 Eric H. Pait |
Which body to go with? So I am currently shooting with a Nikon D40 and the 18-55mm kit lens and a 55-200mm VR lens, but am looking to upgrade. Whichever body I got with, I think I'm going to start saving for the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, but I'm not sure if I should go for another DX camera, such as the d80 or d300, or bite the bullet and save for a d700? Is there really that much of a difference in picture quality amongst the various DX bodies?
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William Schuette |
Hi Eric, you need to really consider what type of shooting you want to do and what you want to invest in lenses. I own both the D300 and the D3. Both produce outstanding images although if really pressed to choose, I would have to give the edge to the D3. The D300 can be shot up to ISO 800 without significant noise but the D3 produces similar results at ISO 3200. As you know, with the DX sensor you will have enhanced telephoto shots but will need an ultrawide angle DX lens such as a 14-24mm to get true wide angle. With the FX sensor, you will need a longer lens to shoot at distances you are used to with the D40. For example, to get the same shot as your current camera at 200mm, you will need a 300mm lens. Depending on your budgetary constraints, there is an additional consideration, the lenses for an FX sensor are much more expensive than their DX conterparts. Although you can use a DX lens on an FX body, this is only something to do in an emergency because you end up with only a 6 megapixel file. Bill Bill
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Eric H. Pait |
Well in reality, at this point I'm going to start investing in nicer FX glass...so I guess what I was really asking was is it worth using FX glass on a d300, or should I bite the bullet and save for a FX body (D3 or D700) to get the full effect of the lenses? At this point most of my stuff will be portrait, sports, wildlife, and some landscape stuff, though I don't expect the need for any ultra-wide angle stuff at the moment.
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Pete H |
Eric, I fail to see the logic in purchasing lenses specifically made for (FX) sensors when used with a (DX) format camera? The DX lens is specifically made to converge all light on the DX sensor. Are you asking is the quality of the DX lens Vs FX designed lens any better? All things being equal (i.e) lens material etc..Then no. As far as biting the bullet for a FX sensor..absolutely they produce cleaner images, not only in less noise at higher ISO's, but tonality and color repro. Is it significant? Depends who you ask and how one defines "significant." Like William, I too have both the D3 and D-300...they both are great for different reasons.
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William Schuette |
Eric, if you really believe that you will move up to an FX sensor body at some point in the foreseeable future, I do think it makes sense to consider this in your future lense purchases. You can always use lenses designed to cover a 35 mm frame on a DX body. There are only a couple of considerations: 1)it will have the field of view of a lens with a focal range of 1.5X what is stated (but then even DX lenses state their focal lengths as per a traditional 35 mm perspective), and 2) these lenses are bulkier, heavier and more expensive than their DX counterparts because they have to produce an image circle that will cover a much larger frame. On the other hand, as I stated before, you should use a DX on an FX body only in an emergency due to the loss of about half of the file size when a DX camera crops down the active size of the FX sensor to accomodate a DX lens. With this in mind and based on the fact that I use the D300 mostly as a hiking/camping/walking around camera, I have limited my DX lenses to two, the 12-24 mm Tokina ultrawide zoom and the 18-200 mm Nikkor VR. My other lenses were designed for a full 35 mm coverage so can be used on either FX or DX bodies. One last thought. If you use a lensbaby extensively, keep in mind that its effect will be much reduced on an FX sensor to the point that I do not believe it is really useful. Hope this helps. Bill
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