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Nikon D80

Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

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Brand: Nikon
Category: Photography

Buy New: See price in cart

New (23) Used (1) from $2,265.00

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

25 reviews
Sales Rank: 758

Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Monitor Size: 300
Includes Software: Yes
Display Size: 3
Maximum Resolution: 12.1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 5.8 x 3 x 4.8
nv:Sensor: 12.1 Megapixel
Storage Media: Compact Flash Type I
Compressed Format: TIFF
Compressed Format: RAW
Compressed Format: JPEG/EXIF v2.21
LCD Monitor: 3.0-inch
LCD Pixels: 920,000 pixels
LCD Coverage: 100%
Shutter Speed: 1/8,000 sec.
Continuous Shooting: Single
Continuous Shooting: Continuous FPS
Playback: Histogram
Playback: Auto Rotate
Playback: Slideshow
Playback: Thumbnails
Self-timer: Yes
Computer Interface: HDMI
Computer Interface: USB 2.0 high-speed
Video Out: NTSC/PAL

MPN: D700 Body
Model: D700 Body
UPC: 018208254446
EAN: 0001820825446
ASIN: B001BTCSI6

Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 6-10 of 25

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A dream come true for long-time film users! August 20, 2008
J. Gwen Ingram (Dexter, OR USA)
18 out of 21 found this review helpful

The Nikon D700 is exactly the digital SLR that I envisioned when I first heard that such an animal existed. After over a quarter-century of shooting film and gradually realizing the advantages digital holds for me through using a high-end point-and-shoot as an adjunct to my faithful old Nikon SLR film camera, I eagerly bought a D70s ... and was exceedingly frustrated and disappointed. My familiar old lenses responded differently (the 1.5 "multiplier effect") ... when they responded at all (a "non-CPU" lens could be mounted, but all camera exposure and metering functions were disabled, making the result disadvantageous even compared to a pre-AF film body and lens).

Not any more! Even though the D700 was primarily intended to be used with auto-focusing (AF) lenses, it also functions superbly with my non-CPU (manual focus) lenses, only losing the "shutter priority" and "program" modes (because, of course, the camera can't alter the aperture ... that's my job on any non-CPU lens) ... the D700 can even give me focusing feedback after I enter a manual lens's information into the D700's menu. I once more feel like I have good, quick control over the aspects of photography that create the character of my photographs. No more fumbling with lots of fingers over several sets of buttons to tell the camera the simplest things ... it's back to rotating the focus and aperture rings (or not, if I choose the AF lenses).

And the annoying "multiplier effect" is gone with the D700's full-frame ("FX") sensor. My 50mm lens -- my mainstay -- is now a true 50mm lens again (if you have to ask why that matters, the D700 isn't for you). I personally don't pursue wide-angle photography, but I definitely can see how those who do (and who haven't been able to afford a D3) will be doing cartwheels if they can get their hands on a D700.

The D700's viewfinder is also light years above my D70s, making everything from focusing to composition that much easier and more precise. The D700's whopping big LCD screen is also a big advantage. When in review mode, the display is large ... or, at my choice, the increased data option shrinks the thumbnail to a still-valuable size and places the data around the photo instead of over it like the D70s does.

I'm finding the grip very comfortable, and although the weight is hefty compared to any point-and-shoot, it is a well-balanced camera and that weight doesn't bother me. Being able to shoot in RAW mode is resulting in not only better end-result photos for me, but also (once I get the RAW files on my computer) much more accurate feedback on what I can improve about my technical choices ... and one of digital photography's most significant advantages is that faster feedback. Also of note for those who like working in RAW, unlike the D70, I now have the option to shoot ONLY in RAW mode, not just RAW + JPEG, and that saves valuable memory space.

My only negative comment so far is that Nikon's proprietary software (included with the D700) is necessary to download photos to one's computer. I'll adapt, but it just seems an unnecessary restriction.

Even though it's priced well under the other full frame Nikon, the D3, the D700 certainly does not come cheap. For me, it was the only affordable solution, and well worth every penny. If you spent years shooting film and count a bundle of old Nikon lenses among your close friends, the D700 is going to make you wonder if you'll ever stop grinning!

***

Update, November 21, 2008: I've had the D700 for three months now. Three months isn't a long time to evaluate durability, and I'm certainly not one of those people who shoots 1000 or more captures a week (I still have frugal film habits), but early use is one of the common timeframes for quality problems to surface. I'm certainly pleased that I've experienced no problems with the camera's function.

The D700 continues to exceed my expectations as a camera and as a true successor to my film camera. It has put the fun back into photography for me -- once set up to my preferences, the D700 stays out of my way and lets me photograph the way I have for decades, with the pleasing results I'm used to getting ... and with all the advantages of digital capture. Despite my miserly film-born habits, I've happily made enough digital images to account for almost half the camera body's purchase price if those captures were translated to film and developing.

Now that I've established a workflow (Nikon Transfer to Adobe Bridge CS3 to Photoshop CS3), having to use Nikon Transfer for downloading images is a non-issue at home. On the road, though, I'll have to wait until returning to my own computer (with the Nikon Transfer software) to see my pics, so this is still a definite limitation.

