Hi,

I ordered my D700 yesterday with the delivery scheduled tomorrow and of course got cough by the buyer's remorse last night.
My worry is if I will be able to switch to full frame and won't miss the far reach or the DX, helped with its 1.5 crop factor.
Can anybody comment on that?

How was your migration from FX to DX, with all lenses suddenly seeming 50% shorter in their focal length?

Do you believe that DX is still better for nature/close-up/macro photography?

Why should I really enjoy FX, except very good ISO performance?

Regards,
Peter

Hey Peter,

I suspect the main reason you experienced remorse is due to the price you paid for the D700, but I could be wrong. Your remorse might change into uncontrollable delight once you actually receive the camera, I really hope so. For me, the migration was seamless. I hardly ever shoot on the long side of things, so FX and wide angle, for me, go hand in hand. Aside from the high ISO performance, FX provides other benefits such as better dynamic range, better color reproduction and keeping true with the 35mm format. I hope everything works out for you.

It's definitely different coming from the DX crop to FX. I've noticed quickly that I'm a too far from my subjects with FX. But I just take a few steps forward whenever I need to. I haven't pickup up my D300 since I got the D700.
I did sell off all my DX lenses to make the switch. If you could keep both camera bodies (DX and FX) I definitely think you'll get the best of both worlds. I just didn't want redundant focal length in both DX or FX lenses.
Overall it wasn't a difficult transition except selling off some of my favorite DX lenses (17-55/2.8 and 10.5/2.8). That was quickly cured with addition of the 14-24 and 24-70.

Dave
My Nikonians Gallery

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One of the main reasons I got a D700 is because it is FX and not DX. I have 2 fine Nikor lenses that I seldom used with my DX cameras -- an 85mm f/1.8 and a 50mm f/1.8. Because of the DX format's 1.5 crop factor, the 2 lenses morphed into short telephotos (130mm and 75mm) that I found not very useful in many settings. Now, both of the lenses are very useful on the D700 because a true 50mm is a versatile everyday focal range and a true 85mm is perfect for many portrait arrangements. And remember, you will still be able to shoot with DX lenses using your D700 (the resolution will be less, but will be high enough for most uses). Photos I take using the D700 and the Nikor 18-200mm VR-DX lens appear to be sharper, more vibrant and more "true-to-life" than similar photos taken with my D70 or D80. I think that once you get your D700 and learn its system you will not have any regrets.

RNV

Hi,

"How was your migration from FX to DX, with all lenses suddenly seeming 50% shorter in their focal length?"

I'd like to make a small change to the above statement:

How was your migration from FX to DX, with all lenses suddenly seeming to be 67% of their effective focal length on a DX body?

As a long time user of 35mm film cameras before getting a DX body and now the D700 this was not a big deal for me as I was already setup with lenses for the larger sensor in the D700. With my D200 I found that I wasn't using my longest lenses very often, now I will be.

Enjoy!

Randy

Thank you all for your great encouragement to take on the challenge with D700 and FX.

The main reason I decided to switch was of course the low light / high ISO performance of D700, because I shoot a lot of events, which usually start after sunset. It may sound weird, but I hate to use flash, because if I do neither the colors, especially on the stage, look real, nor am I able to properly lighten the background and at the same time avoid blurring the fast moving subjects on the stage, not even mentioning ergonomics of using my camera with extra weight of the speedlight.

I really hope D700 will help me resolve at least some of these issues.

Regards,
Peter

I share your exact concern Peter - when I need the low light advantage I need telephoto too! This is a tough one, but so far leaning to eventual purchase of D700, but am agonizing over this very issue.

I shot two theatre productions Sunday using D300 and payed special attention afterwards to focal lengths of my keepers. Thankfully most seemed < 135mm on DX, so I might just be OK with my 70-200 on FX. But hoo boy what a trade-off. I will certainly keep my D300 and plan to mount my underutilized 180 f2.8 on it and have my 70-200 mounted on a D700. This just might work, BUT I have to think about positioning myself closer to the stage and that results in shooting more UP ANGLE rather than face on (and getting closer to subject may not always be possible).

Still sweating this one, likewise interested in folks' telephoto combined with FX experiences (I know wide is GREAT).

SteveK
My Nikonians gallery
'A camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.' -- Dorothea Lange

>I share your exact concern Peter - when I need the low light
>advantage I need telephoto too! This is a tough one, but so
>far leaning to eventual purchase of D700, but am agonizing
>over this very issue.
>
>I shot two theatre productions Sunday using D300 and payed
>special attention afterwards to focal lengths of my keepers.
>Thankfully most seemed < 135mm on DX, so I might just be OK
>with my 70-200 on FX. But hoo boy what a trade-off. I will
>certainly keep my D300 and plan to mount my underutilized 180
>f2.8 on it and have my 70-200 mounted on a D700. This just
>might work, BUT I have to think about positioning myself
>closer to the stage and that results in shooting more UP ANGLE
>rather than face on (and getting closer to subject may not
>always be possible).
>
>Still sweating this one, likewise interested in folks'
>telephoto combined with FX experiences (I know wide is
>GREAT).
>
>SteveK

Steve,

it's not as bad as we thought. I got my D700 at 1:00pm today and now I am at 240 actuations. I can tell you that the far reach is not that different from D300. This afternoon I was shooting with 70-200mm VR and 50mm f/1.4.
What I really enjoyed for these few hours were:
- much bigger and brighter viewfinder,
- much less noise, even at low ISO,
- much faster AF.
Physically D700 is very similar to D300. All the controls are exactly where do you expect them to be after using D300 before.

I think I am going to like it even more than my D300, which I need to sell to recover a little bit after recent purchases.

Regards,
Peter

Having DX and FX bodies gives the best of both worlds.
As regards afforability a D300 plus D700 cost about the same as a D2x did a year ago - costs are coming down.

Photography is a bit like archery. A technically better camera, lens or arrow may not hit the target as often as it could if the photographer or archer does not practice enough.

Len Shepherd

You can still use your D700 in DX-mode if you want, too, except that your images will only be 5MP.