Thinking of buying new Nikon body.


Xenaido

New Member
Jul 29, 2006
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Hello fellow Clubsnappers.

I own a Nikon D80, bought in 2006.
With Kit Lens 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX.
My humble inventory also includes a 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-S VR and a 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX.

That's all I own, nothing fantastic, nothing too expensive; but they have served me very well, for the basic purposes of school projects in the past, and mostly for my traveling needs in more recent years.

Now my question is, I am thinking of buying a new Nikon body but I don't know what should I upgrade into. Would I be spending too much if I choose to buy a D700? A D90 is a little too old. Or would D300s/D7000 be a better choice? I would prefer something of the D80 level or higher. Not some of the simple ones which are like 'point-n-shoot' types of basic dslr that Nikon has come out with in recent years to target consumers who doesn't know how to use complex dslr functions but wants to own one (correct me if I am wrong).

And if I choose to buy the full frame FX format D700, will the current DX lens I own, especially the 35mm f/1.8G, produce vignetting effect (not what I want) on the photos I take?

I am quite fascinated by my friends' Canon cameras which takes really professional looking video (not that I'm into video taking, but the quality of some Canon dslr videos are quite fascinating, and I see many industry experts now switching to Canon dslr for video productions too!). But I didn't like how Canon photos look on the computer screen, for that I always preferred Nikon. And that I already own a few Nikkor lenses, I don't want to switch to Canon (although I heard of the use of adaptors for Nikkor lenses on Canon bodies).

I would be visiting Tokyo, Japan in the following month, so I thought of trying to get my hands on a piece of dslr body that is 'Made in Japan' because I heard of the superiority and value of such pieces. Any recommendations on where to buy camera in Tokyo for reasonable price?

So you probably can tell that I am more of a hobbyist and not a professional photographer who would make money out of taking photos. So now I need your valuable advice on what dslr body I should buy next, to upgrade my current D80.

Thanks for reading my post.

Cheers!
 

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D7k.

Btw, all DX bodies are made in thailand. No production of DX bodies in Japan.
 

D7000 should meet your current needs, plus video and you can re-use your current lenses. If you have a budget to work on, stick on that.

We are talking about final production sets! Not true that everything "Made in Japan" (MIJ) means good and dandy, the reliability of the product has already went beyond of most people stereotyping that being MIJ is better.
 

It still depends what do you want to shoot, if more of birding or macro, D7k or D300s. If portrait or landscape, D700 is a better choice if you got the money.
 

Depends on ur budget.. But do get D7000, D300s or D700. These are very gd cameras. If have spare cash after buying body, perhaps u wanna look at F2.8 standard zooms too.
 

fmeeran said:
D7k.

Btw, all DX bodies are made in thailand. No production of DX bodies in Japan.

Thanks for the information, fmeeran.


wmayeo said:
D7000 should meet your current needs, plus video and you can re-use your current lenses. If you have a budget to work on, stick on that.

Cowseye said:
It still depends what do you want to shoot, if more of birding or macro, D7k or D300s. If portrait or landscape, D700 is a better choice if you got the money.

Nubzz said:
Depends on ur budget.. But do get D7000, D300s or D700. These are very gd cameras. If have spare cash after buying body, perhaps u wanna look at F2.8 standard zooms too.

Thanks wmayeo, Cowseye and Nubzz for your comments.

Now I am heavily considering a D7000 or D300s, their prices are somewhat close.
Comparing these two, D7000 is very new and if I didn't see wrongly, it also has much of what the D300s can offer (based on tech specs comparison on Nikon sg website). But the D300s, no doubt has been out for quite a few years already, is still a very good camera. So I don't know which one I should go for since these two have prices that are quite close. If I get the D7000, should I also get the kit lens which is 18-105 VR (I already have 18-135 non-vr from D80 kit)?

