albert_lee1

<p>I feel the same way, Nikon took so long to release these mirrorless cameras, and then they didn't even put in an APS-C sized sensor, feels like taking a few steps back plus a few more steps back. During the waiting time, i purchased a sony nex-5 as a complement to my nikon d700, and man i love the nex's. its a camera you can sneak into anywhere with an APS-C sized sensor. i love the FX sensor and ISO performance of my d700 but dang the nex ISO performance really impressed me at iso 12800. now that sony is releasing a 24mpix aps-c version of their nex lineup with iso 16000 performance... i just think how can the nikon 1's even compete?</p>

<p>i went from a d300s to a d700 and i have never looked back. yes i have also noticed there is a richness in the full frame photos. i understand there are opinions in well lit shots the dx sensor and fx sensor would be very similar but honestly i think we do like to do work in challenging lighting situations whether it be shooting a wedding indoors with no flash intrusion or magic hour. i think the fx sensor just blows the dx away in terms of noise capabilities at high ISO's. although the day is getting nearer that the noise-reduction algorithms are erasing that edge. but honestly if noise-reduction algorithms are helping the dx get a leg up, that means you can also apply noise-reduction to the fx image as well. i know there is more to noise reduction than the algorithms, but that is a huge part of noise reduction.</p>

<p>go Full Frame with the d700, especially since you're coming from film, i dont think u'd want to suffer with a cropped sensor d300s. that would be annyoing and the viewfinder on a crop sensor body is a lot smaller. go for the big viewfinder, bigger pixel pitch.</p>

<p>you can also download the free Nikon ViewNX program and export it to JPG using it</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Imaging-Software/NVNX/ViewNX.html">http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Imaging-Software/NVNX/ViewNX.html</a></p>

<p>what about those wetwipes</p>

<p>since it was on spot metering, what area was it metering? with spot metering if u are pointed at even the slightest area that is a shade darker or lighter it will change the exposure of the picture dramatically. since it is only metering on a tiny spot rather than taking a matrix metering of the whole scene or doing anykind of weighted metering. if ur friend clicked the shutter while the "spot" was on a certain part of the subject, and u clicked the shutter while your "spot" was on anything a bit brighter on the subject it would cause the underexposure u see... but that is hard to tell unless u both agree to meter on exactly the same [spot]...<br>

i just saw u both had manual mode on so the spot metering shouldn't matter unless the camera is doing something like auto-iso, do u know if he had auto-iso enabled on the canon and yours was off?</p>

<p>Yes i want to see the damage! even though its sad, its like interesting, i guess kinda like watching those movies Faces of Death or watching those 70's disaster movies.</p>

<p>i'd get it now then sell it later on ebay if u wish to upgrade if a new FX is launched that is actually is compelling enough to upgrade for the price (which it might not be)</p>

<p>sometimes i like to use my dx lenses on full frame fx, some of them luckily work with slight vignetting. the 35mm 1.8 dx works with slight vignetting wide open, the 18-55 dx kit lens works at 24-55 mm, the 55-200 vr works with vignetting and the tokina 11-16 works at 16mm with no vignetting. sometimes its a cheap hack-way to abuse ur old DX lenses on full frame if u want to have a little cheap fun :)</p>

<p>another thing to consider is: would u need the d300s's ability to go up to 8fps with the additional battery pack grip? for sports and fast-action i think the d300s would still be more appropriate. but if u are doing more video and require 1080p video capture with automatic focus the d7000 would be more appropriate.</p>

<p>Like others before, I also can recommend the old Nikon Nikkor 80-200 AF 2.8D it has pro glass but it is about 20 years old so it can be had on ebay for around $600. that if you ask me, is a steal for pro level 2.8 glass. It does not have VR but you won't need VR for sports anyway. some reviews say the AF is slow but honestly when i was tracking fast flying birds and action sports, it was -not- slow. (especially if you are fast enough yourself with good hand-eye coordination)<br>

i don't think you'll need 300mm 2.8 especially for a crop sensor body, that would be the equivalent of 450mm which i dont think is necessary unless u are staying far away from a dangerous animal.<br>

so once you get a nice used 80-200mm f/2.8, a 50mm f/1.8 for portraits, and a 24mm f/2.8 for landscape, ur all set.</p>

