Upgrading: D300s or D7000?

[pixelbypixel]

Hi,

I'm seeking advice because i'm planning to upgrade from my D5100, i am looking for opinions about D300s and D7000. I have my eyes on both but can you give me your ideas on which one is a better one? Thanks.

PS: My budget can only cover both.. i can't go pro yet with my budget

 

[Kit-Kat-Lover]

I would say stick to ur d5100 .. and invest in better len. D7000 have the same image quality as ur current cam.

Btw, no such thing as pro equipment .. good photographer can shoot with any cam to produce decent image.

Unless u earn a living from it, then u need more robust cam (pro equipment) to withstand the knocks ..

D300s is way out .. consider the technology advancement every year.

 

[NikF601]

Save a few more months for D7100... Great improvement for DX body...

 

[nicorn]

Hi,

I'm seeking advice because i'm planning to upgrade from my D5100, i am looking for opinions about D300s and D7000. I have my eyes on both but can you give me your ideas on which one is a better one? Thanks.

PS: My budget can only cover both.. i can't go pro yet with my budget

if you just feel like spending money or upgrading just get either 1 (though it's not really consider an upgrade, well maybe a body with BIM), because in the first WHY the upgrade? is there function you need from those two body you mentioned that D5100 dont have?

 

[xtemujin]

I concur get the D7100.

The D300s is an EOL product and spare parts might be an issue.

 

[Luminare]

I would say that you could either get a D7100 or a better lens.

Between the D5100 and the D7000 or D300 that you slated, the improvement is ISO performance and AF points plus some other functions that I find secondary for the type of photography you be likely doing.

Whatever the D7000 and D300 can do, the D7100 can do much better for what I believe is slightly more but can last you a much longer time.

However, I would say that if you are doing travel photography and occasional celebration events and family activity, it would be more worth while to invest in a good lens than a body.

Color retention, sharpness, DOF, FoV, subject isolation ability comes from the capability of a lens.

So if you do not yet have a better lens like the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC, Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 II, Sigma/Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, it will be a good time to look at these rather than a body.

If you already have a good collection of lens to cover your focal range needs, then you could look at the D7100.

Hi,

I'm seeking advice because i'm planning to upgrade from my D5100, i am looking for opinions about D300s and D7000. I have my eyes on both but can you give me your ideas on which one is a better one? Thanks.

PS: My budget can only cover both.. i can't go pro yet with my budget

 

[catchlights]

Hi,

I'm seeking advice because i'm planning to upgrade from my D5100, i am looking for opinions about D300s and D7000. I have my eyes on both but can you give me your ideas on which one is a better one? Thanks.

PS: My budget can only cover both.. i can't go pro yet with my budget

what is the reason/s for upgrading?


anyway, it is better to spend on lenses if you really consider upgrading.

 

[Luminare]

@ TS, just to share a little on selecting camera bodies

Firstly, the more advance bodies look more "Pro" or more capable because it sports more AF points, a faster FPS etc. But you must understand what you primary want to do before you go ahead with an "upgrade". Looking more advance can be deceiving sometimes in terms the money you pay for the upgrade may actually not match the perceived performance you think.

Firstly, with regards AF points, look at how many cross type and vertical type sensors there is on the sensor and what is the minimum aperture of these sensor points. Cross type sensors are the most reliable while the use of vertical type sensors require a more capable lens especially when light sources is not that good. By and large, newer bodies have better sensor and AF points but please read the tech specs and not look at the number of AF points alone.

Secondly, if you are into landscape and those sunset shots, look for a camera with good dynamic range. With better dynamic range, you can get a better chance to produce those dramatic effects when post processing the raw files for your shots. However, better dynamic range is often compromised by a slower FPS. A good example is the D800 and the D4. At this current technology for Nikon (or their marketing strategy), there is no one Nikon camera body that can do both in one body.

Thirdly, ISO. It is important that the camera body have good ISO capabilities. But high ISO does not compensate the ability to get the shot in low light. When auto focusing, AF is done with the max aperture of the lens. The best known aperture for AF is between f/2 to f/2.8. What good ISO ability can offer is that you can get a low light shot off and maintain a higher shutter speed and yet keep the noise of the photo low.

