Thinking Out Loud - Nikon D7000 or D300s?

J

Jeff Fillmore

Member
So I want to add a smaller size DX camera with video to my kit. ;

I had a D300 and really liked it but jumped to the D700 a couple years ago when they first came out. ; I kind of missed some of the advantages of DX and started thinking about this and making plans when I first read the specs on the D7000. ; I have picked up a few DX lenses recently- so I’m committed- but now I am kind of unsure on the camera body. ;

Right now I am seriously considering bailing on the D7000 idea and going for a used D300s instead.

Availability - D7000 has limited availability…D300s is available new, used, and refurbished. ;

Technology - D7000 is current…D300s is about a year old. ; Maybe a year is getting a little long in the tooth for a DSLR but I think it is still a very capable camera.

Price - D7000 lists for $1200…D300s now lists for $1460. ; The D300s can also be found used or factory refurbished for a price close to or below a new D7000. ; I would probably only consider a used one since ‘refurbished’ tends to be a negative at resale.

Sensor - D7000 is 16.2 Megapixels…D300s is 12.3 Megapixels. ; I am not sure how I feel about this. ; My D700 is 12.3 Megapixels and I have never had an issue with the file size. ; I suppose more is better but I already feel like I’m fighting a losing battle with drive space with two 1TB external drives that are approaching capacity. ; I have no idea what I am going to do for storage especially once I start accumulating large video files.

Size & Weight - D7000 is 5.2â€Â
 
If you aren't going to use video get a D300 instead. ; But if you're going to do more with video, get the D7000. ; I guess it will depend on how you're going to use it.....

The CF card and batteries would lean towards the D300(s).
 
For me its the d300. My choice is based on the ergonomics of the camera. I dont want to go back to a consumer camera again, simply because I dont want the scene modes or the extra buttons to get to settings.
plus you have the batteries, chargers, and cards already.

I dont know much about the video, though, as I dont care at all, so I havent even looked into it. (I didnt even read what you wrote about it...)

I agree about the lower iso, that is something I would like to see too.
Roger, doesn't that have to do with the auto d--lighting that they start at 200 for that to workl better?
 
"Roger" said:
If you aren't going to use video get a D300 instead. ; But if you're going to do more with video, get the D7000. ; I guess it will depend on how you're going to use it.....
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I definitely want to play around with video- but it's not like I'm expecting to become James Cameron with the thing. ; (I'm actually pretty happy with the video from my Droid phone!) ; Is the video on the 300s really that bad?

"Craig" said:
For me its the d300. My choice is based on the ergonomics of the camera. I dont want to go back to a consumer camera again,
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At the end of the day I think that is my biggest issue with the 7000- the consumer-camera type layout
 
"Jeff Fillmore" said:
I definitely want to play around with video- but it's not like I'm expecting to become James Cameron with the thing. ; (I'm actually pretty happy with the video from my Droid phone!) ; Is the video on the 300s really that bad?
Click to expand...

I think it's because of the first generation of Nikon CDAF. ; They really seem to have added the color-tracking to CDAF on the D7000 so it can approach PDAF precision, but I think that's where the SLTs have an advantage....

"Craig" said:
I agree about the lower iso, that is something I would like to see too.
Roger, doesn't that have to do with the auto d--lighting that they start at 200 for that to workl better?
Click to expand...

I'm not convinced that it's a native ISO. ; Has anyone done sensor testing on it? ; Usually the native ISO is where the dynamic range is the greatest, and so many cameras started out at 200 when in fact they listed 100 as a base ISO. ; DXO Labs hasn't tested the D7000 sensor yet.
 
If you didn't want video, I'd suggest going back to a plain D300. ; There's not that much difference between the D300 and D300s.

DPreview.com has a nice side-by-side comparison of the D7000, D90 and D300s.

One feature I like about the D300 is the lossless compression option. ; When I load an empty 8 Gb CF card, it tells me I can store 392 pictures. ; With compression, it manages to fit nearly twice that many shots on the card. ; Most compressed raw images are in the 9 - 11 Mb range.

You really need to look at the D7000 in person. ; If the ergonomics don't feel right, it may be best to just wait a year or two for a D400. ; Or you could just buy the D7000 now with the intention of upgrading later.
 
One other thing: ; Do you want to wait for the D400? ; Rumors are flying fast that next year's top APS-C cameras are going to be 24mp. ; Personally I don't see how they'll be able to do that and keep high-ISO quality. ; Plus most lenses are going to be out-resolved by the sensor so it won't matter. ; Yet they still keep pushing the envelope: ; I thought Nikon had learned that but I guess the marketing people are still clueless. ; Probably because the average consumer is clueless.
 
I don't want to wait- no. ; I don't even want to wait for a D7000 in a few weeks or months when I find a body only in stock someplace... when I could pull the trigger on a D300s right now! ; And I am trying to keep that part out of my head because it's ridiculous- I know. ;

Yes I wish I could hold a D7000 in person. ; I have stopped by a couple Best Buys- one of them had 'two in the back' but nobody has a display model out yet.

As for the D400- In my mind there would be less financial risk on buying a used D300s with the option of upgrading after D400 hysteria dies down. ; I have bought and sold a lot in the past and have usually done pretty good buying used- the only times I end up getting hosed is when I buy something new and don't like it.
 
Interesting reading, Jeff. ; I think you got yourself talked into a D300s. ; Coming from a D700, I think going back to a consumer type body would be annoying. ; Did you get the battery grip for the D700? ; It works on the D300s, too.

Plus, who knows what kind of early firmware issues the D7000 is going to have once thousands of photographers start using it. ;

A DX sensor at 24mp...sigh, I thought they got the message. ; I guess more mp's sells cameras. ; I am quite happy with the 12mp high ISO D700, thank you very much.
 
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