instamatic Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Hi all, Just wondering opinons on if the D3 is worth the extra cash? I am moving into Press Photography & Photojournalism soon; so looking to upgrade my D300. Obviously would love a D3 as it is a remarkable camera, but is the D700 much different in terms of handling, speed and image quality? Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I suggest getting the camera that has the features that mean more to YOU. Nikon D700 and D3 often get close overall ratings, and the price difference is several hundred dollars, but, though I don't have money to throw away, that price difference would be the deciding factor for me only if the 2 models were about equally useful for my purposes. for starters D700 is smaller, lighter, has built in flash, sensor cleaning D3 has better ISO, has voice memo, 2 card slots, better battery life, sturdier In 2008, I ordered D3, then Nikon announced D700, so when D3 arrived I returned it unopened & bought D700. The NEW price for each was significantly different, and I really wanted sensor cleaning, & D700's smaller size/weight was a plus. <<In 2012 I got the D4, mainly for ISO, and appreciate the 2 card slots, movie mode.... I shoot news, and my long-term documentary projects, which typically are in extremely challenging lighting conditions, are best served using available light. Plus, when I do direct client work, such as personal or business events, my first choice is using available light.>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Edwards Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 In addition D700 loses out on - Twin card slots - Speed But it's image quality is the same as the D3 (ISO etc), now the D3s is another matter - if you can get a D3s at a reasonable price, that is a far better option, 2 stops better on low light over the D3 and D700. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Park Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I’ve been using a Nikon D3 since 2007 for a mix of press/travel and some studio work (prefer the medium format option for most of my studio stuff). I have been using Nikons since the late 1960s (8 slr models, 3 of which digital) and think the D3 is easily the best of the bunch I have worked with. I use it with fast lenses and appreciate the speed at fast sports events in particular. It is quite heavy yet I still manage to put it in the rucsac when skiing or trekking. I increasingly appreciate the twin card slots, having almost filled two large cards at recent press shoots. Battery length is really excellent (unlike the original D1 cameras). Build quality on mine has been bomb-proof, I do have to get the sensor cleaned once a year, however can live with that. Have no experience of the D700. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gervais Montacute Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Hi all, Just wondering opinons on if the D3 is worth the extra cash? I am moving into Press Photography & Photojournalism soon; so looking to upgrade my D300. Obviously would love a D3 as it is a remarkable camera, but is the D700 much different in terms of handling, speed and image quality? Many thanks! Depends on what prices you're talking about. Unless your D300 has arrived at the end of it's life and you don't need to swap it in on a financial basis, I would keep it. For a cropped frame camera, there's nothing out there with that build quality. It's a great camera, but needs good G lenses to get the most out of it. The D3 is heavy and12 MP. Same as the D700 MP wise, but the D700 is lighter. Based on either/or condition and what the intended use is, I would probably look at the D700 first. Both good camera bodies, providing you use the best possible fast Nikon G lenses. It's the lenses that are most important a lot of the time and not the camera body so much. You may already have them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Todd Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I chose the D700 over the D3 as the extras on the D3 didn't justify the difference in price for me. The same full frame sensor and the high ISO is excellent. It's really handy to be able to remove the battery pack if you want to travel light. I carry a few 8Gb cards so don't really miss the extra card slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 It's good to remember that cameras are tools for taking pictures. So begin with the types of jobs you have to do and chose your cameras for those jobs. I'm retired from assignment work; I still shoot stock (it's a useful way to get me out and moving around), but I can chose subjects and ways of working as I please. My policy during my active assignment career was "never turn down a job." I fell on my face a few times with this approach, but I matured as a shooter too. Instamatic, do you have a good FX lens set to go with the D3 or D700? I have the D700 and I plan to keep my FX 20 f/2.8 AF, my 60 macro and my 24-129 f/4 VRII street zoom. I'll also keep my D90 DX body for backup. But the fact is in the past few years I've been mostly working with the smaller, lighter Sony NEX cameras. The good news is neither the D700 nor the D3 will end up being a bad choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve B Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I went for the D700 instead of the D3 at the time ( and have always been pleased with the D700 ), but must admit if I had the spare cash around to go for the D3s at the time the outcome might have been different . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyMelbourne Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 The D3 has double the shutter life compared to the D700 (300,000 compared to 150,000. However, I have owned a D3 from within a few weeks of the introduction. The dust is a serious problem as I have to clean the sensor on a weekly basis if not more. So if you are nervous of cleaning your sensor then don't bother. The advantages of the D700's pop up flash are considerable. Commander mode is worth having to take good full command of remote flash with full program control. The iso quality is the same for both cameras as the sensors are the same. If you can cope with the dust then the D3 is the way to go and if you are serious about the volume you will take to satisfy the genre of photography that you undertake then there is no competition between the two. I have had many conversations about upgrading my D3 and my conclusion is that I do not need to. I have considered buying a D800 purely for studio hi-res purposes but the negative views, particulary about the oil spots, have turned my greed. Good quality prime lenses are the way to go. The D3 is the proverbial dogs.......... Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
instamatic Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 Is the D700 fast enough for sports photography? It's not my area but I'll be expected to cover sports anyway... so I need something that can cope with moving targets etc. AndyMelbourne; Thank you for adding your thoughts. You say the sensor is the same but on dpreview's studio RAW comparison I think the D3 beats the D700 in terms of fine detail and has a much more attractive rendering of colours (perhaps this is down to a more advanced or differently configured image processing system?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Todd Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 The D700 will give you 8fps with the battery pack and 5 fps without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDaveB Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 If it was me I would go for the D3 if your doing press stuff, if your keeping your D300. If your getting rid of your D300 then get the D3 and D700. If your doing paid assignments, you need a backup body. I presume you are getting these second hand ? Check shutter count on them etc... as they may have been hammered. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jenkins Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 This may not help but you now have the D600 and D800 - both excellent cameras and, in many ways, plugging some of the gaps of the D700 - e.g. dual slots. nj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.