Hi friends,
I haven't been here in what feels an eternity but have been kept very busy shooting for some big customers and overall enjoying life.
I'm starting to run into problems while shooting for Tourism Australia. And that is my good old trusted Nikon D300 (12MP) is not creating large enough images anymore for billboard photos etc. Their min requirement is 12MP but that allows me not to crop anything basically without having to upsize and also I fear in future the requirements will only go up.
Also my D300 is on its last legs and whilst I feel I can still create lovely images with it, love the body, the handling, the weather ceiling etc, I can feel it's not far from giving up the ghost.
For now (due to wallet size) I have decided to stay on DX and am despearetly looking for a successor camera.
I have an idea of what my options are and am looking at the D7100 a bit more seriously, but I do not know if I should wait some more and hope Nikon finally pulls their head out of the sand and produces a proper DX prosumer camera or just go with the slightly more consumer oriented current DX offers.
I went with a used D7000 after giving up my D300 pair. The D7100 has even more megapixels than either one of those models. I got improved high ISO with the D7000 when I did that swap out. Why not get a used D700 which is FX?
williamkazak wrote:
I went with a used D7000 after giving up my D300 pair. The D7100 has even more megapixels than either one of those models. I got improved high ISO with the D7000 when I did that swap out. Why not get a used D700 which is FX?
His reason for upgrade is the need for more resolution and the D700 is 12mps same as his D300 Add to that the fact that he's already cropping with his D300 which means he will crop more with the D700 (or invest in longer glass) which eventually results in even less resolution. I agree though, it's a great body.
The D7100 is a really great camera with very few limitations that affects action shooters (shallow buffer), otherwise it's a brilliant camera and you can find for around $750-$850 which is a steal for such capable body.
Thanks so much for the feedback guys.
One of the worries that I have is weather sealing. Many of my landscape shots are done in harsh conditions (snow, salt water, rain, sand,...).
My D300 has had its fair amount of ocean submerges so I am wondering if the D7100 will hold up to that sort of abuse...
^seriously? Multiple ocean submerges? That's impressive - I pretty much assume any ocean dunk is assured doom unless it's an actual waterproof model, not just sealed
No camera will withstand submersion, unless it is actually waterproof, ala Nikon's ASA1 or it is in a case made foprunderwater use. There is a considerable difference between splash and submersion.
cencored wrote:
Also in your opinion is Nikon still planinng a D300 replacement (personally I have given up hope) so that I better wait some more?
This has been an ongoing discussion here on the forum and the bottom line is that no one have any idea whether a replacement is coming or not. I certainly hope so as I am looking for a pro action DX body.
Ok thanks.
Here is another question I have. The D300 being 8 years old or so, I do find that the dynamic range is very limited and I often have to go down the HDR path. With the D7100 generation of sensors, has the dynamic range improved a lot and is overal image quality gone up as well?
cencored wrote:
Ok thanks.
Here is another question I have. The D300 being 8 years old or so, I do find that the dynamic range is very limited and I often have to go down the HDR path. With the D7100 generation of sensors, has the dynamic range improved a lot and is overal image quality gone up as well?
Yes, DR is more than 2 stops over the D300 and ISO performance is much better.
Coming from a D300 to the D7100 will be a big change. The body will feel more like a toy, but the images (should) come out much nicer and better to work with. I say go for it!
Yes the buffer is a mild nuisance, but as I mainly shoot long exposure an no sports whatsoever I suppose I'll be fine. I think you get 5-6 images into the buffer before it's full so that's ok for me.
Btw. it looks like the D7100 doesn't have the 10 pin connector that I use for my remote.
Stupid question, but how do I connect my remote to it - is there an adapter or do I need a new one...
I used a d300 for years and have been using a D7100 for the past year. I don't miss the D300 at all. The D7100 has lightning fast AF, the images have a clarity the D300 didn't give, and it is well weather sealed. I hook a CyberSync receiver to the little jack on the side for remote fire up to ~200 yards. Go for it.
You definitely peeked my interest. As I mentioned 95% of my work is landscapes esp dawn/dusk. So high contrast is always an issue and my biggest concern while shooting is checking the histogram or blinkies to work out my exposure for blow outs/block ups and if i need to bracket etc. Having more DR would be huge!
I do remember your shots. Hope you get a camera worthy of your talents, soon. The D800/D810 does have DX mode on them, which gets you more pixels than the D300 still.
Add to that the fact that he's already cropping with his D300 which means he will crop more with the D700 (or invest in longer glass) which eventually results in even less resolution. I agree though, it's a great body.
