosophy completely, I'm not an early adopter typically, if you knew me you'd understand; i drive a 10 yr old vw, 2yr old google phone and 4yr nikon dslr: just not all at once.</p>

<p>I admit you've seeded doubt in the necessity for upgrading. I'm 16k clicks into the d7k and feel like 90% of what it does is predictably good, and when it fails, the ability to pull out a decent image from the raw file is amazing. I do use and truthfully like cnx2 and am preparing to move to LR with my next camera since nikon is dropping support of cnx2. So It's partly (10%) technical frustration, but predominantly a lack of a personal connection. I do remember what a given focal length is supposed to look like through a viewfinder and what an ektachrome slide, velvia print, ilford160 or agfa25 looked like without post processing. I should probably be happy that it only takes a few adjustments to fix dynamic range and color balance issues. AF issues once in a blue moon result in soft focus. I also miss the depth of field and bokeh of film days. I rarely use the long end of a lens anymore.</p>

<p>There is a lot going on right now, I don't particularly like carrying a hefty dslr around, I could live with the CF cards and the older sensor in the D700 but the weight would be a detriment (which I would have endured if the technology was better than the d7k). The rest of my OP was whether to upgrade to a D750 or a lightly used D800; I'm sure either is more than I need, but D800 I see as a pro's camera and the D750 I see more like a D650 (so it's closer to what I wanted in the D700, except it adds video). There are other formats which I don't know a lot about but which offer an aps-c or better sensor in a smaller footprint, so carrying a rangefinder sized camera around with a quality fixed lens would be a nice change. Aiming a dslr at people can be intimidating as well, which was one of the reasons I bought the 28mm/2.8; so they wouldn't shrink from the 18-200. The 28mm doesn't have the natural tones or shallow depth of field of the 50mm.</p>

<p>I never thought I would use my phone camera outside work, but Instagram has allowed me to capture moments and archive them with a spontaneity that doesn't exist when you have an expensive and extremely capable camera in your hands. I don't market my pictures, but over the years I've been asked to sell or donate some of my images and have had several pictures published as magazine covers or themes. My pictures have become much more contemplative and abstract than what you may see above, I feel like I'm just beginning to touch some fringes of ability to express the subjects how I want, but it's frustrating...</p>

<p>All that said, the bottom line is if I follow yours and my own advice I would buy a high quality FX lens this year and wait a year to get a lightly used D750 body. Will have to think about it some more. rule#1-good glass beats everything else and good glass always appreciates in value. conversations in email are complicated but thanks again for your help.</p>

[Two23]

<p>I've been using a D7100 since it came out, and now also have a D800E. I have some thoughts. I bought the D800E not for the camera, per se, but because the D7100 can't use the Nikon 24mm PC-E lens to it's potential. I bought the 24mm PC-E first, then the D800E. I honestly can't tell any difference in shots from the D7100 & D800E in most shots, under normal conditions. I can tell a big difference between lenses now however. Knowing what I now know, I'd suggest you upgrade your lenses first. After two months of research I've purchased the following: Nikons 24mm PC-E, 85mm f1.8G, and Sigma ART 35mm & 50mm ART. If I mostly shot landscapes I would have gone for the Nikon 45m PC-E instead of the Sigma 50mm f1.4. The sharpness of the Sigma 35mm and 50mm ART lenses just floors me! I've not seen anything like it with exception of some very premium lenses on 4x5 or Hassleblad. I almost alway use a tripod, as I'm betting you do. Looking at what you have, I'd go for some modern lenses first, if it were me. Lenses tend to hold value much better than cameras too. Since you are shooting landscapes, I think a used D800E would be a much better bet than a new D750. A D7100 with some of the finest lenses would be an upgrade over your current lenses and a D750, I think.</p>

<p>I too dislike bulky cameras (but go figure--my favorite to use is a Chamonix 045n 4x5!) You might be a candidate for the Fuji XT1 and three or four of their best lenses.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[gpdunc]

<p>kent, you planted the seed and I've been the owner for a xt1 for just over a week. I can only characterize the last month as a journey which started with testing the sigma 18-35 Art lens to gradually accepting the APS-C format, to considering mirrorless, to buying into the x system. I started with buying the 10-24mm and the 27mm, and adapters to use my nikon and konica lenses. I plan on getting some old MF lenses to experiment and a focal reducer for nikon.</p>

<p>the xt1 is not without it's faults, but the size is perfect and I'm acclimating myself to thinking about the mechanics of image capture from a fuji perspective; it's quite different, the process is less precise , requires more trust, but is also quite enjoyable.</p>

[dan_brown4]

<p>I low mileage D800 makes a lot of sense to me. You can get them under $1800, and that is a BARGAIN. Or, a new Df, which would be super-nice for your needs. Stay away from DX and Sigma lenses (this is my opinion, please don't flame me).</p>