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To Bo honest, the low budget challenges are the ones which makes more sense than the ones which are on a very high priced ones. People who wants to buy the very expensive ones, are usually learned enough to actually choose the right camera for themselves, unless they are some rich spoiled kid, spending their parents money. Lovely cameras there. I recently bought a Canon 1D Mark IV used for a very low price. And I truly love it.

I have a D700 and I am never going to sell it. That camera is a portrait beast.

“I can zoom with my feet” 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 Now I can tell my hubby when I’m walking in and out of the field that I’m ‘zooming in with my feet’. 😂😅 Love it!!

I don't disagree with the premise that you can get a decent $500 kit from KEH (I recently did a similar exercise for film cameras)... but Tony and Chelsea are both experienced photographers with a deep knowledge of the bodies and lenses they were selecting from. A beginner trying to do the same thing would likely be confused and frustrated by the choices, and likely to make mistakes in their gear selection that would have been easily avoided with the depth of experience that the Northrup's have. It's possible, but not easy. You really have to know what you're looking for and what you're looking at, and understand what trade-offs you're making.

Nikon d700 is a camera with a Nikon sensor and a motherboard that has a separate chipset for processing each color; One of Nikon's legendary series cameras that never gets old, and with a prime lens, the output of this camera is excellent. Especially the tiff file which is wonderful. Sometimes you have to go back to go forward, this is one of the same cases.

I shot weddings from 2009 to 2015 with my D700 and Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 (and a few other lenses) and an SB910. Yes, with good glass, photos look great, along with creative lighting as Tony mentioned with off camera flash and 135mm lens. Both cameras did well in different locations between Canon and Nikon shown here. I still use D700 for headshots and the 24mp D750 for everything else including product. Godox flashes which work with Canon and Nikon flash mounts and are a low cost alternative at half the brand price. In APS-C the Nikon D300s, as an older camera, does very well in good light combined with Nikon 16-85mm and has video.

I love these videos where you pick used older semi pro full frames and corresponding lenses for small money and illustrate what results you can get. The Chealsea 135 mm portrait looked amazing. Great inspiration to younger or older new photographers who do not have many thousands for camera gear to start.

Finally using a D700 in one of these videos! I've had mine since 2010 since it came out. Still the only camera I wont sell, and I still use for fun.

Such a pleasure watching you both. And: you picked outstanding cameras. I used the Nikon D700 for years and still miss it (I sold it because I thought I needed more megapixels - which I don't).

Love that you two compared complete setups, not just cameras alone. It’s good to think of the whole setup when shopping for gear, not just fixating on the camera. Would have been curious to see how those cameras handled sports photography. The D700 can get a boost from 5 frames per second to 8 frames per second if you use the Nikon MB-D10 battery grip and EN-EL4a battery. My best bang for the buck setup: I went with a Canon 5D Mark III ($500 with a 235K shutter count), Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 G1 ($500) and Godox V860 II flash ($60). Rogue FlashBender V3 large reflector as a lighting modifier ($45). All bought used except for the FlashBender. So far this setup has been great for event photography.

I still use a second hand 50d and an old Sigma 70-200 for motorsport. I love how if it's bad weather I don't even care. It has also been dropped many times 😂. The whole setup only cost around $600 aud. People should not be scared to buy second hand. Also if you only want to put photos on social media quickly. All I do is take a usb card reader and plug it into my phone. BAM! Smartphone connectivity 👍

I've gotten pretty good images with a T2i. This experiment has been done many times - expensive glass on a cheap cameras produces better results than cheap glass on an expensive camera.

That was fun, and informative. I liked the chemistry between you two and the explanation of the pluses and minuses of each camera and lens. Also, kudos for managing to film outside in Mystic and not sweat, ( or at least, not on camera). I live in Connecticut and it has been ridiculously hot in the last couple weeks. 🥵

You two deserve a hug! 🥰 Besides showcasing once more, that the most important tool of every photographer sits between the ears, you also showed that other two: Make sure you have fun, and, that you do it with the right people! Incidentally: Will never forget how you "simulated a medium format by stitching several shots together😉

A brilliant video, both educational and entertaining at the same time. I love videos about older gear as you learn so much, especially how good the older gear still is today.

