I am looking at the Nikon line and am wondering what the differences are between these two options. All my DSLR experience is with Canon and on their bodies the grips work but fell like an afterthought. Also, the grip can actually make the body heavier than the bodies with the vertical grip integrated.
luminosity wrote:
The grip increases the framerate of the 300/700 to 8 fps, which is just a bit short of the D3's 9 fps.
The grip doesn't increase the framerate, but the battery you can put in the grip.
If you think you will use the grip most of the time on a D700 I would go for the D3. The price is not much different by the time you factor in the batteries and chargers needed. D3 is lighter and arguably better balanced than D700+ grip. There are some great deals on D3 at the moment since D3s just came out.
I had the d700 with the grip and it was larger and heavier than the d3. I was able to get a d3 and haven't been happier. I do miss the compactness of the d700 at times, but still am happy with the d3.
The grip on the D700 seems almost natural, better than what I remember shooting with Canon bodies and grips. I like that I can remove the grip and have a smaller body for walking around, (what I also like is that you can use the grip on the D300 as well), but otherwise I leave it on 99% of the time. If you have the $$$ get the D3, if you have the $$$$ wait for the D3s.
- I like the button placement a little better on the MD-10 versus the D3
- I like the having ability to remove the grip
- I don't like having to tighten the grip every now and then and I have experienced it stop working twice due to this (I think some moisture got in between).
- I had a Canon 20d/30d and a grip and I hated it!.... The MD-10 feels way better to me and is actually quite enjoyable to use.
- I like the overall shape of the D3's grip and find it more comfortable (except for the button placement).
- The D700 with a grip makes the camera slightly larger than the D3
- I almost always grab my D3 over my D700 with or without a grip attached
- In the end a D3 is much more durable than a D700 but more money too and that is a big plus too (the durability not the price )...
Rexspangle wrote:
- I like the button placement a little better on the MD-10 versus the D3
Not for me
- I like the having ability to remove the grip
Yes especially on travels
- I don't like having to tighten the grip every now and then and I have experienced it stop working twice due to this (I think some moisture got in between).
Never experienced this
- I had a Canon 20d/30d and a grip and I hated it!.... The MD-10 feels way better to me and is actually quite enjoyable to use.
Same for me with 5D, 40D, 400D
- I like the overall shape of the D3's grip and find it more comfortable (except for the button placement).
Yes, except for the last
- The D700 with a grip makes the camera slightly larger than the D3
And a little heavier as well
- I almost always grab my D3 over my D700 with or without a grip attached
YES!!
- In the end a D3 is much more durable than a D700 but more money too and that is a big plus too (the durability not the price )...
Yes
So almost the same experience.
The D3 has some (minor?) other advantages as well.
It's discussed a lot on this forum.
IMO, the M10 grip on the D700 is pretty seamless. I like that I can take it off when I wish and have a much lighter camera. It balances heavy glass and makes it more comfortable in the field. I'm talking 300 f/2.8 and larger. It's easier for my big hands to grip the camera.
I don't like that it can draw attention in public where people think you're some kind of pro and come over wanting to yap. Also it makes it harder to get candids. Because of the weight, a nice spongy neck strap will be needed.
Would I buy it again? Probably not. I don't need to look like a "pro" when in public. I get plenty of battery life without it and don't need the additional frame rate.
I do not own a D3 so I can not comment on a comparison but one thing that has not been mentioned which might come into play in making your decision is the on-board flash.
The D3 does not have one the 700 does.
I do not use the D700s on board flash to directly light photos but I use it a lot as a commander to fire and control off camera flashes. It is very convenient. With The D3 you will need a Sb900 or 800 to control off camera flashes.
Just something to think about if you plan to use the Nikon CLS system
I think it will depend alot on what you are shooting/your style. The battery grip which can be removed almost instantly is good for when you want to stay as inconspicuous as possible (ie maybe you want to do occasional street photography or something like that). The ability to make the camera smaller when you want comes in very handy for me when i switch between shooting different subjects
I play with both all the time - own the D3, boss/lab has the D700 w/ grip.
