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+--- Thread: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? (/showthread.php?tid=60824)
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Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - john dough - 08-25-2008
I have on order a Nikon D700 with a 70-300MM VR lens. I sold my D300 to a colleague and after seeing some shots (online) from a D300 with a 70-200MM 2.8 VR lens, it made me think that was a better setup, as far as better IQ.
All things being equal, which setup, in your opinion, would produce better IQ? The FX D700 and the 70-300 MM or the DX D300 with the 2.8 70-200 MM? I am going away on a mini-vacation next week and want to get the best IQ shots possible.
Re: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - M A V I C - 08-25-2008
pRICE would know the lenses better... but is the glass the same? I do really like 2.8 lenses, but image quality shouldn't change. 2.8 is more about depth of field.
Re: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - papercup - 08-25-2008
The 70-200 is not that great, vignettes a bit (correctable), but even more objectionable is the corner softness on FF bodies.
The 70-200 is fine on DX bodies.
The 14-24, 24-70 & my older 80-200 2.8 are my standard trilogy of lenses. Add specialty/primes as needed.
Re: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - mrbigstuff - 08-25-2008
they don't call you John Dough for nothin'.....
Geez, between those two setups it's not going to be that much of a difference based on image quality I have seen online. The FX is the holy grail, in terms of being able to use the scads of legacy Nikkor glass out there. That is worth a lot in and of itself.
Re: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - john dough - 08-25-2008
[quote mrbigstuff]they don't call you John Dough for nothin'..... Sometimes I feel like John lack of Dough.
Re: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - anonymouse1 - 08-25-2008
No visible difference. Maybe a slight difference if you have to do a lot of low-light shooting.
Take either and enjoy!
Re: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - pRICE cUBE - 08-25-2008
[quote john dough]I have on order a Nikon D700 with a 70-300MM VR lens. I sold my D300 to a colleague and after seeing some shots (online) from a D300 with a 70-200MM 2.8 VR lens, it made me think that was a better setup, as far as better IQ.
All things being equal, which setup, in your opinion, would produce better IQ? The FX D700 and the 70-300 MM or the DX D300 with the 2.8 70-200 MM? I am going away on a mini-vacation next week and want to get the best IQ shots possible.
This is a pretty loaded question that can be answered in all sorts of ways. I will do my best to answer it but you will need to be aware that there is no perfect answer.
First you need to establish what is IQ. What aspects of it matter the most to you. Color, noise, sharpness, contrast, color reproduction, focus, corner sharpness, diffraction.
What will you be shooting and what type of lighting will it be?
You are basically trading the FX chip D700 70-300mm lower noise, lower diffraction, bigger viewfinder for the D300 70-200 2.8 faster AF, more light hitting Af sensors, 70-200mm is sharper and probably better contrast. The tradeoff are canceling each other out in the setups you are considering.
As far as the issue of full frame corners vs. DX, yes, corners may not be as sharp in DX. The big thing to remember is the D300 12mp is much more packed with pixels. As you use the D300 at F/11, 16, 22 the diffraction start affecting OVERALL sharpness. IMO, I would rather have slightly soft corners with FX over pixel density issues with DX.
How would I make my decision? If I am shooting moving objects that need accurate focus tracking, I would use the 70-200mm 2.8. The sample images you saw maybe better due to the 70-200 sharpness plus more accurate focusing. There is a reason the 70-200mm is 3 times the price of the 70-300.
Re: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - pRICE cUBE - 08-25-2008
Why not use the 70-200 2.8 and the D700 and a 1.4x teleconverter?
Re: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - wowzer - 08-25-2008
[quote john dough]I have on order a Nikon D700 with a 70-300MM VR lens. I sold my D300 to a colleague and after seeing some shots (online) from a D300 with a 70-200MM 2.8 VR lens, it made me think that was a better setup, as far as better IQ.
All things being equal, which setup, in your opinion, would produce better IQ? The FX D700 and the 70-300 MM or the DX D300 with the 2.8 70-200 MM? I am going away on a mini-vacation next week and want to get the best IQ shots possible.
I think it depends on your anticipated photography. If you are shooting action (i.e. kids running like madmen), then bring the D300 with 70-200 VR. The trouble is that the 70-200 may be a bit far for overall photography. There have been complaints about the 70-200 with FX sensors---apparently the corners are soft(er) than on DX...which should be no surprise. Can you use the D700 in DX mode (5.1 megapixels) with the 70-200? That ought to be great for image quality and still have lower pixel density---and the image should be fine for 8x10 or even 16x20 inch prints. Of course, if you shoot the 70-200 in FF mode, you can see if the image is up to what you want (i.e. 'better' IQ).
I've read a lot of folks not caring about the corner softness with the 70-200 VR and shooting FF with it...and lets face it, if you are isolating the subject in the center of your image, the corner softness wont bother you.
I've read good things about the 70-300 VR, but I'm not sure what you get out of it that you wont have with the 70-200 VR (other than the extra reach).
Can you shoot both now and see which feels 'better' to you? The 70-200VR is a large lens to drag around on vacation. When I go on vacation, I bring my Sigma 18-200 DC (non-OS) and leave my fast glass (Nikon 80-200, Tamron 28-75, Sigma 10-20, Nikon 50mm f1.4) all home. The convenience of a superzoom on vacation is unbelievable.
As a result my 'best home photos' have lots from my Sigma 18-200...and stopped down to f8.0, this sigma produces excellent shots (for home photos).
GL
Re: Nikon question: shich setup will produce better image quality? - vision63 - 08-25-2008
That's a good dilemma to be having.