I know it's been discussed before...but, again, I'm a bit confused.

I've moved more and more into the hobby...in the past 3 years I've owned 2 D60's, and now own a D7K....

Lenses, i've owned the Tokina 11-16, 18-200 Nikon, 18-105, 18-55....sold / traded them as I have invested in FX glass.

Currently own:

Nikon 14-24 2.8 / 24-70 2.8 / 24mm F1.4
Sigma: 50m 1.4 / Sigma 70-200m 2.8


75-80% is portrait and street shooting / lower light natural shooting / and i like and use strobes a lot...have home studio set up....

25% of outdoor landscapes, etc.


So, what to do??? All I've read, the D700 is all I'd need....I'd sell my other D60 and keep the D7k as backup....but, I don't think I want the D800...but, my buds say....don't buy older technology (D700)....wait, get the next gen D600....but, that could take another 18 months to get your hands on one....

Everyone who posts here says the jump from DX to FX is clearly recognizable in their work....

Please advise.....look forward to your suggestions....

dc

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Check this review, it helped me make the decision to get the D700 instead of waiting for the D600. I also have a D7000 and D800 is on order.
http://mansurovs.com/nikon-d700-review

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I have had a D700 for four years and I have no desire to replace it with a D800 or an imaginary D600.

Tristan

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>Check this review, it helped me make the decision to get the
>D700 instead of waiting for the D600. I also have a D7000 and
>D800 is on order.
>http://mansurovs.com/nikon-d700-review



Excellent review....thanks for providing...


I'm a bit concerned about the D800's file sizes, etc.....from what it appears...the 700 might fit the bill....

DC

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>>Check this review, it helped me make the decision to get
>the
>>D700 instead of waiting for the D600. I also have a D7000
>and
>>D800 is on order.
>>http://mansurovs.com/nikon-d700-review
>
>
>
>Excellent review....thanks for providing...
>
>
>I'm a bit concerned about the D800's file sizes, etc.....from
>what it appears...the 700 might fit the bill....
>
>DC
>I have just cancelled my order for the D800 today and ordered another D700 instead, after working with the camera for a week now I know it fits my needs to the tee. Great FPS with the MB-D10 and the high ISO performance is spectacular, accurate and reliable autofocus, great build, what more can I ask for? I couldn't see dropping my hard earned cash on a chance that I might get a good copy of the D800. Definetely do not need video either for my needs.

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I had not seen that link before, thanks! Great piece, definitely made me feel better about NOT waiting for the D800 (not that I still don't want one).

This about sums up my needs, too:

So, what makes the D700 the best camera for me? In summary, it is the excellent image quality and high ISO performance, superb autofocus, large viewfinder, great ergonomics, weather-sealing, good speed, the not-too-bulky size and much more…a long list of good reasons at half the price of top-of-the-line professional cameras like Nikon D3s.


Anthony

The Moderator Page and My Gallery
The important things in life are simple; the simple things are hard.

You have some glass which will work great with the D800 or D700 but I have found that all my lenses just perform better then ever before. Even the low cost Dx lenses of which I only have two.
For most studio shots you would not notice the difference between the D700 and D800 but in more challenging conditions of light sources you will notice that the D800 is probably the best camera so far for the basics like metering AF tracking, color and DR. The subsystems have a very polished feel to them. It is very rare in mixed source light temps to have the AWB miss.
All this means, even if one really does not need the res of 36mpx or the noise advantage of downsizing, the harmonious cooperation between the subsystems will result in fewer shots taken, less "safeties", less post processing but if you want to do something more radical, the D800 files are the most flexible you could hope for. The shadow noise at low ISO can be pushed a lot before noise and color start to be a problem.
I find that I use LESS storage space than the D7000 because my shot count has gone way down while the keeper rate and total number of keepers has gone up. High quality 14 bit lossless compressed RAW files are about 40mb.
If you have an interest in trying one, you probably know someone who can let you use theirs or rent a D800 for a day or two. I am confident that you will be impressed
Stan
St Petersburg Russia

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I thoroughly agree with what Stan is saying. I just received my D800 on Monday 16 July, just after returning from 10 days in Montana and Yellowstone NP. I have over 1,000 photos I've been sorting and editing - and other commitments so I haven't had as much time as I would like to get to know my D800.

That said I've shot well over 100 photos with it and I have been truly astounded with the photo quality, color depth and detail in each photo. I usually shoot strictly Manual, but the D800 "Auto ISO" knows the lens your using and focal length and sets the exposure for that. I've been experimenting in "A" with an aperture f/10. I'm including a "snapshot" of a small dragonfly I shot this afternoon, hand held an old 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 G no VR (85mm at about 12").

I handle this camera every day since getting it and shoot just for the heck of it. I have not had the problems with the camera locking up (I've deleted and edited lots of images in camera and all my display features are on). No left focus problems or green cast on the display so I hope Nikon has those problems solved. Knocking on wood that everything is fine with this camera.

The D800 is totally astounding and I don't think it can be compared with any other camera. It is truly in a class by itself.

Well Wishes,

Ken

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I ordered a D800 thinking that was just the camera for me.

I own a D200, D300s, and a D700.

As I waited (and waited) for the D800 to be shipped to the dealers, I began to think about it a bit more.

I had two DX cameras and an FX model, so what was going to be gained
by buying a D800?

Video? Nah, I have a Sony HDR-CX700 for that.

Bigger files to download? Nah, I do not need that either.

So I finally decided to cancel the D800 order and take my $3000+ and put it towards a ticket to the Galapagos Islands.

