What next?

pmillage

Senior Member
Evening all;
I need some opinions on where to go next with my D300S. Should I step up to the D7000 or invest in some more lenses?. Eventually I would like to get into portraiture. Right now I have the 18-105 mm kit lens, a 50mm f1.4 and a sigma 10-20mm wide angle......
 

Mark E

Senior Member
You have a very good Nikon camera in the D300S. I don't think you would be moving up to go to the D7000. Invest in additional lens. May I suggest the 28x300 and an 85mm Micro for your collection. Also the 18x200 is a very good all around lens.
 
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Johnathan Aulabaugh

Senior Member
Evening all;
I need some opinions on where to go next with my D300S. Should I step up to the D7000 or invest in some more lenses?. Eventually I would like to get into portraiture. Right now I have the 18-105 mm kit lens, a 50mm f1.4 and a sigma 10-20mm wide angle......

I am not sure I would call the D7000 a step up from the D300s. yes some of the numbers are better but in actuallity the D300s is considered a semi pro camera in many walks where the D7000 is a high end prosumer camera. While the numbers may speak different the actuality os the D300s is an amazing piece of equipment and is still superior in many ways tot he D7000. As for glass, every one has a preference but I believe the 70-200 2.8 coupled with your 50mm is all you would really need for portraits, although some people really enjoy the crazy artistic portraits out of a fisheye.
 

Eye-level

Banned
"What next?" would be a great thread about what everyone is going to get next. I thought I was going to get to tell you all what I intend to buy here soon...haha Then I saw it was in the D300 category.

D7000..forget about it...D700 just maybe...you have not exploited the D300S to it's full potential yet I bet...I would keep it it unless you are talking full frame...

Answer is glass...glass that you can use if you decide to go full frame someday...to me pictures are all about glass and not so much about bodies but that is just me...

If you must have a new toy or tool whatever you see fit...consider the new Nikon 1 system...that would make a fantastic backup to the D300 and plus I think we are going to see some cool stuff for the 1 system in the very near future...

Or maybe you could get a S2... ;) haha
 
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Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
If I were you, I'd keep the D300S and would try to get a 17-55 2.8 or an 85 1.8 or 1.4 depending on how much money you are able to get rid of. The 17-55 2.8 is an amazing piece of glass. Most of my vacations pics were done with it and I really like it.
 

Ruidoso Bill

Senior Member
My workhorse is a D300, not even the "S", I would invest in glass. There may be a D400 in works and be worth waiting for. That D300s you have is one very tough and versatile camera.
 

John101477

Senior Member
LOL I am not sure I would recommend a Nikon 1 system at all much less as a backup to the D300 lol. I spent sometime with it myself here last week and I can say I will not be getting one personally I am just not impressed with it.
The 85 is a great lens, not sure the 17-55 would be my lens of choice for portraits although it is an amazing piece, but so it the tokina 16-28 for almost half the money.
 

Eye-level

Banned
I was just saying...wish I could play with a 1 J1 for a while especially with the new F mount adapter...still no word yet if it will mount Ai or Ais or just DX or whatever...it is a wholly electronic mount I read...

Back to the topic at hand...I just received the new Adorama catalog...looks like new D300s body only price is 1699.95...D7000 body only is 1199.95...that is a significant difference.

Pmillage...what do you like to shoot?...seems like you are wide angle/normal oriented so I am guessing landscape maybe street or snapshot type stuff???

Portraiture is a huge word...head and shoulder shots, half length shots, full body shots??? I would argue the most famous Nikkor portrait lens is the 105/2.5 gauss type...fricking legendary...Marcel has one and he shoots DX and a D7000 no less... :)
 
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Johnathan Aulabaugh

Senior Member
For a sub $1000 the 105 is great. To each their own but I don't believe the 105 to be as versatile as the 70-200 vr and both are tack sharp although, and please correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the 105mm capable of 1:1 macro?
 

Bukitimah

Senior Member
I think the D7000 may just match the D300 but body construction, D300 is superior. Whether to move to FF will depend but you got to plan ahead and not land up with too many DX lenses.

For the time being, I am sticking to my D300 and the 18-105 and 70-300 lenses. I would love to switch my 70-300 to the 70-200 f 2.8 but $ didn't justify or rather my current subjects did not require that switch yet.

Well like you, everyday I am contemplating on buying more or upgrade. Will spend more time looking at others works and learn more
 

Johnathan Aulabaugh

Senior Member
Not really Bukitimah. I know on paper that might seem true but when the smoke clears the D300s is still the DX champ. besides the build you have a blazing fast AF, 51 AF points, and the D300s is still the faster shooter. Don't get me wrong, I really like the D7000 but the same things that made the D300s stand out over the D90 are still the same things that make the it stand over the D7000 although to a lesser degree.
 

Bukitimah

Senior Member
Johnathan, I think you may have got me wrong. What you said is exactly what I am trying to explain. However, I am comparing the D7000 against the older version D300. Therefore the gap maybe even closer.

Nikon or any other brand will not price their models differently if they are of the same. Of course, some of the features may not be useful to everybody.

The D90 is a fairly good camera. I have considered it before I bought my D300. With the new D300s, this older version price has dropped to such a level that it is only marginally higher than the pre-owned D90. I choose the D300 because I like the various setting buttons.
 

Johnathan Aulabaugh

Senior Member
I see what your getting at. Even back when the D90 was release people complained about the D90 features being better than the D300 so the D300s was a great facelift. Likewise IMO the D7000 is the perfect replacement for the D90 bridging the masive gaps that the D300s had over the D90.
 
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