I am just looking for fellow Nikonian opinions...If cost was not the factor...for someone who owns the D3S and D700 would you recommend upgrading to the D4 or the D800? (Probably would sell my D700)

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I have a D700 and I'm facing a similar issue. I've got a preorder on the D4 but am now questioning the wisdom of that. The D800 is very tempting, too. I'm not a fan of the extra pixels but the rest of the package seems very good. Honestly, the more I ponder this question the more I think that upgrading the camera won't improve my photography all that much given that I'm totally an amateur with limited time to photograph. I still see amazing shots done on a D200 that I haven't been able to surpass with my D700. That tells me my skills are what's holding me back more than my equipment.

Doesn't answer your question exactly but maybe gives you a different way of looking at it.

We are in the exact same boat...I was looking at pictures just the other day that I took with my old D200...They are still the best I've taken and so that is my dilemma....leaning toward the D800 but also have the D4 on preorder....whats a grown man to do?...LOL!

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You know, after I wrote what I did here I really had to question why I'm planning on spending $6K for a new camera. I've been questioning it for a month. So I decided to cancel my order and stick with what I have a while longer. I guess the realization that spending $6K on workshops will do more for me in my photography than $6K on camera which will spend most of the time sitting at home.

>You know, after I wrote what I did here I really had to
>question why I'm planning on spending $6K for a new camera.
>I've been questioning it for a month. So I decided to cancel
>my order and stick with what I have a while longer. I guess
>the realization that spending $6K on workshops will do more
>for me in my photography than $6K on camera which will spend
>most of the time sitting at home.
>

I've been waiting for the D400, but came to similar conclusions. That is, why wait, why spend a fortune, and why be lured by the apparent megapixel escalation (that does not serve my particular purposes very well)? I just bought a second D300 off of eBay! It appears that D4 and D800 are awesome technologies, though.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pdavid2/

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I use the high ISO capability and the high speed burst performance of my D3s a lot. For me, the D4 is not that much of an improvement, and the D800 — while wonderful for landscape or studio use — does not really help my photography.

YMMV. It depends on what you shoot and how you shoot it.

Jon Kandel
A New York City Nikonian and Team Member
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>I am just looking for fellow Nikonian opinions...If cost was
>not the factor...for someone who owns the D3S and D700 would
>you recommend upgrading to the D4 or the D800? (Probably would
>sell my D700)

I think this is greatly dependent on why you own the the D3s and D700. I have a lot of bodies, but no D700 as the camera didn't fill any need for me.

I shoot two primary types of work. Sports and Portrait/glamour. My D3s cameras do the sports things very well, and will get upgrade to the D4 sometime before Christmas. I had been using my D7000 for the other work as I wanted the megapixels. But the D7000 has been somewhat unreliable for me, and I just don't have time for that.

For me, the D800 will replace a LARGE part of what I am shooting now. It will give me MUCH better retouching possibilities in portraits and glamour, give me large print ability in daytime sports, or give me the ability to crop in daytime sports. Sadly, the D800 cannot be used for me for indoor volleyball. That's a place I'd really like to have it. But I am at ISO 6400 in there just to get 1/500 of a second at F2.8, and I really want 1/1000. So the D4 will be the ticket.

But the D800 isn't right for everyone. That's ok. I still use my D2h, and D2x for certain shoots. Those are "right" sometimes for the job. The D7000 is "right" for me for some shoots.. especially when I want the DX crop but I want more megapixels than my D2x.

Examine YOUR needs and buy accordingly.

------
Webpage: http://www.ptfphoto.com

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I own the D3S and D700 with enough glass to get the shot right in-camera. I still have to crop from time to time.

I'm upgrading to the D4 for the improved focus and hopefully better performance above ISO 1600. The D3S is awesome; any improvement will help in Kuwait and after I get home. I've been shooting a lot of sports in low light before sunrise and after sunset. Most of my customers want email or screen saver sized output.

The D800 will have to wait until after I get home to Minnesota where the dust isn't so bad. 4 frames per second will be fine when I'm doing marco or landscape work. 36 megapixels will be nice for large prints. I normally print 13x19 so I'm not sure 36m will show.

Did I mention improved auto-focus? It is the same on D800 and D4. The D700 and D3S are the same too but don't operate the same for me. The D3S seems to operate much better.

