D700 or The 5D mk11

Eddy · December 7, 2008

Hello All:
I am ready to get a dslr. I really do like the nikon D700 but i has been told the Canon looks good I am a 51 yr old out door person very fit and love to either ride my Mountain bike or just walk and shoot ..I do have the G10 for fast out of the pocket shooting but would like to intertwine with nature with out upsetting it ..i just want to take pictures with a good camera and a couple of lenses...Prefer a macro and a street lens. which i can throw into my backpack and go shooting..I gave up photography 9 yrs ago due to expenses...now i wanna tune my self with nature in all its glory
Thanks
Eddy
i do have a smug ,mug site but just adding some pics there right now
P.s. ..Is the D700 an camera thats been out for awhile..I understand the Canon is no where to be found checked all the stores in my area Toronto tried the D700 its nice very nice..

timnosenzo · December 7, 2008

Can't go wrong with either, but they do have a little different feature set. The Nikon does has a more sophisticated auto focus system, while the Canon offers considerably more resolution (i.e. megapixels, which can be good if you're heavy handed with the crop tool

). Nikon and Canon ergonomics are a little different as well, but that is a very personal choice deciding which works better.

I chose Canon not only because I prefer the layout of Canon bodies, but Canon's lens lineup suits me much better than Nikons. All of my lenses are either fixed (prime) lenses, or constant aperture f/4 zooms. Nikon does not represent well in these categories.

So I would look at what features are important to you, and decide which lenses you would like, and that should lead you to an answer.

Good luck!

Eddy · December 7, 2008

Thanks Tim...really do appreciate some good sounding advice ..Something to think about...
Macro lens would be the nikon 105 vr
Street lens would be a nikon 24-70 alot of money maybe something abit cheaper but good quality

Canon 50 mm 1.4
streetLens would be 70-200 2.8 or something less expensive but good quality
cheers

Moogle Pepper · December 7, 2008

I don;t think the 70-200 is really a street lens, though it can be used for it. I would use the 24-105 on the 5d MKII as a street lens, if you go with Canon.

You sure you need the big guns that is the 5d MK II or the D700? The 40/50D from Canon is lighter, for hiking just as Nikon's equivalent models too. Oh the other guys too, Olympus and those fellas. Check out the cameras that aren't Full Frame too.

ziggy53 · December 7, 2008

Eddy,

Tim is giving good advice and both are great cameras. For landscape and wide-angle lenses you would appreciate more detail from a higher pixel count camera.

If you wait a bit I am betting that Nikon will bring out a D700x, or something like that. Nikon just introduced the D3x with a splendid feature set and the D700x would be similar in image quality at a very much more reasonable cost, and real competition for the Canon 5D MKII.

If you want high ISO performance there is just nothing quite like the Nikon D3/D700, so the D700 might be a first choice.

The Canon 5D is also a pretty competent high ISO camera and should be considered. At this time it's a relative bargain in full-frame 35mm dSLR photography.

For lenses I think you are correct that 24mm through 200mm are the most valuable focal lengths and both Canon and Nikon make great lenses in that range. I prefer zooms with constant aperture f2.8 and primes of f2 or better. Sigma EX series lenses are often viable alternatives and some Tamron lenses are tremendous quality and value as well.

For lenses I do recommend some research at:

http://photozone.de/

Eddy · December 7, 2008

Thank you guys...for all the solid advice ...For me the canon 5d mk11 is real good but the waiting list for this camera is 2 mths.. I have decided to go with the D700 .. with the 14-24 2.8 and the new canon 50 mm or the sigma 50 mm lens..for me to wait 2 mths my mind will be going back and forth i just want to be set in what i get and study it along with the lens's i want. wish i can get both of them ..but it only a hobby. i am not in this to make money just to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.....So Monday i will pick up the body and the 24-70..

thank you all very much...

Brascole · December 7, 2008

Eddy wrote:

Thank you guys...for all the solid advice ...For me the canon 5d mk11 is real good but the waiting list for this camera is 2 mths.. I have decided to go with the D700 .. with the 14-24 2.8 and the new canon 50 mm or the sigma 50 mm lens..for me to wait 2 mths my mind will be going back and forth i just want to be set in what i get and study it along with the lens's i want. wish i can get both of them ..but it only a hobby. i am not in this to make mopney jsut to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.....So Monday i will pick up the body and the 24-70..

thank you all very much...

Eddy,

I have the D700 and I use it everyday, I'm retired military. I'm not a "Pro" meaning I do not use my equipment to make money. If I was I would still by the D700. The lenses you choose are top of the line and you will see that when you shoot. I have a 50mm f/1.8 the "el cheapo" I originally bought it to make it easier to learn the camera which at the time was the D300. I sold the D300 to finance the D700. I may look into the Sigma 50mm, I have read good things about it.

