CLOSED: D700-70-200 VR 2.8 for D3 - Withdrawn

[LSCSN.com]

Looking to trade my D700 and 70-200 VR 2.8 for a Nikon D3.

[GUER03]

Is it time Jason for a D3? You'll love it but I also love my D700 as well. I just got a D3s yesterday so I'm looking forward to testing it out at Weds nights Mavs game. Good luck, hope you find one.

Bump for Jason.

[LSCSN.com]

Yes I'm looking forward to making the move to the D3. Just trying to do it in the most economical way :-).

[Wil_Bloodworth]

Jason,

Although I wish you well with getting the D3, I have zero understanding why you want to move from the D700 to the D3. Internally, they're the same camera. The only things you're going to get are the extra card slot, the extra viewfinder coverage, and the built-in grip.

I could completely understand if you were making that trade for a D3S... but not for an old D3.

Shed some light on this decision for me...

- Wil

[LSCSN.com]

The biggest issue for me is focus speed. The D-hundred series cameras just don't focus like the D series cameras. The D700 is not bad, but it's not as good as the D3.

[Wil_Bloodworth]

Jason,

Both the D700 and the D3 have the Nikon Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus system. They're identical and there should not be any difference whatsoever. The D3 does use an EN-EL4 battery so that may help in with lens focusing speed a tad... but that is just speculation. Of course, if you use the EN-EL4 battery in the D700 then there would be no advantage at all... assuming there even would be one to start with.

- Wil

[srwatters]

Shooting speed (FPS), weather sealing, viewfinder coverage, and 5:4 capture mode. Check this article for more comparisons...

Nikon D700 Digital SLR First Look Preview

[Wil_Bloodworth]

Once you add the MB-D10 to the D700, which I believe Jason has already done, the FPS are virtually the same for FF captures. There may be a slight difference but it is insignificant. The viewfinder coverage is definitely different... and I already mentioned that difference. The weather sealing is negligible albeit slightly different... but still has nothing to do with autofocus. Jason is a sports shooter so I would very very highly doubt he would ever use the 5:4 capture mode.

My point, still, is that at the end of the day, you're not really getting any extra true functionality by moving from a D700 to a D3 because they're the same on the inside. The electronics and everything that really matter are the same.

Are there differences? Absolutely. But they don't have anything to do with what Jason mentioned was his primary reason for wanting the D3. Again, I could understand wanting to move to the D3S but to trade a D700 and a great 70-200mm VR for just a D3 body... can't see it.

If you sell them separately, you could probably get around $2000 for the D700 and $1450-ish for the 70-200mm. That will get you into the $3500-ish range. I would just pop for the D3S at that point because it's definitely a D3 replacement and isn't much more money to do so.

- Wil

[Wil_Bloodworth]

That said, here's a D3 in the DFW for $3000:
Nikon D3

Which is considerably less than $5200.

- Wil

[LSCSN.com]

Wil when I use my D700 and my D2H there is a SIGNIFICANT difference in the focus speed of the two cameras as well as the shooting speed, which is also something that I didn't mention. I can't imagine that the D3 is going to be worse at focusing than the D2H???

Also while it says it will shoot 8 frames a second with the grip, which I have when comparing it to the D2H it's just not the same.

Maybe I'm an idiot (which is highly possible) and I don't have something set correct on the D700, but I'm not getting the same speed as I get with my D2H.

And unfortunately I just can't afford to go the extra distance financially to step into the D3s unless we were talking a few hundred bucks, but that's not going to happen :-).

[mfletch]

I'm hoping to move soon from the D700 to the D3(not D3s or D3x). Seeing used and pampered D3 bodies, sometimes with just a few thousand shots, sometimes selling for $3k or less. The D3 is finally reaching a pricepoint this hobbiest can consider. Maybe my low mileage D700, grip and now less than $1000. That wasn't possible a year ago.

My primary reason for wanting the D3 hasn't been mentioned yet. I love the D700 and am just fine with it's speed, ISO performance and image quality. I'm also not a fan of DSLR video. Not knocking it. Yes, it's a step forward, just not one that I'll use or pay extra for. But, I shoot almost exclusively with the grip mounted. The D700/grip is noticably larger and heavier than the D3. While I've kinda grown used to the bulk, when I put down the 700/grip and pick up the D2H, the size and ergo just feel perfect and I'm reminded what a hog my d700 can be with grip attached.

Moving from D700/grip to D3
Pros for me:
Better size, weight, feel, and well... looks(if that's important)
Dual CF slot.
flimsy pop-up flash is gone(see also cons)
100% viewfinder(the 95% VF wasn't a dealbreaker, but the 100% is a fine improvement)
faster fps(8fps is plenty, but 9 or 11 is even more impressive)

Cons for me:
No built in CLS commander/popup(I didn't use this much anyway, can be remedied with SU-800/sb-800or900) I use PW triggers for off camera flash.
No option to make body smaller by removing grip(I rarely did this anyway and I have other bodies if I need something small)

[Wil_Bloodworth]

Originally Posted by LSCSN.com

Wil when I use my D700 and my D2H there is a SIGNIFICANT difference in the focus speed of the two cameras as well as the shooting speed, which is also something that I didn't mention. I can't imagine that the D3 is going to be worse at focusing than the D2H???

I can understand that logic and it makes perfect sense. I have used the D3 and the D700 and I cannot tell a difference in the AF speed. If you have the opportunity, see if you can try it out first before moving.

Originally Posted by LSCSN.com

Also while it says it will shoot 8 frames a second with the grip, which I have when comparing it to the D2H it's just not the same.

Maybe I'm an idiot (which is highly possible) and I don't have something set correct on the D700, but I'm not getting the same speed as I get with my D2H.

Have you tried using the MB-D10 with the AA battery tray? When I switched to using the AA battery tray it made a HUGE HUGE difference. It's hard to describe how much of a different those batteries made. And if you can get the EN-EL4a tray for the MB-D10 it is exactly the same (speed) as the AA batteries but the EL4a lasts FOREVER.

Originally Posted by LSCSN.com

And unfortunately I just can't afford to go the extra distance financially to step into the D3s unless we were talking a few hundred bucks, but that's not going to happen :-).

I completely understand and just want you to be sure you get what you're wanting and are not disappointed. Try the AA batteries and then try to get ahold of a D3 to compare. There are several TPF Nikon shooters in Houston that I'm sure wouldn't mind meeting you somewhere for a 10-minute test.

- Wil

[srwatters]

Focus speed for non-AFS lenses will be faster on the D3 due to the stronger AF screw motor in the D? series bodies. If you're using AF-S lenses, it's a non-issue.

And the smaller (and less bright) viewfinder may cause low light focusing to be more difficult on the D700 even though the AF system is the same.

[LSCSN.com]

Yes I'm shooting with the battery tray and the battery in the tray and without a battery in the actual camera. It feels like I'm only getting the 5fps, because the D700 doesn't fire nearly as fast as the D2H and they are supposed to be shooting the same frame rate.

[KenJulio]

Just curious, shooting raw or jpg?