While I was reluctant to lose the 1.5 x length of all my lenses, I did regain the full wide angle of my lenses with the change to the FX sensor. DX lenses that are designed for use with all the DX line of cameras will work on both the D3 and D700, but they will crop part of the image. However, the viewfinder of the D3 and D700 shows you exactly how it will be cropped.
 
I purchased the D3 first, within the first couple of months after its introduction. I got the D700 when it was later released as a backup camera and put in my sound blimp.
 
After working with both cameras for the last year I will attempt to explain the differences
between the D3 and the D700.
 
Since both cameras use the same sensor, they both offer really outstanding picture quality. The resolution will astound you and the low noise levels at high ISOs are truly outstanding. While Nikon was slow in introducing the full size sensor, they hit the nail on the head when they did.
 
The first big difference is the price : D3 – $4995 and the D700 – $2995. However, both cameras have since come down a couple hundred dollars at most retailers.
 
The major differences in the workings of the camera are:

• The D3 is a blazing 9 frames per second, which is really good at sporting events and for all kinds of action. The D700 is 5 frames per second with 8 frames a second possible with the optional MBD10 battery pack.
• The D3 is heavier and much more durable. It’s built like a tank as they say.
• The D3 is better sealed for dust and moisture although the D700 is fine for most instances.
• The D3 shutter is tested for 300,000 cycles while the D700 is tested for 150,000 cycles.
• The D3 has an electronic Virtual Horizon telling you how level the camera is compared to the actual horizon.
• The D700 is noticeably quieter than the D3 (a definite advantage in the film industry), which I’m sure, is because of the shutter and high-powered motor of the D3.
• The D3 offers a selectable 12 bit or 14 bit AD conversion enabling photographers to choose between a smaller file as faster operating speeds or a larger file with smoother tonal gradations at slower operating speeds. Both offer outstanding image quality.

All in all the D700 is on par with the D3 in all other categories, so if you don’t need some of the features of the D3, the D700 is a great camera and a real bargain.
 
Of course, now there is the newly introduced D3x to consider.
Anyone have $8,000 I can borrow?
 
Here are some working images from the D700 in the every day work environment:
 
This was a beautiful old 1959 Chevy Apache Pickup at dusk that was part of set dressing on a recent film.

 
This is Matt our ‘A’ Camera Operator shooting in an ATV in the middle of a cornfield in Florida.

 
This a Shoe Tree literally at just before dusk.

 
Here-a night shot- working in minimal light shot which is where the D700 excels.

 
This is camera operator Jimmy Lindsay shooting a Panavision HD Video Camera from high above in a Condor lift.

 
There you have it. I hope these few working shots will give you a little sample of the day to day difficult lighting situations which are faced by the still photographer on a movie set, and how the Nikon D700 handles the images.

Many of the images from my "So you Want to be a Rock n Roll Star" collection were shot live at the legendary Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin. Others were taken at concerts around the country while I was on assignment for either the artist or record company, or for my own personal collection. In most cases, I have been lucky enough to be able to photograph some of my favorite musicians. Legendary artists like The Grateful Dead, The Byrds, Kinks, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Leon Russell and the Who.

The keys to shooting a live performance are: the right location, the right equipment and patience. Securing the prime spot, whether on stage or right up front close to the stage requires planning and a well trained eye. I usually arrange for a Press and Backstage Pass, but I also make sure I’m in the front row with the audience during at least some of the performance.

A lot of thought goes behind the equipment choices. At the very least, plan on either two fast prime lenses, like a 50 1.4 and a 135 F2, or a fast medium telephoto zoom such as a 28-105 2.8 or a little longer 70-200 2.8 .

Shooting concerts with todays digital professional SLRs such as a Nikon D3 or a similar Canon etc. is really nice as there is very little noise at ISO 1600 and higher.

If you visit my website, Vanredin.com, I have posted some of my collection. The older Black and White images were shot on Tri-X pushed to ASA 1600 and processed in Diafine developer. Older color images were shot on Ektachrome 400 and if needed, pushed 1 or 2 stops. These images were then scanned, cleaned up and in some cases enhanced using Adobe Photoshop.

Van Redin’s Rock ‘n Roll prints are for sale.
Prints sizes are available from 8×10" to 16×20" and larger on some images.
Canvas prints stretched on a frame are very popular also.
See all the images at VanRedin.com . Leave a comment or contact the author through his website for more information.

Such is the case with the Nikon D300 camera which hit the market in Dec 2007 and is now available without the waiting list that it had for several months. I had been using the Nikon D2x and the Nikon D200 cameras for several years, and a Nikon D100 and D1x prior to that.

Because of the low light situations I’m forced to shoot in, I’ve never welcomed a camera as much as the new Nikon D300 and Nikon D3. The D300 greatly reduces the image noise over that of the D2x and the D200 when shooting at high ISOs. This is particularly true from ISO 800 up to ISO 6400–which is the highest ISO I’ve used with the camera.

With the previous series Nikons (D2x & D200) anything above ISO 800 is noticeably noisy and requires a noise reduction filter such as Noise Ninja etc. when processing the images. Using a noise reduction filter runs the risk of the images becoming too soft after the noise is removed.

Not so with the D300!

Guitars at ISO 1600

Using the D300 camera the amount of noise reduction is significantly less–if it’s needed at all. My work on the latest movie called for shooting lots of available light images of Rock n Roll Concerts. Of course in the old days when I was shooting film at Rock n Roll Concerts, it was usually shot on Tri X pushed to ISO1600 and developed in Diafine—an exotic (for the times) developing process.  Otherwise I used Kodak Ektachrome ISO 400 film that was pushed a stop or two.  Even later on I used Kodak Portra or Fuji ISO 800 films.

