Searching for a D700 a good idea?

daveward

Senior Member
I just missed an opportunity to buy a local pre-owned D700. Not that I was in the market for one, but....
I own a great little D90 and have fancied moving over to full frame to see the difference myself. When I saw that D700 I started thinking that alternative would be a lower cost entry to test my full frame curiosity than targeting something newer (and I have no interest in video). Obviously having a newer more current camera would be nice, but I do just fine thanks with the resolution on my D90, so a D700 would seem to suit my modest needs. As I re-read old verbiage on the D700 I see very little that is negative about the camera, in fact far more comments are complimentary than negative. So...I was wondering if any forum members would like to encourage my search, or dissuade me based on their own D700 ownership. Thanks very much. Dave
 

carguy

Senior Member
I just missed an opportunity to buy a local pre-owned D700. Not that I was in the market for one, but....
I own a great little D90 and have fancied moving over to full frame to see the difference myself. When I saw that D700 I started thinking that alternative would be a lower cost entry to test my full frame curiosity than targeting something newer (and I have no interest in video). Obviously having a newer more current camera would be nice, but I do just fine thanks with the resolution on my D90, so a D700 would seem to suit my modest needs. As I re-read old verbiage on the D700 I see very little that is negative about the camera, in fact far more comments are complimentary than negative. So...I was wondering if any forum members would like to encourage my search, or dissuade me based on their own D700 ownership. Thanks very much. Dave

Why not? The D700 is still a very solid and great camera.
The common notion that cameras somehow get worse over time is nonsense. I just bought a D750 which has been out for years :)
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
The major cost of upgrading to FX is not the price of the camera itself. It's the lenses you're going to need to really appreciate the full frame advantages. But the D700 should give you a lot of pleasure to use. The skin tones produced by that sensor is still hard to beat (I have a Df and D810). I still miss mine sometimes.
 

TwistedThrottle

Senior Member
Hi Dave. I dont have a D700, but I was searching for one when I found my used D800. I will point out the obvious first, and that is if you dont have FX glass, the body is the least expensive part of the full frame upgrade. If you have glass that works for your D90 and are happy with that, great! It will cost hundreds more in lenses than just the body to match what you can get with the D90 and your DX lenses with an exception; low light. I was torn between the D600(10) 24mp, D700 12mp and D800(e) 36mp. I went with the D800 because it was within a couple hundred bucks of all of them, it had a much larger pixel count allowing me to future proof better and though I rarely shoot video, I wanted the capability to do so. I got most of my FX lenses used and in many cases went with old glass which kept the cost down. I have lucked out so far and have received good copies of the lenses I have bought used, but its a crap shoot and at any time, I know I can end up with someones dropped lens that wont focus right. Personally, I would look at something that is much better than your current D90 in order to justify the jump. It would suck to invest all this money to just end up with marginally better results. You do have the benefit of full frame and better low light capabilities, but only when paired with good glass. Hope this helps, good luck in your quest.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
... I was wondering if any forum members would like to encourage my search, or dissuade me based on their own D700 ownership.
While I don't own a D700 personally, I've shot them on occasion and I'd have no issue owning one. The D700 is a "tank" of a body that renders color (skin tones, especially) like no other. I think a solid argument could be made the D700 is one of the best DSLR's ever released.
 

hark

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So...I was wondering if any forum members would like to encourage my search, or dissuade me based on their own D700 ownership. Thanks very much. Dave

We like spending other peoples' money! ;)

The major cost of upgrading to FX is not the price of the camera itself. It's the lenses you're going to need to really appreciate the full frame advantages. But the D700 should give you a lot of pleasure to use. The skin tones produced by that sensor is still hard to beat (I have a Df and D810). I still miss mine sometimes.

While I don't own a D700 personally, I've shot them on occasion and I'd have no issue owning one. The D700 is a "tank" of a body that renders color (skin tones, especially) like no other. I think a solid argument could be made the D700 is one of the best DSLR's ever released.

Marcel or Paul, do either of you know if Nikon will still service the D700? :confused: I'm sure there are other camera repair centers that would but not sure if repairs by Nikon is important to daveward.
 

daveward

Senior Member
Hi Dave. Personally, I would look at something that is much better than your current D90 in order to justify the jump. It would suck to invest all this money to just end up with marginally better results. You do have the benefit of full frame and better low light capabilities, but only when paired with good glass. Hope this helps, good luck in your quest.

TwistedT....thanks for the detailed response....I understand your thinking and the thinking of others who have mentioned that FX lenses are where the real expense comes into play. Point noted. Like you I would be OK with used, as I am with a used camera.

But what I don’t quite understand is that part of your response quoted above...can you give me an example of what you mean is ‘much better’ than the D90 that you had in mind. Are you suggesting better (higher) resolution like you did with the D800? Is that your meaning? Thanks.
 

daveward

Senior Member
We like spending other peoples' money! ;)


Yes, I have seen how that works here. :) Although there are enough
members who are trying to save me from overspending on lenses. Dave

Marcel or Paul, do either of you know if Nikon will still service the D700? :confused: I'm sure there are other camera repair centers that would but not sure if repairs by Nikon is important to daveward.

