Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I think he means shooting snapshots...

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Yes, the Nikon Df is old school styling in a DSLR. Not a great value price wise for a 16MP FF / FX camera. A D750 would give you more bang for your buck at 24MP and slightly more up to date features. It is also dated.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

Hi Cany143, If no respones I might be into that D610, I've had my thoughts on searching for a nice FF. PM me with any details....
mike

gessman Loc: Colorado

It looks to me like ol' Neescruzer1 just wanted to be snarky, thinking he's among a bunch of young folks not realizing that many of us are probably older than him. Obviously, he doesn't see much merit in the enhanced features developed in photography in the last 40 or 50 years and thinks there's uncommon valor in being able to nail the peak action in one shot and dislikes that today people can match his outcome skill with a fraction of the effort.

Settlit Loc: Baton Rouge LA

If you want to see what a full-frame Nikon is like, the D700 is the entry point . This model is only 12 megapixels, but the body-only price on eBay currently runs around $400. I had one for a few years and loved it.

Bill Dowell Loc: Philadelphia, PA

If you are working, it boils down to whatever gets the job done. If you are fixed in your ways and don't want to expend the effort to change, then old technology makes the best sense. The fact is, however, that both digital and film have their advantages. Whether you pick the shot, or shotgun the image, hoping to pick the best, is a matter of personal decision n the part of the phtographer. In the end, the best shot wins.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I don't understand the question. To me, HD is high def, 35mm means film. But the Nikon D-300 is a DX DSLR. So I guess he is looking for a low cost high pixel count DSLR or mirrorless. Contradiction in requirements. Also, use of his DX lenses will kill the high pixel count of a FF body.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Another case where the OP is not clear about what he is asking, people speculate about what he is asking, and ask followup questions, and the OP has disappeared.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Par for the course...

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The original poster really needs to come back to this thread and answer some questions, before UHH can give any very helpful answers and advice. So far, the responses have been all over the map, due to confusing info in the original request....

Are you wanting a stills camera or a video camera? "HD" is a video term... "high definition" or "1080p". Applying it to stills cameras fails on two levels.... It might be confusing people into thinking you want video. But also... and even worse... HD video is actually lower resolution than even the most basic stills camera today. I think your 12MP DX D300 has higher resolution than HD video (although your camera can't shoot video). So, please tell us... With "HD" did you mean you are looking for a higher resolution stills camera? Or do you actually want to shoot HD video? In other words, are you looking for a stills camera, a video camera or a camera that can do both? If both, which is more important to you?

Are you looking for an "old school" type of camera? Two or three times in your original post you mention "old school". I got the impression you were just telling us where you're coming from, not so much where you are seeking to go with a new DSLR. But some others have taken this to mean that you want an old school style camera and have suggested the Nikon Df as an option. That's a very "retro cool" camera. It's made of metal (though not heavy), has external knobs and controls, and reminds me of a couple Nikon FM2n I love. It's even available in all black or matte chrome with black trim options, like the FM2n (and similar, such as original FM and the FE-series 35mm film SLRs) were back in the 1980s. The "problems" with Nikon Df are that it's relatively low resolution by today's standards... and it's relatively high priced for it's specifications. Bought new it's one of the higher priced Nikon. Used copies are considerably less, high depreciation, but still aren't what you'd call a "bargain" for a camera that "only" captures 16MP stills and can't even shoot video (so doesn't have some related features, such as Live View shooting). Please clarify... are you wanting an "old school" camera? Or was that just to tell us more about you and your experience?

Reading your original post, it appears you have a D300 now. That was a very good 12MP DX format camera... in its day, 12 years ago. Do you have DX lenses now? If so, to take full advantage of an "upgrade" to an FX camera you will also need to spend $ to swap out any DX lenses for FX. Do you need to and are you prepared to do that?

You mention a "motor drive", which no longer exist with digital. The battery grips on cameras today mostly just add a second battery, a vertical hand grip and secondary controls for use when holding the camera in "portrait" orientation. I think your reference was to people using high frame rate continuous shooting with their digital cameras, "spraying and praying" or "machine-gunning" to get a few good shots out of a pile of bad ones. Fast frame rates have their uses.... such as sports or active wildlife subjects that are difficult to time perfectly for "peak moments". I generally agree that some people seem to take it to the extreme and use continuous shooting in place of learning skills shooting... but also use short bursts myself when it helps me get "the" shot during fast action. To do this requires a high performance autofocus system though, in order to track and maintain focus on the moving subject.

The reason I'm mentioning this is because not only should you look at the camera's sensor, which will determine many aspects of picture quality, you also should consider the camera's auto focus system. I think it's arguable that those are the two most important aspects of a camera. But, a lot depends upon the photographer's planned use of the camera. Someone shooting landscape or architectural photos will have different needs than someone shooting weddings and portraits, or someone else whose main interesting is photographing birds and wildlife, or yet another person who mostly shoots sporting events.

Assuming you want full frame (FX) and higher resolution, but non necessarily top video performance, some recent models you might find good deals on used include the D750 (24MP) and D810 (36MP). Both have been very popular, but recently were superseded by newer models. So if cost is a concern, you probably will have little problem finding either of those at a discount. If money isn't a concern, the newer models that can be bought new are D780 (24MP) and D850 (45MP). All these have very good autofocus systems.... better than "lesser" models, though not quite as high performance as the top-of-the-line D5 or D6 "pro" models. But they also don't have the very big price tag of those pro grade cameras.

noall Loc: Riverside, CA USA

If you like Facebook thumb nails, the iPhone is ok. But if you Want FF, get an D810 or the Nikon z6. I have both AND a D300. No way is an iPhone better than a D300. Not close. If you like the iPhone over the d300, stick with the iPhone and dont bother getting a full frame camera.

Rayart

KEH has over 200 D810s they have taken in on trade for the D850. Because they have so many they only offered me $500.00 for my D810. I paid $3000.00 for it. I won't sell it for that little. However you might call them and see what they might offer one with a bit of cosmetic wear to you for.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

I have noticed that in pandemic time there is a larger gulf between what the "bigs" are paying, compared to what they will charge (exaggerated "buy low / sell high") and it seems the same on Ebay and other platforms.....prices are much higher, supply is low, but try a trade-in with the biggies and - ouch! This may backfire on these folks if the market does not come back in a big way, some of us have long memories.......justanopinion....

claytonsummers Loc: Orange County, CA

The D750 will do 1080P 60fps.