okay give me pros and cons between these 2 setups

Qarik

Say I want to shoot sports. Not really but this is hypothetical that I have been playing in my head recently.

1) D700 + 70-200mm VR + 1.4TC

2) D300 + 70-200mm VR

So both give you roughly 300mm reach with the d300 slightly better. You lose about a stop with the TC so ISO wise maybe the d700 setup gives you maybe 0.5 more stops. But then you lose bit of IQ with the TC? AF is roughly the same but the edge goes to the D700 I think. Faster FPS with D700 as well.

Have I left anything out to consider? Overall it appears the D700 + TC is still a better choice though I don't know how much a TC degrades other IQ factors besides limiting light.

SoCalAl

Personal experience as a beginner....
I have both D300 and D3. Both have been used heavily at the local dirt bike track with the 70-200 VR. About 70,000 shots on D300 and now almost 100,000 on D3. Track shooting .jpg and typically 4 FPS @ shutter priority 1/1600, auto iso & WB. My assumption here that the overall IQ of the D700 is similar to the D3.

Focus: D300 & D3 almost the the same in aquiring focus on moving objects under Most lighting conditions. D3 a little better focus in low light. With the D300 I did not use the "Full" mode on the lens because it would not pull it in to MFD on an approaching subject (~45 mph) starting from 25 yards out. The D3 loved the "Full" mode and would focus all the way in to MFD on an approaching subject, same lens. The new VRII 70-200 on D3 more like the VR lens on a D300, had it checked by Nikon Torrance & OK.

Image Quality: One of the best things I love about the D3 is the image quality! The D300 can't come near the "silky" images of the D3. To me now the D300 just seems to have noiser images than the D3 even in good light. It also feels like the .jpg images from the D3 are easier to process and recover any blown out or under exposed areas.

I would think the D700 with the 70~200 VR and a TC-14 would be a bit heavier but believe it would overall be a better choice. Wouldn't worry about the loss of a stop. It also has the latest innards.... A beginners's $0.02.

angevin1

SoCalAl wrote:

I have both D300 and D3. Both have been used heavily at the local dirt bike track with the 70-200 VR. About 70,000 shots on D300 and now almost 100,000 on D3. Track shooting .jpg and typically 4 FPS @ shutter priority 1/1600, auto iso & WB. My assumption here that the overall IQ of the D700 is similar to the D3.

Focus: D300 & D3 almost the the same in aquiring focus on moving objects under Most lighting conditions. D3 a little better focus in low light. With the D300 I did not use the "Full" mode on the lens because it would not pull it in to MFD on an approaching subject (~45 mph) starting from 25 yards out. The D3 loved the "Full" mode and would focus all the way in to MFD on an approaching subject, same lens. The new VRII 70-200 on D3 more like the VR lens on a D300, had it checked by Nikon Torrance & OK.

Image Quality: One of the best things I love about the D3 is the image quality! The D300 can't come near the "silky" images of the D3. To me now the D300 just seems to have noiser images than the D3 even in good light. It also feels like the .jpg images from the D3 are easier to process and recover any blown out or under exposed areas.

I would think the D700 with the 70~200 VR and a TC-14 would be a bit heavier but believe it would overall be a better choice. Wouldn't worry about the loss of a stop. It also has the latest innards.... A beginners's $0.02.

Agreed. I do have both of those cameras, but not the 70-200vr. I contrasted and compared both cameras in The Okefenokee recently using one lens and a kenko 1.4TC. the D700 won over the D300w/o the TC hands Down. and that was using the 300mm f/4 wide open. When stopped down, another winner. Using the TC it was/ is very difficult to distinguish image degradation. We know there has to be some, but darned if I could find it!

ISO wasn't an issue being that I to shot the comparison in bright light wanting to give each camera/lens combo its due diligence......but when the sun settled low...you know the rest~

I was very surprised by this outcome....I simply expected the D300 to be all the same in image quality, but it wasn't. The D700 simply blew it away...with the TC onboard and without it. Without the TC, I could crop
(the D700 image) and still find a better image in the end...weird and Surprising to me!!!

SoCalAl

This is all just the technology getting better & better. I started with a D80 and then got the D300. The D300 just blew the D80 into the weeds and now the same with the D3 to the D300. 'Tis a wonderful world we live in.... If only I could run as fast as the technology is changing!

Mitchell

Depends what sports you are shooting.

I own both the D700 and the D300 as well as the Nikkor 70-200mmVR.

Personally, I don't feel this lens takes any TC very well. Mine is not sharp with TC unless it is stopped down.

In poor light, the D700 just blows the D300 away. I'm not impressed with the D300 above ISO 800, yet I will shoot the D700 at ISO 6400 without much concern. If I need the reach in low light, I will put a 300mm lens on the D700.

A daytime soccer game calls for the D300 and a 300mm lens.

SoCalAl

I have no experience yet with a TC on the 70-200 VR or any lens for that matter. My 70-200 VR got destroyed so have now purchased the 70-200 VRII and will be getting the new TC20E III for it. Will let you know how that works out whenever I get it. After getting hit at the track want to get as far away from it as possible. Hopefull the combo will get the shots I want.

Tango

no question #2

Qarik

interesting..I thought the d300 setup would be close but apparently not