Comparing 2 Aspects of the D700 and D300 Cameras
I had been curious about 2 main things regarding the Nikon D700. One, the low noise performance which I have heard so much about (starting with the D3 coverage) and two, the change from a 1.5 DX crop factor to a full frame sensor.
I decided to make a series of test images with both cameras while I still have the D300 and thought I would share them here. I know these photos are not great art but they serve the purpose of demonstration.
D300 vs D700 ISO 1600 Noise (click to enlarge)
First I wanted to check noise levels. I knew when I took some of the first D700 test shots that noise performance was good, but I wanted to see a direct side-by-side with my old camera, the D300. Above is a side-by-side comparison. This is just one example, but the rest of my shots proved similar. The D700 has far, far less noise than the D300 at high ISO speeds. I have shot 2000 and above with no noticeable noise.
Second, I wanted to see the difference in focal length / field of view on the new full frame sensor vs the old DX way of doing things.
D300 (DX) 50mm
D700 (FX) 50mm
D300 (DX) 200mm
D700 (FX) 200mm
Both of these pairs were shot from the same distance to the subject and the same lenses. So here we can see the crop difference is very real. It’s give and take. I definitely prefer the wider view out of my 50mm lens. I felt the 50mm range was very awkward on the D300. My 70-200mm lens does not go as far with the new sensor, but I also enjoy getting wider usage out of the 70mm end. I felt it was helpful to see these concrete examples of the field of view changing.
I hope some of you found these examples interesting. It’s nothing that hasn’t been said or proven before, but having access to both cameras, I wanted to be sure to post these comparisons before it’s all D700 from here on out!
August 10th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Hey Jon
I just read your posting about the D700 vs the D300.
I have a D200 which I have enjoyed immensely, but I am 4 days away from picking up the D700 and two brand spanking new pro lenses (17-35 f2.8 and 24-70 f2.8).
I can’t wait…. your side by side comparisons were very interesting.
Brent
August 11th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Would be good to try using the same lens on the D700 but in DX mode. so you still get the crop factor but with a reduction in MegaPixel (5MP).
August 12th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Jon, Thanks for the quick visual reference. Having both cameras, I have not done the side by side comparison. Good job and thanks for sharing your review. Both are great cameras, that when used with a little thought, will lend itself to optimizing various lenses. Again your D300 v D700 is a good quick reference. Good work! Thanks, P Bulman
August 19th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Jon, we met a while back on 19th/Kst. I inquired about the 70-200vr you were using. I see you have gone full frame. Good for you. I also see you had the D300, I am about to upgrade from my D80 and I was sold on the 300 UNTIL I saw the images that are created by the D700. WOW. available light heaven. pierre dubeau on pbase has a gallery that is out of sight. Anyways your blog has simply reinforced what I have come to believe.
I would not be happy knowing I want a FF and buying a D300 at this stage. Since I have a 50mm 1.8 and the 80-200ED I am gonna add the 24-70 and get the D700. I will keep the D80 for back up but I can’t imagine using it very much. Thanks for your info, I will probabvly run into you eventually. By the way one of the candid shots you took of the guy walking with a package in his hand in front of the billboard is avery good friend of mine.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Larry,
Of course I remember. Thanks for stopping by. I would say the D700 is a considerable investment but indeed worth it. You do lose some reach and have to keep that in mind if you are used to 200mm being 300mm on the D80.
Overall though, I’ll never look back! I enjoyed your web site and good to hear from you again. Let me try that 80-200 sometime. I never really compared it to the 70-200 in terms of feel and actually using it for more than 2 test shots at Penn camera. Optically it’s supposed to be just as good if not better on full frame.
October 7th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I HV BEEN TRYING TO UNDERSTAND FOR SOMETIME THE LARGER SLR DIGITAL LENSE FACTOR OF 1.5 X OVER A FILM CAMERA WHEN USING THE SAME LENS. MANUFACTURERS OF DIGITAL CAMERAS HAVE ALWAYS ADVERTISED THAT A LENS ON A FILM CAMERA OF 2OOMM WILL BE EQUAL TO A 300MM ON A DIGITAL. I BOUGHT THE D300 NIKON FOR THAT REASON BUT WHEN I VIEWED THE IMAGE ON THE D300 I ASKED MYSELF WAS I LOOKING THRU A 180 MM LENS THAT CONVERTED TO A 360MM LENS (1.5X LARGER IMAGE) OR WAS I JUST SIMPLY GETTING A NARROWER FIELD OF VIEW WITH NO ENLARGEMENT. BUT YOUR WONDERFUL PICTURES OF COMPARING THE D700 AND D300 SHOWED ME HANDS DOWN THAT I AM ACTUALLY LOOKING THRU THE 180 MM LENS BUT GETTING A 360 MM IMAGE WHICH I PREFER BY FAR OVER A WIDER FIELD OF VIEW. IS THERE ANYTHING I AM MISSING OR IS MY INTIAL ASSUMPTION IN BUYING THE D300 MEAN I WILL SAVE ON BUYING A 360MM LENS BECAUSE THE SMALLER SENSOR IS ACTUALLY PROVIDING ME AN ENLARGEMENT OF 1.5X ? YOUR PICTURES SEEM TO HAVE SUPPORTED MY ORIGINAL REASONS FOR BUYING THIS GREAT CAMERA. THE PICS WERE GREAT AND SEEMED TO PROVE THAT I AM ACTUALLY GETTING A 1.5X IMAGE(I HOPE)..TNX AGAIN JIM HAY
October 7th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
PLS HELP ME UNDERSTAND
October 7th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
THE LENS CONVERSION SHUD HAVE BEEN 270MM @ 1.5X NOT 360MM SORRY FOR THE ERROR FOLKS
JIM HAY
October 7th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the kind words. On a DX body (also called APS-C or “digital crop” sensor by other companies) you are getting 1.5 times the normal length of your lenses. So yes, a 180mm lens works just like a 270mm lens on your D300 with no drawbacks. Also, a 70-200 zoom lens would become, for example, roughly a 105-300 zoom.
