D300 and a few long lenses - what to do

michswiss

To start off, I know there isn't a single right answer to the next set of questions. In fact I'm pretty confused about what I want to do as well, thus the post. I have a D300 and a 70-200/2.8 that aren't seeing any use. My 24-70 gathers dust as well, just not as much as it fits within my current style, if only occasionally.

I could trade in or sell them for something new, but what? Hold on to them for the rare need to go long or have two bodies at the ready? An example is I'll be in northern Queensland at the barrier reef in two weeks for a holiday with family. Cool, eh? But is there anything special that I could experiment with the D300 that I might not want to try with the D700?

Alternatively, I could trade the lot in and begin playing with other formats or bodies such as RF. I don't have any urges for new lenses for my current set up, no sense of being limited on what I do with a dSLR. I'll probably pick up a 24/1.4 at some stage but again it's not as important as it might have been a year ago.

So, what to do with these assets / tools? Any thoughts about special uses?

Apologies for the ramble.

angevin1

michswiss wrote: »

To start off, I know there isn't a single right answer to the next set of questions. In fact I'm pretty confused about what I want to do as well, thus the post. I have a D300 and a 70-200/2.8 that aren't seeing any use. My 24-70 gathers dust as well, just not as much as it fits within my current style, if only occasionally.

I could trade in or sell them for something new, but what? Hold on to them for the rare need to go long or have two bodies at the ready? An example is I'll be in northern Queensland at the barrier reef in two weeks for a holiday with family. Cool, eh? But is there anything special that I could experiment with the D300 that I might not want to try with the D700?

Alternatively, I could trade the lot in and begin playing with other formats or bodies such as RF. I don't have any urges for new lenses for my current set up, no sense of being limited on what I do with a dSLR. I'll probably pick up a 24/1.4 at some stage but again it's not as important as it might have been a year ago.

So, what to do with these assets / tools? Any thoughts about special uses?

Apologies for the ramble.

Nice problem!

One thought is the D300 will continue to lose value so from a commodity standpoint, it's not getting any younger. You might want to ditch it for another toy.
And yet of course, it has a bit of inherent reach that the D700 does not. And if, like me you find yourself at the ocean or some such, it might be nice to have pre-mounted camera-body/lens combos to handle your photographic finds.

As for the lenses, they hold value well as you know, so really it is a coin toss if they are being presently well housed.

Like I said though, nice prob....or do I detect a bit of ...boredom?

craig_d

I don't know your background in photography, so this may be carrying coals to Newcastle, but have you thought about picking up a film camera? You could pretty cheaply pick up a decent Nikon film body such as an F100 that should be compatible with all the lenses you use on your D700. Given your interest in street photography, you might find it interesting to be on the prowl with a roll of Tri-X 400 (pretty much the classic B&W film). If you want to really go retro, go for an older manual-focus body like an FE (which has aperture priority) or FM (manual mode only). These don't work well with Nikkor G lenses because you'd have no way of controlling the aperture, but they should work with regular AF and AF-S lenses (though VR won't work).

michswiss

craig_d wrote: »

I don't know your background in photography, so this may be carrying coals to Newcastle, but have you thought about picking up a film camera? You could pretty cheaply pick up a decent Nikon film body such as an F100 that should be compatible with all the lenses you use on your D700. Given your interest in street photography, you might find it interesting to be on the prowl with a roll of Tri-X 400 (pretty much the classic B&W film). If you want to really go retro, go for an older manual-focus body like an FE (which has aperture priority) or FM (manual mode only). These don't work well with Nikkor G lenses because you'd have no way of controlling the aperture, but they should work with regular AF and AF-S lenses (though VR won't work).

I have an old Canon T70 with a 50/1.8 and a roll of Tri-X 400 in it right now. I probably haven't done enough with it but it's fun to use and has helped slow me down. I've also thought about getting a vintage Nikon film body as I could use a number of my existing primes. But it doesn't really help me with the other question.

michswiss

angevin1 wrote: »

Nice problem!