You 2 are the best thing going for the photography world on You Tube...;) great attitudes, knowledge and a genuine love of the art .... !!

Tony made the best choices and took the best portrait images. A Nikon D700 with a Nikkor 50 1.8 AF and a 135 2.8 is a superb kit. I have all those items and will never sell them.

This is a great video. It is educational and entertaining at the same time. I love the friendly banter between you two. It adds a fun element which I really liked. Thank you both for making and posting it.

1. I loved this; it's always so fun when you combine interesting info, cool examples and ideas, and this sort of interaction with each other! 2. Tony definitely cheated with that umbrella and stand 😂 (and Chelsea's donut photo was more appetizing, especially thanks to the leaf). 3. You guys are a DeWalt and Kobalt family, too! Neat!

I love when Tony and Chelsea do "Challenges" - you guys should do more of those Tony vs. Chelsea videos those are so much fun!!

This was really great. You packed a lot of very important tips into one video. And it shows that DSLRs are still awesome to use and with lots of lens choices. I still shoot my Nikon D70 with prime lenses and the photos are wonderful even at 6MB. Just recently I’ve been thinking of getting a Nikon D700 or Canon 5D and waiting for a super low price from KEH or MPB.

Does anyone know what type of the lavalier mic did they used in this video? They are so tiny. I'd like to have something like that

I've been looking for a budget kit for my daughter to start on, thanks for the advice!

Thanks for telling us about KEH. I got a Nikon D810 for under $800.00. I got a Sigma 120-400mm lens but it broke down after less than an hour of shooting and it never focused properly. I sent it back and I am waiting on my credit. In the mean times I got a Tamron 28-200 and it works great.

This might be my favorite video you guys have done. So fun to watch!

Like these camera kit challenges. I locked into the Nikon system completely because the used market is great right now for the great cameras. The D700 is called the legend and that was one of my recent purchases and I traded from a Sony SLT-A65 system. Got out of the Sony system altogether because the prices of every nearly every Nikon is in my budgeting reach. PLUS there's a lot of great glass for every budget with Nikons. The D700($200-350) and the D7100($250-$400) are the lowest budget solutions for photography and with a good choice of glass. The glass doesn't have to cost a lot either. For instance Nikon Manual 75-150mm F3.5 ($15.00-80.00) or the 105mm, 135mm, 180mm, 200mm and 300mm Primes will produce pro quality work easily with the magic colors the Nikon D700 legend produces. Liked Tony's choice. If I had a name for the D700 it would be D700 Art Legend. Plus if you are new to photography these cameras would be a first choice. The D700 works in Automatic mode so it won't stop you from doing and learning some basic composition/confidence building work you can show off and rightly claim pro quality photos from the start while learning more manual and technical skills. Last thing, right now you can actually get a Nikon APSC DSLR and lens for under $100.00 and every one of them will give you great photos to post if you take time to learn them. The last plus with Nikon is the menu systems across the board are nearly the same. So if you go to brand new what you learned and mastered with older cameras allows you to easily adjust to newer systems. Nikon I would dare to say is the most consistent of all the camera companies. Once you learn one DSLR there are only minor adjustments to be learned because of the upgrades.

I literally love you both. Like, you two are so helpful.

Thank you for this video, I really appreciate it, I have a nikon d50, I would like to buy a flash, but, I .am not sure which flash is compatible with this old camera, I would like your advice on which camera flash to buy,I would really grateful for the assistance.

What a fun and lighthearted challenge! Less expensive, older gear can certainly produce great results, as you show here. I still wouldn’t recommend it to new photographers, though, because getting great photos from older gear can require more knowledge, experience, and/or time (as you demonstrate).

Nikon D700 is one of the best cameras of all time! I still use mine :) it was my dream camera! and the day I got one!! I was so happy :) I just love the fact how it focuses on PHOTOS! no video!!! the picture quality is stunning! The Canon however is a good choice. anyone out there just looking for a good camera without all the latest gadgets and tech! grab one of these at a good price! put some good glass on them and you cant got wrong!