You will enjoy the full frame but will notice the lack of the crop sensor. I would rather have image quality than the percieved reach. The Nikon 70-200 does well on DX with slight corner fall off on FX. You may want to wait till the next show as they may upgrade the lens. Now if and when you want a second body and the video feature I would recommend the D90, I bought it last week to use with my long lenses. It is really a fantastic camera for the price. The kit is selling for $1100 and body only $899 at good online stores. Some other lens considerations would be the Nikkor micro line up. The 105 f/2.8 VR is very versatile.

Enjoy the camera and go out in the fresh air.

Eddy · December 7, 2008

thank you Brascole... Oh yes i did see the 50 mm sigma today and i have it put away for me till tomorrow..the 24-70 is very very expensive.. so that route will chnage for me need to research some different lens.. abit cheaper.. and the macro is the nikon 105 vr....thats shoudl let me study and learn everything i need to know before going expensive.

thanks for the very good advice
eddy

Brascole · December 7, 2008

Eddy wrote:

thank you Brascole... Oh yes i did see the 50 mm sigma today and i have it put away for me till tomorrow..the 24-70 is very very expensive.. so that route will chnage for me need to research some different lens.. abit cheaper.. and the macro is the nikon 105 vr....thats shoudl let me study and learn everything i need to know before going expensive.

thanks for the very good advice
eddy

Eddy,

Sigma has a 24-70 f/2.8 I had it but returned it. Sigma has updated that lens with USM which was the reason I returned it . The optics are fine and the lens will more than likely retail between $500-600 USD. The new version sounds good. The 105VR is so sharp you will be blown away. The Nikon 17-35 f/2.8 is being discontinued and is going for $1200 USD or the Nikon 18-35 $529 USD. I guess Nikon feels the 14-24 & 24-70 did it in but it is still good. You read some good reviews on Nikon equipment on www.nikonlinks.com they have a number of pro reviewers for cameras, lenses, accessories and third party lenses. Michael Weber is one, another is Moose Peterson and then Thom Hogan plus a few others. Bottom line is whatever you use with the D700 will give you terrific results.

Moogle Pepper · December 8, 2008

Eddy wrote:

Thank you guys...for all the solid advice ...For me the canon 5d mk11 is real good but the waiting list for this camera is 2 mths.. I have decided to go with the D700 .. with the 14-24 2.8 and the new canon 50 mm or the sigma 50 mm lens..for me to wait 2 mths my mind will be going back and forth i just want to be set in what i get and study it along with the lens's i want. wish i can get both of them ..but it only a hobby. i am not in this to make money just to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.....So Monday i will pick up the body and the 24-70..

thank you all very much...

Congratulations on choosing the D700 as it is a phenomenal camera!

Eddy · December 8, 2008

I just want to thank everyone for the good sounding advice i got.. I came home with my D700 an 8gig lexar card . The nikon macro lens which is the 105 vr the sigma 50 mm 2.8 which is really nice smooth and fast to lock on to the subject..I am in the process of movingall my pic to my new home of Smug mug.. here is the link i have dnloaded some pics from the summer when i rented a dslr
Once again friends avery big Thank you and i hope to post some pics for for advice on how to do better
http://ejwadddel.smugmug.com/

catspaw · December 8, 2008

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to dgrin & SmugMug

ziggy53 · December 8, 2008

Eddy wrote:

I just want to thank everyone for the good sounding advice i got.. I came home with my D700 an 8gig lexar card . The nikon macro lens which is the 105 vr the sigma 50 mm 2.8 which is really nice smooth and fast to lock on to the subject..I am in the process of movingall my pic to my new home of Smug mug.. here is the link i have dnloaded some pics from the summer when i rented a dslr
Once again friends avery big Thank you and i hope to post some pics for for advice on how to do better
http://ejwadddel.smugmug.com/

Congratulations Eddy.

geospatial_junkie · December 11, 2008

One of the local wedding photogs here got to test-drive the new 5D. He says the high-ISO performance is real good, but NOT as good as the D700 or D3.

Personally, I would pass on the megapixels for better low-light performance. I have D700's and they are really quite phenomenal.

hiroProtagonist · December 11, 2008

Congrats on the D700, you will not be disappointed. I'd like to comment on a few points that caught my attention as I read through this thread. Eddy, if I've misread what you intended to say, forgive me, but you seem to be all over the place in your choice of lenses. It sounded to me like you were trying to decide between the Nikon 105mm f 2.8 VR macro and the Sigma 50mm f 1.4, both very good lenses, but definitely targeted towards different types of subjects. There are a lot of great lenses out there but don't get caught up in what's 'hot' at the moment. A great lens does no good if it sits on your shelf. The D700 and the 24-70 is an awesome combo, play with them for a while and then decide which type of lens you want next. Don't think about a specific lens, think about the hole that it needs to fill. Is your priority a macro, a fast prime, or maybe a telephoto zoom. Once you know the direction you'd like to go, then think about which lens best fits that need.

