Should i go for a Nikon D700 ?

realspeed

realspeed

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Bazza
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At the moment I am using a Nikon D300 which I intend to keep, however I am seriously considering getting a D700 as well as I already have several lenses which arn't DX. Is it worth my while to get a D700 as well or wait and see if Nikon are going to release an upgrade camera. I don't want a camera that does videos as well as I already have a digital camcorder.


Any advise and thoughts most welcome even if i don't get around to a personal thank you

Realspeed
 
Go for it, ive got a D3S, D700 and D300S and for non action stuff i always pick up the D700, it is a great camera and introducinf new models will never change that fact
 
Can't recommend them highly enough, fabulous bit of kit and you will love it, so as long as you can justify the expense to yourself, go for it. Even when they bring out an upgrade, like Gary says, it won't suddenly make the D700 a bad camera.
 
I have both and use the 700 the most, by a good way as well.
 
Thanks all for your replies, it will help me make a firm decision

Realspeed
 
I'm amazed that all these people can recommend the D700 without you giving them any clues as to what you might want to use it for. Yes, it's a great camera, but not necessarily superior to the D300 for all uses.....
 
I think it depends on money and timescale. If you need the camera in the next month or so then get the D700 now. If you have no urgent need, I would wait. You can then see if the new camera is so much better and if you can afford it, can get that. You could then always buy a cheaper SH D700 (or new one if lucky) as I remember when the D300 stopped there were some bargains to be had on the remaining new stock - think prices went from £1k to £700 or so.
 
StewartR said:
I'm amazed that all these people can recommend the D700 without you giving them any clues as to what you might want to use it for. Yes, it's a great camera, but not necessarily superior to the D300 for all uses.....
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Normally yes I would agree, but given he is keeping the D300 anyway, and his question was not so much whether it's worth getting one, as whether he should wait for the next FX upgrade, then possibly less relevant on this occasion ;)
 
Just buy one. It will delight you every time you use it.
 
The23rdman said:
Just buy one. It will delight you every time you use it.
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And that's from Dean. He ought to know.
After all it took him quite a journey to love it.
 
Most of my lenses are not DX but for FF cameras, and I don't think I am getting the best out of them . Just one other point is I already have a battery grip and the kit to take en-el4a batteries plus spare battery so I can swap it from the D300 to the D700.A new model if and when it comes out may not take that grip. Check out my kit

There is no immediate rush to get a D700 but for what I have read everywhere it is superior to the D300 which I shall keep as a backup. (pension money will pay for it soon)

This is all I seem to be able to achieve with the D300 at the moment which is unedited. Banks of the River Nile taken from a moving cruise ship (exif file left in for checking). I only took this lens 24-120 VR and a 50mm f1.4 because of the weight. Yes editing would improve it but then its not what the camera actually took.





Thank you all for your input , most grateful
 
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StewartR said:
I'm amazed that all these people can recommend the D700 without you giving them any clues as to what you might want to use it for. Yes, it's a great camera, but not necessarily superior to the D300 for all uses.....
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Well other than having the crop factor and initial expense i cant think of a single reason where the D700 isnt superior to the D300, you might wanna help us out with that one Stewart
 
scottthehat said:
if i had the choice of a d300 and 500f4 to use for the day or a d700 with a 500f4 and a 1.4tc, I would pic the d700 with the 500f4 and tc.
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Im sure Stewart would say just add the 1.4x to the D300 and 500mm combo and he would be right but at some stage the ISO must come into consideration and the D300 is totally pants compared to the D700
 
You may wish to study at your leisure the thread I started in which I asked which was sharper FF or C sized sensor. I'm on a D200

Cheers

peter
 
Glyn

Maybe we could meet up some time as I live only a very short distance from you, I am next to fishley park golf range in fishley lane walsall

Realspeed
 
realspeed said:
Most of my lenses are not DX but for FF cameras, and I don't think I am getting the best out of them . Just one other point is I already have a battery grip and the kit to take en-el4a batteries plus spare battery so I can swap it from the D300 to the D700.A new model if and when it comes out may not take that grip. Check out my kit

There is no immediate rush to get a D700 but for what I have read everywhere it is superior to the D300 which I shall keep as a backup. (pension money will pay for it soon)

This is all I seem to be able to achieve with the D300 at the moment which is unedited. Banks of the River Nile taken from a moving cruise ship (exif file left in for checking). I only took this lens 24-120 VR and a 50mm f1.4 because of the weight. Yes editing would improve it but then its not what the camera actually took.





Thank you all for your input , most grateful
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My first thought would be to try to understand what it is you don't like about your shot(s) and how the things you dislike can be improved. Just changing from a D300 to a D700 would get you a sharper image with a wider field of view. Would that make you like the image? Maybe look at the shots you do like, and other people's you like, and work out what it is that draws you to them, then work on getting what that is (might be camera, might be practice, might be tuition, might be a trip to some far flung corner of the planet).


