dslr upgade..help needed

[fender]

Hi all, I currently have a Nikon D50(my first dslr) and the Nikkor DX f3.5-f5.6 18mm-55mm kit lens that came with it. I also bought the Sigma 70mm-300mm D f4-f5.6 APO DG(with 200mm-300mm macro).
I now feel that i would like to upgrade and have decided after much research that the Nikon D300 would suit my needs. I mainly use my camera for various wildlife and flora...anything from insect/plant macro shots to bird flight shots(the AF on the D300 would surely improve my sucess-rate here!)
I would like to know if these lenses would be ok to use with the D300, or should i be looking to get a better lens first..i don't think that i will be able to afford both new camera and lens together at present and i am concerned that the camera may not be available if i wait too much longer now that the D300s has replaced it. Does this seem a good choice of camera for my needs? or should i be looking for one with more m.p.(the 51point AF seems unique to the D300 in this price range though) I would appreciate some helpful advice to get me on the right track please.

Regards, Phil.

[Chalky W]

Hi all, I currently have a Nikon D50(my first dslr) and the Nikkor DX f3.5-f5.6 18mm-55mm kit lens that came with it. I also bought the Sigma 70mm-300mm D f4-f5.6 APO DG(with 200mm-300mm macro).
I now feel that i would like to upgrade and have decided after much research that the Nikon D300 would suit my needs. I mainly use my camera for various wildlife and flora...anything from insect/plant macro shots to bird flight shots(the AF on the D300 would surely improve my sucess-rate here!)
I would like to know if these lenses would be ok to use with the D300, or should i be looking to get a better lens first..i don't think that i will be able to afford both new camera and lens together at present and i am concerned that the camera may not be available if i wait too much longer now that the D300s has replaced it. Does this seem a good choice of camera for my needs? or should i be looking for one with more m.p.(the 51point AF seems unique to the D300 in this price range though) I would appreciate some helpful advice to get me on the right track please.

Regards, Phil.



Phil,

I'm not sure about the lens compatability (AF etc) but as a user I can highly recommend the D300, superb camera and does everything you want it to after you've learnt a bit about it but that's the same with any camera I suspect. If money's a bit tight (and it always is) I'd try and find a good SH D300, one might pop up here in the for sale forum, can't think what else to say other than it's great. I'm not sure I'd consider the D300s unless video is important to you.

Of course a great camera can be let down by a iffy lens but can't help you with that particular lens but I use mine with an older Sigma APO 300mm f2.8 and a new Sigma 500mm f4.5 and haven't been disappointed yet. I also use both with a Nikon 1.4TC and get superb results. I'm definatly a Sigma fan too, mostly because they're 'cheap' and give great results.

I bought my D300 from Amazon as they were cheaper than others at the time but wouldn't hesitate to buy off ebay as that's where I bought the lenses.

Not sure if that helps but the D300 gets a :t::t: from me.

Ian

[Duke Leto]

D90 is an alternative, basically the same as the D300 but uses SD cards but have a movie mode, doesn't have the same custom function configuration but takes excellent images. Whats the budget? if you have no limitations with the D50 then look at the glass as the next upgrade, of course a D90/300/300s will offer improvements but only if you find that your current offering doesn't cut it anymore or is frustrating you. I bought a used Sigma 500/4.5 for less than the current price of a D300s. these are very few and far between but look hard and you never know what may turn up.
As Ian stated the normal option for the best glass for the money would be a Nikon 300/4AF-S and a 1.4tc

[fender]

Thanks Ian and Steve for your replies and info. I have been pleased with my D50,but feel now that i could do better with more megapixels(to allow for better cropping etc) and a faster AF...i am keen to improve my sucess-rate with bird flight shots in particular..hence the D300 with it's highly praised autofocus. I discounted the D90 because it does'nt have the 51 point option and having done some research don't really want the video function either.

I worry about buying secondhand as feel i could never be sure of the camera's past history.

Regards, Phil.

[Duke Leto]

Not sure if any one uses the 51 point AF, I only tend to use 1 or 9, others may have different ideas, I find that with a BIF 51 points confuses the heck out of the AF system when shooting against a flat background but that may be my slowish lens. I would happily buy 2nd hand from a quality outlet like mifsuds etc who would warrant the sale.

[fender]

Not sure if any one uses the 51 point AF, I only tend to use 1 or 9, others may have different ideas, I find that with a BIF 51 points confuses the heck out of the AF system when shooting against a flat background but that may be my slowish lens. I would happily buy 2nd hand from a quality outlet like mifsuds etc who would warrant the sale.

Hi Steve, thanks for the input. Do i take it then, that you have tried the 51 point AF on your D300 and are not impressed with it? it's just that as i may be getting the same camera and have read many reviews and have not come across any bad reports concerning it's autofocus...all so far have been very favourable.

Checked-out your website and am impressed with your photo's. Which 500mm lens do you have? I will look at the mifsuds link later.

Regards, Phil.