<p>i've had a d40, d5000, d300s, d700 and i can say that a d40 for landscape pictures is just fine. if u want to do faster sports, a d300s or d700 is the way to go. if u want to do timelapses, the d40 doesn't have an intervalometer so u have to choose a better body. if u like taking 720p video with an exterior stereo mic input, the d300s is good for that. however i think if u were just taking portraits and landscape, a d40 + sb-600 flash would be just perfect.</p>

<p>you might be surprised to find out that the nikon 35mm 1.8 dx works on full frame quite well, it has some vignetting, but the image circle is a lot bigger than the crop size for dx, try it on FX and i think you'll be pleasantly surprised.<br>

also the same goes for the tokina 11-16 which is for crop sensors, but at 16mm, it works with on FX without any vignetting! i have both of these lenses and when i moved to a d700 they worked flawlessly on FX. (i am not talking about the crop-mode on FX either, i mean full on FX mode that you can set manually so it doesn't auto set to cropped lenses when it senses DX lenses.)<br>

the nikon 55-200mm also works on FX with some vignetting, if u dont want any vignetting, it will be a problem, but i actually like some vignetting depending on what type of shot i am taking, as it can help concentrate the viewer's attention subtly towards the subject of the image.</p>

<p>i bought a used one and it was in mint condition, i saved a ton of money like u will. i bought mine with 50k actuations, which is still not much, i dont see myself taking another 100,000 pictures that soon. get it, u won't regret it.</p>

<p>i like the d5000, it has all the scene modes. a d300s is like 3x more expensive, u could use the extra $1000 and buy a set of strobes or a lens.</p>

<p>make the switch, you will -not- regret it, crop sensor is definitely not as good as full frame, i made the exact same switch, d300->d700, u will see a difference.</p>

<p>i recommend the full frame d700. i went from a d40->d5000->d300s->d700 and i can say the full frame sensor blows the DX format away. my images in low light with the d700 look beautiful where as the dx sensor has more visible noise. u will notice the difference and u'll be glad u got it. the size is not unbearable, when u are getting such high quality shots from it at an event, wedding, family, whatever, u will not notice the weight.</p>

<p>neck has nikon d2h with nikkor 80-200 AF 2.8d (2nd generation push-pull) , bag has tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 and nikkor af-s 35mm 1.8 , polarizer and 2stop soft nd grad (which is not enough) , extra battery , brush and blower , extra memory card . i need to get a towel.</p>

<p>look for used 2nd generation nikkor AF 80-200 f2.8d (push-pull zoom and focus control)<br>

i bought one used off ebay for $600.<br>

the glass is sharp as hell. i was awed the first time i put it on and shot and saw the picture. the newer generation 80-200 f2.8's are a lot more expensive, but if you go back to the old ones they are still just as good quality.<br>

the old ones do not have AF-S motors or VR, but i've found for what i shoot, i don't need either of those. the focus speed on mine is still fast enough for me, especially when you consider you will be focusing and refocusing on objects that are relatively close together in the same shot you are framing.<br>

it is the best $600 i have ever spent on a lens.</p>

<p>i'd stay away from this too. considering the amount of physical damage it looks like its taken, they should be selling it for alot less than $2800. i'd rather buy a new body for 2800. wouldn't come with a lens, but given the beating that lens has taken, i'd stay away from it.</p>

 

<p>sometimes i dont like the ADL noise level, it can end up making a dirty picture, i have turned mien off for now and i like the deep inky darks i'm getting better, i can add ADL later in the d5000 and compare and whenever i do compare, i like the non ADL picture better.</p>

<p>or carry the dslr with the 35mm 1.8 only, and use it for both nice bokeh portraits, night shots and landscape views, i know its not super wide, but u'll probably be far back enough to take good pictures of any landscape at certain points in the trip. that would be a cool exercise in photo discipline.</p>

<p>if u need iso performance beyond 1600, i'd say yes. but if not then the d40 still shoots amazingly.</p>

<p>sRgb is mostly used. u should also check the whitebalance, is it stuck at a certain kelvin temperature? u could set it to auto white balance and see if it gives different results. or manually adjust the kelvin temperature back in the studio until the colors look better.</p>

<p>thanks everyone for the great responses, after reading them, i think the choice is definitely between the sigma 15-30 or 12-24. just to answer the various questions on why full frame or why ultra wide: i love to shoot in very low/dim light and prefer the best iso and low light performance possible. the weight is definitely a con as i carry my DX practically everywhere i go. i have an ultra wide for DX and love using it- getting literally to touching distance with objects when taking it. i see some good examples of using ultra wides without getting in the face of objects too. again thanks everyone and i'm glad we have such a good community here.</p>