The studio I work with A LOT (freelance) was not at all thrilled when they saw my iso 400, 500 and 800 from an event I shot the other night for them. The studio is Canon, currently 1Ds M2. So noise is not an issue.

So my thoughts were to sell my D200, and D70 with a couple Nikon flashes an 18-70, 50 1.8, and a tamron 70-300.. I really do not have much invested, So I wouldn't lose out too much. I am thinking of buying a 5D kit with the 24-105, and a 580. That does not give me a back up right away, but the studio has a 30d and some extra flashes I could borrow at any time.

As professionals we all deal with making a living, and income over cost is a main concern. Now i am of the opinion that if you can not get the work due to the camera... lose it.

What do you think, do I spring for the d300 when it comes out, or do i make the jump to the 5D and be able to shot at a decent wide and be able to borrow lenses?

I guess ultimately, the question comes down to how much you're looking to spend to determine if the D3 is an option. What kind of studio is this? What do they commission you to shoot? Where do they send you for your gigs?

5D + 24-105/4L is a good combo for many settings except where you can only use available light (no flash) and require higher Tv to stop motion.

Hi Donald,

It is hard to know before the new cameras come out, but if you need better high ISO performance I don't think the D300 is going to deliver it. Adding more pixels to a crop sensor means it is hard to expect much high ISO improvements. Now if you could afford the D3 and the lenses to go with it then you would probably be in great shape, but that would be a lot more money. We know that the 5D has great high ISO (and I would be shocked if the D300 could come even close) and a used 5D (which can be had for around $2000 right now) is in my view a great deal. That plus the 24-105L and maybe the 70-200 f/4L and a 50 f/1.8 would give you much the same kit you had for not too much money. I hope this helps.

You could just go get Noiseware and be amazed at what one more step in the workflow could do for you. I really have a hard time believing an ISO400 file would be unacceptable to anyone from a D200. But since you say you do a lot of work for them , i susepct it is one of just familiarity on their part in processing the Canon files. I know that when i do work for others with Canon cameras the workflow is different than my norm and i just roll with it and know that they would feel the same thing doing work on my files


If you do a lot for them a used 5D would be the only camera canon makes that i would even consider if you can live with the fps etc


J

Donald Lynd wrote:

What do you think, do I spring for the d300 when it comes out, or do i make the jump to the 5D and be able to shot at a decent wide and be able to borrow lenses?

Well, noise is the one issue where Nikon clearly lags Canon. So, you KNOW Nikon will be making major improvements in their new cameras.

However, the one overwhelming factor is the ability to borrow lenses. If you are really limited by shooting Nikon in a Canon shop, that is more of a problem than anything else. The D200 is a fine camera and you should get a good price for it, although the resale value is dropping fast with Nikon's latest announcements.

Sorry to not provide a more direct answer. I am only pointing out some factors for you to consider.

Edited by Tim Purcell on Sep 03, 2007 at 01:23 AM GMT (Reason: spelin)

If you work frequently with them, I'd look into the 5d for sure. I'd go with a 24-70 f2.8 over the 24-105 f4 but that's because I like shooting with available light and prefer higher quality lenses. I find anything out of the range of the 24-70, even for events, not much needed for my shooting style. I think you'll love the files out of a 5d coming from a d200 when working above iso 400 and the viewfinder is a bit nicer.

Yes, If your planning on doing a lot of work with them, or staying with them, then I would change over to Canon and that 5D with 24-105 is a nice set up. Nothing like shooting with full frame! High ISO are fantastic to boot!
Good luck.