[Len Poxon]

I have a Nikon D80 which I am looking to upgrade in the near future.
Which would be better for bird photography (with a Nikon F4 300 lens), a D700 or a D300. Or do I wait for the rumoured D400?

Len

[Pasquier]

The D300 is a bit old, and the image quality of the D7000 is better, although the ergonomics are different.
While almost equally old, the D700 still yields impressive high ISO images.
It really depends whether you want a full frame or DX option.
As a D700 user, I'm eagerly awaiting the D400, as a DX body does offer that extra bit of reach .... here's hoping

[ericbowles]

Tough call.

The D300 has the crop factor going for it. The AF system is equal to the D700. It is well built and available at a very good price.

The D700 would be better covering low light conditions - I never have enough light. If you have enough reach, the D700 gives you better subject isolation and smoother backgrounds. But with the D700 you give up some reach via the crop factor.

In between is the D7000. The D7000 is a DX crop body and has 16 MP compared to 12 MP on the other two cameras. There is also an improved AF system and better low light performance than the D300.

I have the D300 and D7000. Having recently added a D800E, neither gets much use but both are excellent cameras. I'd probably choose the newer technology and low light performance of the D7000 in most cases.

[Len Poxon]

Thanks Pasquier & Eric. I heard that the single point sensor on the D7000 is larger than on other models, making it harder to focus on small birds at distance. Has anyone any experience of this?

Len

[swainsons]

Hey Len,

I have bee shooting with a D90 (same sensor as D300) and a 400f2.8 + converters, and I really cant complain about my results. I rented a D700 this weekend, and I can only say I am impressed. The autofocus system alone is worth the upgrade. Took this pic of the moon last night, no complaints. Tomorrow I will spend birding with it and let you know how it went.

All the best

Leon

[Len Poxon]

Thanks Leon. I will look orward to hearing how you got on.

Len

[swainsons]

Hey Len,

Here is some pics from this am!!! You can crop substantially as you can see. Honestly, pics from my D90 are just as good but does not have the ISO or autofocus ability of the D700. I dunno if I am sold on full frame, although its very nice. I am gonna rent a D7000 next weekend and do the sunbirds again, then I will be able to see if its worth spending money on camera bodies!!!

Regards

[Len Poxon]

Nice photos Leon. I will also be interested on the comparison with the D7000.

Len

[RMWD]

Len the D700 and a 300mm lens is really not enough reach for small birds. Even a D300s or D7000 will have you going to a teleconverter too often.
The D300s is probably the second best (after the D800) all round bird camera for both static birds and birds in flight but the image quality though good doesn't match the D7000. The D7000 single point is slightly larger and not quite so reliable to place but practice gets round this. It's (D7000) main failure is that it is not fast enough for birds in flight in anything but ideal circumstances. Otherwise it is very good indeed.

Their are plenty of D90, D7000 and D800 images on my site if you want to compare.

[Len Poxon]

Thanks Rich, its not easy decision it seems!!

Len