Discussion
iiyama said:
D300 or D700 as first DSLR? Im keeping my film camera but am looking to go digital.
I'd go D700 if my budget would accommodate 
Is your film camera 35mm? If so then the full frame sensor in the D700 may feel more 'natural'.
(slightly envious as I wish Canon would do a full-framed DSLR with sports af without pricing it in the £thousands)
Cheers.
The D700 will give you the framing your're used to, but will tie you in to generally heavier, larger and more expensive lenses. Whilst FX is seen as 'better' than DX (and in terms of noise it is), the extra reach provided by the DX format can sometimes be more important. Depends what you want to do!
There both the same resolution so if your shooting focal length limited the d300 gives you more 'reach' (D700 croped to d300 gives you 5mp image..)
D700 is a lot better in low light and will have a shallower DOF for the same FOV and aperture (1 stop difference or so).
Overall the D700 will have a better Image quality too (given similar levels of lens optics).
You pay for that in larger heavier more expensive lenses.
So if your shooting distant objects the D300 is likely better.
If your shooting in realy low light frequently and.or want to print these larger go for the D700.
D700 is a lot better in low light and will have a shallower DOF for the same FOV and aperture (1 stop difference or so).
Overall the D700 will have a better Image quality too (given similar levels of lens optics).
You pay for that in larger heavier more expensive lenses.
So if your shooting distant objects the D300 is likely better.
If your shooting in realy low light frequently and.or want to print these larger go for the D700.
While I agree that dx-specific lenses can be a bit lighter and somewhat cheaper, one shouldn't overlook the fact that the bigger photosites of the D700 make it more forgiving to less-than-optimal lens sharpness (especially in the center). For example, my Sigma 80-400 OS produces sharper images on my D700 than it did on my D200. That may again be offset a bit by a larger propensity to vignetting and potentially slightly less quality at the edges, but I don't agree with the blanket statement that a D700 needs more expensive lenses. As a matter of fact it will do better (sharpness-wise) with SOME cheap(ish) lenses (think older FF MFs or AFs) than a D300.
Edited by mmertens on Thursday 3rd June 22:42
Ian, you prob know there's a few of us go out most Weds eves meeting at Krispy Kreme near Port Solent. Once the advice here has given you some ideas/ direction you'd be welcome to join us and get hands on with D300 and D700 as there's users of both bodies in the group. We're planning a film night too so you could bring your 35mm along for some take-home shots.
FWIW if I was in your pos'n i'd be opting for the D700 - the weight and size is an issue over the D300 but not to the same extent as the D3; Nikon's got the free grip offer at the moment for the 700 so you could take advantage of that and still have the smaller form of the ungripped 700 if you find it a bit cumbersome. As has been said, your existing lenses on the 700 will have a familiar feel whereas on the 300 you'll spend time adjusting for and accommodating the crop factor.
FWIW if I was in your pos'n i'd be opting for the D700 - the weight and size is an issue over the D300 but not to the same extent as the D3; Nikon's got the free grip offer at the moment for the 700 so you could take advantage of that and still have the smaller form of the ungripped 700 if you find it a bit cumbersome. As has been said, your existing lenses on the 700 will have a familiar feel whereas on the 300 you'll spend time adjusting for and accommodating the crop factor.
mmertens said:
That may again be offset a bit by a larger propensity to vignetting and potentially slightly less quality at the edges, but I don't agree with the blanket statement that a D700 needs more expensive lenses.
It was a generalisation that DX lenses tend to be cheaper than FX lenses - if for no other reason than they can use smaller elements. There are too many different lenses to be more specific!From my own experience, with a DX sensor I can get a certain framing at 200mm and f2.8. To get the same framing with an FX sensor would need a 300mm f2.8 - yes I could pay the extra, but it would be far too bulky and heavy to carry round all day. And similarly the 24-70mm f2.8 on a FX sensor is much bigger than the 17-55 f2.8 on a DX sensor, and doesn't have as much reach.
iiyama said:
Existing camera is an F90x which has served me well for around 13 years. Lenses are a Sigma 24-70, a Nikon 70-210 and a Tamron 200-400.
Not strictly relevant to your question, but bear in mind that if the Sigma and Tamron are film-era lenses, they might not autofocus and meter on a digital camera without having the electronics modified. iiyama said:
D300 or D700 as first DSLR? Im keeping my film camera but am looking to go digital.
Personally I'd go D700 but I already have some very expensive FX glass. Out of interest, when you chose your PH login did you just glance down to the bottom of the screen and think "that'll do"?
iiyama said:
They are an absolute bargain now, seen em on the Bay for under £100. I seriously thought about getting another but then decided to go digital.
I picked up an F90X body + grip for £75 at London Camera Exchange about 9 months ago. Great camera, but the problem I'm finding now is that new lenses don't have an aperture ring, so you can't use Aperture priority mode - it's shutter priority or manual only.Major Bloodnok said:
I picked up an F90X body + grip for £75 at London Camera Exchange about 9 months ago. Great camera, but the problem I'm finding now is that new lenses don't have an aperture ring, so you can't use Aperture priority mode - it's shutter priority or manual only.
Rockwell writes: 'G lenses work perfectly in Program and shutter-priority. Since they have no aperture ring, they work, but only at their minimum aperture, in Manual and Aperture-priority modes.'So yes, pretty limited.
www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/n90s.htm
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