Preamble
Most professional photographers are typically equipment junkies… and yes, I believe I fall into that category. I usually don’t post much about equipment unless I find something truly special out there.
Thanks to my friends at Nikon Canada - I’ve had my hands on a brand spanking new Nikon D700 DSLR for a few days now which was officially released worldwide on July 25, 2008. I could ramble on and on about the specifications but you would be better off to read sites like DPReview for that.
Some History
A bit of history… Nikon last summer announced two new (fantastic) cameras - the (lower cost) DX crop Nikon D300 and the (quite expensive) full frame (FX) Nikon D3. The D3 was long expected (and overdue as Canon had full frame cameras out for years) but the D300 was a big surprise as it exceeded the previous flagship D2xs in performance and image quality but at a third of its initial price. It was also built to professional standards. Nikon had raised the bar with both the D300 and the D3.
Where’s The D3 Review?
I wrote a mini review on the D300 when they first arrived in Canada. It is a great little camera and I thought I would not buy a D3 as the D300 (and my Fuji S5) were allowing me to create great images.
After “borrowing” a friend’s D3 this year, I got hooked on it. It sucks in light, no matter how little there is. And it is like driving a Ferrari after driving a Camry (oddly enough, I believe that Ferrari did design the D2 and D3 series bodies for Nikon). You could literally shoot in a dark cave at 11 frames per second and get fabulous, in focus shots once you know how to operate it. The D3, overall, exceeds all previous standards set for cameras.
So, why did I not write a D3 review? There was nothing I could add that wasn’t said already about the camera. IMHO, until another “high end” camera comes out, I personally believe it is the best camera on the planet. You can read what Phil Askey and Thom Hogan (two well respected camera reviewers) have to say about the D3.
For those of you who have handled a D3, it is quite a beast. It is a heavy camera and quite expensive (about $5,100.00 as I write this). Canon has the (3 year old) 5D which also uses a full frame sensor - it has excellent image quality and is in a low cost, lightweight body. I always thought that if Nikon put the D3’s FX sensor into the D300 body, they would have an instant hit.
Nikon Must Have Read My Mind
Well guess what? At the beginning of July 2008, Nikon announced the D700 which is basically a D300 style body with the D3 FX sensor. I had to pinch myself.
So, now that I have my grubby hands on the D700, what do I think of it? I could go on for hours (heaven forbid) about it, however, I will give you my initial impressions.
Impressions
What I like:
- Most of the controls are similar to the D300, so I was instantly familiar with it.
- The D700 might have a similar body to the D300 but has most of its DNA borrowed from the D3… when I shoot with it, I have to remind myself it is not a D300 but rather, a smaller D3.
- It (to me) has a better build quality than the D300, but that is purely subjective on my part. It just seems “beefier” (is that a word?) to me. BTW, the D300 build quality is excellent.
- Ergonomics are beautiful - I have small hands and it fits them like a glove.
- You can have D3 image quality for $1,800.00 less.
- Auto Focus (AF) is identical to the D3. This surprised me as the D300 (which also uses the same CAM3500 AF module as the D3 and D700) has a bit of a “lag” compared to the D3 in acquiring the subject (once it acquires the subject though, it is extremely accurate). Nikon mentioned that the D3 and D700 share the same (fast) processor, hence why AF is identical. The D300 uses a slower processor.
- When shooting 14 bit NEFs, the camera does not slow down.
- Same beautiful 3 inch (900,000 pixel) rear LCD as the D3/D300.
- Battery life is quite good… about 800 shots (NEF/RAW) per fully charged EN-EL3e battery - and that is with a lot of chimping and menu use.
- The “dust off” feature might be useful as the FX sensor seems to be a big dust magnet.
- It uses the MB-D10 grip… so if you have one for your D300, you can use the same grip for both cameras.
In summary, the D700 really is a mini D3 in many ways - with a price tag (in Canada) of $1,800.00 less than its bigger brother.
What I am not crazy about:
- Only one Compact Flash card slot (I am paranoid about backups).
- The viewfinder only has 95% coverage compared to 100% on the D3.
- The new door for the Compact Flash card seems “cheap” (and easily breakable) for a $3,300.00 camera.
- Menus and controls that are getting more complex. Actually, this is becoming an issue for all of Nikon’s latest pro cameras. There are so many features in these cameras, organizing them is becoming a tricky matter. There are more than 20 buttons on these cameras - each of them customizable plus dozens of menus to understand. I believe that Nikon in future generations of cameras will need to think out how to better organize menu items, etc.
- The proprietary NEF format. Not a criticism of the D700, but of Nikon’s NEF format itself. I know Nikon makes money selling its own conversion software, Capture NX2. But hello… there are many other RAW converters out there and I would love to see Nikon publish the specs for their NEF format so we can ALL get the best image quality out of our Nikon cameras. IMHO, the user interface/performance on NX and NX2 is awful compared to Lightroom, Aperture, etc.
The Verdict?
Nikon has succeeded in making “mini-D3″ and a viable competitor to Canon’s future 5D successor (unless Canon does something really radical - who knows, they might). It ain’t cheap though… at $3,300.00 (in Canada), it is about a $1,500.00 premium over the very capable D300. Then again, that is the price you will have to pay if you want to get into Nikon’s FX format.
Do I regret buying my D3? In a word, “NO”. I love my D3. As capable as the D700 is, it isn’t a D3 and I am glad I spent the extra money to have it in my bag for its extra features.
What’s In My Bag Now?
So, as a wedding photographer, I now have the best of the best - a D3 and a D700 in my bag - arguably, two of the world’s best cameras at my disposal. I know equipment does not make the photographer - having said that, my clients will get images created by the best cameras (and lenses) money can buy. The only thing limiting me now is my imagination and creativity.
And what becomes of the D300 in my bag? Needless to say, I will be finding it a good home. It is a fantastic camera (especially for the price) and for this photographer, the Nikon FX format best suits my needs. If I were doing more wildlife work (where the Field Of View Crop and pixel density are extremely useful), I would probably have two D300’s!
Should You Get A D700?
If you are considering the D700 (or D3), ask yourself exactly what it will give you over current Nikon (or Canon) DX offerings and is it worth the price premium for you? Only you can answer that.
Well Done, Nikon!
You’ve hit another home run (IMHO) with the D700. They are expensive and you will probably sell a lot of them. Thank you for the opportunity to have some “quiet time” with this great camera.
Happy shooting!
