Tag: nikon d700 in 2022

Nikon D700 vs Nikon D4

I guess anyone can read the specification sheet for both the Nikon D700 and the Nikon D4 and come up with a list of differences. But another thing is working with both cameras side by side for an extended period of time. Then you get to know the differences from a real world experience. In this blog I want to share how it is to live and work with these two cameras, based on a few areas that I have selected that are important to me.

Introduction

The Nikon D4 is in the single digit line of Nikon cameras, meaning that Nikon calls this a flagship camera. It is a good as it gets basically. However,  the camera is more than 10 years old and the original ask for 6000 USD is not dropped to a more manageable 1000 EUR on the used market. So you can get your hands on a pro level camera for a fraction of what a new one would set you back.

The D700 was made between 2008 and 2012, so it is older than the D4. It shows in many ways: the pixel count is lower, no video, etc. But the D700 is a legend, and many consider the combination of sensor and processing logic to be unique, actually so unique that Nikon never since has made a camera with color rendition and micro contrast as good as the D700. Also, the D700 can be had for a lot less than 1000 EUR, but the challenge is more to find a copy that is not too beaten up / has too many clicks on the clock, than to find an affordable copy.

Many consider the D700 a baby version of the D3, and believe that Nikon with the D700 made a mistake and produced a camera in the enthusiast lineup that came too close to their flagship cameras. Nikon learned their lesson, and subsequently made sure to have good distance between their flagship, pro-level and enthusiast level lineup.

Image quality

Especially skin tones are known to be unrivalled and unique for the D700. I leave it up to you to decide if you want to believe the magic and hype related to the D700. I have seen it periodically shine and give a 3D pop never seen with other cameras, and many of my landscape pictures look more like paintings than pictures. So yes, I can confirm there is something about the D700, but I am skeptical if all of the hype is justified.

I will say though that when it comes to B&W images, the D700 in my humble opinion has something special – the images are very clean and rich in contrast, far better than any other camera I have had the pleasure to use.

On the other side I find that the D4 makes mincemeat of the D700 when it comes to colors and color rendition – the D4 in my opinion is simply some of the best with rich saturated colors, where I find the D700 to be more pale or less saturated. This is up to personal preference and taste, but for me the D4 shines when it comes to colors.

In terms of the more technical or specs related differences, the D4 has both more pixel count and more dynamic range. I have produced large prints (100 cm times 70 cm) with the Nikon D700 with no problems, so I am a strong believer that 12MP is more than plenty also for large prints, when we are talking natural viewing distances. If you need to crop, then the D4 clearly has an advantage with its 16MP relative to the 12MP of the D700, and for wildlife I often find that I need to crop, and then the D700 clearly has an disadvantage. However, for many applications (landscape, street, products, candid), I find that 12 MP is more than plenty.

Many shy away from the D700 when they understand it “only” has 12MP. But I say: fear not, it is plenty! Unless you want to make very big prints that needs to be viewed very close up, or you want to crop your pictures heavily. If not, then 12MP is more than enough. And when you load your pictures into Lightroom or wherever you do your post processing, you will enjoy the smaller file size.  And storage wise you will find that the D700 files take up less space on your hard-drive and backup storage facilities. So I will claim that the smaller pixel count makes living with the D700 somewhat easier than the D4.

Ergonomics and build quality

The D700 and D4 have significant differences in build quality. Even though the D700 is built very solid, the D4 takes it up a notch, and comes with what I call a built in battery grip. The D4 is also a very heavy camera body weighing almost 1.5 kilo, which paired with a heavy lens is a very heavy combo.  If you don’t like a heavy and bulky camera, then you probably want to stay clear of both the D4 and the D700, but especially the D4.

Both cameras have great ergonomics and I am in general a fan of Nikons way to design their cameras and button layout so you do not get tired working with them for extended periods of time. One area where you will notice that these are older cameras is the rear screen, where both of them are fixed. No tilt of flip-out or anything. Fixed:

Nikon D4 and Nikon D700
Nikon D700 to the left with a battery grip. Nikon D4 to the right. Notice the extra LCD screen on the D4 + the 2 joysticks, one top right next to the large rear LCD, another bottom right to the same LCD.

