Just want to thank everyone who helped me with great advice on this thread:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/746812/0?keyword=okay,guys#6796991

I haven't received my gear yet, but I am now the proud owner of the following kit, all purchased here at FM on the Buy/Sell board:

Nikon D3
Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR lens
Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens

If you helped me then you might remember that I shoot sports, mostly soccer and hockey, with a Mark II. I just got sick and tired of dealing with the extra work entailed when using a camera that is noisy at high ISO. Hence, my decision to switch.

Here is my reasoning for everything I bought:

Nikon D3
I struggled with the choice between the D700 and the D3. I found a used one for just over $3,000. I'm super happy to have Nikon's top of the line body at what I think is a pretty good deal. To those of you who advised the D700, I would have been perfectly happy with that body, too, but at the price I paid, I just couldn't pass on the D3.

Nikkor 70-200 VR
I went with this as my first longer zoom for a couple of reasons. First the 300 2.8 is ungodly expensive and currently out of my price range. I need 2.8 to shoot indoor and under the lights at night, and for me, a 70-200 is a bread-and-butter piece of my kit, so that was my first investment. I'd like to have a 300 some day and might soon go for a 300 f/4, but for now I'll live with the shorter range of the 70-200.

Tamron 28-75
After thinking about it, I realized that I rarely have the shorter lens on my camera (the 70-200 practically lives there). So, this is where I chose to save a little cash. I can live with the results I get from the Tamron. I had one in the past and while it isn't as good as the Canon 24-70, it is still a tremendous lens for the price. If I ever get to doing critical work at this focal length, I'll have to upgrade, but for now, I'm happy with the Tamron.


Anyway, again, thanks to everyone who helped me with my switch. You have all been very encouraging, and I hope I don't become too much of a pest as I frequent this board with questions that only you Nikon wizards can answer.

Steve

Congrats man. Killer kit, you're gonna looove shooting Nikon

congrats on the move; on an ancillary note, I think the canon fallout is getting pretty extreme; sooo many people switching due to whatever fails them from their brand. Good on NIKON.... hope the genius continues.

Hey Steve good for you - ENJOY! Report back when you've had some "shutter" time

congrats! the light burns brighter in the darkside! enjoy it!

Wow, nicely done Steve... good on ya... sounds like you found a great kit at a fair price.

You'll have to get it out there now and post up some indoor sports shots for us now... CHEERS!

D.J.,
Funny thing is, my hockey season is substantially over now. Here in Wisconsin, boys high school championships ended this past weekend. That's why I chose this week to "git 'er done." I've got a few weeks to play around and then will be shooting some girls high school soccer. Will probably shoot some of my son's baseball team, too, when I have the chance. Thanks for your advice. The 300 lens is next on my wish list.

Paul,
I'll post something soon. Can't wait to get the gear and get cracking.

By the way, does anybody know where I can find a D3 user guide online? I haven't found one and would like to start de-Canonizing myself ASAP.

Steve

D3 is like butter. Enjoy.

For a while I thought I was Anakin Skywalker at a point about half way through Revenge of Sith where he is well on the way to turning to the Dark Side, and indeed just bought a D700 + 35/2 + 50/1.4 + 85/1.4 + 80-200/2.8. In fact, when the Emperor tested my loyalty by making me betray my 85L II, I sold it down the river without much hesitation.

But now I wonder whether I'm actually LUKE Skywalker at a point about halfway through The Empire Strikes Back in which Palpatine lures Luke to the Dark Side, persuading him that it is his destiny to join him – but then Luke turns back to the Unspecified Side (Light Side? Bright Side? High Key Side?)

I love the speed and handling of the D700 (it reminds me of a Sony A700, funnily enough) but how can I turn my back on such optical perfection as the 24mm L II, Leica 28mm ROM, Zeiss 35-70mm, 50L, Canon 70-200/4 L IS, and the luscious images delivered by the 5D II?

So currently I'm straddling the two, and in the middle of a shoot carrying both kits, wondering where Canon put the mirror lockup again, it's hard to know whether I'm Jedi or Sith.

hubsand,

May the force be with you.

Congrats on the new kit. I've tested the D700 and 70-200 VR and came away very impressed. Was one of the few test kits I've used over the years I was reluctant to give back.