There's no question the D700 is a very nice camera. Whether it's what you need to invest time/money in to get images you like is something else.
 
To me unless I edit the photos they seem to have a lack of punch so to speak, or maybe sharpness. Suppose I am highly critical of my own work and not satisfied with the pictures. Can't really put my hand on what it is but compared with the pictures that are on TP mine seem pretty poor in comparison.

Realspeed
 
ukglyn said:
Another vote for the d700, i use a pair of them for all my wedding work, awesome little workhorse!(y)
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i already own a D300s and have just starting out in portratit and weddings, i am looking to get the D700 in the new year. mainly for the low light situations during weddings. any views ?
 
Hi Realspeed,

I would like to echo Ausemmao's post! Being a D300 owner and considering the purchase of a D700 as well, I think it would be really helpful to post an image that you aspire to so that our TP experts can advice on the aspects you like and how your D300 may be able to replicate them. It may be that the images you like have had a talented Photoshop user weave their magic!! :)

Before my D300 I was using a fully automatic fuji S9500, I was initially gutted when I bought my D300 as I had read so much about DSLRs and how good they were (3 years ago now) that I had very high expectations, particularly when used with some nice lenses - it turned out that my pictures were initially worse than with my trusty old Fuji. It turned out it was the monkey taking the shots that was at fault! :LOL:

My wife is fed up with me wittering about the D700, and she keeps saying, 'just go and buy one'. But £1800 is a big risk as I'm sure I still do not get the most out of my D300.

Cheers
Osmo
 
realspeed said:
To me unless I edit the photos they seem to have a lack of punch so to speak, or maybe sharpness. Suppose I am highly critical of my own work and not satisfied with the pictures. Can't really put my hand on what it is but compared with the pictures that are on TP mine seem pretty poor in comparison.

Realspeed
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and they have ALL been edited when you see them on TP!

I own both cameras, shoot in RAW on both and I can pretty much guarantee that if you point them both at the same subject, in good light, nothing unusual that the D700 specialises in, using same lens, you will struggle to tell them apart in terms of colour, depth of shadow, etc, from the original RAW files. The difference is in the low light abilities, slightly quicker AF, and so on. Of course you could shoot in jpeg and use the incamera settings to give punch to colours, use the dynamic lighting thingy that will help balance shadows/highlights, etc....but you are losing your own control doing that.

FWIW, once you have been shooting a while, we are ALL our own worse critic and the grass is always greener.... I take back what I said to Stewart at the beginning of this thread, he was right. I am not sure a D700 is what you need, because I am not sure it will be the magic wand you are looking for. Yes it is a far superior piece of kit to the D300, but that difference is far less noticable in the way I think you might be looking for..... :thinking:
 
Yv said:
and they have ALL been edited when you see them on TP!

I own both cameras, shoot in RAW on both and I can pretty much guarantee that if you point them both at the same subject, in good light, nothing unusual that the D700 specialises in, using same lens, you will struggle to tell them apart in terms of colour, depth of shadow, etc, from the original RAW files.
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Thanks Yv,

It was this aspect that has made me doubt if the D700 would be suitable for my purposes.

I do a lot of macro photography and as such I normally have a ring flash attached (although it would be nice not to sometimes and just wind up the ISO!!) do you ever find the 90% viewfinder to be a problem?

Are there any D700 owners in the Bedford area that would like to show me just how good their camera is?? :D

Cheers
Osmo
 
Osmo said:
Thanks Yv,

It was this aspect that has made me doubt if the D700 would be suitable for my purposes.

I do a lot of macro photography and as such I normally have a ring flash attached (although it would be nice not to sometimes and just wind up the ISO!!) do you ever find the 90% viewfinder to be a problem?

Are there any D700 owners in the Bedford area that would like to show me just how good their camera is?? :D

Cheers
Osmo
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the viewfinder has never been a problem....lets face it, it's 5%, and better to get a little bit more than you were expecting than a little bit less. I know some people seem to get really hung up about it, but either I am particularly stupid, or more able to see the bigger picture, as it were :LOL: ;)

However, I have two main areas, weddings/portraits and stuff, and cranking up the ISO is an absolute godsend, but also basic product stuff [the joys of nail varnish and moturising oils] and tbh, either camera is very capable in this department. Yes, if you pixel peep, the IQ on the D700 is better, I pressmue simply because the pixel buckets are bigger, but you really do need to be looking far more closely than is seriously good for anyone. To be honest, completing the changeover to Nikon pro glass has made a far more improvements to IQ than any body has ever done.

Having said all that, it IS a gorgeous bit of kit, hugely capable and as long as the bulk of your work isn't wildlife, sport [where long lenses on crop bodies can help] then you are unlikely to regret the upgrade :D
 
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