With the D700 you have the option to add a battery grip, which makes it – in terms of height and ergonomics – very similar to the D4. However, the D4 comes with 2 joysticks for moving the focus point around, with the D700 that only comes with the battery grip, in landscape mode you have to do with the command wheel. Some complaint that the joysticks on the D4 easily fall of, but I am so lucky to not have had this issue.

One area that buggers me senseless with the D700 is the lack of 100% viewfinder coverage. The D4 has 100%, but the D700 only has 95%. You may think that this is a small thing, but if you like me try to crop your images precisely when shooting only to learn that the camera added 5% more, then I think you will feel the annoyance of the additional 5%. Switching between the D4 and the D700, it always strikes me how much this little difference means to me in real life.

Auto ISO

I know it is a small thing, but with the D4 I can switch between setting the ISO myself and asking the camera to do it for me very easily. I hit the ISO button bottom left on the rear of the D4 while turning the front command dial. Then it flicks between auto-ISO and “manual” ISO. Not so on the D700 – here I have to go into the menu system to change this. I know it is a small thing and I know you can configure “my menu” to have the ISO on top of the list and have it assigned to a dedicated button, but I find that the D4 implementation is so much easier to work with and also here – like the viewfinder coverage – it always strikes me how much this little difference means to me in real life.

Card slots

One area that always causes a lot of debate is one or two card slots. The D700 to the left comes with one CF card and the D4 to the right has both a CF card slot and an XQD slot. Especially for wedding photographers but basically anybody that appreciates the philosophy of “no single point of failure”, the value of having 2 card slots cannot be exaggerated.  You may be of the “I have never had a card failing on me”, but Murphy is alive and kicking and it is only a matter of time. There have been days when I came home from a shoot thinking that the content of the cards was far more valuable than the camera holding them. But of course up to you how important 2 card slots is!

Nikon D4 and Nikon D700. Card slots.
Nikon D700 to the left with one CF card slot, Nikon D4 to the right with 2 card slots: One CF (1) and one QCD (2).

Live view

You may not use Live View much, but if you do, then this is one of the areas where the D4 shines relative to the D700. I think the Live View implementation on the D700 was one of the first implementations Nikon did, and it is a bit quirky. There is no dedicated Live View button and you have to select between two different Live View modes. A0nd the autofocus is slow when you opt for the “Tripod” mode, as it is called. You will quickly enjoy the Live View implementation on the D4 with a dedicated button.

What to choose?

If you are about to choose between the D4 and the D700, then you are in for a tough choice. Boiled down to one sentence? You choose the D700 with your heart and the D4 with your head. The D4 is a more modern camera, and although heavier, it is easier to work with. Personally I find that I shoot a lot more with the D4 than the D700, simply because it is a camera I find a lot easier to work with (100% view finder coverage, dedicated live-view button, easy AUTO ISO switch etc).

If you are in doubt, buying a good copy of a D700 will not set you back much – you can always get a very good price for a D700 due to its legend status, and then the price of owning it is only the difference between what you bought it for and what you sold it for. And even without being a top negotiator, I think you will find the gap to be small.

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Related reading

Nikon D700 versus D750

Which enthusiast Nikon DSLR to choose?

Nikon D700 versus D750

I guess anyone can read the specification sheet for both the Nikon D700 and the Nikon D750 and come up with a list of differences. But another thing is working with both cameras side by side for a long time. Then you get to know the differences from a real world experience. In this blog I want to share how it is to live and work with these two cameras, based on a few areas that I have selected as they mean a lot to me.

