Nikon D3 in Crop (DX) Mode

[ChrisLivsey]

I shoot UK school rugby, two sons playing different years, 300m f4 nikkor. I have D2H (not S) and D3.
Problem is one is hooker so lots of line out shots and lots of hands in the air before scrumming down😀
Both are fast to operate and swopping is easy. On crops the D3 walks all over the D2H as it does over 800iso. Where the D2H scores back (with a DK17) is having the autofocus sensors liberally scattered 😀 over the frame instead of clustered together at the centre as if for herd protection. To track focus that is really useful.
I have never shot D3 cropped, in fact I forgot it could, see no reason to do that, I can crop in post.
That the D2H is virtually given away it is a no brainer as a second body. If you find one with the shutter fault it (shows ERR on 1st frame when "cold") it will be literally be given away, mine has shot 1,000s of frames with the fault, paid £200 for it 2 years ago, if it fails now it owes me nothing.

Note that if older screw driven lenses (cheaper often same or similar optics to latest) are mounted the torque available from these top bodies is more than enough to ditch the "slow focus" comments in lens reviews, usually tested on F100 at the time. The F5 was the same bags of torque..

 

[wakarimasen]

Here's the rub though when people say it's ridiculous to buy a D2 when the D3 is here:
A D2Hs only costs ~$500.
A D2X only costs ~$600.
A D3 costs ~$1400-2400.

Phil Forrest

That's exactly my thinking. If I can pick up a D2HS for a low price (quite a few went for under £200 on eBay last month) then it would allow me to 'try' Nikon out, before committing a lot of money via a D3. If I like it, then the sale of all of my Canon gear:

• 1D Mark IIn
• 1V
• 17-40 F4 L
• 28-135 EF
• 50mm F1.8
• 70-200L F4 IS
• 1.4 Converter

should fund a D3 plus a lens or two.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

That's exactly my thinking. If I can pick up a D2HS for a low price (quite a few went for under £200 on eBay last month) then it would allow me to 'try' Nikon out, before committing a lot of money via a D3. If I like it, then the sale of all of my Canon gear:

• 1D Mark IIn
• 1V
• 17-40 F4 L
• 28-135 EF
• 50mm F1.8
• 70-200L F4 IS
• 1.4 Converter

should fund a D3 plus a lens or two.

Pay attention to the day after tomorrow. Folks might start ditching their D3 variants and by the time sales of the new DF really kick off, cameras will be showing up at lower prices. Don't be turned off by a high shutter count either. I bought my D3 with over 200k shutter actuations for only $1200USD. I paid for it with a photo shoot that I did with a D2Hs which I bought for $400. The D3 still works perfectly in spite of the high shutter count and if I want a new shutter, the overhaul is less than $400.

Give the D2Hs a chance and get to work with those RAW files, you'll be impressed. Once you move to a D3 though, there is a big spoil factor of having a full frame camera. 😀

Phil Forrest

 

[wakarimasen]

Good advice Phil. I love a new camera release .... it makes the older camera more affordable

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I shoot UK school rugby, two sons playing different years, 300m f4 nikkor. I have D2H (not S) and D3.
Problem is one is hooker so lots of line out shots and lots of hands in the air before scrumming down😀

When I was in the Navy, stationed on the John C. Stennis, I was a Rugby 7s hooker. I hated running yet I chose the game where the players run more than just about any other. I also played a wing in games with 15 a side but those matches were so slow in comparison to 7s play.

We were the embodiment of a drinking team that occasionally plays rugby. We got to meet and play matches against some very eminent teams around the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Then overimbibe alcohol with them... 😀

Phil Forrest

 

[wakarimasen]

Amazing: last month there were several D2HS bodies sold on ebay. Now........none!

 

[Phil_F_NM]

They appear weekly at Keh then are sold. There is one there now for $484 which I wish I could buy but between prudent work on my car and moving into a new apartment, I just can't. Jump on that Keh one! They are great. I bought my first D2Hs from them sight unseen and it was fantastic.

I shot two jobs for Newsday with that camera and a D2X, then our apartment was burglarized while I was out doing training for my other job and all my digital gear was stolen. There is a thread in the forum about the event. In the end, things worked out fantastically with the help of the RFF and LUG community.

I got a second D2Hs from Adorama, shot a job for The Nation magazine and with that money I bought my D3. I returned the D2Hs only six days after I bought it and put the money towards a lens.

That was a big digression!

Snatch up that Keh one! It is graded Ex, which means that it is probably close to new according to Keh's conservative rating system. Then again, if you have VAT or other duties associated with that import of the camera, it might make more sense to find one on that side of the pond.

