Nikon Digital Cameras

Nikon Digital Cameras D700 Review

Executive Summary about Nikon Digital Cameras by Mike Lowe

The D700 leans towards the higher end of the market, and - considering the full frame Nikon FX sensor - may well be the most viable pro-spec DSLR at a price point to undercut the bigger contenders.

Body
Nikon has been kicking up a storm of late with some exceptional DSLR cameras. The top-end pro spec Nikon D3, and mid-to-high-end prosumer Nikon D300 are both renowned for low-noise, high quality images that kick previous quality to the kerb (in DSLR terms at least) and positively shake a leg at it. Most notably the D700 has Nikon's full frame FX CMOS sensor - the very same 12.1 megapixel as found in the D3. Full-frame essentially means the sensor is the same size as a traditional frame of 35mm film. Attach a DX lens and this wont be possible - though, thankfully, the clever bods at Nikon have added an auto-crop mode that outputs 5 megapixel images.

Features & Operation
The Nikon D700 employs the much touted Multi-CAM3500FX system, which boasts 51 autofocus points in all. That may almost sound on the side of excessive, but the intelligent 3D tracking system can utilise these AF points to lock on and track a subject through the frame, ensuring sharp autofocus. The camera body itself is near identical to little brother Nikon D300, plumping for an 'environmentally sealed' (that's splash and dust proof to you and me) magnesium alloy body. If quality's your bag then there's nothing quite like having the option of shooting jpeg, NEF raw (or jpeg & raw simultaneously), or even TIFF straight to your compact flash card. Opting for a bunch of saleable features, the D700 also dabbles in the world of anti dust - employing a fairly standard sensor-shake system.

Picture Quality
Image quality, the D700 offers an unrivalled ISO range - when extended it spans from ISO 100 to a jaw dropping ISO 25,600. Nikon's EXPEED system - as found in all Nikon releases of late - also promises to optimize image quality, and is Nikon's assurance of optimum quality throughout.