Nikon D700 versus D750
Nikon D750 to the left, D700 to the right. There is a reason why the Nikon D700 is mounted with a camera strap 3 times as wide as the one sitting on the D750…

The hype

The Nikon D750 is a much younger camera than the D700. It shows in many ways: the pixel count is higher, it does video, etc. But the D700 is a legend, and many consider the combination of sensor and processing logic to be unique, actually so unique that Nikon never since has made a camera with color rendition and micro contrast as good as the D700. Especially skin tones are known to be unrivalled and unique for the D700. I leave it up to you to decide if you want to believe the magic and hype related to the D700 – myself I have seen it periodically shine and have a 3D pop I have never seen with other cameras, and many of my landscape pictures look more like paintings than pictures, so yes, I can confirm there is something about the D700, but I am skeptical if all of the hype is justified.

Build quality

One of the things difficult to see from a spec sheet is the look and feel of a camera, and here the D700 and D750 are like night and day. Many say that the D700 is “built like they don’t make them anymore”, and I have to agree 100%. The D700 is – to use a cliché – built like a tank. A brick outhouse. You’ve heard the lingo. But it is. A Land Rover with a Range Rover on top. It is massive, made for endurance. If you don’t like a heavy camera and a bulky one too, then stay clear of the D700.

The D750 is more a camera like they build them today. It is more compact, lighter and has a much less solid feel to it. When you go from the D700 to the D750, you definitely feel like the D750 is more like plastic. Not that the D750 is of poor build quality – the D700 is just so much better. The grip on the D750 is deeper, but you quickly get used to the D700 if you – like me – have big hands.

Live view

You may not use Live View much, but if you do, then this is one of the areas where the D750 shines relative to the D700. I think the Live View implementation on the D700 was one of the first implementations Nikon did, and it is a bit quirky. There is no dedicated Live View button and you have to select between two different Live View modes. And the auto focus is slow when you opt for the “Tripod” mode, as it is called. Add to this that the D750 has a higher resolution rear LCD screen that tilts, and you will quickly enjoy the Live View implementation on the D750 with a dedicated button.

Nikon D750 versus D700
Nikon D750 to the left. Notice the tilt screen and the dedicated Live View button to the bottom right. The D700 has the vertical grip mounted, which of course does not make the weight difference between the two any less…

Pixel count

Many shy away from the D700 when they understand it “only” has 12MP. But I say: fear not, it is plenty! Unless you want to make very big prints that needs to be viewed very close up, or you want to crop your pictures heavily. If not, then 12MP is more than enough. And when you load your pictures into Lightroom or wherever you do your post processing, you will enjoy the smaller file size.  And storage wise you will find that the D700 files take up less space on your hard-drive and backup storage facilities. So I will claim that the smaller pixel count makes living with the D700 much easier than the D750. And you will most likely never miss the 24MP resolution of the D750.

Viewfinder coverage

You may not think that the viewfinder coverage is a big thing, but to me it is, and actually one of the few areas where the D700 annoys me. I love that camera, but the fact that the frame is slightly bigger than what I see in the viewfinder is a nuisance. When I shoot, I frame very carefully according to the viewfinder and when I then get back home and open the file on my PC, I find it truly annoying to start my editing by cropping as I saw it in the viewfinder. The D750 does not have this issue.

Dynamic range

The D750 if notorious for its ability to do auto focus in low light situations – it literally sees in the dark. Truly impressive. The D700 not so much, and the dynamic range of the D700 is not as good as the D750. This may not be important to you – the ability to have both very bright and dark areas in the same frame is not important to all, and with exposure bracketing you can compensate a lot for lack of dynamic range. But I will say that in a low light situation – for example shooting in a restaurant without disturbing the guests with a big fat flash, my choice is the D750. Every time. Don’t believe the D750 has better dynamic range? Head over to DXO mark and see for yourself.

What to choose?

If you are about to choose between the D750 and the D700, then you are in for a tough choice. Boiled down to one sentence? You choose the D700 with your heart and the D750 with your head. The D750 is a more modern camera, lighter and easier to work with. But sometimes that is not what counts. Love conquers all, as they say.

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Affiliate link to the Nikon D750 (body only).

 

Nikon D700: Is the legend still relevant?

