Nikon D700 12.1MP FX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) by Nikon
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon D700 12.1MP FX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)
Digital camera Review: An absolutely outstanding camera!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this camera for about two months now. Initially, when I first ordered the camera, I was concerned that there might be problems using the software that comes with the camera on a Vista 64 bit OS. It works fine!! I've been a photographer for almost 40 years.
The camera is a pro photographer's dream! I routinely shoot at ISO 1600 when indoors. I'm totally amazed at the lack of "video noise" (akin to grain in film photography) I get with shooting at ISO 1600 and above. Even the old Tri-X (a black and white film) cannot compare, when using standard processing times at ISO 400 to what I get with this camera at 1600!!
One word of caution. Do not expect to get pro quality images with consumer quality lenses!! I ordered the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens the same time I ordered the D700. The combination is a match made in heaven! So much less flare and so much more fine detail when compared to the 24-70 lens I had been using. Yes, I am very happy with this camera!
Update October 9th, 2009
I've recently taken this camera on a cross country trip. I am still totally amazed at the outstanding quality of images I get with this camera! So far I've made enlargements of 16 x 20 and the image is NEEDLE SHARP from a viewing distance of 6 inches! Well, perhaps if I try a distance of, say... 0.5 inches that it might only appear to be tack sharp! Point is that it does take extremely sharp pictures, especially compared to images from any 35mm film or 6 x 6cm film camera. If you need it and can afford it, this is the one to get!
Update August 21, 2010
Last month I took this camera with me to Venice, Italy. I was again, amazed at the sharpness and color depth of this camera. Since my last update, I have purchased the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 and the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII lenses, completing the range from 14 to 200mm. All three lenses I use now give me truly outstanding results! Would I want the Nikon D3x?? Yes, but for weddings I would still prefer the D700 because of it's low noise at high ISO settings! I would reserve the D3X for outdoors during daylight conditions..But for 1/3rd the cost, the D700 is plenty adequate for my purposes!... especially since the largest prints I can make on my printer are 17" wide.
See some of the examples I've shot in the customer images above!
Digital camera Review: An excellent tool for digital photography
Summary: 4 Stars
If you already have Nikon lenses and want a full-frame DSLR, but you aren't ready to drop almost $5k on a D3, then this is the camera for you. I have been using a D200, which now becomes my reserve, and the transition to the D700 was seamless. It feels the same except that it has a fuller viewfinder and a much nicer LCD. The results so far are indistinguishable, but only because I have not had access to a printer that can do these images justice. There is no physical reason why I did not give the D700 five stars--only its price. You need to think hard as to whether it is worth the premium over the D300 or even the still-available 200. Since every single lens I own is full-frame, it was to me. Now the images from the 10 MM end of the range on my Sigma short zoom will be REALLY wide-angle. And kudos to Nikon for maintaining their backward compatibility with their really old glass. There is hardly a lens that Nikon has made that can't be at least optically functional on this camera.Digital camera Review: Another voice in the chorus of praise.
Summary: 5 Stars
Please allow me to add my voice to the already considerable chorus of praise that this camera has received. I have been using Nikon cameras since the days of film, and have owned the D100, D70, D200 and D300.
I jumped at the chance to get the D700 for two main reasons:
1), the FX sensor took away the sometimes annoying multiplication factor for focal length
2) the wide acclaim this camera has received for operating with very low noise at high ISOs.
The FX sensor has breathed new life into my considerable investment in Nikon glass over the years, and the low noise at high ISOs is nothing short of astonishing. I really don't like to shoot with flash (and I have tried everything from built-in flashes to various SB-800s set up with the Nikon CLS system), but with this camera I have been able to shoot indoors at night with low ambient light up to 6400 ISO and produced results that put my previous Nikon DSLRs to shame, with the exception of the D300 which was reasonably good in low light, but had the DX sensor/multiplication issue. Now a 50mm 1.4 lens really IS a 50mm 1.4 lens! Of course, it's not just the sensor and the FX format, it's also about your investment in glass! Nikon Professional Lenses turn this thing into a truly professional, beautiful tool. I have managed some amazing shots with my 50mm 1.4. Even at ISOs higher than 6400, using custom profiles that I post-processed with Noise Ninja software, I have achieved clean, clear shots with very little chromatic noise in the shadows. It has to be seen to be believed.
