# Moving from DX to FX ( D200 to D700)



## Buck777 (Apr 8, 2013)

After years of faithful service I'm moving. A colleague purchased a D800 and the images have been stunning, so I've jumped. Ditching my sigma 10-20, purchased a Nikon 50mm, looking at the Nikon 24-120mm and the Sigma 12-24mm. I have a Tokina atx 80-400 which I'm told is good on FX....and that's me for a while. Excited to give full frame a go, and look for guidance on here.


----------



## Mach0 (Apr 8, 2013)

The d700 is awesome.


----------



## bentcountershaft (Apr 8, 2013)

That's a hell of a jump and one I'm sure you won't regret.  Congrats and welcome.


----------



## Patrice (Apr 8, 2013)

bentcountershaft said:


> That's a hell of a jump and one I'm sure you won't regret.  Congrats and welcome.



Same one I made. The jump was somewhat easy as all my lenses but one were FX.

OP, enjoy your new camera.


----------



## Buck777 (Apr 8, 2013)

Thanks guys.. Yes very excited over getting a D700. My logic of not going to the D800 was the difference between the two where I live was $1500 and Id rather buy a decent lens, and I've yet to see/read anything neg about the D700


----------



## goodguy (Apr 8, 2013)

D700 is indeed an awesome camera but may I ask why didn't you go for the D600 ?

From various reviews I saw the D600 has better pictures quality then the D800, it is also better in low ISO.

The D800 was made to go head to head against medium format.
The D600 is a fantastic camera but not made for pro users, more for hobbyists'.


----------



## molested_cow (Apr 8, 2013)

If I were you I'd have gone for the D600 instead. 12mp is good but sometime not good enough.


----------



## sleist (Apr 8, 2013)

The D700 is a great camera.  Picked one up last summer.
My Sigma 35mm f/1.4 gets delivered tomorrow and the two will be permanently fused together for the summer.

Enjoy it.

A nice read if you haven't seen it already:  CLICK


----------



## Buck777 (Apr 9, 2013)

goodguy said:


> D700 is indeed an awesome camera but may I ask why didn't you go for the D600 ?



Price mainly. Because the D800 stormed the market it pushed the price of the D700 down. Difference in my neck of the wood was 2K between the two and that difference is a good lens.
Rockwell too liked the D600 and D700 and still compared them favourably to the D800.
I noticed when looking to buy, that D600 owners seemed quick to be updating to D800 whereas the D700 seem to be getting harder to get as owners hold on to them. 
In saying that its been my work colleagues D800 photos that have pushed me to FX. This last photo of a breeding pair of endangered birds was the final straw.


----------



## Buck777 (Apr 9, 2013)

sleist said:


> The D700 is a great camera.  Picked one up last summer.
> My Sigma 35mm f/1.4 gets delivered tomorrow and the two will be permanently fused together for the summer.
> 
> Enjoy it.
> ...



Hadn't read that article. Thanks for sharing


----------



## jaomul (Apr 9, 2013)

Enjoy the d700. It is a great camera and suitable for most types of photography. 12mp is enough for most users. If your printing 5x7 inch photos from lightroom you can safely re-size to 3.2 mp for magazine quality prints @300ppi. The image quality from that camera is fantastic. I use canon but if I was starting again this would be on my starting list


----------



## JaronRH (Apr 9, 2013)

Congrats!  You'll really enjoy the D700 as it is a truly amazing camera.

*sleist* - The Sigma 35mm is amazing on the D700!  I got that in early March and have been blown away by it!


----------



## KmH (Apr 9, 2013)

From the link sleist posted that is a review of the D700 as a summary of using it:



> *The image quality is beyond reproach*; you get 12 extremely clean, high-durability (more on that later) megapixels &#8211; *which if used properly, is sufficient for any use*.


----------



## Buck777 (Apr 9, 2013)

sleist said:


> The D700 is a great camera.  Picked one up last summer.
> My Sigma 35mm f/1.4 gets delivered tomorrow and the two will be permanently fused together for the summer.
> 
> Enjoy it.
> ...



I started doing a bit of Internet browsing on the Sigma 35 after reading your post. Wow! The general reaction from users is ditch your nikon/canon 35mm and grab this. The sample shots look absolutely incredible. I then jumped on a few sites to check the price and wow again. Cheapest was $1100 ( $900US). But...I'm now aiming for one. Maybe shouldn't have rushed in and brought the Nikon 50mm.

