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I’m thinking of getting a Nikon D300. I currently have a Sony 707 which is about 8 years old, it is at the end of its life and I have outgrown it.

I haven’t used a SLR before and I have asked many of the people I know lots of questions. They all seem to have Nikon’s, either D50’s or D80’s.

I have settled on Nikon for a few reasons: 1) people I know have and use them and so I can get help. 2) I have held a few to help decide what I like.

I was going to get a D80 and then held the D200. It felt a lot better with the size and weight. I can see the benefits of getting something better to start with, even if I don’t use the functionality at the beginning. Also I wouldn’t want to get the D80 and the wish that I had got something better. I don’t intend to change the body every couple of years.


Am I going too far for a beginner and should I just get a D80 or maybe a D200?

The 2nd part is the lens. I have been reading this forum for a while and it appears that some people think that the 18-200 VR is a good lens while others have said that it isn’t that good. I have been looking at what I have shot in the past and it’s mostly landscapes or portraits. Would it be better to just get something like the 24-70 2.8? I would be pushing the funds a bit.

Question is, what you can't find in a D80 that is offered in the D300? Except for the size and 'feel'?

Have you considered getting used equipments? Since there will be plenty flowing around these days with new D3/D300 introduction.

D80 is not a wrong camera to start with, but to start off with a D300 is putting yourself into a very very steep learning curve.

I would save the extra bits of pennies for lenses.

And also remember, the camera has nothing to do with a nice looking photo. It only helps you to get the shot, it wont take the photograph for you. You are the one who is going to put it into use and make nice photographs.

Yi-P is right - IMO you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a great photo taken with a D40 & kit lens vs a great photo taken with a D3 & 24-70.

The main difference is that the more expensive camera is NICER to use, and can dramatically increase your chances of taking that great shot, through better handling, better noise control, faster frame rate, faster and more accurate AF.. etc etc.

If you can afford it and are serious about photography as an interest, then buy the best you can afford - bearing in mind that bodies are temporary, and good glass lasts.

As for lenses.. Your Sony 707 has an equivalent focal range of 38-190, for comparison purposes.

The 18-200 is a good lens. The build quality is so-so, and the image quality is average... however it is VERY versatile and has VR to reduce hand shake. Focal length range is equivalent to 27-300 (compare that to your sony's above). Almost perfect travelling lens.

The 24-70? Never used it, but based on the 28-70, I would imagine the build quality and image quality are amazing, with size, weight and price to match. Will be equiv to 36-105mm.

I have an 18-200. It is an extremely versatile lens. but the old saying about "Jack of All trades; Master of none" does hold true here. Because of its versatility, it will always hold a place in my collection, primarily for when I want one lens to travel with. In your case, it will soften the switch from a fixed lens system to a removable one. At the moment, my wife is using it on the D70s, and I must admit I miss its versatility. Mind you the only other modern lenses I have are a 10 -20 and a 105Macro. That leaves a huge hole in what I can shoot. I dusted off my old 35-70AI lens today to shoot a chair I made. Like you I am eyeing off the 24-70 if it is better than the 28-70, as the pundits are saying, it will be a very good lens indeed.

As for Cameras, I have the D70s which my wife is now using, and the D200
I much prefer the D200. I cannot comment on the D80, as I have never tried one. Both of my (our!) cameras are more camera than I need, but the features I prefer on the D200 are its ergonomics - it just feels right in the hand, all the controls are in the right place etc. My wife who has smaller hands prefers the D70s, the improved Flash control (shared by the D80) and the ability to meter with old manual lenses. I have five of those. I did not consider the D80 (it came out before I bought the D200) as I had made a considerable investment in CF cards, and did not want to switch to SD. I very much doubt I will buy a D300. While it appears to have significant advances on the D200, I cannot justify the expense when I don't get the most of my 200 as it is.