As to what Cowseye mentioned, I believe I do all the general kind of stuff, nothing specific. I do still-life/things/items(macro) and portraiture and landscape photography, I mean, like I-see-I-like-I-shoot. And lots of travel photography. The key issue here is, I would like to buy a body that can serve me well for next 5 to 8 years. A D700 sounds like a good investment, but I might be wasting money if I don't need such a powerful machine right?

Back in a dilemma. Heavily considering D7000 or D300s though.
 

Back in a dilemma. Heavily considering D7000 or D300s though.

Try out in the shops the various model and see after handling, which one u swing towards ?

Ryan
 

giantcanopy said:
Try out in the shops the various model and see after handling, which one u swing towards ?

Ryan

Thanks Ryan. Yeah, guess that's what I'd do. Can only understand this much from reading information online, shall go down to the shops to give it a try.

And by the way, I found this website which compares the D7000 and D300s. The D300s has superior AF as compared to D7000. But the D7000 got so many cool stuff the D300s doesn't (I may be wrong). The EXPEED II in D7000 sounds great. Here's the comparison: http://mansurovs.com/nikon-d7000-vs-d300s

Cheers!
 

Thanks for the information, fmeeran.

Thanks wmayeo, Cowseye and Nubzz for your comments.

Now I am heavily considering a D7000 or D300s, their prices are somewhat close.
Comparing these two, D7000 is very new and if I didn't see wrongly, it also has much of what the D300s can offer (based on tech specs comparison on Nikon sg website). But the D300s, no doubt has been out for quite a few years already, is still a very good camera. So I don't know which one I should go for since these two have prices that are quite close. If I get the D7000, should I also get the kit lens which is 18-105 VR (I already have 18-135 non-vr from D80 kit)?

As to what Cowseye mentioned, I believe I do all the general kind of stuff, nothing specific. I do still-life/things/items(macro) and portraiture and landscape photography, I mean, like I-see-I-like-I-shoot. And lots of travel photography. The key issue here is, I would like to buy a body that can serve me well for next 5 to 8 years. A D700 sounds like a good investment, but I might be wasting money if I don't need such a powerful machine right?

Back in a dilemma. Heavily considering D7000 or D300s though.

You're welcome.

If you are into shooting sports, then the D300s choice is clearer becos it has a larger memory buffer and using CF card gets you faster to clear up the buffer at high fps.

If not, D7000 is very good for your usage, certainly a step up from D80. All the sayings about new processing sensor does not improve your photography, it can assist you photographing easier.

Like having better ISO performance, if you don't even shoot at ISO6400, why won't you want to bother this kind of specs?

just my personal experience sharing.. during that time, I got the D300s instead of D90, becos I wanted the better AF system (51pts!), more buttons, tougher build. Not becos I needed them, but I really have the choice to get what I want. If i am using both cameras (i mean D300s and D90), I think both will produce the similar photos/style of shooting.. gosh that's bad i think regardless if i am using D3s or not. ya that's my style in the photography. nothing wrong with it. :bsmilie:

Get out there to try the camera bodies. :)
 

Thanks for the information, fmeeran.
Thanks wmayeo, Cowseye and Nubzz for your comments.

Now I am heavily considering a D7000 or D300s, their prices are somewhat close.
Comparing these two, D7000 is very new and if I didn't see wrongly, it also has much of what the D300s can offer (based on tech specs comparison on Nikon sg website). But the D300s, no doubt has been out for quite a few years already, is still a very good camera. So I don't know which one I should go for since these two have prices that are quite close. If I get the D7000, should I also get the kit lens which is 18-105 VR (I already have 18-135 non-vr from D80 kit)?

As to what Cowseye mentioned, I believe I do all the general kind of stuff, nothing specific. I do still-life/things/items(macro) and portraiture and landscape photography, I mean, like I-see-I-like-I-shoot. And lots of travel photography. The key issue here is, I would like to buy a body that can serve me well for next 5 to 8 years. A D700 sounds like a good investment, but I might be wasting money if I don't need such a powerful machine right?

Back in a dilemma. Heavily considering D7000 or D300s though.

If you are doing landscape, do yourself a favour.