Fun video - as AWESOME as the D700 is to feel/use/hold, a beat up D600/D610 (which also feels great to use) can be had for just a little more $$, has 24 megapixels (and it's STILL a highly rated sensor) and does video, such as it is.

These videos are amazing! Love you guys going through older equipment with a modern perspective.

Got my refurb canon 2 years ago direct from the company with two lenses for 460. Because I still can't think through all of the variables I am astoundingly happy with my choice. That 70-300mm lens made for fantastic zoo shots as the cages links and net ropes just blurry into obscurity. Never would have been able to think about that had I purposely chosen my lenses rather than taking what I was offered.

This was a great fun video. Much better than the usual snobbery :)

Tony that was totally Buff ! Exuding Early Brando, The Wild One ! Chelsea, lookin really Good ! 😃 Your Mama Warned You about Those Bad Boys ! 🤣LOL ! Lots of Fun !

Love it when you do these kind of challenge videos. As an added twist, you might wish to consider using a KEH budget kit against Chelsea's Sony A1 kit.

This was fun to watch and there are lots of great used cameras and lenses out there if you're willing to not be on the cutting edge - e.g. I've recently spent the grand sum of 600 on a GH2 with kit lens, 25mm f1.7 prime, and 45mm-200mm mkII zoom.

D700 everyday. I also have a D750 that is also great but the D700 just seems to have the buttons in the right places. It’s more intuitive. I’m sticking with Nikon DSLR’s for multi generational lens compatibility. On the fly I use an Olympus Stylus 1. I don’t use phone cameras. I just don’t like them though I’ve seen some pretty good images.

I own a couple D700 bodies, and several current and vintage F mount lenses- including a 105mm & 135mm 2.8. Have yet to have a client comment on the equipment, and they are generally very pleased with the end product. The 135mm is a great portrait lens, I have been very pleased with the camera, it does everything I ask of it. Do wish it had dual SD slots instead of the single CF slot. As has been stated in many differing ways, spend more time working on upgrading your skills and less time worrying about upgrading equipment.

I just bought 6D + tamron 24-70 f/2.8. Got them for 500€ and they work great. The images looks so good. Btw this video was really fun to watch! Thanks Tony & Chelsea

Best episode in a while guys! So much fun lol

I bought last year a canon 5dm3 and a canon 50mmf1.4 for exactly 500 euros, and I am really happy for it. Later I bought an 16-35 f4 and 2470 f2.8. I will shoot this 5dm3 until it dies.

I love these videos and I'm very pleased to have discovered your channel as I'm learning lots! If my budget was £500 and I'd be using MPB here in the UK (No KEH) I'd probably go for a Sony A77 (Good, £284) and a Sigma 30mm f1.4 ART at £214 as I think it's a nice combination for landscape photography. Alternatively I might look at a Sigma 50 f1.4 HSM for £149 and Tamron SP 24-135 Aspherical for £79 to have a broader range.

If I had the start of my digital camera journey to do all over, I would probably look for an upscale APS-C camera, like the Canon 60D or 90D, or the Nikon APS-C equivalents. Unlike the Rebel line, cameras like the 60D have build quality, durability and features that are more akin to full frame cameras. I've had three Rebels, and still own one, and I love them, but I wish I had done some research before buying them. I have a Rebel T7, which has some superior features to the much older 60D, but many things about the 60D make it far more appealing to me. As for lenses, that depends on the type of shooting. Since most people spend a lot more money on lenses over time than they do on anything else, the most pragmatic thing to do when starting is to look for a decent zoom lens, like 75-300mm-ish, and one fast prime lens like a nifty-fifty, then add to your arsenal over time. But I do think it's important that one of your lenses has a fast aperture, so that you learn the difference that makes with certain types of photography. And it's worth noting, for those who may not know, that a 50mm on an APS-C camera, is roughly equivalent to 75-80mm on full frame, so a nifty-fifty is an ideal portrait lens, at least for starting out.

Informative and engaging! Impressive what you each did with $500.00, solid skills, and persistence.

I love learning from you guy's!!! You both are amazing together!!!