Executive summary: All will be a significant improvement over your old camera. Get the one that feels right in your hands, unless you can't afford it.
If you only want one lens to start with, get the 18-200. This will be most like your existing experience, and will help you choose what to get next. But be prepared to buy more, and better, glass in the future. At least with Nikon, you can be reasonably assured that you will be able to continue to use your glass (within DX at least) My old lenses are up to 30 years old, and will still work happily, as long as I remember to focus
If you can afford more than one lens, skip the 18-200 and get better glass now.

Gadgit wrote:I haven’t used a SLR before and I have asked many of the people I know lots of questions. They all seem to have Nikon’s, either D50’s or D80’s.

if you have never used an SLR before, then just get a standard kit lens, and use it until your skills reach its limits, then you will know what you want! (start with "versatility", like 18-70, or 18-200, or even the twin lens kit combos). As you said, purchasing a piece of pro glass before you know its potential may not be the best allocation of funds.

If you like the feel of a camera, go for it. The d200 have a very big and solid feel to it, good sticky rubber grip etc. And represents good value at the moment, since its a run out with the pending D300.

I think you will enjoy the differences SLR photography have to offer!

enjoy shooting, and post some pics to share

I went straight from a Kodak P&S to the D200 when I had outgrown the Kodak and don't regret it in the slightest.
at the time the D70 didn't have the things that I was missing in the Kodak
like frames /sec , spot metering, buffer size, battery grip
just remember that the D300 will do everything that the D50/D80 can do so you can still learn with it, but when the time comes and you are ready to go further the D300 will take you there.
and the improvements in the D300 over the D200 outweighs the difference in price

I'm with Keith, and I don't buy the learning curve argument. A D2 or D3 or D200 or D300 are just as easy to use as a D80. They offer more once you start looking for it, but it's not like you have to lock yourself in a room for a week with the manual before you can start using them.

Good ergonomics are paramount, and while they may not always immediately translate into better pictures they will make you enjoy the camera more and use it more often. If you don't enjoy picking up the camera you might as well have bought a Canon Ok, strike that, I'm biased...

Buy the camera that feels right for you and that you can afford without going overboard. Feature-wise they will all do what you need for some time to come.

Cheers
Steffen.

First of let me say "Welcome to the forum", you've come to the right place.

I'm in a similar position to you, deciding to move to a D300 after years with a CoolPix 5700. I do have SLR experience, from back in the film days, so I'm not entirely new to SLRs, but still expect a learning curve. I too have been eying the 18-200, but have long feared that it would have the "Jack of all trades, master of none". problem Mr. Darcy speaks of. Thanks for the insite Mr. Darcy.
Like you, I've been looking at the 24-70mm and from all reports I think it will be a fine lens (albeit nearly as much as the D300). Matched with the Tokina 12-24 F/4 (around $500 US) would give the equivalent of 18-105mm in two lenses.

I've recently seen some decent reviews of the Sigma 24-70 mm, which runs under USD$500. I'm considering that as well.

My D300 is on order, hoping it will ship in time for me to pick it up while I'm in the US!

Cheers

Gadgit wrote:The 2nd part is the lens.

I'm concerned that you might have missed the point - you probably don't want THE lens, one major difference between an SLR and a PoS is that you use the lens that suits the shot you want to take.

The 18-200 is a compromise lens for people that want a superzoom PoS with the responsiveness of an SLR, and will trade size and cost for that. It's great for taking to the beach or on trips where photography is incidental, but it's a real compromise for a lot of photos. You'd get better results IMO with a 50/1.8 and the kit lens as your initial purchase. The prime is cheap and will help you learn about what different lenses do for you.

I jumped from Sony Cybershot to D200 and don't regret it. I don't use all the functions, but I am very comfortable with the functions I do use. The ergonomics are great.

I would suggest you try to form a summary of the focal lengths you used most with your P&S to get an idea of what lens you should get. If you primarily used 100+mm, there is little point in getting the 24-70 (unless you have room to run foward really fast).

I would look for a 2nd hand d200 that will be cheap after the early adopters of the d300/d3 start selling off their camera's.

Get a 18 - 200 and the 50 1.8 this in my opinion would take a good while to master
With the 18 - 200 you can analyse the photos you have taken and decide which is the best pro lens for you eg 70 - 200 or 24 - 70 etc.