Introduction

If you are just a little bit into the Nikon universe, you undoubtedly have heard of the legendary Nikon D700. It was released back in 2008, which today is ages ago from a technical perspective. It was the baby brother of the D3 targeted for professionals, leaving the D700 for the serious enthusiast. Since its introduction the D700 has received legendary status for its image quality and build quality, and that was what attracted me to the D700 initially.

I purchased a copy of the D700 mid 2020 for 325 EUR with a shutter count of 28.000, which is very low relative to what you can find out there and knowing that the production was stopped in mid 2012.

In this post I want to share the pros and cons of this camera that I had identified just by studying other blogs, videos, reviews, etc. before buying the camera. It is not a complete list, and I have after my purchase received lots of feedback that the list is incomplete or flawed. However, it was based upon this list that I decided to buy the D700, so I think it at least gives good insight into my process for selecting the D700.

My thinking is that by sharing this it may help you if you consider buying the D700. I have made a few amendments to the original list to reflect what I know today so you get all I know in one go.

The Nikon D700 on top of the box it came in. Still here in 2021 it is a great camera!

The first reason is image quality, of course, and if you have read just a little bit about The Nikon d700 you will know that the image quality is legendary. I don’t know exactly why that is, maybe because it was the last time Nikon used the Panasonic sensor. Maybe it has to do with the Expeed processor and the way it works on on the data. I simply don’t know. I can just see really many people report that image image quality is outstanding, especially the JPGS straight out of camera and the skin toning.

 

Field of red flowers
Field of red flowers
The second reason is that it is a full frame camera. I don’t want to go into a long debate with what is best: a full frame, APS-C, micro 4/3rds or medium format. If you’re in the market for full frame camera, then this is really a good option and it’s a cheap one.
Third up is the price. I paid 325 Euros. Mine is a copy of with 28,000 shots fired taken and Nikon normally says there’s a hundred and fifty “rounds” in your camera. And I know that there are cameras out there there that shot more than 300,000 without any problem. So I think it is a very very cheap option to get into the full frame.

 

The Nikkor 24mm AF 2.8 is a great little lens.
The Nikkor 24mm AF 2.8 is a great little lens. It is wide, not to heavy, sharp and the minimum focus distance allows you to go close to your subject. It is one of those lenses that I absolutely love and it has AF when mounted on the D700.
Number four is the Nikon f-mount. That mount gives you access to glass that Nikon has made since 1957 and it’s probably one of the producers with the most glass out there. You can buy glass at used on eBay, Amazon, flea markets, whatever, so it’s so easy to get hold of really, really good Nikon vintage glass and you can get a nifty fifty for next to nothing and then with a camera body of 325 Euros you are in the full frame game for under 400 EUR. I really recommend the access to Nikon f-mount glass – you can build an excellent portfolio of glass without breaking the bank.

 

Number five is the built in autofocus motor and if you have older Nikon glass with the auto focus mechanics (screwdriver principle), there’s no motor built into the glasses such. It assumes that you have the motor in the camera body and then via a screw driver principle it connects the motor with the glass and that gives you the auto focus. This is not as fast and as silent as what you see today with AF motors built into the lenses (AF-S or G-series), but definitely you get all the comfort of the AF and in my experience, it works really well.

Number six is the autofocus system. When the 700 came out, this was probably one of the best autofocus system that was available, but this was 12 years ago and the world has moved on. I think it is fair to say that the D700 cannot compete anymore. You have all of those systems today whether the focus points are all over the frame – on the D700 they are centered and there’s not that many of them. However, it is still a good auto focus system.

Number 7 is the build quality. I guess you have heard the terms that it’s built like a brick house or like a tank. And this one is it is really solid quality. It’s the little brother of the D3 and I think much of the quality of the the D3 was inherited down to the D700. That’s probably also why you see that so many copies still in operation, twelve years after the introduction of the camera. Some report they have dropped the camera on tarmac or stone floors and it works perfect even afterwards! Don’t try this, but certainly impressive if there is some truth to these rumors.

Nikon is known for its good ergonomics, and the D700 is from the top shelf.