Kerr at ISO 3200

With these films and push-processing, grain was expected, accepted, sometimes preferred and definitely did show up in the final product. Now, being able to do without that visual grain or noise is much more preferable. You can always dial grain in with filters in Photoshop while processing the images if it is desired.

Horns at ISO 2500

Of course stopping the action and maintaining sharpness of a Rock n Roll Band or any moving subjects in low light requires shooting at ISO 800 up to ISO 3200.
What a surprise it was for me on this film to look at these images shot with the D300 after they were enlarged to 11" x 14” and possibly larger for the poster.

It’s worth repeating that the lack of noise at high ISOs is just plain wonderful!
While the Nikon D3 with its full size sensor is noticeably better than the D300 (and should be at its $5,000 price tag), the (roughly $1,799) D300 is such a big improvement that it will delight a large majority of professional shooters. Nikon has really done their homework on this camera by including other really nice features such as the big, bright 3” monitor.

That monitor is really easy on the eyes and alleviates a lot of eyestrain. Also the Auto Focus is faster and more accurate than on the D2X and D200. Then too, there’s the D-Lighting feature, which allows for one-stop lighter or darker corrections of images already shot to be saved on the CF card.

These and many more improvements are squeezed into the D300 for the already mentioned amount of $1799.

That’s a bargain in my book.

Last but not least is that it makes my job a lot easier, and that is the name of the game. Isn’t it?  Anything that makes my job easier is something to add to my camera bag.

Visit VanRedin.com to see Van’s Rock ‘n Roll Photography

I started out as a photographer for the House of Representatives at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas after I had majored in Photojournalism in college and graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. I got involved in the motion picture industry by having a friend in the business who was a script supervisor; she encouraged me to become a still photographer in the movie industry. I was already a freelance commercial photographer, and previous to that I had done Advertising brochures for a major Boat company. Anyone who wants to shoot stills on movies should be prepared to spend quite a bit of time getting to know people in the film industry in Los Angeles as that is where all the decisions are made. Other than that you should try to shoot on any low budget movie, TV, or commercial you can. Even if you have to work for free just to build up a portfolio. Without the portfolio there is almost no chance to even be considered as a still photographer on a movie set. The hours are very long and you can be away from home for long periods of time.

I started shooting movies in the early 80s with my first feature in 1983 and I have shot over 40 feature films and too many TV shows to count. Most major films are still shot on film, but with all the new HD Video cameras shooting is changing somewhat. Pretty much all the stills for the movies are shot on digital though because of convenience, quick access, distribution of the files, and the quality of the new digital cameras. All the images are usually taken on a work for hire basis with the studio retaining ownership of the images. The photographer is not allowed to sell the images; they do not belong to him. The photographer can use the images in their portfolio and in other ventures if it is negotiated up front in the contract.

The laptop computer plays a huge role in my daily work routine. I use a Mac Book Pro as does nearly every other still photographer I know. Photoshop skills play a very vital and necessary part of life for today’s digital still photographer. The photographer must be able to retouch and alter images instantly for use almost immediately in some cases. A Wacom tablet is often used in the retouching and adjusting of the digital image.

I am just starting to use Lightroom for processing my work at present. Typically I may shoot around 8,000 –10,000 images for a normal length (8-10 week) movie. I download all images on a hard drive that is then sent to the lab for conversion from Raw to Jpegs and for contact sheets. The lab in turn sends me another hard drive and we keep switching back and forth till we wrap the movie. All the images are stored at the lab of choice until the studio calls for the images to be returned to them where they will be archived.

When I started shooting digital part time several years ago and fulltime about 3 years ago, it made my work much easier. I like it much better being able to edit in the camera, plus having immediate access to the files as opposed to having to wait for film to be developed and contact sheets being made. Pretty much all the still photographers in this industry use either Nikon or Canon high end SLR Pro Cameras such as the Nikon D2xs or Canon 5D and Canon 1DS Mark II. Lenses vary with an emphasis on fast constant f/stop lenses such as those having an f 2.8 aperture. My favorite two lenses are the Nikkor 17-55 f 2.8 and the 70-200 f 2.8 VR. The typical financial investment for a movie still photographer would be a minimum of $25,000.00 with lots of professionals having much more invested. One piece of equipment that is a must is called a Sound Blimp. This is just what it implies, a box to shoot and not be heard. The big metal box is filled with soundproofing and houses a digital SLR with a lens, and it is controlled from the outside with buttons to focus and fire the camera remotely. Still cameras for use on the movie set are stored in the traditional way in bags and hard cases and are normally stored with the other film equipment on the Camera Truck that is always on the set of the movie.

Lots of still photographers use a cart to put all their bags on and they roll it from one location to another while on the set. Typically lenses that get the most use are a wide to normal zoom and a short to long telephoto, both of which are usually a fast f 2.8 aperture as I already mentioned. I usually manage to keep my equipment for several years and then trade up for new and or improved cameras and lenses.

I consider my work to be part of a Digital Lifestyle, as everything I do is digital from taking the images, storing them, printing them, etc. The industry has changed dramatically and photographers have to adapt with the times and a digital lifestyle allows this to be done. I still keep a film camera on hand just in case, but have only used it once when I needed a camera body which would shoot more frames per second than my first D1x would shoot. In this business you are reliant on technology, but technology has gotten so good and so reliable that’s its not a problem, but a pleasure.