The 50 1.8 will show you what is possible with fast glass and teach you practically about depth of field

There are almost no wrong choices with the bodies that you have mentioned they won't restrict what you can learn in anyway.

Get something within your budget and start saving for Lens Lust....

I don't think that getting a d300 is overkill at all, even for a beginner.
Get the best that you can afford so that you can't blame your gear.

Also, how it feels in your hand is another important factor.
Don't worry about "learning curve", read the manual, use the features as you need them. play play play. Either way D80 or D300, you'll have to learn.

If you start from the bottom and keep upgrading, you may be spending more because of the upgrades and more learning to do as you move from camera to camera (although being in the same system they should have their similarities).

For lenses, the 18-200 may be a good "beginner" choice, from where you can find out which focal lenses you use most and perhaps narrow it down. Superzooms do not usually exhibit high image quality when compared to shorter-ranged zooms (and of course primes). But for convenience, this will certainly let you play and get a feel for what you like. In the end, we usually spend more on the lenses don't we?

Welcome to dslrusers

Thanks for all of the info and the welcome to the forum.

I think that I will go with what I was thinking - D300 and 200VR.

I have been thinking about this for some time. The learing curve of the camera doesn't worry me and I can have room to grow.


I have another question, a lot of my fav shots are IR. Can any of these camera do IR? As you can guess I don't want to modify the camera.

Hey welcome to the forum. 'bout time you signed up.

Enjoy your time here. learn lots. have fun.

Gadgit wrote:Thanks for all of the info and the welcome to the forum.

I think that I will go with what I was thinking - D300 and 200VR.

I have been thinking about this for some time. The learing curve of the camera doesn't worry me and I can have room to grow.


I have another question, a lot of my fav shots are IR. Can any of these camera do IR? As you can guess I don't want to modify the camera.

I think with the unmodified cameras you'd have to use a long exposure.
You could just use your Sony F707 for IR

Welcome Gadgit,

I guess when it came time for me to replace my old Kodak DC4800 PnS digital, I bit the bullet and bought a D200 and a D2X.

This may seem like a big leap, but I was also using 2 F100 film bodies at the time, so I could see potential in a) getting two digital bodies and b) buying the best I could afford. (I couldn't afford 2 x D2X's)

You'll learn the camera with use and come to appreciate it's extra features.

After you've got yourself the best body you can afford, it's then time to chase the almighty lens collection.

I can now lay claim to being able to do 12-420 at f4 or better and can reach 600 at f5.6. With all that glass and the fact that it's just about all very good glass, I still see a spot in my kit for the 18-200VR and will no doubt acquire one in the coming months when travelling overseas.

All the best with your decision and just realise that photography is not a race. As you go, you'll realise what you prefer to shoot and then make your purchases to suit.

Enjoy it!

Cheers

Thanks to all that have provided input.
I picked up the following yesterday:
D300
18-200VR
2x4gb extreme III
MC-36 Remote
Slingshhot 200AW

To say that I'm very pleased with the camera is an understatement.

Someone picked-up the the camera for me and I ask them to see about the bag. I can return it if needed. Are there any thoughts before I remove the tags and can't return it?

I will post some pics soon but I can only do this from home as when I try to access the site from work I get an error message. Sorry I can't rememer what it is exactly. I have spoken to other members and they have the same problem except from a few site locations. We suspect that our IP range is not being allowed to see the site by the site. The IP gets translated so I can't tell you what it is.

Congratulations with the new purchase. I think that a lot of members have the bag and are happy with it.

Thanks Marvin. The tags are off the bag.

I too purchased a Slingshot 200 for my new D300 and assorted lenses. It's a bit of a squeeze, thanks to the HUGE 28-70mm f/2.8 and it's hood, but I think I'll see if I can make it work before I think about selling it off in favor of a Slingshot 300.

Congrats on the upgrades Gadgit =) ...looking to do so too ...the thread is certainly useful for ideas