If so on the D300 what was the highest ISO you used & still not a ton of grain?

I know the D3 is out of this world on the ISO, BUT for comparison sake cause of $$$ what's your thoughts if you've shot with both.

THANKS so much!!!!

I would not hesitate to shoot at 1600 with the D300 and 3200 is good if your exposure is dead on.

The D3 is easily a stop better than the D300 in this regard, maybe a stop and a half.

I shoot with both. I have some examples on my blog of shooting at night ISO 3200 with the D300. These are the shots of the couple in the rain. The maternity shoot was D3 as were the food pictures.

I think one of them is like 1/8 2.8 3200 or something so it was REALLY dark.

I love the D3 and I think there are a ton of reasons to buy it over the D300. High ISO performance is only one factor.

The high ISO performance of the D300 is sooo much better than any other Nikon to date (not counting D3 of course) that if you love your D200, you'll love the D300 more.

Reasons to get the D3:
1) High ISO performance
2) Overall IQ is better
3) Screaming fast Autofocus
4) FX Format - Didn't think I would love this as much as I do. Love my 85 and 50/1.4 again.
5) Battery life roughly three times as long
6) Better DR in RAW and JPEG files. Don't know why, but it's true.

Reasons to get D300:
1) cost
2) cost
3) cost
4) DX crop good for wildlife maybe
5) cost




~rc

If you're not in a rush, I'd strongly recommend you hold on for a few months before you buy a D300..............

Seems like a little birdie has told you a thing or two .... so would that be true also for a D3? Should we wait or buy when we have the cash? ... Which I'll probably have to wait for the cash anyway ....

Bernie

Sofie you are such a tease! Didn't you say the same thing about an sb900? Hmmmmmm?

Same AF system as the D300, so it shouldn't be faster unless you are comparing AF-S to AF.

I don't know why the D300 would be falling in price anytime soon. I have heard of a rumor for the D3X that will use the newly announced Sony chip that is 24MP. I am sure this would be in the Canon MarkIII price point of 8-11K. I wish the little birdie would give us a little more information.

Thanks SOOO much you all!!!!

K...you convinced me to wait!!!!

I read somewhere on here a rumor about a full frame version of the D300 (D350?). I don't remember who brought it up though.

I don't want to wait!!!!!!! I want one now!...but if there's something that's better..or better priced? arghhhhh, I will wait...

Wildlife or sports. I'd need a 300 2.8 if I got a D3. But then again, with the ISO, maybe I could get away with the 70-300.

So? Care to edit your post now, Nate?!!!
D700
SB900

Apparently the D700 is real and is a full frame- and the announcement is going to be made before the olympics...blah, blah....thats the rumor mill at least

Errrmmm... check out the links I posted from the Nikon site! It's already been announced

Well I haven't bought either camera yet & NOW it looks like there is a D700 just released. Sheesh...the technology is running mad

Yeah the D700 is going to get Nikon to sell more full frame glass and get out of DX lens production I would think. As far as your question Outside the two cameras are really identical operation wise and qualtiy wise is similar with better detail in the D3 shots. The D3 is faster with the focus and tracking and the shutter sound lets you know that it is "the man" compared to the D300 lol..

Inside at all Iso's you really see a difference with the D3. When you first get a D3 you shoot like your older cameras so I can see someone not seeing the value in it. You have to really re-think all your experience with indoor lighting with the D3 to get what you pay for out of it. Normally direct on camera flash is horrid, bounced directional light is better but not being afraid to push the D3 is the way to go. After a few weddings with the D3 I trusted it enough to shoot formals in a dark chruch at 1000 iso and just filled in a little on camera flash for skins tones. using so much ambient light at a clean ISO of 1000, the light did not look like on camera flash or off camera just balanced and that is the power of the D3. I have had to really re-think flash and now go to the video light more and more. It is a remarkable camera, the detail captured on the sensor is never talked about the dynamic range is awsome.

I doubt they'll give up DX. Considering that a huge market includes their general consumer and not their prosumers. DX bodies and lenses are cheaper and lighter, and I highly doubt many consumers would drop $1500 on a lens.. So I can see DX going the consumer route and FX going the pro route. But I doubt DX will die.

For more discussions on it, Go to Nikonians.org/forum.