But thanks for the recommendation. That's exactly the feedback I was after


----------



## sleist (Apr 9, 2013)

Buck777 said:
			
		

> I started doing a bit of Internet browsing on the Sigma 35 after reading your post. Wow! The general reaction from users is ditch your nikon/canon 35mm and grab this. The sample shots look absolutely incredible. I then jumped on a few sites to check the price and wow again. Cheapest was $1100 ( $900US). But...I'm now aiming for one. Maybe shouldn't have rushed in and brought the Nikon 50mm.



Just grab a used Nikon 35mm f/2D for $250.  35mm is not everyone's favorite focal length and that would be a cheaper way to get familiar with the angle of view.  It's not a perfect lens, but the D700 is pretty forgiving with respect to older glass.  I use a 24 f/2.8D with the D700 because it's good enough for me and there's just no way I can justify the 24mm f/1.4G.  There's also the new Nikon 28mm f/1.8 which is also nice.  Don't forget about renting glass either.


----------



## Derrel (Apr 9, 2013)

I have to agree with sleist...I regularly pair the 24/2.8 and 35 f/2 AF-D primes, then carry the 50mm 1.8 AF, so I have three small,light,compact primes that are very useful for social photography situations. These SMALL lenses do not freak regular people out, the way monster-sized lenses tend to do. I think the expressions and the reactions people have are better when using a SMALL lens than when using some ridiculously-sized lens like a 24-70 or 28-70 AF-S at indoor distances in normal social situations. I'm not talking about weddings, where people are utterly amped up on excitement and adrenaline, but the regular, real-world situations where FX Nikon is the way to go; the smaller,lighter, shorter primes just do not appear to be so invasive...

The 35/2's image cleans up nicely with the Lens Corrections tool in Lightroom. It has some significant distortion, which is easily corrected. The Ming Thein _D700 long-term user's review _sleist linked to is a good resource. His blog pages show the value of buying lenses that actually WORK well for the kind of work that one does; lenses that "work" are really nice to own. His emphasis is on close-up and social photography, and he has a high,high regard for sharpness, so keep that in mind. He has his biases; for example, "many" people discount the 24-120 VR, the second version, even though it has tremendous focal length flexibility, and on 12 MP FX it's not all "that bad". But for the kinds of images Ming likes to make, a lens like the 24-120 is probably not good enough in the corners, or at its rather slow f/4 max aperture, so keep in mind the biases every reviewer has when evaluating what will "work".


----------



## Derrel (Apr 9, 2013)

Here is the way I typically carry my pair of lenses; the other lens is of course, on the camera body. I use old-style Nikon caps, which have interlocking ridges on their tops, and simply tape two of them back-to-back. This makes two lenses into one unit, which fits well in a fanny pack's water bottle slot, a jacket pocket, a vehicle cup holder, etc..


----------



## JDFlood (Apr 9, 2013)

sleist said:


> Just grab a used Nikon 35mm f/2D for $250.  35mm is not everyone's favorite focal length and that would be a cheaper way to get familiar with the angle of view.  It's not a perfect lens, but the D700 is pretty forgiving with respect to older glass.  I use a 24 f/2.8D with the D700 because it's good enough for me and there's just no way I can justify the 24mm f/1.4G.  There's also the new Nikon 28mm f/1.8 which is also nice.  Don't forget about renting glass either.



The 35mm is a great lens. The focal length is great as a normal lens. I think everyone was taught the a 50mm was a normal lens... And if your taking photos at home of the family, it may be. But if if you do landscapes, architecture, and/or street, 35mm is the "normal" on an FX. This one is light and fast... Great lens. I use a Nikon 35mm f1.4 now most of the time. JD


----------



## Buck777 (Apr 13, 2013)

Finally had a chance to get a few shots off with the D700 and my recently purchased 50mm. Have to say I'm in awe of this camera. The feel and how it responded was love at first shot. Feel a bit guilty how I have quickly moved on from my D200, but as some posters have alluded to, FX is a giant step from DX. Early days but very happy with my choice. Thanks for the input of lens opinions, much appreciated.


----------



## Patrice (Apr 13, 2013)

Congrats on the D700. 

