Only two lenses for D3 - which ones?

[Roger_Martin]

Although I was tempted to buy a D5 before the Nikon D3 came out, I would not be happy with two systems. I even sent back my D300 to get a second D3 because of the differences between them. And I do not like the feel or button layout of the Canon.

As for the three lenses I use most.
1. Sports including MotoCross and Equestrian: Nikkor 80-400 VR This lense really came to life on my D3.
2. Weddings: Nikkor 70-200 AFS-VR I have never had a noticeable vignetting problem. The Nikkor 80-200 AFS is also very good (maybe better) and optimized for full frame.
3. Close up: indoors or out Nikkor 28-70 AFS

I have had many other lenses including all the Pro line except the Nikkor 200 f/2.0 300, 400, and 600. I just cannot justify that much money for my use. Also because I needed the money I recently sold my Nikkor 200-400 and instead I use the Nikkor 80-400s and a Sigma 300-800 for HillClimbs.

I do not recommend any DX lens be used on a D3
.

[diglloyd]

Originally Posted by Ronald Garrett

The link above was for the D2x vs EOS, which is not want you want. This link, digLloyd—Reviews, Articles and More! , is the home section for his site. The article that you would be interested in has been postponed, D3 vs lDs mark lll I could have sworn it was up at one time, but not sure. There are lots of free articles as well to keep one occupied for a little while. Lots of camparisons between the two brands.

I don't have a formal comparison of the D3 and 1DsM3, but my blog contains a lot of commentary over the past few months. There is my Nikon D3 summary article referencing all my blog comments.

[diglloyd]

Originally Posted by Terry Zorich

Well, I pulled the trigger on the D3 today. Ordered it, the 24-70, and a TTL module for my Quantum T4D...The Nikon will be relegated to wedding work, as well as most other kinds of 'people photography'. My second lens will likely be the 14-24, and if I get a third anytime soon, it will likely be the 105.

If fast-moving action is the deal, then the 14-24 and 24-70 are going to be hard to beat.

For a very nice look distinct from the Nikkors, I recommend you look at the Zeiss ZF 28/2, 35/2, and 100/2 Makro-Planar. These would be terrific for more contemplative work eg intimate portraits. The 35/2 in particular is my all-around "go to" lens whenever I want beautiful results at f/2 with gorgeous color and bokeh.

[Kiran Thind]

Originally Posted by diglloyd

If fast-moving action is the deal, then the 14-24 and 24-70 are going to be hard to beat.

For a very nice look distinct from the Nikkors, I recommend you look at the Zeiss ZF 28/2, 35/2, and 100/2 Makro-Planar. These would be terrific for more contemplative work eg intimate portraits. The 35/2 in particular is my all-around "go to" lens whenever I want beautiful results at f/2 with gorgeous color and bokeh.

I couldn't agree more. I love the unique look and smooth bokeh of my Zeiss 35/2. The solid feel and perfectly weighted focus ring makes that lens a true joy to use. The 14-24 is simply the best ultra wide lens in Nikon's collection (outshining the 14mm prime). The 24-70 is also an excellent pro lens, surpassing the much lauded 28-70. Although dated, the Nikon 85/1.4 makes a superb portrait lens.

Kiran

[MichaelMoenning]

To answer the original question, if you need fast glass from 24-200 get the 24-70 and the 70-200 for the D3. I shot about 1000 photos per day over the past 9 days with both those lenses on a D3 for an extremely demanding (commercial) client. The impression of the photos in my client's own words were, "wow, they're (the images) so crisp."

I can honestly say the 24-70 and 70-200 combination of lenses with the D3 has saved hours and hours of post processing and image sharpening. These lenses are so sharp the images can be used right out of the camera. It's a noticeable improvement over the 17-55 and the 70-200 on a D2X.

I have made a great deal of money with this glass and have benefited from superior performance, sharpness and image quality. If you can only buy two lenses, this is the combo. I hope that helps.

M

[Terry Zorich]

It's not that I can only afford to buy two lenses. I am historically a Canon user who decided to buy a D3 for the experience, and to see if it might be worth switching. As this basically amounts to an experiement, I am not willing to buy a bunch of glass. As it stands, the body, the 24-70, and an SB800 have set me back over $7K already. Expensive experiment!

As I suspected, I have found that it would NOT be worth switching. With the D3 (as compared to the 1DM3), there is a negligible improvement in image quality, a small but virtually unusable increase in high ISO noise performance, clumsier handling, and reduced AF performance.

If I decide to keep the D3 around, I'll eventually add a 70-200 and probably a 14-24. Having a macro lens would be nice, also.

I think the original question is still worth contemplating, though.

[Bruce_Stenman]

Originally Posted by Dennis_Vied

I can't help but think you'd be better off staying with one brand. As long as you're happy with your Canon equipment, why switch? I think you're buying into some hassle by trying to operate two systems, a hassle you don't really need. While I think the D3 is a fine piece of gear, it's basicallly comparable to a 5D in specs, so I don't think it will be a quantum leap in quality that you would expect.

Just my opinion.

I used Nikon equipment for 17 years and then last year switched completely to Canon to get decent IQ at ISO 800 and above. I went with the Mark III and would not even consider buying a 5D. I have worked with thousands of RAW files from the 5D and seen the terrible WB metering and plastic looking skin at ISO 1600 and higher with the camera's internal NR even with RAW. Add the durability issues with mirrors falling out of the cameras, low 3fps capture rate, lack of a second card slot for backup, and problems with accurate flash exposures with the 580EX, and lens calibration issues with the 16-35mm f2.8 and 24-70mm f2.8 Canon lenses (and their 1-year warranty vs. Nikon 5-year), and I opted for the 1.3 crop 1D camera.

For full frame Nikon provides the outstanding 14-24mm f2.8 and 24-70mm f2.8, both of which have shown to provide exceptional IQ on the D3 and even on Canon cameras. The 14-24mm f2.8 has been shown to be superior to the Canon 14mm f2.8 II prime and the Canon 24mm f1.4 prime lenses which is quite and achievement.

There are vignetting issues with the 70-200mm f2.8 lens at full extension. Firmware updates have greatly reduced, though eliminated the problem with the D3.

One needs three lenses to go from 17-200mm with the D3 and expect to get the the IQ that the D3 is capable of producing. Once a lens gets past a 1:3 zoom ratio the IQ diminishes along with lens speed. With only two lenses to cover this range they would both need a 1:5 zoom range.

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