Nikon D700

Review Index – (updated 08 June’10)

Ken Rockwell has posted their comparison of the Nikon D700 to the Canon 5D Mark II where he writes – ‘If I’m shooting something special, like a kid’s birthday party in low light, I’ll pull out the D3 (very similar to the D700 I would have bought if I didn’t already own a D3), otherwise, the 5D Mark II wins on resolution and light weight. With its new v2 firmware, the 5D Mark II screams.’

Buy-n-Shoot has posted their review of the Nikon D7000 where they write – ‘Outstanding high ISO shooting ability, delivers great image quality across a range of lighting conditions. With a peak shooting speed of 8fps, it’s a perfect match for photographer with the passion for sports and wildlife.’
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DPS
“The Nikon D700 is an envy-inducing device, a camera of breathtaking all-round competence. It’s hard to think of anything you could improve here, and that includes Nikon’s class-leading ergonomics with logical menus and enough buttons to assign your favourite functions to, and everything else falling to hand readily.r”

BeyondMegapixels
“The only downside keeping me from running to Amazon to buy this Nikon D700beauty is….the price tag. Ouch. It’s a pricey camera body. Worth it? Yes if you’re making money with your camera….if you’re not though this would be a tough line item in a recessionary budget. Do you think there is a place in the stimulus package for me to buy this camera?”
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InfoSync (As compared to the Canon 5D and Sony A900)
“It was no surprise that the Nikon D700 produced exceptional images throughout our photographic jaunt, but the real kicker was the camera’s excellent high ISO performance. Noise levels were very low at even ISO 6400, and the Nikon D700 exhibited a performance that was superior to the Canon Eos 5D Mark II because of its great sensitivity coupled with minimal grain.”
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Photocrati (As compared to the Canon 5D and Sony A900)
“In conventional operation, the D700 was lightning fast in all aspects. Automatic Chromatic Aberration Correction optimized the performance of any lens for class-leading quality. While resolution is “only” 12.1 MP, the D700 images are very clean so they can be resed up significantly in Photoshop or other software for making oversized prints.”

Photocrati
“During long-term testing, the Nikon D700 exceeded my expectations in responsiveness and versatility as well. The full-frame sensor was ideal for wide angle photography even with the AF-S 24-120mm VR zoom (with image stabilizer.) While some similarly-priced full-frame DSLRs do provide higher resolution, 12.1 million pixels — with much larger “photosites” for exceptional quality even at high ISO — will meet many needs. Even the most versatile photographer should be satisfied with this camera, particularly with the optional battery grip and some accessories.”

The Online Photographer
“And what it does well, it does very well indeed. The high-ISO performance is superb; it has useful amounts of dynamic headroom, meaning that you can recover highlight detail to a satisfying degree (fewer “burned out” highlights); it creates great conversions to B&W; and the potential print quality is marvelous”

DevHardware
“No camera can ever be all things to all people, but from the currently available selection, the D700 is about as close as it gets. Nikon has successfully taken the best elements from its recent releases and combined them into one serious, sturdy, feature-packed bundle of photographic joy.”

Photography Review
“ISO performance – Simply stunning. The details and noise at ISO 12800 looks similar to ISO 1600 on my D80 (I’ve uploaded some comparison shots to my album: www.fotop.net/teruphoto/D700). It’s an absolute pleasure to have a camera that gives me the freedom to work with existing light without having to compromise image quality.”
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Jim Reed
“The D700 has many other qualities that I like (among them: it’s ability to shoot in low-light conditions, fast continuous shooting, large image sensor, very fast start up, a self-cleaning sensor, and an Electronic Virtual Horizon line to help with balancing the image).”

DigitalRev
“Packing the FX sensor in a compact and lighter body, this will ultimately be the main attraction and success of the D700. Its arrival has finally given many users a great and sensible alternative to those that want to shoot in the FX format but without the bulk of a pro body like the D3.”

Amateur Photographer
“Nikon’s D700 digital SLR has won overall Product of the Year at the annual awards hosted by Amateur Photographer (AP) magazine.”

