Nikon shooter thinking about 5d

I need everyone's opinion regarding the following. I shoot a Nikon d300 with a ton of nice lenses (17-55 2.8, 70-200 2.8 vr2, 105 2.8 vr, 70-300 vr, 12-24 4, 35 1.8, and a few more lenses. For Christmas I was looking at getting either the d700 or 85 1.4g lens. Well both are out of stock and I was planning on waiting. I've always been intrigue with canon and while I was surfing the web tonight, I found the 5d for a great price. Basically I can get the 5d with 24-105L for about the same price as a d700 body only. Now I never gave canon any serious thought due to being too heavily invested in Nikon, but the price of the 5d with lens could be a nice little package. I would still keep my Nikon gear and just use the canon with the versatile 24-105 lens. Is this a stupid idea? Have I gone crazy? I sort of feel that I'm making a rash decision but at the same time I would love to shoot a nice canon like the 5d (grass seems greener on the other side). Anyway it would be hard for me to maintain both systems so I would probably invest in a few canon lenses in the future and continue to grow my Nikon collection. With all that ive said, should I just forget the canon and stick with Nikon only? Is there anyone that has both canon and Nikon systems? Also I cannot afford to buy many lenses so I'll be getting a decent lens once a year or so. With 2 systems I would have to alternate. Sorry for the long post. I hope someone can chime in either way. Thanks!

Stick to what you got. Nikon and Canon are equivalent when it comes to producing amazing images. The D700 is a very capable camera with a focus system that runs circles around the 5d line.

man I will take D700 over 5dmk2 anytime. My only issue is Nikon having all those buttons at weired places. And getting longer glass on Nikon is lot more expensive though canon is catching up.

Stick with what you have, You already have quite the system on Nikon and theres no need to rush

I'd wait right now TBH, The rumors regarding the D800 are pretty strong and when it launches there will be a lot of D700s out there i bet...

FWIW between the 5DII and D700, id take the D700 for the AF system

If you can get the 5D kit at a good price without having to sell any of your Nikon gear, then there's no reason not to satisfy your curiosity. Even if you don't like it and choose to sell it later, you probably won't take any more of a loss than it would have cost you to rent the kit for a week or two in the first place.

Have you looked on the Fred Miranda buy & sell forums? It seems like there have been a lot of D700's on there lately.

bobbyz wrote in post #13576807
And getting longer glass on Nikon is lot more expensive though canon is catching up.

Just the opposite of the OP, I have Canon gear and want to try Nikon. This is the reason I didn't buy a D700. The lenses I want would have cost an extra $1,400 over the Canon versions.

I'd wait to see what the D800 & 5D III come out with. I have a gut feeling both of them are going to be game changers.

Honestly, the 5D is a beast of a sensor with a toy plastic box around it and a guess and check system for focusing. Ok well its not quite that bad, I love my 5d every day I bring a memory card home the raws impress me like crazy. However, when I am in the field with the camera even after owning it for going on 3 years now the camera never inspires confidence when focusing or in low light, and the build quality and lack of weather sealing means I run for the hills when a light sprinkle comes my way.

Personally, I am considering the switch to Nikon if the D800 is a reasonably priced camera (sub 3500) the better AF system is really drawing me in. When I originally came to Canon I couldn't pull the trigger on a Nikon system because I love landscape work and 12mp just wasn't enough for what I wanted. With a D800 that will combine the amazing mp count of a camera like the 5d and the AF of the D700 It will be tough to keep me from jumping ship.

Like you said though, the grass is always greener on the other side. I do love that every new toy comes to canon first, and the lens line up on the canon side of the fence has some amazing aspects. The 70-200 F4 IS is one of my favorite lenses and so much lighter and sharper than the 2.8 versions. My 135L is in a class of its own. I also own the 24-105 and while I use the lens a ton, I only pull it out because of its wide range and IS. When I have the time to work on a shot I go with one of the primes.

My advice is buy a d800 in 6 months, but if you want that 5D, then buy the body only and spend the extra 800 on a 28 1.8, and 85 1.8. Both lenses are gems in the canon lineup and in many ways crush there red ringed siblings. The 85 1.8 for example focuses almost as quick as the 135L which is one of the fastest in the canon line up. and the 28 1.8 is as sharp as the 35L when both are at 2.0. Great lenses and it would give you a lot to play with and the ability to really put that amazing ff sensor to work. The f4 aperture of the 24-105 would really limit you with the 5d, one of the best things about full frame is that razor thin dof you can play with, the other is that low light ability that only the d700 and 5d have. Both of those things require a nice low aperture prime to really take advantage of.

