A700 cult following... I don't understand.

I sold all my Nikon gear, including some very good lenses, after buying and using the a700.

A link here to the thread I posted in 2008 on the DPR Fuji DSLR forum explains why in detail.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1020&message=28948967

I still love using this camera and only bring out the a900 when I think I might need to print really big.

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http://maxdance.smugmug.com/

DWEverett said:

As others have stated, for it's time it was very competitive with the d300 for a whole lot less.

Click to expand...

I don't understand the comparisons to the D300 and 7D. Those two cameras are in a different class, because of their AF systems and FPS. The A700 was more of a 50D and D90 competitor. Comparing the A700 to the others is like comparing a Mustang to a Ferrari. The Mustangs great, but doesn't have the performance of the Ferraris. The Mustang should be compared to the Camaros and Challengers.

But with in body stabilization.

Back when they first came out, the d300 and a700 were outstanding cameras, Nikon having better fps and and AF, but the Sony having SSS and a much lower price point.

The major gripes about it were that the image quality was blotchy, and you could not turn off raw NR, but this was pretty much fixed with v4 firmware. After that, the high ISO performance was stellar, especially a few years ago when it was released.

Its a very well spaced out camera, lots of buttons, really easy access to menu options, 5 fps, weather sealedish...very CPU responsive camera, and it produces excellent results.

and...it was cheap when compared to similar cameras.

Thats why I love mine.

Different timeframe than I was referring to. When I purchased mine the competitors were the D300 and 40D. The D90 (and 7d) hadn't been released. The D80 was somewhat competitive but was positioned at the top of the entry range rather than as a mid-level. Canon dropped down the xti which was clearly a separate market.

I agree that today the D90 is a more appropriate comparison -- largely though because of the age of the a700. I would assume that the A7xx will be targed at the D300/D400 rather than the D90(or it's replacment), both in capabilities and to a lesser degree, price. I'd say the same for Canon though on price it may be a closer match with the 50D/60D

I am from A100 to A700... I was thinking about others, eg D90. But since I got the A100 and other sony gears, I went straight to A700. I am very happy with the performance of it and used it to track my baby from birth to 12months now (8000 photos). I just brought myself a sigma 24-70mm f2.8 HSM. The lens is heavier than the body. May be it is time to get a vertical grip to balance the weight.

Simple: ergonomy.

The A700 feels great in my hands. Having big hands I hold most other DSLR:s (not counting the big pros) with three fingers. on the A700 I get to use four - and everything is in range of my fingers. Almost no fiddly menues, I can get eveything I need for everyday shooting without taking my eye from the viewfinder.

In comparison to KM7d which I had a lot of problems with.

Dynamic range is great - amazing RAW headroom.
Exposure metering - rarely having issues with exposure.
Ergonomics - control layout, display, quicknavi, handling, operational speed
Sharpness - yes it depends not only on lens.
Colors

Only things I could wish for (besides ISO speed which is always welcome) is LV and articulating LCD.