Don't get me wrong, I love my D90, but after living with several frustrations for a while, I decided to upgrade.
My reasoning:
- Focus. I had problems with the outer autofocus points of the D90. Usually, they'd work fine, but often enough I'd end up with slightly out-of-focus images. I usually didn't notice this while shooting, but only after importing to Lightroom. Grr.
- Buffer. I don't burst-shoot in the studio, but I do shoot a lot of images quickly sometimes. Especially when the models are "in the zone". It was extremely frustrating to press the shutter, and get no picture because the buffer was full. Saying, "Perfect! Hold that pose, don't move!" to a 6-yr old is pointless.
- I like new toys, and this one has:
- A FAR better viewfinder- 100% coverage and so much brighter! I can't emphasize this point enough, looking through the viewfinder was like love at first sight...
- Dual memory slots (I'll use in backup mode.)
- Loads of button/knob controls, vs. menu selections.
- A more solid build, and weather sealing.
- More, but the above are what mattered most to me when making the decision.
I did consider the full frame models, but decided against them based on price, the DX lenses I own and love, and the reach of the DX sensor for sports and macro shooting. And I don't shoot that much in low light. Maybe someday...
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Interesting point about autofocus, Milan. I'm never sure how I feel about the whole concept of that! I had always had manual focus cameras (Olympus OM1/Mamiyaflex C330 twin lens etc) until I went digital. My Nikon D80 has eleven autofocus points but I always feel a loss of control when using them. The camera is deciding the important focus point -not me. I virtually always now just leave it set on just the centre focus point. Focus where I want it first and then reframe to get the composition I want. Regards, David.
ReplyDeleteWith a subject that will hold still, I usually do focus with the center spot, then recompose. Unless I am close with a shallow DOF, where recomposing could move my focal plane enough to throw my focus back off again...
ReplyDeleteWith my models, however, I have better luck moving the selected focus point to something nearer their face/eye, and using that single point instead. You're right, the area focus (although pretty good) doesn't always make the "right" choice.
Still, with a peripheral focus point selected, the D90 was giving me a fair number of slightly out-of-focus shots. The D300s is better. Maybe it just focuses better in general, or maybe the outer focus points work better. Whatever it is, I'm happier. :)