Review based on a production Nikon D700
The introduction of Nikon's new D700 may have been one of the worst kept secrets in an industry with more leaks than the Titanic, but it was still something of a surprise coming so hot on the heels of the D3 and D300. Essentially a D3 shrunk down and squeezed into a body roughly the same size as a D300, the D700 is Nikon's first 'compact' professional SLR, and in its segment of the market will compete with the recently announced Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Sony DSLR-A900.
The imaging side of the D700 is pretty much the same as the D3; it shares the acclaimed 12.1MP full frame ('FX') sensor and has the same processing engine, so we would presume output to be almost identical. The main differences (aside from being considerably smaller) are physical; there's a different shutter (good for 150,000 exposures rather than 300,000 on the D3), different viewfinder prism (with 95% coverage) and a slower burst rate. You also lose the rear LCD info panel (there's no room for it) and one of the D3's two CF card slots, but you do get a couple of extra features to soften the blow slightly; most notably a self-cleaning sensor and a built-in flash. We'll look a little more in-depth at the differences between the D3 and D700 in a moment.
The D700 joins the D3 as a fully-fledged 'professional' model; it has the same tank-like build quality (though we're sure the pop-up flash will cause a few raised eyebrows), and gets you the full pro service from Nikon. And the pricing (around $2999) reflects this; anyone hoping for an 'affordable' semi-pro full frame Nikon SLR will have to wait until the cost of producing such large sensors falls considerably.
* Different to D3
Although the D3 and D700 are essentially the same camera in a different form factor (the D700 being far closer to the D300 in design and control layout), there are a few important specification differences.
* D700 is approx 34mm (1.3 in) shorter, 13mm (0.5 in) narrower and 10mm (0.4 in) shallower.
Weight (no battery) : D3 - 1240g, D700 - 995g
The table below shows how the D700 squeezes into the Nikon DSLR line-up, between the APS-C D300 and the full-frame D3.
|
Nikon D700 |
 Nikon D3 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (body only) | $1800 [check] | $2999[check] | $5000 [check] |
| Dust removal | • Self-cleaning filter • Dust-off image |
• Self-cleaning filter • Dust-off image |
• Dust-off image |
| Sensor size | 23.6 x 15.8 mm | 36 x 23.9 mm | 36 x 23.9 mm |
| Effective pixels | 12.3 million | 12.1 million | 12.1 million |
| FOV crop | 1.5x | 1x | 1x |
| Sensitivity range (boost setting) | (100), 200 - 3200, (6400) | (100), 200 - 6400, (25,600) | (100), 200 - 6400, (25,600) |
| Shutter life | 150,000 exposures | 150,000 exposures | 300,000 exposures |
| Continuous rate (high) | 6.0 fps (8.0 fps with battery grip) | 5.0 fps (8.0 fps with battery grip) | 9.0 fps (11 fps in DX crop mode) |
| Continuous buffer | • 100 JPEG Norm • 17 RAW |
• 100 JPEG Norm • 17 RAW |
• 130 JPEG Norm • 17 RAW |
| Built-in flash | • Manual pop-up • Guide no. 12 (ISO 100) |
• Manual pop-up • Guide no. 12 (ISO 100) |
None |
| Storage | CF (inc. UDMA) | CF (inc. UDMA) | CF (inc. UDMA) x2 slots |
| Viewfinder | • 100% coverage • 0.94x magnification |
• 95% coverage • 0.72x magnification |
• 100% coverage • 0.7x magnification |
| Top panel LCD | Yes | Yes | Yes (plus rear info panel below screen) |
| Battery | 11.1 Wh | 11.1 Wh | 27.75 Wh |
| Vertical grip | Yes, MB-D10 | Yes, MB-D10 | Built in |
| Dimensions | 147 x 114 x 74 mm (5.8 x 4.5 x 2.9 in) |
147 x 123 x 77 mm (5.8 x 4.8 x 3.0 in) |
160 x 157 x 88 mm (6.3 x 6.2 x 3.4 in) |
| Weight (no batt) | 825 g | 995 g | 1240 g |
| Weight (inc batt) | 903 g | 1075 g | 1420 g |
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| FX format sensor (Nikon design) | Sensor and sensor cleaning module |
|---|---|
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| RGB 1005 segment metering sensor | EXPEED processor |
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| Weather sealing on the D700 body | |
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
Conclusion / recommendation / ratings are based on the opinion of the author, we recommend that you read the entire review before making any decision. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of them, click to display a larger image in a new window.
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Dpreview use calibrated monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C.
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Nikon D700 12.1MP FX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) | $3,399.99 |
Nikon D800 36.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $2,796.95 |
Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) | $896.95 |
Nikon D600 24.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $1,849.99 |
Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED Nikkor Lens | $996.95 |
Nikon D7000 DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Kit with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR II ED Nikkor Lens | $1,496.95 |
Nikon D7100 24.1 MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR (Body Only) | $1,146.95 |
Nikon D7100 Digital SLR Camera Body with 18-300mm VR Lens + 500mm Tele Lens + 32GB Card + Battery + Backpack + Accessory Kit | $2,219.95 |
Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens (Red) with 55-300mm VR Lens + 64GB Card + Case + Battery + Grip + Tripod + Lens Set + Filters Kit | $919.95 |
Nikon D80 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens | $1,475.00 |
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