I'm back from my Redang trip, and have quite a lot of NEFs to convert (including those from last week's portrait shoot. But the first post since returning will not have a single picture. Being gear headed as I am, the first thing i did when i returned was to visit dpreview for any latest Nikon releases... and lo and behold, here's the D700 and SB900 - as rumoured. More after the break.
D700 - This is Nikon's cheaper FX camera, with hardly any compromises. For those dreaming of FX on a d80 or lesser body... dream on. You can't meter with legacy lenses with those bodies, and only with legacy lenses will Nikon users have a chance at Canon's wide range of primes.
NO, you won't see a D700 in my hands anytime soon
People debating between D700 and D300 is basically choosing between FX and DX. Both have the same speed, almost same body, sharing same accessories. For me, I have 2 DX lenses at the moment, and if they were to be upgraded to their FX equivalents, I have to fork out another 5k (lens alone) I'm going to be a uni student soon, and that means no income + high expense. Nope, i don't have 5k to burn at the moment. But I will definitely think thrice before anymore DX lens purchases.
FX tempts me for it's much better bokeh and high ISO performance, as well as UWA lenses. My next DSLR might be an FX one, but I'll definitely want to keep a DX body for its reach. I don't see myself owning the 300mm f2.8 anytime soon.
SB900 - This is a tempting product. Very. From specs alone, there isn't any difference compared to SB800. SB800 is as good as a flash can get, specs wise. What really got me is the ergonomics. This is exactly what is wrong with the SB800.
D700 - This is Nikon's cheaper FX camera, with hardly any compromises. For those dreaming of FX on a d80 or lesser body... dream on. You can't meter with legacy lenses with those bodies, and only with legacy lenses will Nikon users have a chance at Canon's wide range of primes.
NO, you won't see a D700 in my hands anytime soon
People debating between D700 and D300 is basically choosing between FX and DX. Both have the same speed, almost same body, sharing same accessories. For me, I have 2 DX lenses at the moment, and if they were to be upgraded to their FX equivalents, I have to fork out another 5k (lens alone) I'm going to be a uni student soon, and that means no income + high expense. Nope, i don't have 5k to burn at the moment. But I will definitely think thrice before anymore DX lens purchases.
FX tempts me for it's much better bokeh and high ISO performance, as well as UWA lenses. My next DSLR might be an FX one, but I'll definitely want to keep a DX body for its reach. I don't see myself owning the 300mm f2.8 anytime soon.
SB900 - This is a tempting product. Very. From specs alone, there isn't any difference compared to SB800. SB800 is as good as a flash can get, specs wise. What really got me is the ergonomics. This is exactly what is wrong with the SB800.
- I have to hold down the on/off button for a sec before i can turn it off. SLOW. And sometimes it doesn't respond, as the buttons are hard to press with fat fingers, or when u are wearing gloves.
- I need an average of 4 secs to switch between CLS and normal modes, and that includes mashing the buttons like siao. I will hesitate even when i know a scene will look better with off hand light, because i don't know if i can get it back on fast enough should something else happens.
- I cannot turn the head right for more than 90 deg. Which means i can't bounce over my shoulder if i hold my cam in the vertical position. This is a severe limitation for indoor shooters.
The SB900 solves all these! It's a major ergonomic improvement. So YES, I will get an SB900, but not so soon. I will get it the moment the price drops to about 600 new. The SB800 will be slaved when that moment arrives.
0 comments:
Post a Comment