Number 8 is the ergonomics. There is a dedicated button for (almost) everything! If you had a Nikon camera in your hands previously this one will not disappoint you – it it just is really well-thought-out and especially the fact that there is a dedicated button for most needs, makes it possible to work fast and efficient with this camera.

Number 9 is the weather sealed body. Mind you that if you put a non weather sealed glass onto your weather sealed body, the advantage may not be that big, but the body itself is sealed which could be important if you shoot a lot outdoors.

Number 10 is perhaps not as rational as the other arguments, but if you go and read blogs and see videos you will notices that many many report how sad they are that they left or sold their Nikon D700 and many actually go back and buy and new version of the D700 to have as a backup camera because it has served him so well. This is perhaps the ultimate test of a quality that even though you move on technically to say a D810 or a D850 some of these really really good cameras with higher resolution, you still miss the D700 and want to go back to it. I am not claiming this to be rational, but I just think when you see so many people saying that the D700 is something special, then there must be be some truth to this.

Number 11: There is a built in flash. To some this is super important as they use it for optically triggering off camera flashes or they use it in a pinch. I seldom use it which is why it was not on my list originally, but to many this is important.

Number 12: Battery life is great. Relative to mirrorless, I guess that most DSLRs have a good battery life, but I think the D700 even measured against other DSLRs has a great battery. It has only dropped one bar the first week of shooting, although I have been shooting for several hours. I was afraid that when I bought a used camera, the battery would be a bit tired, but in my case this has not been a problem at all. I also enjoy that the boot time is next to nothing – the camera is ready as soon as you have switched to the ‘on’ position, and even before that, you can use the optical viewfinder.

Number 13: The viewfinder can be closed mechanically with a little button next to it. This is great news if you shoot landscapes with long exposure or stars or the like. False light will come through the viewfinder and find is way to the sensor, which is not what you want. This little mechanical shutter saves you from putting chewing gum in the viewfinder or putting your hat over the camera body or whatever ways you have found to overcome this problem.

Number 14. Many cameras has a max shutter speed at 1/4000. The D700 has 1/8000. If you shoot wide open on a bright day, this may save you from pulling out the ND filter from your camera bag to avoid your picture being over exposed. It may not sound like a big thing, but once you have tried that the light meter goes crazy and you’ve forgotten your ND filter , you will appreciate the fast shutter speed.

Number 15: Smaller files. The 12 MP means that your files will be smaller, they will load faster to your PC, the handling is faster, it will take up less space on your hard disk, you can do with smaller memory cards or store more pictures per card, etc.

The cons – where the D700 could do better

Since I bought the D700, I have come to learn that there is a large group of D700 enthusiasts that will defend any criticism of the D700, so I am a bit cautious to put up a list of cons. However, it was the below list of cons that did not stop me from buying the D700, so the headline here is that the list below is – in my case – not a showstopper at all. And you should not loose sight of the bigger picture here: this is a FF bargain! With that said, to the list:

Number 1. The sensor is “only” 12 megapixels. By today’s standard is not that much, but I think you will find that if you don’t do heavy cropping or print billboards, 12 megapixels will actually serve fine. So I don’t know why so all of a sudden we need all these megapixels, but I just want to make it very clear that it is not a 24 or 48 megapixel camera.

Number 2 is the dynamic range. I think when the camera came out the dynamic range was excellent, but I think it has been superseded by better options like the Nikon d750. This can be overcome be careful metering or bracketing, but it is of course more comfortable to have a camera with a larger dynamic range.

Number three is the lack of video. So if you were hoping for a hybrid camera that could do both video and stills, the D700 is not for you. Many in need of video have a dedicated video camera, and I also use both my smartphone and GoPro, so I think the lack of video in my case is less of an issue.

Number 4 is noise (it is LOUD!). All DSLR’s make noise because the mirror needs to flick, but the D700 is especially noisy. And if you want to shoot in situations where silent camera is important (e.g. wildlife close up) I don’t think the d700 is for you. And the quiet mode option is a joke – the camera is still noisy!

