Nikon Shooters

[indyfan31]

The new Nikon D3s and D300s were due out in November, but the stores I've checked at still show them as yet to be released by the manufacturer. Any ideas on what the delay is all about?
There are some pros out there that say they "got one" but won't say how the got it.

[Methanolandbrats]

I bought two D300s over a month ago. D300 was released about Nov 16th. Try B&H, they have them in stock right now. If not, try local camera shops. Amazing camera. Autofocus, auto white balance and high ISO capability are in another league from D200. I love them. D3 is a little harder to find.

edit: D3 had a later release date, but can be found. B&H has them in stock now and then.......best to call them and set something up.
I got my D300s from a local store, he gets about a dozen at a time.

[cameraman]

The new Nikon D3s and D300s were due out in November, but the stores I've checked at still show them as yet to be released by the manufacturer. Any ideas on what the delay is all about?

They sold too many too fast:rolleyes: Most places sold out for Christmas and many have not received new shipments yet. It is one of those any day now kind of things.

[Methanolandbrats]

They sold too many too fast:rolleyes: Most places sold out for Christmas and many have not received new shipments yet. It is one of those any day now kind of things.

Wherever you're shopping, shop somewhere else. My dealer knows exactly how many bodies are coming and when by checking his account with Nikon USA. The D300 is not in short supply. BTW, Nikon sets pricing at $1799. Do not pay more and stay away from anyone selling it for less (gray market scams or take you money and you get no camera). B&H, Central in Chicago, Canoga and a few others are reputable.

[cameraman]

Wherever you're shopping, shop somewhere else. My dealer knows exactly how many bodies are coming and when by checking his account with Nikon USA. The D300 is not in short supply. Nikon is not caught up with their D300 shipments. There are plenty of camera stores who are waiting right now.

[indyfan31]

I bought two D300s over a month ago. D300 was released about Nov 16th. Try B&H, they have them in stock right now. If not, try local camera shops. Amazing camera. Autofocus, auto white balance and high ISO capability are in another league from D200. I love them. D3 is a little harder to find.

edit: D3 had a later release date, but can be found. B&H has them in stock now and then.......best to call them and set something up.
I got my D300s from a local store, he gets about a dozen at a time.

Thanks M&B, I have been checking at Belair, Ritz and Samys Camera for weeks now and nothing, they're both pretty big local retailers.

[indyfan31]

Meth, have you tried shooting at the higher ISO numbers? And are you getting the results that are being hyped? I've seen some of the samples from the D3 in low light, and they're pretty impressive, but not many from the D300.

[Methanolandbrats]

Meth, have you tried shooting at the higher ISO numbers? And are you getting the results that are being hyped? I've seen some of the samples from the D3 in low light, and they're pretty impressive, but not many from the D300.
I have shot several dozen basketball games and hockey games. In a well lit HS gym, ISO 2500, 1/400 sec at 2.8. Auto white balance has always nailed the color temp which is amazing considering all the bulbs in a typical gym are different temps. In single point AF or 15 point, my keeper rate is way up over previous cameras. The ISO 2500 images are better than I was getting at 1000 with the D200. The amazing thing is that the noise, what little there is looks like film grain and the latitude with the CMOS sensor is much better. Also, the matrix metering is incredible. Nails indoor stuff and I shot an outdoor job which included buildings and snow in full sun. I ended up without blown highlights in the snow and very few lost shadows.
An 8 1/2 x 11 inch print at ISO 200 reminds me of 2 1/4 film (I sold my Hasselblad system a long time ago). Sound like I love this camera? Ya I do, it's amazing. The only lighting that trips it up are compact flourescents.....who the hell knows what color temp those are.

That said, the D3 is in another league because of the FF sensor. With the D3 you can get results at 6500 look better than the 2500 results from the D300.

[Methanolandbrats]

Nikon is not caught up with their D300 shipments. There are plenty of camera stores who are waiting right now. Ya, I know stores are waiting, but if you want one you can have one tomorrow, it's not like the shortage when the D200 or 18-200 VR came out, Nikon learned from that disaster.