One of the best camera decisions I ever made!

The D700 is super in low light situations.
It has excellent long life battery.
I have all of the FX glass I could ever want, because as I bought glass for the D200 and D300s........ I always bought FX glass, rather than DX glass.

Winding up with a D700 it certainly paid off.

So if I were in your place I would purchase the D700 without a second thought and save some bucks at the same time.

There is very little chance you could ever see the difference in the D700 and D800 pics.... unless maybe you had the D800 focus problem a number of buyers have experienced.

That must be a really sad experience! I feel for those affected.
Perry

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I have been itching to move to FX for a long time. Originally I was a 35mm shooter and I have never been really happy the the cropped APS-C/DX sensor. When the D700 came out I was excited but I could not justify a new body at that time. When the D800 was anounced I knew it was time for me to jump. I did and I love it. If the D800 seems too pricy now consider picking one of the many used D700s on the market. There are quite a few on Nikonians "I want to sell" or eBay. Then later a D600 or maybe you will the first on the block a D900 in a few years!

If you can wait till September, you will be rewarded with either the low cost "entry level" Full frame D600 or
the lowered cost and more available used D700 or D800.

And if you cannot wait, get a used D700 or D3 now.

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You certainly own all of the right glass for an FX camera.

I had the D700 for two years and thought that it was the best camera that I had ever owned, and I've owned many. It's still the same camera today as it was back then, so it would be hard to find any fault with such a marvelous piece of equiptment. That being said, I had a D800 for about two weeks (mine had problems so I returned it) but I have to say that for the short time that I owned it, I was duly impressed by its capabilities including the color depth and dynamic range. The ability to crop tighter is important to me but may not be to you if you do mostly studio work. If money isn't a big factor, I would definitely opt for the D800. Four years of new technology for $800 more is very cheap. One caveat, I would not recommend that you purchase the D800 until the various issues are straightened out and you can be reasonably assured of getting a problem free copy. I intend to buy another at that time. You may already know this, but DxOMark has rated the D800's sensor as the best ever.

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Camera-Sensor-Database/Nikon/D800

jP

Hi Dino,

If you shoot at high ISO settings, there is a real advantage using an FX body.
Another attribute is the narrower DOF an FX body provides.
Other than that, the IQ is more similar than different between the D300 (DX) and D700 (FX). The D7000 has a better sensor than the D300 making any perceived differences even smaller.
Is your D7000 failing to meet your expectaions in some way?
Good Luck and Enjoy your Nikons!

Best Regards,
Marty

>Hi Dino,
>
>If you shoot at high ISO settings, there is a real advantage
>using an FX body.
>Another attribute is the narrower DOF an FX body provides.
>Other than that, the IQ is more similar than different between
>the D300 (DX) and D700 (FX). The D7000 has a better sensor
>than the D300 making any perceived differences even smaller.
>Is your D7000 failing to meet your expectaions in some way?
>Good Luck and Enjoy your Nikons!


Love the D7K...but, have always wanted to go FX....

Pulled the trigger today....


D700 with the battery pack...what a beast in your hands....

I shot my first 14-24mm 2.8 today in FX.....well...let's just say....we're not in Kansas anymore Toto

Wow !!!

Lots to learn...but, having come from the D7k which will remain as the backup and will normally live with the 70-200mm 2.8 Sigma, it will give me a bit of extra lenght and the D700 will be used for my hand to hand combat shooting in the streets and market places along with my portrait work...

Thanks all for the comments....

dc

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Hi Dino,

Congratulations on your new D700.
Enjoy!
Good Luck and Enjoy your Nikons!

Best Regards,
Marty

Dino, What did you like about the D700. How was it superior to the D7000? Thank you!

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>Dino, What did you like about the D700. How was it
>superior to the D7000? Thank you!


shot my first with the 14-24mm...it's like a whole new lense....

As well, the response is instant and the view finder much larger..

I find the focus with both the Nikor 24-70 and 70-200 VR II to be incredible...

With the 14-24..it's well....better than incredible...

I have not shot it yet wth my Nikon 24mm F1.4 or my Sigma 50 mm F1.4...will do so this weekend...can't wait.

I'll post some stuff later...

But, bottom line...I shot my first 300 pics....everything seems to just "POP" and I was shooting some things in ISO 2000 and they are not grainy at all..

It's a beast in your hands


dc

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Here are my first few shots....with the D700

Used a Firefly on a strobe, Speedlight 910, ISO 200

You can't see it on the second picture..but, you can actualy see a strand of hair under her eye if you enlarge....

These pics are heavly cropped as well....

My biggest change is from DX where I used to leave a bit of "edge" room and now the FX where I need to fill the frame....

Again, this is the first day of actually shooting...

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Attachment #1, (jpg file)
Attachment #2, (jpg file)

I don't know what it is or maybe it's just my imagination, about the D700, but the images I've seen look simply better than from any other DSLR in my opinion. I'm hoping for a D600 with 24mp, with D300s level features, and priced reasonably.

Mike

>I don't know what it is or maybe it's just my imagination,
>about the D700, but the images I've seen look simply better
>than from any other DSLR in my opinion. I'm hoping for a D600
>with 24mp, with D300s level features, and priced reasonably.


Feel the same....I'm amazed at the ISO capabilities.

I still feel good about buying a "now discontinued" D700 (LOL).

I figure it will be at least a year or more before the D600 makes it way into the general public and gets the kinks works out...

So, for me, good decision..and if the D600 is a real hit..I'll get it and use the D700 as a backup and sell my D7k (current backup).

dc

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