Camera Labs

Hello everybody!

Just joined the forum, read for a bit and i have a question. I`m truly sorry if this has been discussed before, if it has - please redirect me to the topic.

I have used my D80 for about 2 years now and i feel like finally I have reached its limits. I am ready to upgrade.
My options (or what i think my options are looking at my wallet) - D300/D300s/D7000

Why I want to upgrade? I mainly feel limited by D80`s sensor and want to get something with better low-light performance. As of recently I also try to do some night sky photography (milky way etc) and D80 it kind of alright for hobbyist and if I want to print on a postcard, but anything bigger than that is just plain ridiculous. So - better sensor and low-light performance is key feature for me. I also want to mess up a bit with video so that is a bonus. But I`m definitely NOT willing to sacrifice photo quality for some build-in crippled video. But i DO think it`s a good bonus.

Looking at all the specs, reviews and sample photos - i think i want the D7000, but i want to make sure I`m not doing the wrong choice, hence the topic. D300S is pricier, but I`m willing to spend just a little bit extra if it`s worth the money.

I don`t know if it makes any difference, but if it does - I currently use 3 lenses - Tamron 17-50/2.8 XR, Nikon 50/1.8D, Tokina 10-17(planning to sell it and get second hand Tamron 11-16 )

So D7000 or?

At the price the D7000 is atm. sub £700 (less than £600 if you buy through the DigitalReview link at the top of the main page on here) I don't think you'll be disappointed. One thing to consider though is, there COULD be an updated version early in the new year, but if there is the price could well be 50% more.

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Nikon D700 & D7100 bodies + Nikkor 300mm F2.8 VR11, 1.7TC, 50mm F1.4G, 16-35mm f/4G VR, 105 F2.8 VR macro, 70-300mm lenses. A couple of filters, Giotto tripod & ballhead. Lowepro Slingshot 302 AW

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldcarlos/

Well, a new model often means that the price of the older model will go down. So Id wait if I were you.

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Ruben

Panasonic DMC-FZ18, Panasonic DMC-FZ28, Canon G5, Canon 350D, Canon 50D + BG-E2N
Tamron 17-50 2.8, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM,
Canon 18-55 II plus lots of Minolta MD/M42 lenses and bodies

Usually.
Interestingly when the new D800 was announced, I considered it for a short while, but then eventually bought the D700 @ it's lowest price.
Within the next couple of weeks the D700 had actually gone up in price, then very soon after that ...... sold out!

So imho, if you do decide on the D7000 why wait to save a few quid if it's what you need now? (waiting to see a newer spec might be worthwhile though?)

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Nikon D700 & D7100 bodies + Nikkor 300mm F2.8 VR11, 1.7TC, 50mm F1.4G, 16-35mm f/4G VR, 105 F2.8 VR macro, 70-300mm lenses. A couple of filters, Giotto tripod & ballhead. Lowepro Slingshot 302 AW

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldcarlos/

I think i want to upgrade soon and as mentioned above - new model might be out of my budget. I`m currently in Japan and brand new d7000 will cost me exactly 500 quid. So will second hand d300 and for 150 on top - second hand d300s. So i want to use the opportunity to get a new body while I`m still here. The question is which one is going to perform better, especially in terms of low-light situations.

I know d7000 is the newest of them and it is going to bring a lot of new small features to the table, but i am not really bothered about this. All i care about is image quality and possibly reasonable video. People have advised me to play with them for a bit and see how they feel. I have played with all three models in the shop, frankly, I like the way all of them feel in my hand, so this is not a deciding aspect for me.

So between the three - go for D7000?

Basically, the D7000 has the newer and higher resolution sensor.

I have the D90 as well (12 Mp like the D300 and D300s similar sensor but may not be identical), and I think that the D7000 is rather better in low light.

The D300 and D300s have tougher construction byt the D7000 is nothing to complain about.

The D7000 also has double card slots - more memory or portable back-up.

All I can say is that I'm very happy with mine.

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HCC
Nikon DSLRs, film cameras from Leica to Linhof

Well I think I need look no further, I`m getting this baby. And I can use the difference of 150 from the d300s get something extra, like flycam for stabilization.

Anywho, cheers

And just to add to the confusion Nikon announce the D5200 http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikon_D5200/ inheriting some of the D7000 features.

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Nikon D90
Nikkor AF-S DX; 18-105 f/3.5-5.6G VR, 55-300 f/4.5-5.6G VR, 35mm f/1.8G
Speedlight SB-700

http://keystrokesukimages.com

The D5200 is nice, but I think that you'll find yourself yearning for the superior controls and build of the D7000 a few months down the road.

I wouldn't even consider the D300s, while it's built like a tank and will give you features like a better AF system or a faster burst rate, the D7000 is more future proof and has the better overall IQ. Nikon really worked to improve high ISO performance, and it shows, there's very little grain. Considering that you're coming from a D80 with a CCD as opposed to the newer CMOS sensors, I don't think that you'll be dissapointed. You'll be able to push the D7k up to ~6400 ISO in regular use, and for astrophotos you'll find 3200 pretty clean.

I've been quite happy with mine, as Hilary mentioned you get dual SD card slots, which is a feature that's proved to be extremely useful in real world use. Overall, I'd highly recommend it, but I'm confident that we'll see a replacement Q1 or Q2 2013.

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-Evan

Gear: 7 Nikon Nikkor AI-S and AF-S lenses, SB-700 flash, Nikon D7000, Nikon FM, variety of accessories

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."
- Ansel Adams