Number 5: There’s no in-body image stabilization (IBIS) and I think it would be unfair to expect that in a 12-year old camera body, and especially in a DSLR. But I’ve just wanted to mention this: you need to cut down on your coffee or buy a tripod if you want to be sure that you don’t get camera shake. Or you could invest in a lens with image stabilization if this is key to you.

Number 6 is the size and weight. It is big and heavy. If you want to travel with your camera because or climb a steep mountain, this camera may be to the heavy side. The camera body itself is 1 kilo and you have to add the weight of the glass and then the total package may be too heavy for you.

Number seven is all the modern things you’ve come like in a modern camera like Wi-Fi integration, Bluetooth integration, GPS data, operating a camera remotely via your smartphone and all of these things that that are really nice in terms of making the connectivity of the camera much better. You find none of that in the d700 and this is really where the cameras age start to show: It is a really good stills camera, but all of the technology advances around the core of the camera is not with the D700.

Number eight. The life expectancy for the Nikon d700. It’s always difficult to say how long my camera will live, but this one has moving parts and eventually they will break. Nikon says that you can expect a hundred and fifty thousand shots per camera. I’ve heard people who have shot twice as much (and more!) and the camera still works. Nikon has stopped servicing the D700 as I understand it, but I also understand that there are plenty of non-Nikon professionals who have taken over and can service the camera. The build quality of the D700 probably means it will live for a very long time, but you may find that you need to go the extra mile to find someone who can service your camera if need be.

Number 9 is all the development that has happened with LCD screen on the back side of the camera. For many modern cameras the LCD is a bit of a gymnast: You can flip it out. You can flip it up and down, maybe fully articulated. You can pinch and zoom and it is touch controlled and super high resolution. None of that with the d700. It’s just it just sits there firmly. You can’t flip it out. You can’t move it. You can can try to pinch and zoom all you like but nothing happens – you have to operate the camera via the buttons. So if you do a lot of shooting overhead, do low-level shooting or you want to do shooting where a flip-out screen is important, you will find that the D700 does not give you much support here.

Number 10. Only one card slot. To me this is not a big issue, but if you are a serious enthusiast aspiring to become a pro, and your plan is to use the D700 on that journey, the lack of a second card slot could be critical. I would not like to be the one debating with a newly wed couple why your cannot deliver pictures of the most important day of their life due to a memory card failure.

Number 11: The viewfinder only covers 95%. This means that there will be more in the frame in the picture captured than what you see in the viewfinder. If you carefully crop or frame your pictures in camera like me, this is a bit of a nuisance, as I try to get my pictures as complete as possible in camera to minimize post processing work.

Number 12: Maybe needless to say, but when you buy used you need to be sure you buy a good copy. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions for buying the camera – if you buy it online so you cannot see the camera in real life before the purchase, make sure you can return it if not in good condition. In my case, I was happy with the purchase, but the camera was so dirty I had to give it a good cleaning – some of the buttons had to be “massaged” to get moving, and the sensor was so full of dust it was a joke. So set off some budget for getting a pro to clean the sensor if you are not comfortable doing this yourself.

Number 13: The Live View mode is quirky. You can tell that this was one of the first implementations of Live View that Nikon did. There is no dedicated Live View button (sits together with the drive modes) and you have to select between two Live View options before you can get going. I am happy to report that the later implementations of Live View are much easier to work with.

Conclusion

So if I was to answer the question from the top of this blog, it would be a definite: yes! But you have to balance the pros and cons against your list or set of requirements, to see if you reach the same conclusion. The Nikon D700 is a wonderful camera, but it is not perfect, and the question is if some of the listed cons weighs in so heavy in your basket, that it is a showstopper. We are all different, and just because this shoe fits my foot, there is absolutely no guarantee it will fit yours. I hope this blog has brought you a little closer to making an informed decision to conclude if the Nikon D700 is for you or not.

Related reading

Nikon D700 vs Nikon D4

Nikon D700 versus D750

Which Nikon camera body to choose in the 24MP range?

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