As stated before, the D700 w/ grip is larger, and heavier than the D3.
Reason why I like D3 over D700: Weight, stiffness, buttons and displays, dual card, card door, overall feel and ruggedness.
Reason why I like D700 over D3: Ability to bring a smaller package, weight w/o grip, pop-up flash for occasional fill or just snap shots as well as triggering remote flashes. Having an SB-900 on your camera just to trigger a remote 900 is kind of a waste. I wish the D3 had a pop up just for that. A D3 with an SB-900 attached at a casual event, can be menacing and distracting.
I use both cameras, and beyond certain ergonomics, the differences aren't that great.
However, the largest differences that nobody seems to be talking about are the Dual CF Card slots in the D3, the ability to Voice Annotate your photos (and hear the playback!) on the D3. And the SECOND BIGGEST DETAIL, the D3 does not have an automatic sensor cleaner that the D700 does. If dust on your sensor is a problem for you, than the D700 or the D3s is going to make a huge difference.
The on camera flash of the D700 works very well, but if you use a hooded lens wider than 50mm, you may have problems with shadows from the hood.
I hope Nikon NEVER puts pop up flashes on the pro cams. They might be a small convenience, but are a big compromise on the ruggedness of the camera. I say this from experience having my D700 flash catch on clothing etc. It hasn't broken yet but it doesn't have the bombproof feel that the D3 has.
You can trigger flashes with the reasonably compact SU-800. Perhaps the best compromise is for Nikon to make an even more compact remote commander.
Maybe I am crazy or I need to shoot with a D3 more often but I find that I like the vertical grip of the D700 better than the vertical grip on the D3. Button placements aside I like the recess of the D700 under the lens. The D3 recess isn't as deep there. It makes it feel like I don't have as secure of a grip on the camera.
Other than that the info button, ability to reduce size by removing the grip and the popup flash are the only advantages I know of on the D700.
Moving up from a D300 the D700 is also more familiar than a D3 when you first get it.
I just made the decision to get the D3 over a D700+grip. I was always leaning towards the D3 anyway because of the dual CF, 300,000 shutter life, weatherproofing, ruggedness and feel but what pushed me 'over the edge' so to speak was the cheaper used prices ($3000USD with only 8k actuations) and the fact that it's only 0.75lbs heavier than the D700 w/o the grip. And that's with a much longer lasting battery.
I don't know about you but 0.75 lbs is NOT that much extra for me. Dust bunnies are a PITA though.
Here's a picture of my baby just to keep things interesting.
The MB-D10 is the best grip i have ever hold. It really becomes one with the body (D300 for me) and it's miles ahead the plastic toy that the MB-D200 was.
I also liked the joystick on it and the super clever battery configuration.
Mine is worn out in the shutter release area due to oxidation i guess, but keeps working flawlessly... (i have 101K actuation's on my D300!)
Vern Dewit wrote:
I just made the decision to get the D3 over a D700+grip. I was always leaning towards the D3 anyway because of the dual CF, 300,000 shutter life, weatherproofing, ruggedness and feel but what pushed me 'over the edge' so to speak was the cheaper used prices ($3000USD with only 8k actuations) and the fact that it's only 0.75lbs heavier than the D700 w/o the grip. And that's with a much longer lasting battery.
I don't know about you but 0.75 lbs is NOT that much extra for me. Dust bunnies are a PITA though.
Here's a picture of my baby just to keep things interesting.
You won't be disappointed! The 3 is definitely better if you use the bigger lenses. Not sure if I am a fan of the wannabe Canon look, but I guess you got that lens cheap
andrewd01 wrote:
Not sure if I am a fan of the wannabe Canon look, but I guess you got that lens cheap
! Actually the lens is rare enough that it's 'worth' more $$$ than the regular black one. It's also been discontinued so there are no more grey 70-200 VR Nikon lenses being produced in the foreseeable future which makes it more rare.
I actually prefer the black lens but this one was local and for a good price. On EBay the white version goes for quite a bit more than the black one so I figured it couldn't hurt to get it and resell it some day down the road.
)...