Currently shoot a 1Ds2 with primarily alternate glass and am sifting my lenses to those that are only native Nikon-mount (primarily CV APO with some Nikkor), adaptable to Nikon (Mamiya M645, Hassy) and convertible to Nikon (my Leica R's) via www.leitax.com kits. My intent is to move to Nikon when I replace the 1Ds2 - or acquire a D700 for a more compact and better low light solution to supplement same until the 1Ds2 can be replaced by a ____.

Having owned the 30D, 1D2, 1Ds1, 5D and now 1Ds2, none of the new Canon bodies interest me in the slightest and I've played and lost the CLL (Canon Lens Lottery) too many times to put up with that #$%^&* any further.

Now I just need to find a lens on-par with my sweet 35 Summicron (won't work on Nikon FF - clearance issues).

To each his own.

hubsand wrote:
So currently I'm straddling the two, and in the middle of a shoot carrying both kits, wondering where Canon put the mirror lockup again, it's hard to know whether I'm Jedi or Sith.

Mark,
That's the beauty about your situation; just use and take advantage of both. Who says you have to go with one and drop the other? Didn't I tell you this already somewhere else ?

congrats on the new gear -- I chose the D700, only because the FPS wasn't a big factor for me, and spending $2000 less on a new camera was attractive!

1953hogan wrote:

By the way, does anybody know where I can find a D3 user guide online?



A lot of stuff will be on the nikon USA site. It's some times a goofy site to navigate and find things, but there is a lot of stuff there, once you figure out how to find it. You can register new items there too and keep track of firmware changes, etc.

Here's the link for the user's manual.

http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/14438

Awesome, thanks Kerry.

Conner999 wrote:
Congrats on the new kit. I've tested the D700 and 70-200 VR and came away very impressed. Was one of the few test kits I've used over the years I was reluctant to give back.

Currently shoot a 1Ds2 with primarily alternate glass and am sifting my lenses to those that are only native Nikon-mount (primarily CV APO with some Nikkor), adaptable to Nikon (Mamiya M645, Hassy) and convertible to Nikon (my Leica R's) via www.leitax.com kits. My intent is to move to Nikon when I replace the 1Ds2 - or acquire a D700 for a more compact and better low light solution to supplement same until the 1Ds2 can be replaced by a ____.

Having owned the 30D, 1D2, 1Ds1, 5D and now 1Ds2, none of the new Canon bodies interest me in the slightest and I've played and lost the CLL (Canon Lens Lottery) too many times to put up with that #$%^&* any further.

Now I just need to find a lens on-par with my sweet 35 Summicron (won't work on Nikon FF - clearance issues).

To each his own.

I'm hoping that the Leica 28ROM can be squeezed into a Leitax mount and won't hit the mirror. Anything in a Nikon mount is now double bubble . . . I can even use my Nikon mount Sigma 50/1.4 (whose autofocus now works!) manually via the Nikon G adaptor. Ditto the 70-200VR when I can drop on one at the right price to upgrade the 80-200/2.8.

The D700 feels like a great camera: not the sharpest tool on the block, but tonally sweet and so willing in quickfire situations. The onboard flash is a cute fill-in/slave trigger bonus, too. I wish my 5D II had it. If its successor borrows the D3x sensor, it will be a powerful draw – but Nikon have a lot of work to do plugging the gaps in their lens range before I'll be converting wholesale. Meantime, it's horses for courses.

AGeoJO wrote:
hubsand wrote:
So currently I'm straddling the two, and in the middle of a shoot carrying both kits, wondering where Canon put the mirror lockup again, it's hard to know whether I'm Jedi or Sith.

Mark,
That's the beauty about your situation; just use and take advantage of both. Who says you have to go with one and drop the other? Didn't I tell you this already somewhere else ?

Quite possibly! If so, thanks – you were right.

Well done Steve and I really do hope you like your new rig! Looking forward to seeing some shots mate!

I went out to shoot some low flying aircraft today with my D3x but the weather was against me, very very low cloud and mist so nothing flew. Along drive for nothing this trip. Oh well, always next time!

Great kit!

Very nice price for that D3, very tempting.

The 70-200 is a nice lens and I miss mine already (sold to downsize to something without VR).

And don't underestimate that Tamron 28-75 -- That's one of their sharper lenses and is highly regarded. It's very nice wide open, and stopped down it's a killer.

The shot of the baby is nice and sharp...Maybe I'll never have to upgrade the Tamron after all.

Steve