For telephoto range, I actually agree with you.. it’s nice to get a free boost in length. When you get down to 50mm and 35mm ranges, however, the 1.5x factor can sort of ruin the “natural” look of those lenses. For example, you might expect a 50mm to work well indoors and on a 1.5x camera you will constantly be stepping back as far as you can. So, there are advantages and disadvantages to both formats.
Fix that CAPS lock key, it’s become stuck ;)
October 12th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Jon:
Thanks so much for your response regarding the D300 and it’s 1.5X enlargement. You mentioned that there are no “drawbacks” when an image is enlarged on a D300, so if that is the case, then I am assumming with each 50% enlargement of a medium telephoto or long range telephoto lens there is roughly a 50% cost-savings from buying the more powerful 270mm lens when i use my 180mm….adding to that the 180mm will give me an advantage of far less chance of “camera shake” than i would have had if i were to use an actual 270mm on a D700. I would also think that sports photographers would use the D300 rather than a D700 because of the reasons above…although when i go to a baseball game their lens-lengths are so long they seem to reach first base.
Tnx again,
Jim Hay Brooklyn, NY
October 12th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Hi Jon:
Forgot to add this part re the D300: The reason i bought this camera was because I had 9 AI NIKKOR lenses that i bought after I purchased the NIKON F3 and they have lain dormant since the mid nineties. They are extremelty compatible with my new acquistion but as you know all are MANUAL FOCUSING. I am still learning about the subtleties of the D3OO and one of the sleeping subtelty-problems that have been appearing is when i take a picture that I think looks good on the monitor is actually out of focus in only one part of the picture….e.g the subject is out of focus while the rest of the picture is in focus like the background. So my queston is have you heard or read about this problem? I thought i read somewhere on WIKIPEDIA that manual compatible lenses’ SWEET-SPOT is much narrower than the auto focusing lens which are made special for the D300 camera…True? Your help is needed
Jim Hay
Brooklyn, NY
October 12th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Hi Jim,
The only way to improve manual focus on the D300 is to see if there is a split focus screen available from Katz-Eye which replaces the Nikon focus screen, or to use live view and see if that helps.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
And as far as my first of 2 emails are concerned is there any validity to what I had written early today? tnx
JIM HAY Says:
October 12th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Jon:
Thanks so much for your response regarding the D300 and it’s 1.5X enlargement. You mentioned that there are no “drawbacks” when an image is enlarged on a D300, so if that is the case, then I am assumming with each 50% enlargement of a medium telephoto or long range telephoto lens there is roughly a 50% cost-savings from buying the more powerful 270mm lens when i use my 180mm….adding to that the 180mm will give me an advantage of far less chance of “camera shake” than i would have had if i were to use an actual 270mm on a D700. I would also think that sports photographers would use the D300 rather than a D700 because of the reasons above…although when i go to a baseball game their lens-lengths are so long they seem to reach first base.
Tnx again,
Jim Hay Brooklyn, NY
PS: I am afraid if i has a split screen installed it would cancel my WARRANTY….
December 15th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
These are not accurate pictures at all. A crop factor does not magnify the subject being photographed. In the above images the cans and the bags should appear to be the SAME size. Clearly the DX shot has the cans/bottles/bags appear larger. Whether DX or Fx or medium format, 50 mm is 50mm. The only difference is the angle of view. A 50 mm lens on a DX body has the same magnification as an FX body. The difference is that the DX ANGLE OF VIEW is the same as if a 75 mm lens was placed on an FX body. The images above are for demonstration only and don’t reflect accurately what a 50 mm lens looks like on a D700 and then a D300. I doubt both cameras were used here. Putting a 200 mm lens on a DX body does not make it magically become a 300 mm lens. Instead it remains a 200 mm lens but with 100% less viewable area compared to an FX lens. Ack!
December 20th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Sorry Mike, but I did in fact own and use both cameras. And, as I stated in my post, I stood in the same location and used the same lens for each shot. So I’m not sure what your beef is.