LetsGoDigital
“The D700 performs better than its rivals in many areas. For example, the AF is significantly better than Canon and the signal/noise ratio ranks a class higher than Sony, just to mention two things.”
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StevesDigicams
“As one of just 3 cameras to feature Nikon’s FX sized CMOS imaging sensor and EXPEED image processing, the quality from the D700 is outstanding while the burst performance surpassed Nikon’s claims. The extremely low amount of noise throughout the ISO scale allows you to shoot quality images without a flash in situations that most cameras would not have a chance.”

PhotographyBay
“Where the Nikon D700 wins with commanding difference is autofocus and metering performance. I think the difference in these two features should make the choice easier for those who are evaluating both cameras as a potential purchase. The Nikon D700’s autofocus is much better in low light. And, in my experience thus far, the D700 is much more accurate with its in-camera metering.”

CEN
“Even at higher ISO’s the Nikon D700 outputs very clean images with some of the lowest noise levels I’ve seen in a DSLR.”

Photo.net
“The main advantage of the D700 is its smaller size without the MB-D10 grip, making it easier to carry around for an extended period and on hikes. It turns out to be an excellent all-purpose DSLR, but I am particularly spoiled by the fact that under low-light conditions either indoors or at night, I can just boost the ISO to 3200 or even 6400 and still can capture some good images while hand holding the camera.”

CNET
“With the same AF system as the D300, the D700 delivers fast, accurate focus, even in low light. Disappointingly, though, the viewfinder delivers only 95 percent coverage; this is odd, given that both the D3 and D300 both provide 100 percent visibility.”
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DCResource
“The camera has a tendency to overexpose by about 1/3 stop, though that’s easy enough to fix. Images have a “smooth” look that some may consider a bit soft, and if you agree, you can use the Picture Controls feature to sharpen things up to your liking.”

Wired
“If you’re thinking of buying a D700 (and especially if you are weighing it up against the more expensive D3), go ahead. I haven’t had this much fun taking photos since I sprung for a Leica M6 some years ago (yes, I saved long and hard for that one, too. I then sold it to pay the rent).”

Shutterbug
“I believe it is for those who regularly work in low or marginal light and want to get the best quality available to date; who do not want any hint of noise in a clear blue sky; who enjoy or might need to shoot in previously astronomical ISOs (such as surveillance work).”

The Online Photographer
“Even after two months, I think Nikon’s new D700 DSLR is the most perfect camera that I have ever held in my hands, and I’ve held a lot of them. In terms of features, ergonomics, build quality, image quality, and gestalt, I can find no fault with it.”

DPReview
“While a lack of resolution could be a potential deal-breaker for some the slightly unreliable auto white balance performance in artificial light probably isn’t. Nor is the steep tone curve that we’ve mentioned above. Simply use custom white balance and change the default settings or – even better – shoot RAW to work around these minor issues.”
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Tom Hogan
“The D700 simply blows away any DSLR Nikon has previously produced (except for the D3, of course). I’m almost tempted to say that you can shoot at any ISO up to 1600 at any camera setting (sharpening, JPEG compression, etc.) with impunity.”
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GoodGearGuide
“All up, the D700 is almost identical to the D3, but it comes in a smaller and lighter chassis. Its full-format sensor is definitely the stand-out feature, so if you’re already a D-SLR user the D700 is perhaps the next model you should aspire to own.”
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DigitalCameraInfo
“The Nikon D700 and its big brother, the D3, allow you to take available light pictures in near darkness, with remarkably little image noise. This is not a subtle enhancement: it opens the door to new photographic possibilities.”
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DPExpert
“Images are noise free with wide dynamic range and beautiful tonal gradation. Auto bracketing can produce an amazing nine images at varied exposures or white balance.”

PhotographyBlog
“If we’re asking what the D700 misses, we can point again to the lack of a built-in sensor-shift image stabilization system, which just forces users to invest in a VR lens instead, plus a tilt and swivel LCD screen like that found on the Olympus E-3, Panasonic L10 and Sony A350 (all currently cheaper) for making the best creatively out of those awkward angle shots and the accessibility of Live View.”
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DigitalCameraReview
“The cameras (D700 & D3) offer practically identical (and exceptional) high ISO performance, and the slight differences I noticed could well be individual camera specific rather than systemic.”

PCAuthority
“Typical of a pro camera, the D700 offers +/- 3 stops of exposure compensation and the ability to automatically bracket up to 9 frames across that span — ideal for experimenting with handheld high-dynamic-range photography.”
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