Daniel McGowan
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I have to agree here. Interesting how also there is a HUGE number of D700's for sale here and on Craig's list and other used equipment sites. I have never seen so many. All upgrading I guess.
The D3s is a marvelous tool for indoor sports and any low light condition. The D4 appears on the surface to offer improvement to that. We shall see I guess. I plan to RENT one prior to sinking the dough however. I want to see if it really can take my indoor sports shoots up to 1/800th + at a reasonable ISO without degradation of the image.
Time will tell I guess.

Got to agree the best shots I ever made was with a D200. Bought a D700 and I didn't get along with it at all. Went the D7K route and every thing seems to be going OK. Now I have D800 pre ordered from 3 dealers. guess I will play with one of them for a few days and see if I can get along. My biggest problem is I like the reach of DX over FX. O' what to do??

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I own a D3S and a D300S and shoot a lot of sports and band gigs, events and other things such as portraits etc.
I have no intention of getting rid of the D3S. The D4 is a faster focusing and there are a few new bells and whistles, but on one of these forums someone said it was an evolution not a revolution. The change from 12 to 16Mp is not huge, the improvement of only 1 stop, the new card format, the new batteries are non-starters for me. As well, I have never said "Gee, I wish my D3S focused faster" and I am constantly amazed at what it does in low light.
So .... having said that, the D800 is a revolution.
This is not for low light....
This is not for motorcycle racing...
This is not for gigs and night clubs etc. ....
This is for portraiture in controlled light, this is for architecture, this is for landscape, and this is for product photos and large prints.
I remember when the D3X came out, a lot of people said it would stay on a tripod and some even said the resolution was so high you couldn't hand hold it. I can imagine my D800 (ordered a while back and confirmed yesterday - not the E version) will be more of a studio camera.
My D3S and 300S will still be the ones that go to the track....
Just my way of looking at it.
Tim

TimMcGillPhotography and TMStudios

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or
www.timmcgillportraits.com

Sports, Events, Gigs, Beauty, Fashion, Glamour, and Boudoir

>Got to agree the best shots I ever made was with a D200...
> My biggest problem is I like the reach of DX over FX. O' what to do??

My answer to that question is to stick with DX. That ought to be your answer too, since you said your best shots were with a D200. DX will always lag FX on high-ISO noise (for the same pixel count) and perhaps in some other areas, but you know DX cameras will improve just as FX cameras have, and it appears that those things don't limit you anyway since your best shots were with your D200. So, why take on the extra size, weight, and expense of FX? What you should do is wait for the D400.

Randy

These are all different cameras and each excels at a different type of work. At one time I owned the D3x, D3s, and D700 and used each for different things. The D3x was an excellent studio/landscape camera, the D3s great for fashion, sports, street photography, and the D700 was a more compact version of the D3s (with one-stop less high-ISO performance)for travel photography. I replaced the D700 with a D7000 as my travel camera, even though that meant adding a 10-24mm zoom to get the same field of view as my 17-35mm.

I sold my D3x in December, anticipating that the D800 would be able to replace it as a studio camera. When the D800 arrives, I'll decide if it can replace the D7000 as well. I sold my D3s in January, figuring that the D4 will do an equal or better job in its role.

I don't see it as D800 vs D4 (or vs D700.) All three will do a decent job in multiple roles (I used the D3x for sports and the D3s for studio work at times.) But since I shoot so many different types of subjects, if I want the best camera for every job, I need both.

Anthony, you and Neil can make room in that boat for me My D300 went to Nikon recently and I borrowed back the D200 from my son. I too go back to the D200 shots from 2007 and think they are better, in large part, but that was my first DSLR and I was treating it as if I were still shooting film so spent more time on getting the shots right without crop and PP!

I have the D3S and D700 (D300s/D300). Upgrading has not made me better at all, but life is easier mainly due to the speeds I can shoot in different light. I do not shoot Studio and no serious Landscape.

I think David's points are all very valid but I do not make much money from my gear so if I take NAS out of the equation it is a no brainer...no D4 and no D800 (at least for the foreseeable future )

I'll wait and see what a D400 offers and I am actively looking for a smaller travel/street kit. Some advanced skills training in Photography and PP would probably be a wiser move
Cheers,
Tom

T.D.Hardin
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