[indyfan31]

You seem pretty happy with it, I assume you don't miss the full-size sensor?Which lens(es) did you get with it?

[Methanolandbrats]

You seem pretty happy with it, I assume you don't miss the full-size sensor?Which lens(es) did you get with it?

The D300 is a great all-around tool. For low ISO landscapes, outdoor work, studio work and well lit subjects, it's the way to go because the crop sensor out resolves the FF sensor. That it produces very nice files at ISO 2500 and usable files at 3200 is a bonus that makes it usable for most well lit indoor sports. Having a D3 as it's partner would be wonderful in badly lit gyms, many youth hockey rinks and available light journalism stuff, that is what the D3 is intended for. I may buy a D3, don't know, I want to play with one first. As far as lenses go, I did'nt buy any, I have a 17-55, 70-200 and 24-85 that I use indoors. There again, buying a D3 probably means buying the new 24-70 2.8 for $1800 because it sets the new standard in normal zooms.

[rosawendel]

it's not like the shortage when the D200 or 18-200 VR came out, Nikon learned from that disaster.

the bottleneck on the 18-200 dx-vr just opened up. i just got mine from B&H a couple of days ago (along with a 70-300 vr for the track).

[indyfan31]

So, what IS causing the delays in the D3? I can't believe there's a rush on a $5000 camera .... or is there.

[Methanolandbrats]

So, what IS causing the delays in the D3? I can't believe there's a rush on a $5000 camera .... or is there.
D3 is in short supply, probably because of underestimated demand from Canon Pros tired of autofocus problems. When I said cameras are available, I was talking about D300. If you want a D3, call a reputable store, pay them and wait a bit.

[Methanolandbrats]

BH has had D3 in stock for over 6 hours now.......musta got a boatload of em.....better hurry :D 14-24, 24-70 and D300 supply replenished too.

[dando]

I wish I could afford one. I just picked up an XTi since the prices have been dropping like a rock. Here's why:

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9857232-1.html?tag=bl

:cry: :saywhat: :(

-Kevin

[indyfan31]

Same thing happened when I got my D70 a few years ago. A week later the D70s came out. It's been a good camera, but it needs a lot of light.

And "boatload" is a bit optimistic, I'd be surprised if they got a dozen. In any case, they're out of stock now; which is ok, since my wallet is out of stock too.

[Methanolandbrats]

Same thing happened when I got my D70 a few years ago. A week later the D70s came out. It's been a good camera, but it needs a lot of light.

And "boatload" is a bit optimistic, I'd be surprised if they got a dozen. In any case, they're out of stock now; which is ok, since my wallet is out of stock too.

They got in a few to a dozen at a time for the last couple months. The website always said "backordered" because they sold so fast there was no point in updating it. You had to call when they opened to see if some were coming that day and pay them ahead of time. Money talked. This latest batch was big if it stayed in stock for six hours, B&H is the biggest photo retailer in the World.

[nissan gtp]

the bottleneck on the 18-200 dx-vr just opened up.

got mine today, looks good.

This will be a great "always on the camera" lens

[rosawendel]

Same thing happened when I got my D70 a few years ago. A week later the D70s came out. It's been a good camera, but it needs a lot of light.


I have the D70s. I bought it as soon as it came out because it seemed like the D70 had been on the market forever, and the little "s" moniker told me they weren't going to have anything new for a while. It was discontinued less than a year after i bought it.

It took me this long just to get to the point that I could buy the lenses comfortably (I always thought the 18-200 vr's street price was artificially inflated. I still do, but i figure now it's not going to change). I don't anticipate being able to get a new camera body any time soon.

meh, i suppose it's like computers and cars; they come out with new ones all the time.

