Appreciate some opinions


kibosh

New Member
Aug 23, 2007
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Hi all,

I have been thinking of going FX for quite a while now but before i plonk down that $$.
Will greatly appreciate some considered views from learned folks here.


I am currently using a Fuji S5Pro with the following lens setup (tamron 17-50mm, nikon 85mm 1.4, nikon 50mm f1.4).

I mainly shoot portraits, street and experiment abit with strobes. So to me the most impt aspects are IQ, dynamic range and iso.

I know the d700 will trump hands down in terms of iso. Will like to know how the d700 compares (with my current setup) in terms of
1. IQ
2. Out of camera quality
3. Dynamic range


Thanks alot,
kibosh
 

Hi all,

I have been thinking of going FX for quite a while now but before i plonk down that $$.
Will greatly appreciate some considered views from learned folks here.


I am currently using a Fuji S5Pro with the following lens setup (tamron 17-50mm, nikon 85mm 1.4, nikon 50mm f1.4).

I mainly shoot portraits, street and experiment abit with strobes. So to me the most impt aspects are IQ, dynamic range and iso.

I know the d700 will trump hands down in terms of iso. Will like to know how the d700 compares (with my current setup) in terms of
1. IQ
2. Out of camera quality
3. Dynamic range


Thanks alot,
kibosh

IQ: I think this has got to do with lenses you have and you do have some sharp lenses there.. but you can't use your 17-50 for d700.. you do know that.

Out of image quality: if you shoot raw, and if you are gonna tweak all those stuff on the computer, i don't think this really matters...


On a side note, I think 50 + 85 + D700 is a pretty good set up for street + portraits + strobing... but 85 might not be long enough for studio photography... MIGHT.
 

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dynamic range: of course, d700's dynamic range will be way better than ur s5 pro...

The main benefit of the sensor design of the S5 Pro is the fantastic dynamic range - 11.8 stops vs. 7.9 stops as tested by DPR.

Kibosh, you can compare the test samples for IQ, etc by comparing them side by side on popular review sites like DPR. Since both use the same lenses, it's a good comparison.
 

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The main benefit of the sensor design of the S5 Pro is the fantastic dynamic range - 11.8 stops vs. 7.9 stops as tested by DPR.

Kibosh, you can compare the test samples for IQ, etc by comparing them side by side on popular review sites like DPR. Since both use the same lenses, it's a good comparison.

Ok, sorry for wrong info. *edited.
 

I will stick to the S5 pro for the best out of cam skin tone(I use F1C mode most often) and dynamic range since you are into portraits and streets.
 

I know the d700 will trump hands down in terms of iso. Will like to know how the d700 compares (with my current setup) in terms of
1. IQ
2. Out of camera quality
3. Dynamic range


Thanks alot,
kibosh

DR, S5pro should trump D700.

IQ, D700 should trump S5Pro.

Out of camera quality, sorry, Fujifilm has some really cool stuff going on there, so I'd go for the Fuji.

You can't use the Tamron 17-50 on the D700. So best to factor in the cost of a decent UWA for the D700... Which won't come cheap. Why not stick to DX and get the D7K?
 

The S5 Pro definitely has much better dynamic range, just look at this video:

[vid]As3poRnIwA4[/vid]

It compares the S5 Pro with the D300, but you can see how much detail the S5 Pro is able to pull back.
 

wow i didnt know that s5 is better in terms of DR

i just assumed that being a fullframe sensor the dr will be better

so i guess for all that extra$$$, the most impt things that i'll be getting over my current setup is iso and "wideness"
 

Out of image quality: if you shoot raw, and if you are gonna tweak all those stuff on the computer, i don't think this really matters...

Most ppl ask this question because they are not planning to shoot raw:dunno:

On a side note, I think 50 + 85 + D700 is a pretty good set up for street + portraits + strobing... but 85 might not be long enough for studio photography... MIGHT.

And most ppl worry that their lenses focal length are too long for the studio.
 

The S5 Pro definitely has much better dynamic range, just look at this video:

It compares the S5 Pro with the D300, but you can see how much detail the S5 Pro is able to pull back.

what if we are talking about D700's dynamic range? could it come closer (or same) to that of Fuji?
 

what if we are talking about D700's dynamic range? could it come closer (or same) to that of Fuji?

dpreview says that the most they can get out of the S5 pro is 12.1 stops of DR, and they managed 11.6 stops out of D700 stops, so S5 pro has more DR than D700. That's of course when you shoot RAW and pull back as much as you can.
 

D700 is a very good camera.... just go for it.... :)
 

I am currently using a Fuji S5Pro with the following lens setup (tamron 17-50mm, nikon 85mm 1.4, nikon 50mm f1.4).

I mainly shoot portraits, street and experiment abit with strobes. So to me the most impt aspects are IQ, dynamic range and iso.

I know the d700 will trump hands down in terms of iso. Will like to know how the d700 compares (with my current setup) in terms of
1. IQ
2. Out of camera quality
3. Dynamic range

If you are comparing S5 Pro to D700. This is my opinion.

