Full-frame is probably what every aspiring photographer dreams of at night. At one point, it was almost unattainable as this feature was present only in high-end models that cost a limb or two. Then along came Canon which released the EOS 5D and made full-frame shooters a little bit more affordable. Nikon fanboys have since been clamoring for something similar, or better, from the company.
Perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets of the imaging industry, Nikon today announced the much-rumoured and leaked D700. Built into the heart of this shooter is the soul of the acclaimed D3, with some features toned down. Other than exterior and specification differences, we were told the firmware and most of the hardware is similar to the D3's.
Although images of it were already making the rounds online a few weeks back, nothing beats holding the real deal and getting a feel of it. Here's our hands-on first take with a pre-production model.
Upside
Nikon's many years of experience in producing cameras is evident in the D700 the moment we removed it from its box. The solid build lends a sense of authority and it feels like a tank when coupled with the 17-35mm F2.8 lens.
The shooter houses a 36 x 23.9mm CMOS sensor (similar to the D3's) with an effective resolution of 12.1 megapixels. This is on par with its competitor, the EOS 5D. Some people may ask: "Why not ramp up the resolution?" Well, there is an "optimum" resolution for different sensor sizes and this is affected by the ISO sensitivity as well. Although Nikon did not tell us why, we believe any higher resolution could very well compromise the image quality. In any case, 12.1 megapixels is enough for most photographers, and it definitely contains sufficient information to make prints larger than 8R (8 x 10 inch) size.
Maximum ISO sensitivity of 25,600 is, quite frankly, mind-boggling, and this is borrowed from the D3. While noise is a concern, this feature is a good-to-have, especially for photographers who work in unpredictable environments and need the flexibility to operate in dim situations. Compared to the EOS 5D, which has an ISO of only 3,200 max, the D700 plays another ball game entirely.
Like the D3, the D700 has 51 autofocus points, too. There are options to reduce the focusing points to nine or 21 for more precision, but leaving it at 51 will enable 3D tracking, which shifts the focusing to follow subjects' movements.
A nice touch that Nikon has put on the D700 is on-board flash. While some purists may shun this feature and say that only entry level dSLRs have pop-up flashes, we think it is a thoughtful inclusion because you never know when lighting conditions may change.
Live View function is also present, and made even more of a delight to use on the high-resolution 920k-colour 3-inch VGA LCD. The frame rate lagged a bit, but as we had only a working prototype, this should be fixed in the production model. Otherwise, the colours are the most accurate we've seen on a dSLR's display so far.
Nikon has stuck to its usual three recording formats, namely JPEG, RAW and TIFF. Although we are not sure if anyone still shoots in TIFF these days — RAW is becoming more common and offers greater flexibility when post-processing — we think this format will be popular among photographers who work within time constraints and may not have the luxury of waiting for RAW files to be processed.
The D700 is capable of blasting away at five frames per second (fps), and this can be ramped up to 8fps by plugging in the optional MB-D10 battery pack and using the higher-capacity EN-EL4a/4 Lithium-ion cell or eight AA-sized batteries.
Like Canon with its DIGIC III image processor, Nikon has its Expeed engine that it claims to give superior image quality. Besides applying advanced algorithms which calculate proper exposure, the processor is also responsible for the operation of the 51 autofocus points. When D-Lighting is activated, the chip extends the dynamic range to reveal details that would otherwise be lost in the highlights and/or shadow regions.
Downside
At 995g for the body alone, the D700 is no featherweight. Compared with the EOS 5D which tips the scale at 810g, the Nikon will need some strong shoulders to carry it around. Throw in a couple of lenses and a flash, and it will be a full gym workout just by ferrying the equipment around.
Images are stored in CompactFlash cards and we think this could be one factor that explains for the gargantuan size of this shooter. While it may be a tradition for mid-range and high-end dSLRs to deploy this format, we think using SD flash media could shave off a couple of grams.
As is the case Nikon's other dSLRs, the buttons and their layout can be a little intimidating. For first-time users, we think it's better to read the included manual as there are plenty of functions and features that can be customised but are hidden underneath the many buttons.
Outlook
We think the D700 is going to give the Canon a good run for its money, and if it doesn't unveil the successor to the EOS 5D soon, some shutterbugs may even consider switching camps to enjoy the power-packed features of this Nikon shooter. The D700, body only, goes on sale in Australia at the end of July for AU$3,899. Nikon execs muttered something about a kit bundle with the 24-120mm lens but wouldn't be drawn on specifics.
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