If you are planning to get Nikon advanced DSLR, I bet you might ask yourself, is it worth to get Nikon D700, a full frame camera rather than Nikon D300s? In this post, I will help you to make your own decision.
Here are the major differences between Nikon D300s and Nikon D700.
Sensor size
First and foremost, D700 has much larger image sensor. This has significant implication. First, overall image quality of D700 will be better, depth of field will be shallower, and finally, high ISO image will be cleaner by at least 1 stop.
Other important implication is the lenses. Because D700 is a full frame camera, it does not compatible with DX lenses anymore. Well, you can actually use DX lens, but you only get 5 megapixel resolution because the image will be cropped. You will then need to get FX compatible lenses, which could be more expensive and bigger than regular DX lenses. [Read recommended lenses for Nikon D700]
Because Nikon D300s is a crop sensor, it gets 1.5x more reach than the D700. Therefore, D300s is prefered when you need to shoot object from a far, let say like wildlife and sports. Meanwhile, when you mount similar lens to D700, you will get wider angle, which is great for landscape and some photojournalistic assignments.
Camera Body
Nikon D700 and Nikon D300s has almost similar body and control, but D700 is a bit heavier and bulkier. This is due because D700 has bigger image sensor and bigger viewfinder. Both cameras are great in hand, but I think many will like the D300s more because it is lighter.
Viewfinder of Nikon D700 is a lot bigger than D300s because of the size of the sensor, but it does not have 100% coverage like Nikon D300s. So you will have to guess a bit for exact composition.
Camera Performance
Both cameras are very responsive and professional. Both has 51 AF system and tracks moving objects well. D300s has better continuous shooting speed (up to 7 fps vs 5 fps) But when you use battery grip on both cameras, you can get up to 8 fps).
Other Features
Nikon D300s has new features such as 720p movie recording mode, quiet release mode, dual slot memory cards and quiet shutter release. None of these features are significant but only filler to keep the camera up to date.
Conclusion
To choose Nikon D700 or D300s definitely is not an easy task. One will hope they can have two cameras at once. But if you need to pick one, Nikon D300s seems like a more versatile camera. The whole package will be cheaper because you can use both Nikon DX and FX lenses. It also can record video that is quite handy if you are interested in working on multimedia project. However, if the only concern you have is ultimate image quality and performance in high ISO, then look no further, Nikon D700 is the best.
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