What has totally blown my mind is the D700's performance in low light. I never expected high ISO captures to be so useable, let alone what I've gotten at ISO 6400. I'm shooting in the house with ambient lighting and no flash and actually getting a high percentage of "keepers"! No longer do I shrug and say "too bad, not enough light" nor does a flash disturb my subject and alter or destroy the mood. I've also found I can capture good images at indoor events and competitions (such as llama and horse shows) without flash, making my presence a non-issue instead of a potential disruption. As a result, the D700 has given me a brand new opportunity to capture a significant segment of my world in pixels.

No, ISO 6400 image quality is not equivalent to ISO 200, nor is it often really suitable for 100% size printing or display (11.8"x17.7"). But for smaller prints and display (in the 25-50% range), it's remarkable, and certainly superior to anything I could possibly have captured with any other DSLR (besides the D3, which has the same sensor), let alone on film (because I primarily shoot nature outdoors, I never could justify loading any film higher than ISO 400 in my Nikon FE). I have never in my life had anything printed larger than 8x12 with one exception, and usually I've not even printed that large, so the limitations on the D700's ISO 6400 are minimal for me (and what it can do is still not achievable otherwise). To see some actual samples, you're welcome to go to my Flickr photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29588290@N04/) and search for photos tagged with Nikon D700 and ISO 6400, or just search for Nikon D700 and look at the EXIF data for the resulting photos if you prefer.

I do have one new quibble with the D700 -- I wish Nikon had not limited the non-CPU lens menu to only ten lenses. Because I'm coming from years of comfort with shooting manual focus lenses on film, that's what I do on the D700 ... and as a result, I've got all ten slots full! If I want to use a teleconverter (or if I acquire any other manual focus lenses), I have to re-program one or more of the slots. Hopefully Nikon will provide a firmware update to address this, although I'm not holding my breath either. Certainly a huge percentage of people love their autofocus lenses; the demand and financial return to NIkon for such an update probably isn't significant from a marketing standpoint.

I'm also finding that it would have been more logical for the Auto-ISO setting to be available through the dedicated ISO button instead of in the shooting menu. Again, a possible firmware update could address this ... if Nikon feels it's warranted. It's not impossible to work around, just less convenient than it could be. I'm not sure if other currently available DSLRs share this arrangement or not.

Initially I would have said that those people who started photography with DX format (or who converted to digital years ago) would not see any major benefit in the D700. Now I'm not so sure.

Certainly anyone who has only DX lenses would be financially impacted by also needing to purchase good full-frame lenses to actually benefit from the D700's full-frame capabilities; anyone whose preferences include telephoto and wildlife photography will also be disadvantaged by losing the "reach" that the 1.5x DX multiplier provides if they sell their current Nikon DSLR to finance a D700. (You can use DX lenses on the D700, but they use a smaller portion of the sensor, resulting in a lower MP image ... hardly a reasonable use of a $2.5K+ camera.)

However, for low ambient light photography, the D700 has no equal (other than the significantly more expensive D3). Before experiencing what the D700 can do, I said, "Well, I don't really use high ISO, so I don't need that capability." Now that I have the capability, I'm really using it, and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Fortunately, even if the choice is not entirely clear-cut, the choices ARE there. Thank you, Nikon!!!

4 out of 5 stars

Nikon D700 Hands On Review August 3, 2008
Constance Moore (Washington, DC)
12 out of 47 found this review helpful

First, although information seems hard to come by Nikon seems to have put a stop to D700 Body sales. I received mine on July 30th, perhaps just before sales were stopped. I have not contacted Amazon directly in regards to the D700 just yet but will. So I will write about what I know about this camera after just a few short days of using it.

I need to get off my chest about the way Amazon packaged a $3,000.00 camera. They just put it in a box slightly larger than the Nikon packaging and shipped it off. It seems unreasonable not to give it a layer of protection. The Nikon box had two major dings that caused concern, but the camera seems to be fine.

Reports of bugs and cameras not ready for release notwithstanding. I have not had any issues that would cause concern with the D700 so lets just get to the good stuff.

I find this camera to be a digital dream come true. The imaging is fantastic as one would expect from a state of the art Nikon imager. I find the controls to be intuitive and of the quality expected from Nikon. Adjustments are fast and easily executed without removing focus from the subject you are capturing. Custom profiles were something I was looking forward too and Nikon deliveries on the ability to control imaging with subtle and far reaching adjustments. I have a full complement of both manual and auto focus lenses, all work flawlessly with this camera.

The D700 is a winner on every front, except perhaps a smooth product launch. My only hope is their customer service matches their level of engineering.

