Everything you need for good photos, and more

The Nikon D700 is a great camera. The paper is impressive: Thanks to full-frame sensor it is incredibly light strongly at 12 MP until 3200 ISO could use them almost blind, in addition, must be careful. Then you can use his old lenses as usual. It is robust, extremely flexible and configurable, so practically a D3 in smaller housing ....

It is unfortunately an expensive camera.

Therefore the decision process took me almost two years before I could make up my mind at last to buy them. As D200 owners and Available Light fan I found the statements to the High ISO performance electrifying. On the other hand I take pictures then not so much with high ISO values. Then I had bought to make matters worse still, the Panasonic GF1, which impressed me with its compactness and its super picture quality.

Beginning of the year (Christmas bonus ...) I suggested then in impulse buying to ... then I wondered if that was really necessary now that I already had two really good cameras ...

The answer was the spring vacation, with 50 / 1.8, 28-105mm / 3.5-4,5, 70-300 VR and Tokina ATX 12-24 (oh yes, a DX lens) in his luggage.

In normal subjects with normal lighting the D700 of course brings no significant advantage over D300, D200 or D90.

However, where the D700 excelled, were Subjects with extremely high contrast, where the lights were at first glance totally away, or on the other hand, the shadows. The details that you could get out of the lights in the RAWs still were, quite simply stunning.

The High ISO qualities at night were as hoped. With the 50 / 1,8er Camera was sovereign in the range between ISO 200 and 3200 on the road and the images looked spotless. When I returned because remember my old movie times when ISO 400 films showed pretty bead and films from ISO 800 (DIN 30 that time) films were genuine specialties, that's literally as different as day and night,

The real revelation came but with a day trip, in which it was a bit darker than expected, and to where I was still pretty much in the woods. I had paid attention only to aperture and shutter speed during shooting and saw everything in the green area. In the evening until I realized that it was actually so dim that the camera had partially pulled up the sensitivity through Auto ISO to ISO 5000. And the shots really saw that at no. Sharp, clear, no noise that one would catch the eye. What I learned this with the mallet, which enables this camera was a shooting in situations that were quite simply impossible before.

Another experience was that not only the new but also the lenses from the 80's and 90 function "old" perfect in fact. The 28-105 / 3.5-4.5: sharp, rich in contrast and easy to handle. The 70-300 VR (this, of course, a new design): As you would expect very well.
The Tokina 12-24 (for DX) was an experiment on the basis of some statements in forums. It may in fact between 20 and 24 mm without vignetting on FX format be used, and the picture quality is sure that the lens should only sharpen DX, also at the edges okay. Not brilliant, but okay.

The 50 / 1,8er has kindled my love to the fixed focal length again. With it, the D700 is quite compact and "easy" (more on that later), and easy to handle. Compared to the 50's is a also painfully aware of how hard you have to wear so at its typical fleet of zoom (wide-angle, normal, telephoto). Therefore, one of my decisions after the holiday, me a 24 / 2,8er zuzulegen and to use this in the combo with the 50s and the 70-300er. Maybe I will return someday to the classic trio of wide-angle, normal and telephoto fixed focal length back. The D700 suggests that.

The handling of the D700 is good. Personally, I find the ability to display an artificial horizon in the viewfinder, very convenient because I can not just hold cameras hell-bent.
The adaptability to their own preference is excellent. You can really configure anything and everything somehow.
However, the weight of the camera in conjunction with the proportions is too high in my opinion. While the D200 in the area is perfect (located just right in the hand, feels weight, right on), the D700 is a little bit too heavy and should be kept not quite as good by their slightly less modeled shape. Sounds harmless, is in daily life but disruptive.

Nevertheless, I have my D700 fond. It is robust, the picture quality is even in extreme situations really well. 12 MP is in my view the "sweet spot" with respect to the camera resolution: I * leave of imaging recordings my old D200 50 70, and already this look fantastic. Whether a 18 or 24 MP further bring wirklch as a hobby photographer, everyone must decide for themselves. For me, 12 MP are just right.

In summary, the Nikon D700 is a truly great camera to save due to its high ISO capabilities and the possibility of many "unrettbare" still shots. But it is also very expensive. Therefore, I would advise anyone interested advise is to further analyze the existing recordings and the motives that he wants to be photographed, whether it really needs the D700 for it, or whether the D300s or D90 (that would have been my choice in the DX range) to achieve the Objectives also sufficient.