Great point I had not considered. Does this mean local camera shops are not good choices for repairs? I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the case.
 

TwistedThrottle

Senior Member
TwistedT....thanks for the detailed response....I understand your thinking and the thinking of others who have mentioned that FX lenses are where the real expense comes into play. Point noted. Like you I would be OK with used, as I am with a used camera.

But what I don’t quite understand is that part of your response quoted above...can you give me an example of what you mean is ‘much better’ than the D90 that you had in mind. Are you suggesting better (higher) resolution like you did with the D800? Is that your meaning? Thanks.
@daveward Not necessarily higher resolution but more of when the camera was released. Both your D90 and the D700 were released in 2008. Thats a long time in terms of the processor and other electronics in the camera. The D700 has the first generation Expeed sensor whereas the D600 and 800 (both c.2012) have the 3rd generation. All are an upgrade from the CMOS sensor in the D90. I dont put a whole lot into the megapixel battle. I do like having the larger pixel count for things like cropping, but I also understand if photographers were able to take outstanding pictures before a gazillion pixels, they should still be able to today but what they didnt have yesteryear were options. If you choose to use any of your dx lenses on your full frame, your cropping out pixels. I can still get about 15ish megapixels using a dx lens in dx crop mode on my D800. Try doing that on a D700, your working with about 6 megapixels. Hope this helps!
 
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hark

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Great point I had not considered. Does this mean local camera shops are not good choices for repairs? I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the case.

What I meant is some people expect Nikon will perform a repair if something happens. Just be sure to check with Nikon first so you are informed ahead of time. There are excellent camera repair shops out there - just don't want you to be disappointed if you get a D700 and need to have it serviced. ;)
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I wouldn’t worry about getting a D700 repaired. If you go to Nikon’s web site and search for authorized Nikon dealers trained and authorized by Nikon to repair a D700, there are 16 Camera repair facilities that meet Nikon’s criteria in the US…
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
... just don't want you to be disappointed if you get a D700 and need to have it serviced.
D700's don't require service. Ever. Not even when broken, which they never are. In Soviet Russia D700's service YOU. Much like The Terminator D700's are composed of alien technology based "liquid metal" and self-repair when left in the refrigerator overnight. Or rather they would, if they ever needed repair. Which, of course, they don't.
 

Danno

Senior Member
I have a D700 it was one of the best decisions I have made regarding camera bodies. The glass is the big investment when moving from DX to FX. But the D700 is a great starting point. It is enough that though I have transitioned to the z6 I am struggling with letting go of it.. I just enjoy the images from it.
 

Whiskeyman

Senior Member
The D700 is still listed in the lineup of D-SLR cameras that can be serviced by Nikon Authorized Repair Centers, including Nikon in Melville, NY.

On the NikonUSA web site, under the Schedule A Repair button, the D700 is not listed in the D-SLR lineup. However it is listed in the D-SLR list in the Find Authorized Repair Stations section of the Service and Repair page.

I do own a D700, and even though it's features and capabilities are dated, it is still a very good camera for many applications.

WM
 
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Dawg Pics

Senior Member
You can always rent one for a weekend and see what it is like before investing in one since the glass is so darned expensive.
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Considering the price of good FX glass, for a small increase in overall cost, you might want to consider a newer model camera. Don't be penny wise and dollar foolish!<br><br>
 

carguy

Senior Member
Considering the price of good FX glass, for a small increase in overall cost, you might want to consider a newer model camera. Don't be penny wise and dollar foolish!<br><br>
I'm not sure I follow. How would buying a newer model camera help with the price of good FX glass?
 

hark

Administrator
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The only downside I can see is the D700 has a 12.1MP sensor. Sometimes I crop my D750 images quite a bit so having a 24.3MP sensor is important for my preference. But the D700 works for a lot of people. Just something to consider.
 

daveward

Senior Member
The only downside I can see is the D700 has a 12.1MP sensor. Sometimes I crop my D750 images quite a bit so having a 24.3MP sensor is important for my preference. But the D700 works for a lot of people. Just something to consider.

Well, that was frustrating. I created a reply with questions but it takes awhile (for me) so when I was ready to submit the forum required another sign-in, but then I got a message that my reply couldn’t be processed due to a security something that was missing.

Anyway, thank you to everyone for your helpful input. Much to consider.
 

hark

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Well, that was frustrating. I created a reply with questions but it takes awhile (for me) so when I was ready to submit the forum required another sign-in, but then I got a message that my reply couldn’t be processed due to a security something that was missing.

Anyway, thank you to everyone for your helpful input. Much to consider.

Sorry for your difficulties, daveward. The forum has been experiencing some glitches over the past few days. Sounds like there might be a few more than need to be ironed out. If you are on a PC or Mac, maybe write out your response in Word (or similar program). Then all you'd have to do is to copy/paste until things get settled down here.
 
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