Phil Forrest

 

[wakarimasen]

I'm tempted. I have a friend travelling here from the US in a week or so.....

 

[wakarimasen]

Blimey - it's gone already!

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I just saw that and checked to see if you had grabbed it!
There are always a few for sale over here in the US if you have a friend who is visiting soon. Stick a cheap lens on it and it's a used camera. No import duties.

Phil Forrest

 

[wakarimasen]

Amazing: it seems that the Nikon D2HS is the most sought after camera at the moment. None in the UK on eBay and the dealers cupboards are bare.

All of my FD equipment is now gone and I have the means to try one out. Just can't find one! :bang:

 

[Baby of Macon]

The good (bad) news - depending on whether you are buying or selling - is that D3 prices are starting to go south. In Ireland, the asking earlier this year was 1,600 euro, but they are tending down from there and to get that kind of money now you are looking at a < 50k shutter count non pro model.

 

[rivercityrocker]

That's exactly my thinking. If I can pick up a D2HS for a low price (quite a few went for under £200 on eBay last month) then it would allow me to 'try' Nikon out, before committing a lot of money via a D3. If I like it, then the sale of all of my Canon gear:

• 1D Mark IIn
• 1V
• 17-40 F4 L
• 28-135 EF
• 50mm F1.8
• 70-200L F4 IS
• 1.4 Converter

should fund a D3 plus a lens or two.

Keep in mind that the Nikon line has gone through a lot of changes from the D2H to the D3 as far as button placement and body style. Honestly having owned all of the cameras from the D1 to D3 series, I'd never buy the D2H today. It's not good from ISO 800 and even that is kinda pushing it. 4MP is OK for web posting, but there's little dynamic range.

The D2X is an OK camera, but it's also limited to about ISO 800. All said and done, the D2 series is old. They were good for their time, but better options are out there. Even the D5300 as an $800 entry-level camera smokes the D2X in image quality.

The D3 along with the D700 is a culmination of all of the advancements that Nikon has made since the D1 and is really the point where the technology plateaued. I think the best investment in a used camera for a relatively long term usage is a D3 or D700.

 

[wakarimasen]

Maybe I should try a D300 instead? It's the extra 'reach' with the 1.5X crop that attracts me to the D2 series. That and the consolidation on one lens type. The alternative is to buy a Canon 1D Mark III and a 5D (original)!

 

[Fraser]

Maybe I should try a D300 instead? It's the extra 'reach' with the 1.5X crop that attracts me to the D2 series. That and the consolidation on one lens type. The alternative is to buy a Canon 1D Mark III and a 5D (original)!

There is hardly any difference between 1dmk2n and a 1dmk3.

 

[wakarimasen]

Hello Fraser,

Really? I read about a better frame rate, (10FPS vs 8), better high ISO performance and integrated sensor cleaning.....

 

[Fraser]

Hello Fraser,

Really? I read about a better frame rate, (10FPS vs 8), better high ISO performance and integrated sensor cleaning.....

Better high ISO I would say maybe a stop at the very most I never really noticed the faster FPS in the real world, but I would say the 1dmk11n has more accurate focus.

 

[wakarimasen]

Well, I just took the plunge and bought a D2XS from Greys in London. Now I'll be able to compare with my 1D Mark IIn and make a decision!

 

[wakarimasen]

The D2XS arrived today and has been returned, due to a fault in the display screen. For the short time that I had it, it seemed much of a muchness (image-wise) compared to my 1D Mark IIN: even at ISO 1600, I think some studious pixel-peeping would be required to really call it for the Canon.
For focus speed and accuracy, the Canon seemed to win hands-down, although this could perhaps be expected.
What I really liked however, was the layout and ergonomics of the Nikon. It seemed a bit more 'involving' than the Canon does, although this maybe because there are a few more 'knobs and dials' on the D2XS. I really like manual cameras with 'real knobs so you can change settings like a man' (Ken Rockwell!)
The comparison has made me realise how good the Canon is (especially as it's an eight year old camera) but also how 'nice' the Nikon design is: no Canon DSLR has an intervalometer built in, for example.
Perhaps a D3 is required after all.....

 

[wakarimasen]

Well, I upgraded to a 1D Mark III and have also bought a 5D (classic) plus the 100-400 lens. However the D2HS seems to be an itch that I just cannot scratch. I read that it has 9 cross-type focus sensors. Does anyone know the F-stop limit for them to operate? Is it F5.6? For the Canon, the cross type sensors (except for the central one) are limited to F2.8, and I have only one lens where that applies: the nifty fifty!