Why dont you buy a used D700? They seem to be available around and at pretty good prices. Otherwise wait for D800 and get a D700 for cheaper.

Hey move to Canon....I have some Canon glass I'd like to trade with your Nikon. Let me know .

sangyup wrote in post #13576684
I need everyone's opinion regarding the following. I shoot a Nikon d300 with a ton of nice lenses (17-55 2.8, 70-200 2.8 vr2, 105 2.8 vr, 70-300 vr, 12-24 4, 35 1.8, and a few more lenses. For Christmas I was looking at getting either the d700 or 85 1.4g lens. Well both are out of stock and I was planning on waiting. I've always been intrigue with canon and while I was surfing the web tonight, I found the 5d for a great price. Basically I can get the 5d with 24-105L for about the same price as a d700 body only. Now I never gave canon any serious thought due to being too heavily invested in Nikon, but the price of the 5d with lens could be a nice little package. I would still keep my Nikon gear and just use the canon with the versatile 24-105 lens. Is this a stupid idea? Have I gone crazy? I sort of feel that I'm making a rash decision but at the same time I would love to shoot a nice canon like the 5d (grass seems greener on the other side). Anyway it would be hard for me to maintain both systems so I would probably invest in a few canon lenses in the future and continue to grow my Nikon collection. With all that ive said, should I just forget the canon and stick with Nikon only? Is there anyone that has both canon and Nikon systems? Also I cannot afford to buy many lenses so I'll be getting a decent lens once a year or so. With 2 systems I would have to alternate. Sorry for the long post. I hope someone can chime in either way. Thanks!

That is a crazy idea in my opinion. Your D300 and 17-55 f/2.8 would be just as capable in most settings. No point in carrying both systems.

5D or 5D Mark II? If 5D, the deal may not be as good as you think it is (but you haven't said the price, either...)

Thanks for everyone's responses. I'm actually surprised the majority was against me getting the 5D2 and getting the D700. Well, the truth is the D700 is $2700 new and most places are out of stock. The D700 is better for me since I have nikon glass that I can use with it and the AF seems to be better also. Now the 5D2 is $2000 or $2800 with 24-105L lens. I'm really impressed that I can get the kit with a fairly nice lens for almost the same price as the D700 body only. Factor in the "grass is greener on the other side" effect and that the fact that the 5D2 does video and it's really tempting for me. Of course the biggest drawback is that I don't have any canon glass and I would basically have to support 2 different systems. I have too much invested in Nikon so if I do get the 5D2, I'm not selling any nikon gear. I really do want to step up to FF and the 5D2 is really nice and more affordable. Is the 24-105L lens worth it? Or should I just get the body and a different lens? Whatever I get now, I won't be able to get additional lenses or accessories for a long time.

Anyway, below is what I'm debating on getting. I can only get one...

Nikon D700 body
Nikon 85 1.4G
Canon 5D2 w/ 24-105L (or 1 lens around $1000)

5d-series body is magenesium alloy not plastic.

If you crop alot and use hdslr, the 5d2 is unbeatable as a compact FF. Centre-pt AF is fine. Portraiture is my thing. And for fast movers, 7D is the current top dog for AF in the compact dslr. The only real beef I have with the 5d2 is the lack of flash commander or in nikon speak - CLS.

I find 12mp d700 is inadequate for my work which includes large detail image spreads. But seems to be ok for many which is fine. Since you're heavily into Nikon stuff, the sensible thing to do is to stay put and wait for January 2k12 to see what the deal is with the D800.

I wouldn't buy a D700 right now, the price is as high as its been since launch almost, and its just a bad time to buy with the D800 around the corner. As I stated before, the 24-105 is just not going to do the 5D justice, so while yes it is a great lens, its not a lens I would choose if I wanted to impress someone with my 5Dii. 800 gets you a 28mm 1.8, and a 85 1.8. Or 900 used gets you one of the finest pieces of glass canon makes in the 135L this lens might be great because its something that Canon does much better than Nikon for now. However, that's not much range. Lots of choices, really it depends on your style and what you would want to shoot with the 5D. If I were buying a 5D as a second system I would probably be buying either for studio use or for landscape, and pick a lens or 2 to compliment that purpose.