Love these kinds of videos! Really demos that how you use the gear is more important than the gear itself. If you're taking suggestions, can you do an exp body, cheap lens vs cheap body, exp lens? To make it fair you use both in the video and walk through your challenges with the gear 👍 a refreshing change from the "buy the latest item" videos. Really like this - it's like Matt's Budgetography series, and I'm here for all of it!

This is the kind of "reviews / test" I like to watch! :)

Excellent video & a pleasure to watch! Just 1 Vivitar Lens would have been icing on the cake. Old school is still how to learn photography.

The D700 is the only body I kept from Nikon when I switched to the canon r6

I shoot Pentax K-1 and K-3ii, all second hand. Flashes and a controller from lower tier Godox, and fairly ancient 3rd party glass, also all second hand. Being the odd pentaxian since 1984, I just love using my strange and certainly cumbersome kit. To me, photography is a journey, not an end goal… 👍

Awesome!! Thanks for having the video.

For me the biggest surprise in this video is that you can get a decent flash for not much money. I was under the impression that a good flash was going to cost hundreds of USD dollars, so I haven't shopped for one.

Of interest to anyone who wants to pair old Nikon lenses with a D700. Make sure to get lenses designated AI or AI-S. Some of the older Pre AI/AI-S lenses can damage your camera if you try to mount them.

Love watching your videos I have learned a lot. Thank you both

Tony scared me in the garage shoot. I was not surprised by Tony's shot of Chelsea with the 135. Still one of my favorites. I'm not so sure that going with APSC would have been so bad. Maybe try again with something like the D7100. Plus it does better video than any cell phone

I'd go with a Sony A-850 with a Minolta 50mm 1.7 and Minolta 5600 Flash. Sharp 24 Mp with Image Stabilization, many features, great flash options and lots of other cheap Minolta lens (like a 24-105 zoom and 70-300 zoom) to expand the system reasonably. I own an A-850 and use it with a Minolta 50 1.4 RS for really good portraits and landscapes.

Great video you guys!!! I’m still a slr and fx dslr shooter. I totally agree with not spending on your money on a body without having at 1-2 good glass! I think finding middle ground in purchasing camera gear is key! I use a yashica for my film stuff with my Nikon lenses. And I have a Nikon D810 & D610 for my digital stuff. Not terribly expensive either. I love these challenges you both do. Definitely letting people know you don’t have to break the bank to still get top performing gear to do your photography work. Maybe one day I’ll go mirrorless….

I'm bringing a similarly priced kit on vacation - a Nikon D600 (with the replaced sensor), Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 and 35mm f/2 and 20mm f/2.8 + Tokina 100-300mm f5.6-6.5 - oh, and a Nikon F90X, that combined cost me about $650. I got lucky at an online auction picking up all the lenses and the F90X in one big lot including some other camera bodies and lenses at a bargain price, and the D600 is so cheap because of the sensor issues, that even a model with the sensor replaced, was priced very reasonable. I enjoy shooting film, so being able to share the lenses between the D600 and the F90X saving weight is icing on the cake.

Loved it! I just found your channel! Please do this challenge again but for video!

Whoa, really fun to watch.... Teaching with full of smiles

How timely. I just picked up a d700 and sigma 85mm 1.4 (not the art one, the older one) and it's a great camera kit for well under your budget - could add a couple of speedlights and a trigger probably. Easily pro quality stuff.

This banter is delightful

Just love the Banter between you two😅😅😅

This was so entertaining lol Well done!

I use a D700, D3, and D300s. While old, these 12mpx cameras are enough for me and I get great results. Just pair them up with good glass 😊

A photographer goes to a hosted dinner, where the host compliments him on his photos, saying "You must have a really nice camera." The photographer says nothing until the end of the dinner when he says "That was a really nice dinner, you must have a terrific stove." Lesson for the day: the brush doesn't make the artist.

the 135 f2.8 is one of the best lenses ever. stunning contrast and tonality, dead simple and cheap as hell. and the best bang for buck at the moment is the nikon d800e.

Love this type of videos keep it up.

Picked up a used Nikon D800e from KEH for under $1000. It has been a great camera for the money thus far. Picked up a Nikkor FX 18-25mm lens from Amazon for under $500 and the set up has served me really well when doing landscape

Heckuva ad! KEH has been my favorite choice for camera gear since they were on 14th St. next to Wolf Camera---a long time. You two are funny. Smooth, too, since you've done this for so long, but funny. You're personalities and chemistry are at least as engaging as the content.