One thought is the D300 will continue to lose value so from a commodity standpoint, it's not getting any younger. You might want to ditch it for another toy.
And yet of course, it has a bit of inherent reach that the D700 does not. And if, like me you find yourself at the ocean or some such, it might be nice to have pre-mounted camera-body/lens combos to handle your photographic finds.

As for the lenses, they hold value well as you know, so really it is a coin toss if they are being presently well housed.

Like I said though, nice prob....or do I detect a bit of ...boredom?

It is a nice problem. I try not to forget how lucky I am.

I don't think it's boredom, but I do have a desire to explore more ideas. Still street for the time being, but trying to learn another way of seeing. I suspect the D300 is reaching a point of hold onto it for the long term or get rid of it now. If I keep it, what fun uses could I put it too?

divamum

Can it be converted to infrared once you no longer want it as a "regular" backup?

angevin1

oH, AND ANOTHER POSSIBLE EXPERIMENT: How about an underwater housing for the D300?

ChiShutter

angevin1 wrote: »

oH, AND ANOTHER POSSIBLE EXPERIMENT: How about an underwater housing for the D300?

If you really want to turn it in to an "experiment", I suggest the triple-layer zip-loc approach.

r3t1awr3yd

I am more than willing to provide my mailing address to assist in your issue. I'm a professional. Trust me. Lol. Let me know when you need the PM with my address and I'll send it post haste!

Seefutlung

Okay ... this is not what you want to hear/read ... but, (the big but), ... if you're not sure about what you need ... then don't do anything (different than I need a wide angle do I get a Nikkor 20mm or a Sigma 20mm).

Seriously, if you don't know ... than stand pat. I rarely get rid of lenses and I'm shifting from zooms to primes (but that is just moi ... a good friend is constantly buying and selling equipment ... he's had one lens three times).

Man, now I'm rambling ... okay ... giving this more thought ... as the great American philospher Yoggi Berra stated ... " when you come to a fork in the road ... take it".

That's my suggestion to you. Yes, dump all your equipment and try a new approach!

Photography and photograhers are much much more than equipment. Photography is more about the photographer calling upon their individual experiences and skills to acquire the exceptional image than it is about equipment. By moving into a different format or type of hardware you will expand your experiences and skill.

Going RF is good but going RF Film will give you an appreciation of digital. No chimping, limited exposures (36 per roll), et cetera. Go for it ... take the fork in the road.

Gary

michswiss

Thanks for the extra suggestion guys. I'm all over the place on this. I think I want to go RF or MF but the thought of a film workflow isn't nice and the cost of being digital in those formats scares the dickens out of me. It isn't the number of images and no chimping. I almost never shoot more than "2 rolls" in a day and I've pretty much stopped chimping anyway as the scene would have already dissipated. It's the processing and scanning afterwards. But, I'm willing to give it a go.

So, for those of you that would like me to send the D300 & 70-200, I'd be happy to trade for an M9 with a Noctilux...

Seefutlung

Then go RF ... good luck to you. Working with minimal equipment (at least for awhile) is a very good thing, it will make you work harder ... not that I'm a big fan of Henri Cartier-Bresson, but he only used a 50mm for most of his career.

Gary

craig_d

For someone who's used to SLRs, I'd recommend the Pentax 67 as a 6x7 MF film camera. It's basically an SLR with elephantiasis; if you get the TTL metering viewfinder, the experience of shooting is very familiar. And you always have the option of switching to a waist-level viewfinder if you want. It's also significantly less expensive (and weighs less) than a comparable Mamiya RB/RZ 67 outfit.

For rangefinders, there are certainly less expensive film alternatives than Leica M-series. The Minolta CLE, Cosina/Voigtlander Bessa-R2, and Konica Hexar RF are comparatively inexpensive, non-ancient M-mount rangefinders. The old screw-mount Leicas are an option as well, along with various Japanese and Soviet clones such as the Zorki. And there is a variety of fixed-lens rangefinders available fairly cheap, such as the Canon Canonet line. Those are probably the best thing to try first if you've never used a rangefinder camera and just want to see what it's like. Just make sure the rangefinder is calibrated properly or you'll be very frustrated by OOF pictures.