Get a D700 with Nikon 16-35 F4 VR lens, and you'll be happy with the results.
next you can get a AF-S 50mm F1.4 or Tamron 28-75 F2.8 for your streetshooting.
Lastly for macro, depends on your subject, you have a wide range of macro lens for you to choose from.

Keep your 70-300 VR as it is a good travel telezoom lens.
Think further, the above setup does cost more at the initial stage but after that you can just change bodies without worries on what the does cannot do what you want, as you are experiencing now.(eg. especially the 35mm f/1.8G, produce vignetting effect (not what I want) on the photos I take)
 

Last edited:
You're welcome.

If you are into shooting sports, then the D300s choice is clearer becos it has a larger memory buffer and using CF card gets you faster to clear up the buffer at high fps.

If not, D7000 is very good for your usage, certainly a step up from D80. All the sayings about new processing sensor does not improve your photography, it can assist you photographing easier.

Like having better ISO performance, if you don't even shoot at ISO6400, why won't you want to bother this kind of specs?

just my personal experience sharing.. during that time, I got the D300s instead of D90, becos I wanted the better AF system (51pts!), more buttons, tougher build. Not becos I needed them, but I really have the choice to get what I want. If i am using both cameras (i mean D300s and D90), I think both will produce the similar photos/style of shooting.. gosh that's bad i think regardless if i am using D3s or not. ya that's my style in the photography. nothing wrong with it. :bsmilie:

Get out there to try the camera bodies. :)

Point taken!
Yes you are right, I dislike shooting in high iso on my D80, probably because it's quite noisy on the high side for my D80. ;p
The D300s is definitely more sturdy in terms of build huh. Well, I'm more for the D7000 now. Thanks again wmayeo.
 

If you are doing landscape, do yourself a favour.

Get a D700 with Nikon 16-35 F4 VR lens, and you'll be happy with the results.
next you can get a AF-S 50mm F1.4 or Tamron 28-75 F2.8 for your streetshooting.
Lastly for macro, depends on your subject, you have a wide range of macro lens for you to choose from.

Keep your 70-300 VR as it is a good travel telezoom lens.
Think further, the above setup does cost more at the initial stage but after that you can just change bodies without worries on what the does cannot do what you want, as you are experiencing now.(eg. especially the 35mm f/1.8G, produce vignetting effect (not what I want) on the photos I take)

Mmm, let me do serious budget calculations first. Haha, thank you jnet6.
 

D7k is no doubt a newer machine with better everything but I would get a d300s anytime anywhere if you ask me now.

D300s is superior due to its
1. Weight and size... It fits men's hand much nicer and has a better lens to body ratio.
2. 51af pts, 11 cross... This is an added advantage to faster auto focus speed.
3. Buttons layout
4. Isn't d300s king of dx??
 

+1 from me to Bethpapa74's comment.

Having said that, if you are NOT doing a lot of macro or birding, a D700 is a better choice.
Think of it in this manner, if you want a D300s over a D7000 eventually, for general photography, both D300s and D700 can deliver great pics, but D700 has the edge for high ISO, FX sensor, thinner DOF. D300s has the FX cropped advantage for focal length boost. You got to weigh what you want to shoot MORE to determine your choice.
 

Hello fellow Clubsnappers.

I own a Nikon D80, bought in 2006.
With Kit Lens 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX.
My humble inventory also includes a 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-S VR and a 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX.

That's all I own, nothing fantastic, nothing too expensive; but they have served me very well, for the basic purposes of school projects in the past, and mostly for my traveling needs in more recent years.

Now my question is, I am thinking of buying a new Nikon body but I don't know what should I upgrade into. Would I be spending too much if I choose to buy a D700? A D90 is a little too old. Or would D300s/D7000 be a better choice? I would prefer something of the D80 level or higher. Not some of the simple ones which are like 'point-n-shoot' types of basic dslr that Nikon has come out with in recent years to target consumers who doesn't know how to use complex dslr functions but wants to own one (correct me if I am wrong).

