Sold my D80 and bought a used D2Xs bad move?

robandjazzy

I sold my D80 on Ebay and bought the D2xs on ebay for 2000.00 with only a few thousand shots on it, I love it so far since I'm new to photography but shortly after I bought it B&H pulled it from the shelves and only feature the d3 and the d300 (d700 wasn't out yet a few months ago), I looked at the specs but still new at the this, what can't I do with this camera that I can with the other two, I figured at 4k plus brand new it had to be better than the d300 but after reading some forums.... Is there lower noise on the hi iso settings due to new technology, what am I missing. Thanks.

Springerish.com

Scott_Quier

Ultimately, answers to this question are going to be driven by your answers to another question, "What do you intend to photograph?"

If you are going to be doing a lot of dark concerts and/or the bar scene, then low-light, high ISO performance is going to be a requirement and you'll want the best tool you can afford. I don't know how well your new (to you) camera performs at high ISO - does it perform well enough - only you can decide that.

If, on the other hand, you are going to be photographing friends, family, landscapes, etc - well then just about any camera will fill the bill and quite nicely.

As you say you are quite new to photography, I would warrent that you have much more camera in your hands than you really know how to handle - this is a good thing as it give you lots of room in which to grow and develop you photographic style.

I would suggest that you afix a lens to your camera and start shooting and not look back - enjoy your new toy ... er ... tool!

ziggy53

The Nikon D2Xs was the former flagship in the Nikon dSLR lineup and it is still a splendid camera in terms of responsiveness, autofocus speed and accuracy. Rejoice in the large, bright and clear viewfinder and the accurate i-TTL flash circuitry.

The D3 and D300 have lower high-ISO noise, as Scott said, but don't start second guessing your purchase. Embrace your camera for what it is, a really fine shooting machine, with the kind of dependability and durability that professional photographers demand and enjoy.

robandjazzy

Thanks guys, I might do an occasional concert but mostly landscape architecture. I did know purchasing it it was a lot of camera for me and I felt a little ridiculous at first but after reading 3-4 books, reading the forums and of course taking shots I'm learning something new about the camera every day, I'm not the person to keep trading up, I knew I loved photography after I had the D80 for 6 months so I made the jump to what I thought was the best of the Nikon family. I've taken 2000 shots with the camera and am blown away by the speed and accuracy. Since I'm an enthusiast/amateur, I'll wait to blow some more money later in the year on some lenses, only using a 18-135 now which I thought was perfect for traveling and not having to bring much.

Scott_Quier

robandjazzy wrote:

Thanks guys, I might do an occasional concert but mostly landscape architecture. I did know purchasing it it was a lot of camera for me and I felt a little ridiculous at first but after reading 3-4 books, reading the forums and of course taking shots I'm learning something new about the camera every day, I'm not the person to keep trading up, I knew I loved photography after I had the D80 for 6 months so I made the jump to what I thought was the best of the Nikon family. I've taken 2000 shots with the camera and am blown away by the speed and accuracy. Since I'm an enthusiast/amateur, I'll wait to blow some more money later in the year on some lenses, only using a 18-135 now which I thought was perfect for traveling and not having to bring much.

Sounds like a good plan to me!

swintonphoto

Don't get caught in the whirlwind of old camera worthlessness. Just because a new model came out doesn't mean the old one isn't still incredible. B&H taking something off the shelves simply means the new camera each manufacturer brings out every 1-2 years has come. Nikon needs the money just like every other manufacturer. For some reason the camera that was praised to the stars last month is now a pile of junk because the "newer" version came out.
Chances are the newer version is about 95% the same as the old version.

That camera will do an amazing job for you for years to come. I am excited for you. You should be too.:D

Tee Why

Seems like a pretty good deal to me.
Not sure about the noise level, but you can look at dpreview and see the results. I'd guess that it's less noisy but the other features on that camera would seem worth the cost alone in my view.

I use Canon's but have held some of the Nikon's and find that they feel so much better in the hand, especially their D2/D3 series.

Congrats.

Harryb

It was a good move. The D2Xs' IQ is superior at ISO 400 and under to all current Nikon DSLRs except for the D3. Its AF is very fast and its a pro body camera. You'll get more use out of it and its battery life can't be beat.