Nikon D300 vs D700

[Ray Rozema]

I need to replace my Nikon body I mainly photograph birds with 600 mm lens +/ - a TC1.4
Is the D700 worth the extra $$ ? I have read that the D700 will focus faster, is that true?

I have a question about the sensor size difference. The less than full size sensor gives additional magnificatin but isn't that only digital magnification? Therefore can't one get the same result in PP. Doesn't the larger sensor ,in the end, provide better resolution?

thanks very much for your advice and comments.
Ray:)

[arash_hazeghi]

Ray,

The cropped sensor has more pixel per area so when you use the same lens your subject (bird) will have more pixels and thus more magnified, this is not like digital magnification and cannot be achieved in PP. If you take the D700 photo and crop it down to DX FOV you get about 5 mpixels (12/1.5^2), D300 will have 12 mpixels. However D700 is more than 2 stops better than D300 when it comes to high ISO, it has better DR and lots of shadow detail so it's a trade off, In situations that you are focal length limited (i.e. small far birds) the bird might end up being too small in D700 photo, so DX will help. But since you have a 600mm and also 1.4X TC, I recommend D700. You can make up for 1.5 crop with your 1.4X TC and results will be better. As for AF I have not done a side by side comparison but D700 has the same AF module as D3 (MULTICAM3500 FX) which is the best Nikon has.

[Randy Stout]

Ray:

Arash covered the tech. points well. I have both the D300 and D700. My main bird lens is a 500, I have 1.4 and 1.7 TC. For me it simply a matter of reach. If I can, I use the D700, because the images are noticeably better, all other things being equal. Well, they usually aren't equal. If I have to put a TC on the 700 for the reach, its advantage is lost over the D300.

With out a TC, the D700 focuses a bit better than the D300, although the latest firmware helps the latter.
Put a TC on the D700 to equal the reach of the D300 bare, and it seems pretty much a draw.

With the 500, if I could only have one body, it would have to be the D300 because of the reach.

With your 600, I would think that the D700 would be my first choice. A lot depends on what you shoot.

When in doubt, rent one of each, and shoot for a week.

Randy

[John Chardine]

Ray- I have the 15mp 1.6 crop-factor Canon 50D and the 12mp full-frame 5D. The IQ of the images straight out of the camera on the 5D are very good, much better than the 50D. I think this is partly down to a not-so-aggressive anti-aliasing filter on the 5D. The 5D also has much better noise characteristics and better dynamic range. However, after processing, the images from the 50D look just as good as those from the 5D, and with the 50D you have a lot more freedom to crop and still maintain detail. I think the quality of images that come from a FF camera combined with the speed of the D700 make it a pretty awesome package.

[Chad Griggs]

I've got the same questions, especially with the introduction of the D300S and the used prices of the D700 coming down. The conclusion is to have both, but if I can't have both, I just don't know...

[Randy Stout]

Chad:

As I mentioned in my previous post, it really depends on what you are shooting, how close you can get, and what lenses you are using. If you need max. reach, the D300 is the way to go. If you shoot bigger stuff, have a 600, or for some reason reach isn't the issue, the D700 would be my top choice.

There are strong rumors that the D700x, 23 MP full frame body will come out this fall. That might have a slight effect on the D700 price, plus good used bodies (D700) might surface as some people get the itch to upgrade.

Cheers

Randy

[Chad Griggs]

Thanks Randy. When I'm doing wildlife stuff, I always want a little more reach. It would be hard to loose that. That being said, it seems that a D700 would be better for EVERYTHING else. So its a toss up. The longest lens I'll get is possibly a 500 f4 (non VR) next summer. I'm currently shooting a D90, so one idea is to keep the D90 and have my next camera be FX. It's an interesting topic and I enjoy hearing opinions about it.

[Mack Hicks]

I have both and usually use a 500 F/4. I use the D300 more when I need the reach and the D700 when I need faster focus and higher ISO with less noise.

[Bill McCrystyn]

Randy, can you tell me where to access the Nikon filmware you mentioned above. I was not aware there was anything. Thanks, Bill

[Randy Stout]

Bill:

This is the link to Nikon USA firmware update page.

http://support.nikontech.com/app/ans...ail/a_id/13783

Check your manual on how to verify which firmware you have currently. It might be up to date, depending on how old the camera is. The current version is 1.10

Hope that helps

Randy

[Bill McCrystyn]

Thanks Randy - I'm on it. I plan on keeping mine. :) I have a 200-400VR with a 1.4TC that will, if needed, get me out to 840mm f/5.6. $13,000 for a fixed 6 and a D700 + a must tripod is a little rich for my blood. I think even IF I had the money to spend, I really wouldn't want to lug all that around.