10:29 The satisfying shutter click of the 5D Mk II.

Great video. This one is excellent with a fantastic mix of style, fun, and information. Next challenge: the $500 wildlife and sports kit 🙂

This is a great premise for a vid for us. Thanks again!

Best video ever lmao 🤣😂🤣 also Chelsea should talk to Matt Grainger about zooming with your feet. That would be an interesting discussion

Ahem, Tony. The D700 does have Auto-ISO and 51-point 3D tracking focus.

Love this type of challenge!

I think with a budget of $500 I would buy one of the older Fuji x100 series, a nice flash, maybe an extra battery, and the common adapter, UV filter, hood comber for the x100 series. . I think this is bang for the buck because I could take this setup anywhere, including vacations, every day. I won’t setup up multiple flashes in my living room for portraits very often, and I won’t be modeling family members like senior pics very often. :)

Hahaha, this is absolutely hilarious!!! Better than this should be!!!!

I love those contests We learn a lot by your challenges. And so we know what to pick in private

Two years ago I found A canon 6D camera in a pawnshop or $150 it ha d the nifty 50 on it. Then on craigslist I located a canon 24 to 105 on Craigs list for another $150. This has been my primary set up for two years doing wedding photography. $300 total if you wait and hunt around you can get good gear! I am currently picking up a Sony 6000 mirror less from a pawnshop for $200 with a 50 mm lens and a 200 mm lens. Just be patient and lock

“I want to gesture at you,but I also want to be polite.” I love these videos.

I totally called it! When you said $500 at the beginning I said, someone got a Canon 5dmk2 and a nifty 50, and the other got a d700 and the Nikon nifty 50.

Nice session great to see some re-purposes camera kit, I bought a Nikon D3S at an estate auction house for $500 in Australia that's like USD$350 and there is so much cheap glass for Nikon, now I'm looking at a Nikon F3. sometimes less is more.

Showing how to work with budget cameras for picture and video are the better, more interesting videos because it’s feasible for more people and make people excited

I love the good humor and that the gear and money is always in 3rd place. Where it should be, after creativity and knowing what the photons are doing.

That was a fun experiment, and thanks for the tip to check KEH for flashes, and other gear I have only looked a them for Lenses and bodies so far. 👍

The banter in this video 🤣

At a thrift shop I found a Sony SLT-A57 with the 18-55 kit lens in mint condition, along with four batteries and a charger for under $100. That means I have over $400 to put toward another lens! lol

Honestly I'd probably take Chelsea's package and just add a few dollars for a couple of flashes and a trigger flash. The Canon 50mm lens is very nice and sharp. Having the longer lens is useful, but that's something you could build up to, and Canon's 85mm f/1.8 can be had for a couple hundred bucks and will get more value out of that larger number of megapixels.

My primary camera body is the Nikon D700, and yes it does take a little more time to get the settings perfectly correct, however once you have your settings correct, I would put the resulting images up against ANY modern camera's images, especially in low light shooting conditions :)

At 12:25, listen to that mirror slap echoing off the walls! I'm really spoiled by my EOS R5 and EOS R with their silent electronic shutter option, hell, the R5's mechanical shutter is damn near whisper quiet....lol!

Thanks for sharing the video, I love my Canon 5D mark 2. :)

When you said he liked working on his truck, I thought it was going to be some 1970's beast! 😂 It's a brand new truck! How do you work on it? Change the wipers? Heckling aside, thanks for your videos. Easily some of the best on KZfaq.

Heather and I enjoyed this one. We laughed out loud several times.

like so many things: it's not so much what you have : it's how you use it this is a really great video !!

The d700 most certainly has auto ISO.. I use it all the time

once again a great informative but yet funny video. I'm looking to purchase a better cannon body for sports photography and not sure which one to go with. Budget is $2,000. Currently I have a Rebel 7Ti and I missed so much of the action. Thank you in advance

Can't wait for the $100 video :D Also for the $1000 ! :)