And if I choose to buy the full frame FX format D700, will the current DX lens I own, especially the 35mm f/1.8G, produce vignetting effect (not what I want) on the photos I take?

I am quite fascinated by my friends' Canon cameras which takes really professional looking video (not that I'm into video taking, but the quality of some Canon dslr videos are quite fascinating, and I see many industry experts now switching to Canon dslr for video productions too!). But I didn't like how Canon photos look on the computer screen, for that I always preferred Nikon. And that I already own a few Nikkor lenses, I don't want to switch to Canon (although I heard of the use of adaptors for Nikkor lenses on Canon bodies).

I would be visiting Tokyo, Japan in the following month, so I thought of trying to get my hands on a piece of dslr body that is 'Made in Japan' because I heard of the superiority and value of such pieces. Any recommendations on where to buy camera in Tokyo for reasonable price?

So you probably can tell that I am more of a hobbyist and not a professional photographer who would make money out of taking photos. So now I need your valuable advice on what dslr body I should buy next, to upgrade my current D80.

Thanks for reading my post.

Cheers!

D7000 is highly recommended due to its superior video quality and functionality.

Previously, I own a D300S. Build quality is much better than D90 but almost similar to D7000. However, the video quality for D300S is far less superior than D7000 and besides, D300S does not have 'Auto' mode.

D700 does not have video function and not worth getting one unless you want to capture landscape most of the time, and you are willing to spend money to buy FX lens which is more expensive than DX.

18-105mm kit lens has a good review for its sharpness, considering a budget lens. This lens is light and will be good if you travel overseas.
 

Just my two cents worth of opinion.

You mentioned that you have been using D80 since 2006, your lens is 18-135, 35, 70-300mm. You like taking photos for your travel trips. You find that the high iso is insufficient on the D80.

I know the D7k and D700 is very popular now. But I think you should take a step back to ask what you need rather what you can afford or what you would need in the future.

You have all the motorized lens (ie AFS lens), why not consider the D5100 or D3100. They are smaller and lighter, and of course cheaper. You will be able to make more use of the high ISO and at the same time take video.

Cheers
 

D7k is no doubt a newer machine with better everything but I would get a d300s anytime anywhere if you ask me now.

D300s is superior due to its
1. Weight and size... It fits men's hand much nicer and has a better lens to body ratio.
2. 51af pts, 11 cross... This is an added advantage to faster auto focus speed.
3. Buttons layout
4. Isn't d300s king of dx??

I'm a Nikon user but when it comes to king of DX I would have the say the 7D has a slight advantage.

To TS, both D7000 and D300s are great, you can't go wrong with either one. On the other hand, the D700 is priced very attractively across the causeway, enough to tempt you away from the D300s :bsmilie:
 

h2chng said:
Just my two cents worth of opinion.

You mentioned that you have been using D80 since 2006, your lens is 18-135, 35, 70-300mm. You like taking photos for your travel trips. You find that the high iso is insufficient on the D80.

I know the D7k and D700 is very popular now. But I think you should take a step back to ask what you need rather what you can afford or what you would need in the future.

You have all the motorized lens (ie AFS lens), why not consider the D5100 or D3100. They are smaller and lighter, and of course cheaper. You will be able to make more use of the high ISO and at the same time take video.

Cheers

Having a D80 then getting a D5100 feels more like downgrading for me. Unless TS just wants a startup DSLR, I won't recommend him those 2 models
 

teojcb said:
D300S does not have 'Auto' mode.
.

P mode aka program mode is consider auto.

Build quality of d7k are very diff from d300s... Try mounting a 17-55f2.8 onto both and you will know the difference.

Furthermore sensor size of d300s is alittle bigger than d7k.
 

Cowseye said:
Having a D80 then getting a D5100 feels more like downgrading for me. Unless TS just wants a startup DSLR, I won't recommend him those 2 models

I second that.
I rather stick to your d80, and wait for d400 la. Or use your extra budget to get better lenses.