D3 Vs D2 series - which focuses better??

[Edmond_Terakopian]

Greetings All,

I've been playing with a Nikon D3 and a 70-200 f2.8 VR ED lens and so far not been too happy with the results when it comes to following / tracking focus.
Years ago I had the D2H, and whilst the image quality was terrible, I seem to remember it gave me much & sharper images when follow focusing (on continuos focus mode).
I was photographing someone jogging towards the D3 and had a very small percentage of shots being usable and non that were pin sharp.
My question is to anyone who has this combination of D3 and 70-200 VR; are you finding the focus and sharpness an issue? Is it the camera or the lens? I've heard several Nikon users looking for the previous non VR version of this lens as they seem to suggest that its a better and sharper combination.
All thoughts appreciated.

Cheers,

Edmond

[Luke_Miller]

I use this combination often and am very pleased with the results. The D3 is a very different animal when it comes to focus than my D2Hs and D2X. The smaller focus sensors mean you have to make sure it is positioned on something it can focus on. With my D2 bodies putting a sensor on a face would almost always produce focus. The sensor would find an eye, nose, or occassionally an ear. With the small D3 sensors I can select an eye if I choose, but if it is on a cheek it may not find enough detail to achieve focus.

I don't take many shots of subjects with a lot of motion so I don't have a lot to suggest in terms of settings. I find that the 51 point 3D with face recognition (the top position on the rear focus mode switch) works very well. My limited experience with the D3 is that with moving subjects the D3 does not seem to focus well with the same settings I used successfully with my D2 bodies. I have to develop new ones for the D3. With the D2 bodies I found a single set of settings that worked very well for almost any situation. My impression with the D3 is that I will need settings that are specific to the situation.

My biggest issue with the 70-200 VR is that I like to shoot quickly. I see the shot and trip the shutter. Sometimes before VR stablizes so I get a blurred image from the still-moving lens elements. I focus with the AF-On button which does not activate VR, so I just have to remember to wait a half second before releasing the shutter.

My experience is that the D3 and 70-200 are a great combination - internet lore not withstanding. Of the three thousand shots I've taken with my D3, over a thousand have been with the 70-200 VR. Works for me.

[Tony_Whaling]

They are different, when I started using the D3 it felt awkward focusing after the D2's. 2 Months later I did my reguler winter job, indoor equestrian, with the d2x and it felt awkward where by the the D3 felt natural. For me both cameras give outstanding results and for a very difficult focusing job I would happily pick up either. I have seen the test results on here for the D3 focusing and they seem bizarre to my experiance. Focusing on oncoming horses in poor light with the 70-200 vr at f3.2 its unusual to get one out of focus and thats normaly down to me been sloppy.

tony

[Edmond_Terakopian]

Thanks for the feedback folks.

[Bruce_Stenman]

With the D3 there are only the center 3 columns covering the middle 25% of the viewfinder that have cross type AF sensors. The camera is designed to have the photographer select a subject using these center sensors and then continue to track as the user adjusts the framing or shooting in continuous mode.

This is quite different from the D2 cameras where the cross type sensors
cover 75% of the viewfinder area. So with the D2 it is easier to get a cross type sensor covering the subject but the tracking is not as fast and does not benefit from the color of the subject the way the D3 can.

I much prefer the D2x in single shot more and the D3 in continuous mode.
Nikon made a big change with the D3/D300 unlike the D2 which was like the D1 which was like the F series cameras in terms of autofocus.

[MichaelMoenning]

Once I got used to the D3 focus set up, I found it substantially outperformed previous D2 models when in challenging focusing environments - moving subjects in low light. Especially with the 70-200 VR.

I use the AF-ON button to acquire focus. The camera is usually in Dynamic AF area with 21 points and CH mode.

Hope that helps.

M

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