[Jaff]

Yes I'd agree with Steve, look through the second-hand dealers as they frequently have the kind of things you're looking for, often at a much cheaper price than new. That way you may be able to get a new lens and your D300.

[Machiel]

Hello Fender,

My opinion is to first save for an A-class lens and secondly add a good body. I saved quite some time to buy my Nikon 400mm 2.8 VR and a year later I bought the D300. I used the lens first with a D80 body. By the way bought all in Hong Kong which saved me 50% of the prices in Europe.

My advice is to buy good glass first and later add a body. The lens is most important when it comes to photographing birds especially in flight.

KR Machiel

[Duke Leto]

Phil I can only indicate what I have used for bird photography with my D300 over the past 18 months. It normally sits on single point AF, I may switch to 9 points for bif shots depending on conditions. Almost all the other adjustments will be to exposure control and or metering. In one on the custom menus I have configured a point n shoot option which uses full AF, (you get 4 of these, one i have for wildlife, one for HQ shots, one point and shoot and the last one is for flash).
Lens I use a Sigma 500/4.5. its a nice lens and is a bit slower that a Nikon 500 / 600 in terms of AF, but more importantly it wasn't expensive when I bought it 2nd hand.
I've never used 51 point AF in bird / wildlife photography.

[fender]

Yes I'd agree with Steve, look through the second-hand dealers as they frequently have the kind of things you're looking for, often at a much cheaper price than new. That way you may be able to get a new lens and your D300.

Hello Fender,

My opinion is to first save for an A-class lens and secondly add a good body. I saved quite some time to buy my Nikon 400mm 2.8 VR and a year later I bought the D300. I used the lens first with a D80 body. By the way bought all in Hong Kong which saved me 50% of the prices in Europe.

My advice is to buy good glass first and later add a body. The lens is most important when it comes to photographing birds especially in flight.

KR Machiel

Phil I can only indicate what I have used for bird photography with my D300 over the past 18 months. It normally sits on single point AF, I may switch to 9 points for bif shots depending on conditions. Almost all the other adjustments will be to exposure control and or metering. In one on the custom menus I have configured a point n shoot option which uses full AF, (you get 4 of these, one i have for wildlife, one for HQ shots, one point and shoot and the last one is for flash).
Lens I use a Sigma 500/4.5. its a nice lens and is a bit slower that a Nikon 500 / 600 in terms of AF, but more importantly it wasn't expensive when I bought it 2nd hand.
I've never used 51 point AF in bird / wildlife photography.

Ok, thanks very much for all your replies and information guy's. It gives me plenty of food for thought!

Best Regards, Phil

[ikw101]

Phil depending upon your budget the D90 and a 2nd hand 300mm/f4 maybe worth considering.

Personally I found the Sigma 70mm-300mm f4-f5.6 APO a bit soft on the D50 especially at 250mm +. When I upgraded to the D300 the 12Mp sensor significantly out resolved this lens. Unfortunately this led to anything above a 60% crop being too soft for my liking. However, the older non AF-S 300/4 remained an excellent match and images when viewed at 100% remain sharp. Obviously this gives far more leeway for creative cropping. In regards macro if you fit the Kenko tubes to the 300mm/f4 you'll have an excellent set-up.

[fender]

Phil depending upon your budget the D90 and a 2nd hand 300mm/f4 maybe worth considering.

Personally I found the Sigma 70mm-300mm f4-f5.6 APO a bit soft on the D50 especially at 250mm +. When I upgraded to the D300 the 12Mp sensor significantly out resolved this lens. Unfortunately this led to anything above a 60% crop being too soft for my liking. However, the older non AF-S 300/4 remained an excellent match and images when viewed at 100% remain sharp. Obviously this gives far more leeway for creative cropping. In regards macro if you fit the Kenko tubes to the 300mm/f4 you'll have an excellent set-up.

Hi, thanks for that..the D90 would be an option, but i don't need the video and having held both, the D300 feels better in my hands and the price is not too much more than the D90 now that it's price is dropping. I will have to check-out some decent 2nd hand lenses that would suit it better.

Phil.

[rioja]

I have only very limited experience with the 51 AF points but I have been very impressed with it for birds in flight so far. ( Nikon recommend this setting) I guess it depends on the size and speed of the target bird.I was amazed that I picked up a Kingfisher shooting across a dull background at about 50 yards distance. Only a record shot but impressive AF all the same.Impossible to capture with a single AF point.
I would show you the shot if I knew how to attach a thumbnail !!!!!!!

[Machiel]

I always use the 51 AF points when shooting birds in flight. It works amazingly. Attached a Fork-tailed Swift shot on about 50 yards in a dull background. These birds are very fast when foraging! o:)

Machiel

[Duke Leto]

shot with single point AF, I guess its personal preference, when I have tried using it the focus indicator seems to dance all over the place

[rioja]

As you say everyone to their chosen preference Steve. Cracking shot of the Dragonfly. How close was it though ?
Here's my effort, it's a long way away maybe 50 metres plus, cropped to 50%.
It's not meant to be an example of a good shot, the settings were totally wrong as I had been watching something close by when the Kingfisher took me by surprise. What did amaze me was that I captured any sort of image at all.You can see from my panning it was moving pretty quicly !
This thread at least got me to look into how to post an attachment anyway !

