The answer is PAIN.
I recently upgraded cameras and purchased a Nikon D700. It’s an awesome camera and I love it except for one thing…it does not feel great in my hand. In fact, after using it for a month it has been causing me a good deal of pain in my shooting hand.
SHAME ON ME.
I should know better, I council people to try before they buy and yet I did not fully listen to my own advice. Here’s what happened — I actually tried the D700 for a weekend 4 months ago. On that weekend I shot with the D700 for two periods of about 1 hour and my hand felt fine. I did notice that it was a heavy camera but I felt fine so I figured all was good.
SHAME ON ME.
I mean when I go out to shoot normally, on a gig or for pleasure, I USUALLY shoot for 3–4 hours (plus plus). So testing on 2 periods of 1 hour was a huge mistake. But I was in a “rush” to test the camera as it was only on loan for the weekend..and weekends are often busy.
PLEASE LEARN FROM MY ERROR.
Before you spend a whack of cash on a camera, test it for the length of time that you normally shoot with. Trying it in the store or for an hour is better than nothing but it’s not an accurate test. Rent the camera you intend to buy for a weekend especially if it is an expensive camera. Many larger brick and mortar camera stores will deduct the rental price off your new camera if you end up buying it. For my own case, I think adding a battery grip will solve the problem as it will take the excess weight off my shooting hand and divide it more evenly.….but this could have been avoided if I had fully followed my own advice.
For what it’s worth. I love my D700. I love the weight when it comes to hand held shots. I love the larger size and feel in the hand. It took months to adjust to the fact that every adjustment and lens removal twist directions are the opposite to Canon cameras. But now the D700 feels the norm. I think I will stay on the Dark Side ! — jimmy
Admittedly it’s my company, but this frustration is exactly why I started DabNab.com. Cameras are such a personal preference item that no amount of reviews or testimonials will tell you what works best for you. Nikon is supposedly the king of ergonomics, but as you point out, not everyone shares the love. You should ABSOLUTELY try before you buy any expensive camera.
As one who also recently upgraded to a D700, I find this post interesting. Is it the weight of the camera, or just the ergonomics? I guess the latter if you’re considering adding a grip to the equation. But even on smaller bodies, the pro glass, lenses like the 70–200/2.8, even on a D90 can not only make things heavy but also somewhat imbalanced. And as for ergonomics, I didn’t think the designs between brands were that different. Sure, different grip contours and maybe some different button placement, but all pretty much the same thing, no? I haven’t shot with mine for any long periods, and a lot of what I do is tripod mounted. But I guess I’ll find out soon enough!
Funny you should mention this, Marko, I recently moved to a weightier camera and lens combo and that added to much more shooting has resulted in some localized pain — the 2nd joint of my right thumb. That’s all but it’s weird. I can live with it though, the E-30 & the 12–60 are worth it.
I carry it in my right hand always and the pain I’ve tolerated for the last few months while still there is easing up a lot. I carried my old E-3 the same way, neck strap wrapped around the wrist while my hand held the grip, it was a heavy beast also but the d700 took pain to new levels as it’s quite a bit heavier. A real picnic for me now is walking around with the d90…Sort of like carrying around a big mac and fries…OK…And a couple of milk shakes…LARGE! Add to this countless hours of mousing and you can easily become a semi invalid.
Exercise man! Rent a big honker of a lens and use it for a few hours, then go back to your regular run-around glass. You’ll feel liberated!
I’ve got the D300 and notice a bit of soreness the first few days I used it. Mostly because my previous camera, a D60, was soooo small and light I was used to wielding it in an near point-and-shoot manner, with just one hand. Bring on the big guns and this hand needed some help. Now I am becoming accustomed to using my right hand for controls and my left for supporting the majority of the weight…much better.