At one point I considered abandoning the Nikon platform in favor of the Canon 5D after having a chance to play around with one that a friend had, and I was especially intrigued by the 5D Mark II. Of course, that would have meant abandoning my investment in Nikon glass, but I was intrigued by the results my friend was getting, and also the higher pixel count. However, there are numerous discussions on the Web and elsewhere about the value of pixel count, and the 12mpx D700 generates super high quality images that withstand considerable enlargement, perhaps due to the favorable pixel density ratio.
The controls are very similar to the D300, though it feels a little heavier and sturdier. It does have a somewhat disappointing CF flash flip-open door - the only 'cheap' detail on an otherwise premium body. The rear LCD is much brighter than the D300, and the new viewfinder is bright, clear and a joy to use. I love the virtual horizon feature which displays on the rear LCD. Just as a side note: I am a creative director, and I shoot semi-professionally for some of the projects I get involved in. I was responsible for the Adobe CS1 and CS2 creative suite and individual product packaging, and some of the flowers that appear in the Adobe Illustrator CS1 packaging were shot by me with my D100, what seems like an eternity ago... So I have had to shoot a lot of different subjects in widely variable conditions, and my new D700 will handle whatever I throw at it!
Now that FX sensor sizes appear to be within the grasp of what I would call 'affordable' DSLRs, there is a distinct possibility that the DX format (and maybe DX lenses) may not have such a long life span. This is worth considering as camera bodies are certainly an investment, but your investment in lenses is where the real money is, and in the long run may favor non-DX formats.
Digital camera Review: Are you kidding me???
Summary: 5 Stars
I am writing this review as a D90 owner and a (small) photography business owner.
As a photography business, low-light weddings are the rule, not the exception. So I sold all my belongings, along with a few small exotic animals and upgraded from a still amazing D90 to this amazing piece of machinery. Yeah, 2k is a lot of money to drop on a camera that will be obsolete in about 5 years, but if you do low light photography there is nothing in this price range that can compete... or even comes close to trying to compete. Add on any of Nikon's 1.4 prime lenses, or a 2.8 zoom (I use the 24-70 which is a jaw dropper) and see if you can ever go back to anything else. Coming from the D90, the biggest pluses are the low noise at high ISO, and the blazing-fast AF that is an absolute game changer (especially with the 24-70, the combination is just sick, with far fewer out-of-focus pictures or plain ol' missed shots).
You know the specs by now. Sony and Canon make great stuff too, but Nikon has them all beat in fit, finish, and feel IMO... and high ISO/low noise and blistering Auto Focus. No, it doesn't have video, but neither does my toaster... but oddly enough, my video camera does. Hmmm... That being said, I am loving the Interval option to make stop motion video. Fun stuff.
I love having my D90 (which now feels amazingly compact in comparison) to take with me on riskier ventures, and the D700 to take on photo sessions and personal shoots. If the rumored D95 comes out soon, I can't imagine me (my business) needing much more than the 700 and either one (or both) of those guys, with a selection of FX-friendly lenses, and a few SB 600/900s.
Bottom line: if you are out of debt (thanks Dave Ramsey), have the available funds (even if it's juuuuust barely enough), and need a disturbingly amazing low-light camera, get the D700. If any of those things don't apply to you, the D90 (or its successor) is outstanding too, for about $1.5k less.
Digital camera Review: Awesome Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this camera now for about a month and I love it. I upgraded from a D300s. The low light capabilities of this camera are spectacular.I had been wanting to step of to a full frame to take full advantage of my 24-70 and 70-200. Although I loose the crop factor of the D300s I can always use my feet to get a tad closer. This camera is every thing I expected it to be and more.