I have been looking up upgrade my Nikon D80 for a Nikon D700 for the past 6 months, spending much of my time researching and reading articles. Then re-reading again. There are many reasons I am looking to upgrade, the biggest being a stepping board for going from amateur to professional with my photography. Sadly, you are not taken too serious with a D80 these days. It’s an outdated camera and is really dwarfed by the big boys – from the 700 to the massive Nikon D3x 24.5MP FX.

I began taking photography serious in April of 2008 when I got my first DSLR – the D80. I found such freedom in moving from film to digital that I was really allowed (for the first time) to explore my creative side to shooting. I was so conservative with my N60 and the cost of film that my photos were just of family vacations. The D80 opened up a whole new world and I have never looked back.

Now I am looking forward to my next giant leap in photography – the leap to professional status. The war over which camera to upgrade to is done. But there was a good amount of debate.

The Debate

My ideas for the upgrade to pro involved looking at 3 bodies in the beginning. I knew I wasn’t going to Canon, as they are clumsy and none of my lenses would work on them. I’ve shot with a handful of those cameras and though the Mark II 5D is a beauty in terms of clarity, it’s still flawed in the menu system. Kind of like going from the beauty of the Mac OS over to DOS.

So, the three bodies I narrowed to were the Nikon D300s 12MP, the Nikon D700 12.1MP, and the manly Nikon D3x 24.5MP. Each have their purpose – it what I needed to do was sift through each camera to see how they best matched my needs. So, what are my needs?

• Professional grade camera (full control of my camera)
• Landscape
• Portraits (family / wedding)

Looking at those needs, I was no longer interested in the $8,000 D3x. That’s a camera for a pro that shoots everyday, all day long – and someone that concentrates on sports and motion. Not me. The D3x is a great camera to bring to a soccer game with its high FPS abilities. But when it comes to portrait and landscape, the D700 will match it, feature for feature – pixel for pixel. I can safely scrape the D3x off my list. Phew!

Next I was torn between the D300s and the D700. The 300s is a DX with much improved controls over the D80. It did seem like the next logical step for me – but the addition of video actually turned me away from it. I can care less about the addition of video, but that little “s” pretty much obsoletes the D300. That’s just something extra to break.  But there is still good from both the D300s and the D700 when talking image quality – yes, much better than the D90.

Both are sharp and clear on my screen. Both offer great improvements over the D80. Both will accept all the lenses I use. The D700 gives you much more control over your camera.  As much over the D300 as the D300 gives over the D80.  And yes, I am someone that uses all the functions in the menu system.  The toss up is slowly leaning in one direction.

From my research, the D300 is an overpriced D90. Ok, that’s a little harsh – but the D90 is a real beauty for it’s price. Ken Rockwell put’s it much more gentle on this page, but you get the idea. The D90 costs a ton less and is lighter. You can not distinguish a D90 from a D300 (in my book) when staring at an image on the screen. The D300 does have a faster FPS rate, but that’s about it.

Advantage D700

So, after all my research, the D700 was the clear winner, and this is why: Landscape, Portrait, Wedding and low light. This camera is no lightweight. Like the D3x, it is a pro camera with an FX sensor. It’ll take your wide shots and make them wider. It’ll allow more light with less distortion (pixels) in low light situations. It has all the pro advantages of the D3x at a fraction of the cost. The only sacrifice I see is in FPS – but never have I needed to shoot fast. Ever. The D700 seems to be the best bang for the buck at this point. And I have no desire to see if the phantom D700x or D700s is delivered. The D700 is tried and true – out on the market 18 months already with a superior firmware and housing.  Boost the ISO and then we have a clear winner.  The D700 just pimp-slaps the D300, D90, D80, D40…. you get the point.

Next Steps

Yeah, now the tough part. Coming up with $2,700 for the body, cards, battery grip and extra battery. Once the cash is in hand, the camera will be very soon after. From there, I plan to get more involved with things like family portraits, pets, open more galleries for my landscapes and perhaps shoot a handful of weddings. Nothing against wedding photographers, but I don’t really see myself heading down that path. I don’t want the pressure of shooting a perfect wedding – no second chances. But I will explore engagement photography – less pressure!