Low Light Performance - D300 vs D3100?

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Low Light Performance - D300 vs D3100?

(7 posts) (6 voices)

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d70

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Joined: Oct '10
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I currently shoot weddings with D700 and D300. Something came up and I really have a need for 1080p video for work in April and a few other later in the year. I have been waiting for the D700 replacement but based on recent rumors that seems to be announced in the summer and with a possible ship/availability date some time in the fall. Given that, I'm considering getting a D3100 to replace the D300 so I can do both stills and videos since it's really cheap.

Anybody has first hand experience and can comment on the low light/high ISO performance on D3100 vs D300. Thanks in advance.

Posted 2 years ago #
Paperman

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Joined: Jul '10
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Just be careful - Lack of controls / 2nd wheel / top screen / extra buttonss can drive you crazy after using a D300 . Whenever I have to shoot with my wife's D5000 , I really feel frustrated and feel like breaking the damn thing :-).

Posted 2 years ago #
PB PM

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Joined: Jan '10
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The D3100 has better high ISO noise performance than the D300, maybe half a stop? The video feature works okay, not as well as Canon models, but better than on some older Nikon models. I wouldn't want to replace my D300 with the D3100 though, and I can say that without a doubt, since I own both. I usually prefer using the D300, unless I don't want to carry the extra weight.

Posted 2 years ago #
Gareth

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Joined: Sep '10
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maybe rent a d3s or a d300s until the new ff comes out..?

Posted 2 years ago #
aslightdelay

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The control, or lack thereof, on a 3100 is a definite issue. Another thread you may want to check out --if you hadn't already -- if you're looking at the 3100 (or pretty much any other camera) for heavy video use: http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=2571

Posted 2 years ago #
d70

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Joined: Oct '10
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Thanks for the input so far. I don't know if the lack of control is going to be an issue for me since D700 is my main and D3100 would be my 2nd with either a 12-24mm or 50mm on most of the time. It will definitely require some getting used to thou.

The good new is that it sounds like the low light performance is better than D300. I guess I'll need to go to my local store and play with it a little bit. I tossed around the idea of renting it but figured I'd be better off buying new and selling it a few months later to get a D700 replacement.

Posted 2 years ago #
NikoDoby

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Joined: May '09
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Please do a forum search. We've covered the D3100 versus the world before.
http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=2688#post-46284

Posted 2 years ago #