Our Rating 
(4/5)
I think it’s fair to say the Nikon D700 has finally given some competition to the market leading Canon.
Nikon has done it again, producing a market-leading digital SLR that sets a new standard for image quality and ISO performance. Stacked up against its nearest competitor, the three-year-old Canon 5D, the Nikon D700 wins in high ISO performance and overall camera features. The 12.8-megapixel 5D, for its part, may hold a slight lead in overall image tonal quality, but that kind of quality is indeed found only in the eye of the beholder, and the Nikon D700 can be tweaked to reproduce much of that performance.
The Nikon D700′s list of pluses is overwhelming. Easily the greatest advantage offered by this $3,000 digital SLR is the ability to shoot usable photos in ridiculously low light. Press photographers are the obvious beneficiaries, where newsprint reproduction won’t even reveal noise artifacts from shots at 12,800; and we as image consumers will start seeing more available light photography everywhere. Though the initial price is still high, the Nikon D700 produces images of the same quality, if not better, than the Nikon D3. Even looking closely at images produced in low light, ISO 3,200 images are not far removed from ISO 200 images.
Pro:* Rugged construction with magnesium alloy body and full environmental sealing
* Gorgeous, high-resolution 3-inch LCD
* Fast 5 fps continuous shooting, with a deep buffer
* Optional battery grip improves performance to 8 fps
* High resolution with excellent detail
* Superb print quality
* Effective, automatic chromatic aberration correction for JPEGs
* 51-point AF with 15 cross-type sensors (though see Con about AF speed)
* Very good high ISO performance, with ISOs as high as 25,600
* Adjustable high-ISO noise reduction settings
* True RAW files (no additional processing applied by the camera)
* 14-bit A/D
* 14-bit RAW mode does not slow burst rate as it does on Nikon D300
* AF fine-tuning for up to 12 lenses
* Large, bright optical viewfinder with near 100% coverage
* Two Live View modes for framing with LCD
* Virtual Horizon Indicator overlay in Live View
* Intuitive user interface and great ergonomics
* New Info screen has virtual menu for specific functions
* Active D-lighting improves shadow detail while maintaining highlights in JPEGs, includes new Auto mode
* Very good exposure accuracy
* Spot meter follows active focus point
* Scene Recognition System works very well
* Standardized Picture Control system
* Dust reduction system
* Excellent battery life (CIPA: 1,000 shots)
* Enormous range of custom settings, very customizable
* Supports Nikon Creative Lighting System, camera can control two remote groups, plus its own onboard strobe
* HDMI port for high-definition viewing
* GPS data recording with optional accessories
* Optional WiFi transmitter
* UDMA CompactFlash support
* Extensive in-camera retouching
* Selectable RAW file compression
* Vignette control reduces lens shading
* Compatible with just about every F-mount lens made after 1977Con:
* 51-point Auto-area AF mode a bit slow for a camera of this caliber
* JPEGs are a little soft straight from the camera, but respond well to post-processing
* Auto white balance handles incandescent lighting poorly
* Deep menu system (but hey, with so many functions and options, what else can you do?)
* No in-body Image Stabilization system
* Some software optional that other manufacturers include free (i.e.: remote control)
* No full-Auto mode (we list this more as a warning than an actual disadvantage)
* Priced outside of many budgets
* Big and heavy
Digital camera world sells the Nikon D700 Gerry Gibbs camerahouse in WA sell the Nikon D700
Why to get this D700
For everyone else shooting landscapes, portraits, products, and nature, the D700 is the new king. (The D3X is still being boycotted at its $8,000 initial asking (bluff) price. Get a Canon 5D Mark II instead if you need more pixels.)
For shooting concerts and theater, the D700 is better than the D3 because it is quieter. They both have the same fantastic low-light performance. (Of course it’s still illegal to use in any acoustic performances.)
Nikon has been very cunning with the feature-set of the D700, taking the key specifications of the D3, and only leaving those which would affect a small and generally pro audience – who probably already have a D3 anyway. So by keeping the core image quality of the D3 and squeezing it into a smaller, lighter and cheaper body with the addition of a popup flash and anti-dust features, Nikon’s created a highly compelling full-frame DSLR.
It does however leave the question of a very high resolution body, as Nikon’s top three DSLRs now all feature ‘just’ 12 Megapixels. This may be sufficient for most photographers, but pros or anyone shooting for high-end libraries demand more. Canon has long offered the 1Ds Mark III with 21 Megapixels and the long-awaited EOS 5D successor is bound to make a comfortable leap beyond its current 12 Megapixels.
Many industry watchers are expecting to see a high resolution ‘D3x’ by the end of 2008, probably featuring Sony’s recently announced 24 Megapixel full-frame sensor in a D3 form factor. How this will perform – should it even exist – is anyone’s guess, but if you’re thinking of spending big bucks on the D700, it’s worth speculating Nikon’s next move in the high-end DSLR market.
If you’re happy using a rival brand, there’s also Sony’s flagship Alpha – most likely with that 24 Megapixel sensor, built-in stabilisation and an aggressive price tag – along with Canon’s long-awaited successor to the EOS 5D to consider, the latter almost certainly offering more than 12 Megapixels. Both are again expected by the end of 2008.
But today we have the D700 which is by far one of the most impressive DSLRs we’ve tested. Indeed, beyond the minor nitpicking mentioned above, there’s really little we can criticise it on. Depending on your viewpoint it either represents a smaller, lighter and more affordable way to enjoy the D3’s superb image quality, or equips the D300 form factor with a significant step-up in high-sensitivity performance. That’s a win-win whichever way you look at it and if you fall into either camp you’ll be absolutely delighted by the D700.
Ultimately like the Canon EOS 5D almost three years before it, you have to ask yourself if you really need full-frame, as it still adds a very high premium over cropped-frame models like the D300. You might take one look at our High ISO Noise results and know that’s exactly what you want, or you may equally be underwhelmed by the differences for the money. You should also look carefully at the full-frame lens options that are available, as this can result in a significant additional investment.
If you don’t need full-frame then simply go for models like the D300 and relax in the knowledge its resolving power at low sensitivities is essentially the same. But if you can justify the extra outlay for high ISO performance and lack of field reduction, then the D700 is a superb choice. And again while it is much more expensive than the D300, it remains comfortably cheaper than the only other full-frame option from Nikon – so at least we’re heading in the right direction.
So with the Nikon D700 further broadens its impressive DSLR line-up and continues to throw down gauntlet after gauntlet to Canon, making its arch rival look complacent in some categories. Canon simply has to respond, but until then there’s few independent observers who wouldn’t consider Nikon now having number one billing in DSLRs.