[RusH]

I wish I could afford one. I just picked up an XTi since the prices have been dropping like a rock. Here's why:

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9857232-1.html?tag=bl

:cry: :saywhat: :(

-Kevin

Don`t worry about that megapixal crap unless you plan on printing posters. And if you need a viewer like a point and shoot, you have no bidness using an SLR. ...j/k:wink:

I got one of those Canons last year too, still learning digital. I spent the same amount of $$ on the body as I did on the quality 2.8 lens. Which someday I hope to use on a higher end Canon. Just shoot in RAW....it fixes everything.:D

[Methanolandbrats]

Don`t worry about that megapixal crap unless you plan on printing posters. And if you need a viewer like a point and shoot, you have no bidness using an SLR. ...j/k:wink:

Higher megapixel sensors are not just for large prints, they give you much more freedom cropping when you can't shoot tight. If by "viewer" you mean the LCD on the back of the camera, the D300 and D3 LCDs set a new standard. The image on the LCD is exactly what the file out of the camera looks like, it's that good. The zoom feature and size of the LCD make judging sharpness and depth of field easy. It's a very important tool and nobody has made a decent one until now.


I got one of those Canons last year too, still learning digital. I spent the same amount of $$ on the body as I did on the quality 2.8 lens. Which someday I hope to use on a higher end Canon. Just shoot in RAW....it fixes everything.:D Good choice buying fast glass, good for low light and shallow depth of field. As you said, you can always upgrade the body and the lens will be usable for a long time.

[dando]

I spent the same amount of $$ on the body as I did on the quality 2.8 lens. Which someday I hope to use on a higher end Canon. Just shoot in RAW....it fixes everything.:D

That's my next purchase. Which one did you get?

-Kevin

[cameraman]

Be careful with the Nikon glass. My boss's Nikon 100-400 zoom does not work on the new Nikon dSLRs.

[Methanolandbrats]

Be careful with the Nikon glass. My boss's Nikon 100-400 zoom does not work on the new Nikon dSLRs. Nikon backwards compatibiltiy is outstanding. I"ve never seen a Nikon 100-400. What type is it? If it's some old pre-AI lens made prior to 1977, you would'nt want to use it anyway because chromatic abberation and sharpness would be horrible on a digital camera.

[indyfan31]

M&B is right, although the older lens may not "talk" to the camera like a more modern Nikon lens, it'll still "work". And I've never seen a 100-400mm either, unless it's another brand of lens with a Nikon mount.

[RusH]

That's my next purchase. Which one did you get?

-Kevin

Teehee, don`t want to railroad this as a Canon thread, but..

http://www.popphoto.com/cameralenses/4118/lens-test-sigma-18-50mm-f28-ex-dc-macro.html

[cameraman]

M&B is right, although the older lens may not "talk" to the camera like a more modern Nikon lens, it'll still "work". And I've never seen a 100-400mm either, unless it's another brand of lens with a Nikon mount.

It was the 80-400 zoom and it will not autofocus on a Nikon D40x. Read the tech specs if you want.
http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25424

[Methanolandbrats]

It was the 80-400 zoom and it will not autofocus on a Nikon D40x. Read the tech specs if you want.
http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25424

80-400, that was perfectly f'n clear from your first post. Can your boss read? That's helpful before you make a purchase? The D40x is dumbed down to make it inexpensive. It doesnt' have a focus motor in the body, so it only works with AF-S lenses since AF-S lenses have focus motors in the lens. He should have bought a D80 if he owns D-ED or AI autofocus lenses.

[cameraman]

80-400, that was perfectly f'n clear from your first post. Can your boss read? That's helpful before you make a purchase? The D40x is dumbed down to make it inexpensive. It doesnt' have a focus motor in the body, so it only works with AF-S lenses since AF-S lenses have focus motors in the lens. He should have bought a D80 if he owns D-ED or AI autofocus lenses.

No he can read, which is why he didn't buy it. He has several D-series bodies and he saw the D40x and was thinking it would make a good spare. Until he saw it wouldn't autofocus.

[Indy]

Autofocus is for pussies. :gomer:

[Methanolandbrats]

Autofocus is for pussies. :gomer: Having shot sports for UPI long ago with manual focus lense, I assure you AF-S lenses give you a MUCH higher keeper rate. The trick is to master the AF settings and tracking, not an easy task. Manual focus does have it's place however, landscapes, product shots, some portait work, etc...