Hello D700 Owners,

Forgive me if this may have been covered by other threads, but I wanted to start a separate thread on this topic: how many D700 owners have decided to get the D7000 to complement your D700 body? Whatever the reason may be: need for a DX body for nonger reach, a lighter body, video, a light kit for when you don't want to take the D700 with you (this does not really fit the "complement" theme, but I know that this is a need that some people expressed) - how have you found the handling of this camera, was it difficult to take only the D7000 with you instead of the trusty D700? I just ordered the D7000 because I simply could not resist to not try out the video bit of it and to have the ability to not miss any shots at the same time (as opposed to getting just a video camera).

How many D700 owners think that this was a good move due to the fact that the horrendous disaster in Japan will hold up the release of the D400/D800 to have the as a backup/upgrade to the D700?

Please let me know what your thoughts/opinions/experiences are, and as always, thanks for taking the time to respond/post.

Cheers,
Kevin

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I kept my D300 after I bought the D700. Both bodies give similar results when used outside. How about getting a used D300?

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>I kept my D300 after I bought the D700. Both bodies give
>similar results when used outside. How about getting a used
>D300?

The D300 is a great camera, no doubt, I gave it up to my wife, and now I need a second body because it's difficult to do lens switches in the middle of a parade, so, it's a D7000 for now because my wife does not like how the D7000 handles. Plus, I really want to experiment with the video.

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I got the D700 a year and half ago from a D1 and added the D7000 last November.

I really like having both bodies. I use the 7000 when I want the extra reach the 1.5 crop gives me.. and the D700 for everything else. Especially wide angle. I'll use either for macro, depending on the mood.

One thing the D7000 made me do is force myself out of bad habits I was slipping into.. for some reason, the D700 always feels good and seems to let me get away with things the D7000 won't tolerate.. (Example, when shooting flying birds, I felt I had to relearn how to hold the camera for steady shots) I love the fact all my full frame lenses and my manual lenses work with either camera.

I think both are excellent. Haven't played with video too much with the D7000..

The only regret with the D700 is I didn't get it sooner...

As far as the D7000 goes, IMO, I think it's the epitome of what an advanced consumer camera can be. The next generation cameras are gonna have to be really something to make me want to change.

I love my D700, the D7000 is fun, I think they complement each other.
My 2 cents..

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Hi Charles,

I'm with you on the extra reach and working on the hand-holding technique, I know that I definitely got sloppy with it because the D700 is so forgiving.

I got my D700 almost as soon as it came out, and don't regret it a single bit, and will not give it up, definitely don't understand people who sold their D700 to buy the D7000 - there are some people out there who did that.

Thanks for the response.

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I just got the D7000. It's a great camera and I like the lighter weight with my 17-55 compared to my D700 and 24-70.

Hi Armando,

The D700 and 24-70 is my everyday setup, and the 17-55 and D7000 will be my lightweight setup

Thanks for the response.

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I also use the 35/1.8DX if I want to travle lighter! Once in awhile i use the 10.5/2.8 fisheye. I find that I tend to use the D7000 more than 700. With these 2 cameras I am definitely using flash less often.

50 f1.8 and 85 f1.8 will be my prime set - although, I'm missing something for the wide side of it. Need to look into that 35 f2
in a month or two...

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I got a D7000 just a couple weeks ago to complement my D700. I had two reasons:

1. When traveling light with my two small kids, the D7000 will be easier to carry around, especially when paired with a small prime like the 35/1.8.

2. It puts about 3x the amount of pixels on a subject when used for the same scene, subject distance and lens. This provides much more reach for shooting small birds and other distant targets. Or alternatively, it allows me to hike much lighter, as I could take the D7000 + 300/4 instead of the D700 + 500/4.

Overall, the D700 is still a much better camera, but the D7000 works very well for these two use cases, and I'm also delighted with the image quality.

Below is an example where it already paid off. I took this shot with both my cameras and different lens and TC combinations, but the best result by far came from the 500/4 without TC on the D7000.

http://www.tkphoto.me/Galleries/Santa-Clara/Moon-20110318-009-Edit/1220820113_TPapb-XL.jpg

Tom
Bay Area Nikonian

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Hi Tom,

That is an absolutely amazing shot of the moon - the detail is unbelievable....

1) I will definitely carry around the D700 with the 50/1.8 and 85/1.8.

How is the 35/1.8? Is that the new DX lens? The FX only comes in f2 I believe.

2) I will be pairing my 70-200 f2.8 VR with it as it will give me more reach and there won't be any vignetting (however slight it may be with the D700).

How does the D700 handle with something as large as the 300/4? Do you have the grip on the D7000?

Thank you for the reply.

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Thank you for your kind comments! You should look into the 35/1.8, it's very good and quite inexpensive. Unlike the 35/2 it's a DX lens, but will also work fine on the D700 in FX mode when used for close distances. The only thing I don't like so much is the 35mm focal length on DX bodies (equivalent to about 50mm on FX). On DX I usually go out with 24mm and 85mm lenses.

Lenses like the 70-200 and 300/4 handle well on the D7000 even without grip. Since I'm used to holding the D700 with 500/4, the D7000 with 300/4 feels like a toy (in a good way), and it's very pleasant to carry around and shoot.

Tom
Bay Area Nikonian

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I just got the D7000 yesterday. Have not put the 70-200 on it yet, but will try it. I definitely need something wider than the 50 f1.8 I have.
Let's see what I can get in a month or two.

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The D7000 handling is quite different with dof preview and Fn button positions reversed, changing AF and metering options quite different, and the D7000 top left control dial too easy to accidentally change.
The D7000 has about a 15% smaller apparent viewfinder size but is a useful 1 stop brighter in low light. Using LiveView on the D7000 is much easier.
When needed the D7000 delivers usefully more resolution than D700/3/300.
What we do not know is whether or not Nikon will change the handling of future DX and FX pro bodies more toward the D7000 layout.
My advice is because of the quite different handling try a D7000 before making a final decision.

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

Hi Len,

Thanks for the useful info on the viewfinder and the other options.

I held the D7000 in a store and made a few shots with it, played around with the menus, and in general, the smaller grip and form factor is a bit weird for me, having shot with the D300 and D700 for the last 4 years, but it's something I could get used to. The button change is a big thing, but that should work out just fine as well.

I never use live view on my D700 - always shoot through the viewfinder, but this will change for the video part of the D7000.

Even if Nikon does change the layout, I'm sure that they will most likely leave most of the buttons, even if they switch their position. However, I still really miss the CF card locking latch from the D300 - this really was a mistake on their part, I think.

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>However, I still really miss the CF card locking latch from the D300 -
Something I forgot - the D7000 takes only SD cards.

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

>>However, I still really miss the CF card locking latch
>from the D300 -
>Something I forgot - the D7000 takes only SD cards.
True. Inconvenient but true. I need faster cards for the video anyway, such is life.

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I sold my D300 and got a D7000. I think I now have a perfect set of bodies. If someone asks what camera my answer a D7700
The duo of D7000 with a 17-55 and the D700 with a 24-70 is what definitely fits most my needs.
The D7000 is now my every day camera which I carry most of the time.
The D700 is now for the more sophisticated type of photographic tasks.


Dieter

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D7700 ->

I'm glad to hear that you are happy with this choice and that it works for you.

I just got the D7000 yesterday - playing with it now.

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