5 out of 5 stars

Pro Artist's review August 8, 2008
Edward
12 out of 19 found this review helpful

Hello all, this is my review after few weeks of using this camera. To be honest I bought Canon 5D not too long before getting this camera because of their instant-rebate. I got Canon 5D because I already owned D200 - which is a good camera, well built but it's in shop now because I stupidly tried to clean the focusing screen and it got scratched. At the time I didn't want another Nikon because I wanted Canon so I can get a different look that is not Nikon. But, my attitude changed after reading all the reviews and watching videos on Youtube.com. Along with the aggressive stance that Nikon has taken I decided to make the plunge, and I don't regret it one bit. I still would like to keep 5D just in case I need those special shots, but I've been using the new D700 more often because I guess I'm used to D200 and it's similar in functions. My review is different that I'm not a full-time photographer - I do take pictures for people as a favor. I'm however a professional artist as you can check out my site. My website: http://www.edleeart.com/ I'm prone to edges of line especially and colors that are slightly different than your normal colors - just so that my art stands out different than others. Originally I had used Canon T90 in the 80's but renting a Nikon back then I have always favored the way Nikon captured images, the light, color, tone, chroma and hue. Also, edges of shapes are clearly defined which is what I'm used to drawing and painting all of my life. And Nikon seems to bring that out more often than the Canon's. I believe this is just a matter of taste but I'm always dazzled by Nikon's images in terms of capturing life and all it's glory. While Canon's also take amazing pictures I opted for D700 because of what it offers for the money that you pay. It's basically D3 in D300 body - you probably have read this line zillions of times but it's true. The images are what I prefer over Canon's for the reason I've mentioned above.

I could have gotten D3 or even D1 Mk III but I like the way I can break up the camera in two (I've the vertical grip as well) in case you need to pack them. And the pop-up flash becomes quite handy as well in case you just want to pack the camera and leave the battery and external flash at home for light travel. I could go on and on about this camera but when this camera came out and saw the body shape and its specs I knew this camera is made for me, and perhaps for you as well.

I strongly recommend this camera only if you can afford it, if not there are other good cameras as well that are less expensive. If you want the highest image quality and low light photography with all the goods this is the camera that delivers and is worth every bit of the cost. You can see my samples at http://edleeart.typepad.com/. I hope this review helped out in someway. Thanks for reading. ^^

5 out of 5 stars

Dream come true. September 3, 2008
L. Varghese (Sterling Heights, MICHIGAN USA)
9 out of 14 found this review helpful

I am relatively new to Nikon cameras. I have a Canon Mark III and 5D as other bodies. I have seen that other readers giving 4 stars based on small or personal preferences. In my opinion, D700's technological advancement over 5D is light years ahead. I don't think most wedding photographers will argue against the 5D's image quality and reliability. But also remember its cost when it was introduced. Nikon definitely done an excellent job with this one. And the price is very reasonable.

5 out of 5 stars

The one I'd been waiting for October 13, 2008
Carl E. Feather (KINGSVILLE, OH USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I've been a semi-pro digital user for five years. I started wtih a Fuji S2, moved up to the Nikon D2H (horrible reliability, expensive), D2Hs, D200, D300 and finally the D700.

With every camera prior to the D700 there were compromises and Nikon was always two years behind Canon. Finally, when the D3 came out, they were in the lead again, but the price was too much for my semi-pro use to justify. So I struggled along with a pair of D300s for another eight months. The D300 is an excellent camera, however, it has some serious flaws: It overexposes and is particularly hot on the red channel. It's higher ISO performance is mediocre and really kills detail. And it's DX.

I bought a D700 for $2950 and, predictably, the price fell $200 a few days after that. But I needed it for an assignment that would involve shooting in a dimly light garage.

The camera worked perfectly, although once again, I am seeing overexposure in some scenes. The auto WB is much improved over the D300. The dynamic range is much improved, as well. And the AF seems faster.

This camera has me going back to prime lenses. The DOF is much shallower and the bokeh much nicer with my 85mm and 50mm lenses on the D700. Eventually, I want to be all primes on the long end. My 300 f/4 gives wonderful results on this body. The 70-200 is a mixed bag. I'm just not happy with the look of the images. They are not as sharp as they are on the D300 (I kept one). Weird. I'm still testing.

I love everthing about the D700 except it's tendency to overexpose and the fact Canon's competitor has video and more MP. Video really should have been on this camera; after all, the D90 at 1/3 the price has it. Nikon dropped the ball by not including it on the D700. Two months after being introduced, the D700 is already a somewhat obsolete camera, thanks to Canon's offering of more mp and video.

All that said, as a Nikon user I'm glad to finally have 5D image quality in a full-frame Nikon, even though it comes at a premium. I feel the current combo of the D300/D700 will last me for several years, and will eventually result in a transition to almost all prime lenses, if Nikon ever gets its act together and offers some worthy wide angle primes to match with this body. Meantime I find the 35 f/2, 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.4, 105 micro, 180 f/2.8 and 300 f/4 to be excellent matches for this body. The Beast 28-70 f/2.8 is also a good performer on this body, as is the 14-24 f/2.8. The 70-200 f/2.8 is questionable.

Be sure to get the grip for best balance and extended battery life. I find the D700 has better battery performance than the D300. Also if you do portraits, get a portrait Expo Disc and download the portrait custom setting for your camera. The results are very nice.

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