atrisler

I'll be watching replies intently- I had 30 (SD)files on an 8Gb card, edited one tandem at the end, then opened Vegas Pro again after burning the DVD and the only files that were left were the 5 segments I had opened while editing. The others....gone......where? Nowhere to be found.

I have had the D3, as well as a D300, since last November (used to sell 'em and they still treat me nice!). I love them both, for different reasons, but I think I'll keep jumping my D80 for quite a while due to the lighter weight. With the built-in powergrip of the D3 increasing the height, as well as the weight, I'd jump the D300 over the D3. My D3 does give me amazing images- even as high as ISO 25,000! Yep, that's 25K. I do a lot of surveillance photography, and the D3 gives me "usable images" at that setting that are much better than the old days of B&W pushed to 3200 or 6400. I doubt you'll need that capability, even with night jumps! The D300 is a great all-around unit, and I'll probably jump it at some point. It's nice for carrying around since it has the built-in flash, if needed, and is almost the quality of the D3. Low-light performance is a bit less, but still great. One drawback of jumping the Nikons is the remote connection. The Canon mini-plug is easily found with a right-angle end, but the Nikon connection sticks straight out and is easily damaged. I have bent the connector on my D80 many times, so far it bends back and keeps working. For right now, the D80 with 20mm or 10.5 fisheye (for large formation jumps) will occupy the front of my FlatTop, but the D300 may get a shot someday soon.