The other point that struck me was Ziggy's comment about a higher pixel count giving the Canon an advantage in landscapes. I hear this line of reasoning quite often but can't say that I really agree. On the surface it makes sense but when you dig a bit deeper you need to question the logic. Why would higher resolution make a better landscape? One argument is that landscapes are often printed in on larger sizes of stock. But how big do you need to blow something up before 12 megapixels is not enough? Keep in mind that the larger you blow a picture up the further back the typical viewer will stand to view it. An other argument is that 20 something megapixels allows you more leeway in cropping a photo. True, but again ask yourself if the increase in crop ability is worth the losing high ISO performance and working with larger files. Keep in mind that doubling the pixel count does not double the resolution.

geospatial_junkie · December 11, 2008

hiroProtagonist wrote:

Congrats on the D700, you will not be disappointed. I'd like to comment on a few points that caught my attention as I read through this thread. Eddy, if I've misread what you intended to say, forgive me, but you seem to be all over the place in your choice of lenses. It sounded to me like you were trying to decide between the Nikon 105mm f 2.8 VR macro and the Sigma 50mm f 1.4, both very good lenses, but definitely targeted towards different types of subjects. There are a lot of great lenses out there but don't get caught up in what's 'hot' at the moment. A great lens does no good if it sits on your shelf. The D700 and the 24-70 is an awesome combo, play with them for a while and then decide which type of lens you want next. Don't think about a specific lens, think about the hole that it needs to fill. Is your priority a macro, a fast prime, or maybe a telephoto zoom. Once you know the direction you'd like to go, then think about which lens best fits that need.

The other point that struck me was Ziggy's comment about a higher pixel count giving the Canon an advantage in landscapes. I hear this line of reasoning quite often but can't say that I really agree. On the surface it makes sense but when you dig a bit deeper you need to question the logic. Why would higher resolution make a better landscape? One argument is that landscapes are often printed in on larger sizes of stock. But how big do you need to blow something up before 12 megapixels is not enough? Keep in mind that the larger you blow a picture up the further back the typical viewer will stand to view it. An other argument is that 20 something megapixels allows you more leeway in cropping a photo. True, but again ask yourself if the increase in crop ability is worth the losing high ISO performance and working with larger files. Keep in mind that doubling the pixel count does not double the resolution.

Excellent points! I couldn't agree with you more. A 40" print from my D700 looks outstanding and sharp. The ISO quality makes the D700 shoot more like a 16 or 17mpx camera.

Eddy · December 12, 2008

Thanks Hiro and Geo:
My line of thinking is shooting street scenes whether its ppl or something that caugth me eyes..Sorry if i led in the wrong direction... But decided for starters, a macro and the new Nikon 50 mm was a good choice for now. I also have the Canon G10 which will server its other purpose such as wide scenes since i dont have a wide angle...(am i saying this correctly, correct me if i am wrong)I would like to get the 24-70 mm but for the price in Dollars in Toronto between 1800 and 1900 I will need to pass for now...As for the D700 i am not a megapixel guy I wan a camera that does the job just as well, and can print me an 8x 10 or lower pic if i need to...Boy i must say this is an awesome forum and the Help yopu have all shown me is much appreciated... i thank you i thank you all very much...Salam
cheers
Eddy

geospatial_junkie · December 12, 2008

Eddy wrote:

Thanks Hiro and Geo:
My line of thinking is shooting street scenes whether its ppl or something that caugth me eyes..Sorry if i led in the wrong direction... But decided for starters, a macro and the new Nikon 50 mm was a good choice for now. I also have the Canon G10 which will server its other purpose such as wide scenes since i dont have a wide angle...(am i saying this correctly, correct me if i am wrong)I would like to get the 24-70 mm but for the price in Dollars in Toronto between 1800 and 1900 I will need to pass for now...As for the D700 i am not a megapixel guy I wan a camera that does the job just as well, and can print me an 8x 10 or lower pic if i need to...Boy i must say this is an awesome forum and the Help yopu have all shown me is much appreciated... i thank you i thank you all very much...Salam
cheers
Eddy

The D700 is a pro calibre camera and im sure you'll be happy with it! BTW, I purchased my 24-70 at Vistek in TO for 1699.

srsuser · December 13, 2008

Congrats on the D700. Be sure to keep us posted with pics.

D700 or The 5D mk11

Comments