Experience - Motocross
D700 Experience Report - Motocross
As the D700 is a new camera, I decided to take it along to a recent “Leukemia Busters” charity motocross event at Matterley Bowl, near Winchester in Hampshire, UK. This wasn’t a professional gig, so I was restricted to the usual spectator’s area, but it gave me a good chance to try out the D700’s focus tracking and medium-ISO capabilities.
The main lens I took along for the ride was the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 ED-IF AF-S VR ZOOM-NIKKOR. For some shots I combined it with a Kenko Teleplus 1.4x Pro 300 Teleconverter (B&H Photo) - mainly because 200m wasn’t long enough to reach much of the track from the only places I could stand. In fact, 200mm was far too short - I used DX mode quite extensively.
(This is where I wish Nikon would make some smaller long teles with AF-S, such as a 400/4 or 400/5.6. Canon have a clear lead here.)
I used the MB-D10 battery grip () with eight 2600mAh AA NiMH Fujicell batteries installed, which enabled me to shoot in continuous high speed at 8fps. This was probably overkill - 5fps and better timing would have sufficed - but useful.
The weather, as befits a British summer, was awful. Overcast and gloomy, raining more often than not - though with a few breaks in the cloud cover here and there. This, therefore, is probably quite a test of a camera system; fast-moving objects, often in view for only brief periods, and thus requiring high shutter speeds and ISOs. Those Group A riders can really shift!
Over the course of the afternoon I shot around 1,100 frames in various autofocus and metering modes. Auto-ISO was a godsend, enabling me to keep a fixed shutter speed and aperture without having to be overly concerned about the exposure. It’s only recently (with the newer D3 firmware and the D700) that Nikon have started allowing minimum shutter speeds for auto ISO shorter than 1/250s - an obvious oversight, one that was mentioned by many a sports shooter, and one that has now been corrected.
Amazingly, after those 1,100 frames, with quite a lot of chimping, the battery level was still reading “full”. Now, I realize that the reported battery level for AAs isn’t going to be anywhere near as accurate as for EN-EL3e’s or EN-EL4’s, but it shows that you can probably go through a full, hard day’s shooting without worrying about power. This is an excellent performance. Remember that even after the AAs were depleted, I could still have carried on (at 5fps) with the internal EN-EL3e.
I did find the battery pack somewhat bulky. The extra joystick was useful, but I do prefer the integrated grip of my D3, both in size and feel. That’s something to consider if you’re likely to be shooting with the grip more often than not, especially for extended periods.
| Photos of the D700 ——> |
August 24th, 2008 at 4:48 am
The new 70-200mm vr lens looks like an amateur lens on the D700. Looking at the first two pics, it has terrible vignetting. All of the pictures shot at f2.8 at 200mm almost look like they are shot with a point and shoot.
Look at this review: http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/nikon_70-200_2p8_vr_n15/
I never thought it would look this bad under field conditions. I own the 2 ring 80-200mm f2.8 non AFS version and on the D700 there is no noticeable vignetting.
On your recommended lenses for the D700, I most certainly would remove that lens. To eliminate the vignetting you have to shoot at F8 or higher, what’s the point of this lens then?
September 5th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I guess it’s all a matter of preference. While at times the vignetting can be distracting, in several of the shots I find it quite pleasing - they actually cause one to focus on the “subject” of the picture while still allowing a wider view. I own the 70-200vr and say keep it on your list (and I’m leaving in a few minutes to buy the D700 - or maybe the D3, will decide for sure enroute). I fully intend to use the 70-200vr on whichever I buy.
October 29th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
I’d have to agree with Jimmy. Since you as the photographer decided not to crop or correct the vignetting from the photos shot at 200mm, then I interpret the vignetting as a desired effect which successfully draws attention to the subject. Perhaps the D300 would have taken better pictures with the 70-200mm, but then again we can always find something in our work that we could have done differently to achieve our desired results. The important thing is that you took the pictures and they look good. Nice camera and nice lens. I too have the D300, D700, and the 70-200mm f2.8 VR. By the way, considering you like outdoor action photography, have you ever heard about the di-GPS Pro? It’s a great way to add GPS info to your photos.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
You mention the flaw with auto-ISO on the D300 (and previous). Nikon fixed it with a firmware upgrade (1.10, I believe), and now the auto-ISO choices are identical on the D300 and D700. Great pictures, by the way. Those ISO 1000 shots are incredible and make me very, very jealous.