Don't throw your D200 out though, at base ISO it renders lovely images. And if ever you are going someplace where you'd be reluctant to bring your new baby well the D200 could step right in to that role.


----------



## manaheim (Apr 13, 2013)

D700 is a great camera, but I'd be grinding my teeth over purchasing one these days. Maybe wait a little bit and save the pennies?  (I'm not trying to be a pain... I just stared at D700s for like 2 years waiting for new models to come out and I'm glad I waited)


----------



## Buck777 (Apr 13, 2013)

manaheim said:


> D700 is a great camera, but I'd be grinding my teeth over purchasing one these days. Maybe wait a little bit and save the pennies?  (I'm not trying to be a pain... I just stared at D700s for like 2 years waiting for new models to come out and I'm glad I waited)



Yeah I know. But what has happened here (NZ) is the scrap is between the D600 and the 800 and over the last 3 months there's been a good $700 drop in price on the 700. To pick up a camera that a year ago was RRP $3300 ( NZ) and is now $1800, too tempting. 
When I brought the 200 everyone was raving about the 300. It took me years to get to its limits. I think it'll be the same for me with the D700. 
Rockwell gave the D700 a minus for its heaviness. Honestly, I wouldn't want it any lighter.


----------



## manaheim (Apr 13, 2013)

I've always felt that the heaviness arguments were just silly.  People get all gaga because the iPhone 5 is .34324589 grams lighter than the 4.  I mean, seriously...

Well, it's all about budget really... if what you can swing is the D700, then buy it and you'll be very happy with it.


----------



## sleist (Apr 13, 2013)

manaheim said:


> D700 is a great camera, but I'd be grinding my teeth over purchasing one these days. Maybe wait a little bit and save the pennies?  (I'm not trying to be a pain... I just stared at D700s for like 2 years waiting for new models to come out and I'm glad I waited)



I'm adding the OM-D to my D700 and selling all my DX gear.  That combo beats a single D800 in all the things that matter to me.  Much more versatility as far as I'm concerned, but someone else would disagree depending on their shooting style.


----------



## Buck777 (May 1, 2013)

The interesting thing is that where I live the D700 is still holding its own for price. I would've thought the D600 would have killed it off a bit, but that hasn't happened. I screen the current prices on our version of eBay. Some D700's are still being sold for $2000US ( with reasonably low shutter counts). There's a heap ditching D600's for the D800's and a couple who have missed the 'feel' and the 'memory friendly' 12MP(!) of the D700. There's a bit of confusion or a lot of conflicting opinions about which way to go. Still very happy with my decision though.


----------



## shadowlands (Aug 21, 2013)

I just made the move from a D300 to the D700 myself. Glad I did.
I didn't want the D600. I love the "heft" of the D700, period.
Had to sell off my only DX lens... my 17-55 F2.8. I grabbed a deal on a clean 28-70 F2.8 as a replacement.


----------



## Buck777 (Aug 27, 2013)

shadowlands said:


> I just made the move from a D300 to the D700 myself. Glad I did.
> I didn't want the D600. I love the "heft" of the D700, period.
> Had to sell off my only DX lens... my 17-55 F2.8. I grabbed a deal on a clean 28-70 F2.8 as a replacement.



I'm absolutely loving the D700. There's not a shoot that I don't just shake my head in amazement what the camera can produce. Like you I sold my DX lens , with some initial reservations as I loved what I had. But they're long forgotten. If I was to splurge I'll upgrade to a 70-200, but very happy for now


----------



## shadowlands (Aug 27, 2013)

Buck777 said:


> shadowlands said:
> 
> 
> > I just made the move from a D300 to the D700 myself. Glad I did.
> ...



Awesome. Great to hear. It was hard for me. I felt bad selling off my D300 and 17-55 for they were my tools for some time. But in the end, I'm very happy that I did.


----------



## Buck777 (Aug 27, 2013)

shadowlands said:


> Buck777 said:
> 
> 
> > shadowlands said:
> ...



Likewise. Someone just sent me a shot using their 20mm f2.8 on their D700. It's got me thinking!


----------



## djacobox372 (Aug 30, 2013)

molested_cow said:


> If I were you I'd have gone for the D600 instead. 12mp is good but sometime not good enough.



When isn't it good enough? I'm not disagreeing but unless your printing larger than 30" 12mp is just fine.


----------