Finally, the ergonomics of the buttons although normally gone unseen, when you are shooting a lot in a fast pace, it means a lot.

Hope this helps when hunting for a body.

 

[pixelbypixel]

Hi, Thank you for all your opinions. My reason for going with another body is considering the fact that i will go for wildlife photography.. as far as my budget goes, the highest fps i can get for continuous shooting is within d300s and d7000.

Also looking for a body with motor because i can buy much cheaper lenses.

your opinions?

 

[Luminare]

Hmmmm ..... Wild life photography is expensive ..... in fact it can be very expensive.

If you are looking at Birding, you'll also need a sturdy tripod and a good gimbal head.

For micro photography, a good ball head, a tripod that has a column that can tilt or go horizontal and optional flash or close up lighting system.

For wild life photography, among D300s, D7000 and D7100, IMHO, go for D7100 that gives you 6 FPS

FPS should not be your main consideration for a start unless you are going straight into Wild life action photography and you are doing those multiple frame overlay productions. ISO and AF at small apertures of f/5.6 should be your main consideration. Inconsistent AF and noisy image means your shots wont be sharp enough, always in focus with the right color retention.

Different photographers have differing opinions but IMHO, depending on budget, the following would be a good start

Body: D7100 for good ISO even up to ISO 2500 (You'll be shooting at pretty high shutter speeds and it is not uncommon to shoot in the range of 1/800s to 1/1250s), Good mix of cross type and vertical type AF points and good consistent AF accuracy at f/5.6. Excellent resolution to make up for detail retention and slight cropping.

Lens: For a start, Nikon 300mm f/4D AFS with Nikon TC-14E II to combine and provide an effect focal range of 420mm @ f/5.6 with very good sharpness. The equivalent FoV shall be 1.5 x 420 = 630mm. Good for bigger birds like Owls, Herons, Eagles and Bigger sized king fishers like the stork bill at closer range if you can get to it. It is maybe also suitable for smaller birds that are not so skittish like the Crimson Sunbird or in general the Sunbird family. This combination is also light weight and suitable for those Kenya Big 5 shoots depending on light conditions and how close you can get to the subject.

Anything below an equivalent FoV of 420mm wont provide the kind of resolution you want out of Birds depending on their size. This is why I wont suggest those 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses. And as a general rule of thumb, Zoom lenses are not as competent as prime lens in Wild life photography.

Tripod: There is a wide selection of tripods out there but I continue to use the Manfrotto 190 X Pro-B that allows the Column to be displaced horizontally that I used for my landscape photography. You can check out the Sirui series if cost is a concern. If not, Gitzo system or mountaineer series is the best.

Gimbal head and lens plate: It is recommended to change the Nikon 300mm f/4D AFS collar to a post market one. If you do not yet want to, it is fine. For Gimbal and Lens, I recommend the Jobu Jr 3 and a Markins or Jobu lens plate.

Total cost for this setup would be estimated to be in the range of SGD $4,800 - 5,200

*** For Wild life photography, you cannot get away with "Cheaper" lenses. IMHO, entry level starts with the Nikon 300mm f/4D AFS ***
(Note, other photographers could suggest the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 VR as the entry level Wild life lens)

Hi, Thank you for all your opinions. My reason for going with another body is considering the fact that i will go for wildlife photography.. as far as my budget goes, the highest fps i can get for continuous shooting is within d300s and d7000.

Also looking for a body with motor because i can buy much cheaper lenses.

your opinions?

 

[Luminare]

Just an example of what you can capture at 600mm focal length. (Not very good photos but the best I can muster with my existing experience and time)

Following photos shot at 600mm focal length and slightly cropped. (Perhaps you can see why I consider anything below 600mm is a little on the short side)

 

[pixelbypixel]

Thanks Luminare. Currently i have a sigma 70-300mm AF... yeah, i also heard that wildlife photography would be very expensive i guess the best choice for now is D7100 i guess. Thank you guys for all your opinions! I'll put those in mind.