IQ: I find D700 better. This is subjective on the opinion for IQ. I am looking it in terms of pixels, noise, details, etc. Pure technical.

Out of camera quality: I find D700 better most of the time. When I had the S5 Pro, i find the pictures flat, when it is straight out. This could be due to the dynamic range, which I learnt from a Fuji expert. I figured out that you need to use it long enough to know how to produce good pictures, straight out from the camera, when using the S5 Pro.

Dynamic range: Technically i don't think S5 Pro has much competition. The question you need to ask yourself is how much DR you actually need. If you enjoy overexposing pictures and pulling it back to appreciate how powerful the SuperCCD is, don't buy the D700. If you shoot black people wearing black and albino wearing white often, just stick with the S5 Pro. For almost everything else, D700's DR will be enough. So it depends on what you need. Good metering techniques (which is the basics of photography) will help you overcome quite a bit of such issues, in most real life situations. I should also add that the DR is quite useful in landscape photography, which is not mentioned in your focus.

There are a lot of other advantages that the D700 offers over the S5 Pro, in real life. I may go out of point if i type them here. If you need more info about comparisons just drop me a PM. I see what I can do. :)
 

bro i'm shooting fujifilm s5pro too so here's my 2 cents worth :)

The only reason y i'd switch to d700 is for the larger viewfinder, and the field of view for the 50mm (i have it too) and 85mm f.14. I feel the dx crop of s5pro doesnt feel as shiok as when i shoot the same lens on my film slrs. Another reason i'd switch is for the cleaner ISOs. I shoot events and at iso 3200 on the s5pro its really a struggle post processing the images to clean up the noise.

what i'd recommend is u rent the d700 for the weekend and shoot them with ur lens. I suspect the 85mm f1.4 will feel very different on it than on the s5pro hehe

then again i think after the d7000 nikon gonna come up with another fx camera with latest sensor right? hehehe
 

thanks all for the helpful advice.
 

I am not qualified to comment on the IQ, Out of camera Quality and Dynamic Range, but I was in Olympus EP-1 and switch to D7K which is a DX body, not happy from the spec of the Nikon DX lenses and not sure of the thrid party lenses even I spent days and nights to read up, what I can say you need to invest $$$$$ to build up your set not $$ you mentioned.

After saying that I have bought a Tokina 11-16mm and happy with it but it did not come cheap also. It is $$$$-$$ after buying the filter and CPL.

Good luck and enjoy your shooting.
 

not happy from the spec of the Nikon DX lenses and not sure of the thrid party lenses even I spent days and nights to read up, what I can say you need to invest $$$$$ to build up your set not $$ you mentioned.

which lens? :think:
 

Ok the reason come this way. I own Olympus EP-1, other than the Pana 20mm is f/1.7 the others are all about f/3.5 to 5.6. I able to take fair good photos, of course the f/1.7 gave me better control and clearer shots. Then Olympus stopped and a lot of rumours say to stop 3/4 lenses that offer better quality lenses in Olympus range, bla bla bla. No further news annouced, i was short of a Macro lens. To buy one in M4/3 lens (S$999) cost about the same with Dx macro. i was not sure where Olympus heading, hence not willing to buy that pana M4/3 macro lens. That made me switch to full DSLR. I used Nikon film camera before it was stolen from me at the KL hotel 20 years back. I decided to return to Nikon. With the Crop 2 and 1.5 plus I like to have larger appature for bokeh, and able to get higher speed to compensate my old man weak hands. DX lens are all in F 3.5 and above, althought there is VR to help, I still go for lenses with f/2.8 or larger. Unfortunately it all fall in FX range.

I do have a Tokina UWA 11-16mm and it is in f/2.8 also. I have 24-70 f/2.8 and 35mm f/1.8. Another good reason for me go for FX lens is if i upgrade after I am more satisfied with my photo shooting, I most sure go for the FX body. Not the top D3X series but may be D700 or later replacement. So I will not end up like Olympus that i do not know what to do next with the investment. Whether the Olympus M4/3 Pro version come out will my current lenses still can apply? So many uncertainty I go for a more secure route for at least for the next 5 years I can see. 2 Years for D7000 to be replaced then new FX body another 3 years total 5 years or may be longer to 6 or 7 years using the current lenses I invested.

I hope some of you will understand why I do not go for DX lenses and advice that to invest for longer term need more money now and may save in longer term.

By the way I also own the Nikon 105mm f/2/8 with 1:1 macro lens which it was the first lens I bought with the D7000 body. Not kit lens.
 

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I have both the S5 and D700.

DR = S5
lowlight, speed = D700.

i am currently using my D700 for 16-35mm and 24-70mm and use S5 for 70-200mm for that extra reach. i have 24mm, 50mm and 85mm to share among both and it will have most prime lenses ranged covered.

Its just a pity that both of them cannot share battery and charger :(