[Duke Leto]

Dragonfly was probably 4 meters away, nice grab shot of the KF in flight, small and fast so well done on the capture

[Chalky W]

I guess the choice of the number of focus points is what works best for you - 51 AF points (and 21) seems to work ok for me. But guys, surely the number of focus points selected doesn't improve the number of keepers to any great extent, that's down to luck isn't it especially with BIF.

Question to Duke and Machiel - that wasn't the only photo taken to get such great shots - was it?

As I say I think it's a personal choice and an element of luck and most importantly it's what works for you. I have to admit it though 51 AFP works best with a clear(ish) background but isn't that what you want from a BIF image?

But going back to the original question the D300 does give you the option of using 51 AF points and a few other bits and pieces over upgrading to a D90. I've not done it but if you owned a D50 but had a D90 and a D300 on the same table just picking up the D300 would feel like the choice to make?!! As Fender has already mentioned he did this and the D300 'feels better in my hands '.

Fender, the choice is yours.....but if you buy a D300 I'll bet you won't regret it.

All the best mate.

Ian

[fender]

Hi Guy's some great input there...and some very nice captures too, i will be happy if i can get similar results when i get upgraded!

Best regards, Phil. :t:

[Machiel]

Question to Duke and Machiel - that wasn't the only photo taken to get such great shots - was it?

Of course it wasn't the only shot I made but the amounts of good pictures increased severe since I upgraded from D80 to D300. Secondly it is naturally not only about the 51 points system which increases more better pics. There are a whole lot of other settings that are important to make a total combination which are good for bird photography.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0UCyt5MVEQ

Machiel

[stu78]

I am a Canon user but I did start out with the Sigma 70-300 apo dg macro on my first dslr (Canon 400D) a couple of years ago. I had paid about 400 quid for the DSLR and 150 quid for the lens. The first upgrade I made was to a 400mm f5.6 prime lens (750GBP) and the second upgrade was to a 50D body (850GBP).
The new lens made a phenomenal difference to the quality of photos that my cheap camera could capture. I was completely blown away.
When I bought the new camera I was pleased with the results but there was next to no improvement in the quality of my shots. It was just easier to get the shots that I wanted due to the camera being much more user friendly.
I believe that there is no Nikon equivalent to the Canon 400mm f5.6 prime, however a 300mm f4 and a teleconverter can produce very similar results to a 400mm prime.
Basically the Sigma 70-300 is just not good enough for wildlife photography and if I were you I would forget about upgrading the body and splash out on a quality lens. I can guarantee you will see an immediate improvement in the quality of your shots.

[fender]

I am a Canon user but I did start out with the Sigma 70-300 apo dg macro on my first dslr (Canon 400D) a couple of years ago. I had paid about 400 quid for the DSLR and 150 quid for the lens. The first upgrade I made was to a 400mm f5.6 prime lens (750GBP) and the second upgrade was to a 50D body (850GBP).
The new lens made a phenomenal difference to the quality of photos that my cheap camera could capture. I was completely blown away.
When I bought the new camera I was pleased with the results but there was next to no improvement in the quality of my shots. It was just easier to get the shots that I wanted due to the camera being much more user friendly.
I believe that there is no Nikon equivalent to the Canon 400mm f5.6 prime, however a 300mm f4 and a teleconverter can produce very similar results to a 400mm prime.
Basically the Sigma 70-300 is just not good enough for wildlife photography and if I were you I would forget about upgrading the body and splash out on a quality lens. I can guarantee you will see an immediate improvement in the quality of your shots.

Hi Stu, Thanks for your input. I have just bought a new Nikon D300 at a bargain price. I take your point re: lens first,but was in a position to upgrade and will also be getting a Sigma 150-500mm lens( have seen many excellent reviews on this) to complete the set-up which would best suit my requirements.

Regards, Phil.

[seaspirit]

........I've not done it but if you owned a D50 but had a D90 and a D300 on the same table just picking up the D300 would feel like the choice to make?!! As Fender has already mentioned he did this and the D300 'feels better in my hands '.


Well, how one can get use to the feel of a camera...
I recently added one of the Hong Kong versions of the battery grip to my D300. Initially to avoid spasms in my wrist when taking shoots in portrait format (not that I frequently do this), but with it the camera feels even better to use und handle and more balanced when using it with a long lens. I took it off a few days ago to save some bulk and weight during a trip and it felt like something was missing -other than bulk and weight. Habit forming I guess....

UH

P.S. What has it to do with this thread? Coming from a D50 and D80, which both were a good handful at the time, the D300 -even without the grip- feels just more solid (?). Haptic is the term I believe....