[ll_coffee_lP]

My intentions in this post are to pass along my sincere gratitude to Peter Zack for his time (thank you my friend!), and to respond to a few PM's that I've received by those interested in the D700 and what using it is like.

Before I begin - I'm not a measurebator, I use a camera and gauge it against my prior experiences including comfort of use, amount of keepers, and workflow. I don't do test shots against brick walls, don't time things using a stop watch, or the like. The observations are all subjective and should be taken at that value.

My thoughts on the Nikon D700.

It's a bit larger in my hands than the Pentax counterparts that I've used (Ist DS, K10D, K-7), but I quickly got used to it and actually quite like the feel of the body. It feels solid and like a workman's tool, not like a weekend toy. With the extra body height my fingers don't curl underneath - so the only reason to get a grip is for ease of shooting in portrait mode (extra battery isn't really important for what I shoot). I haven't decided whether I'll do this or not yet. Overall, I'm very pleased with the feel.

Shutter sound is loud and clacky sounding, but I got used to it within two days. I don't even notice it anymore and it doesn't seem to bother anyone else around me either.

Menu system and controls are different from what I know, but I was able to find everything I needed to get up and running within a few mins of handling the camera. Everything's intuitive, just like Pentax. Again, very impressed. I'll likely read the manual at some point to see if there are any goodies noted inside, but haven't done it yet.

Viewfinder is simply amazing. Bright, clear, and big. I wish it was 100%, but it's not really an issue as I often find that I shoot tight (my style) and get into trouble when a client wants to order an 8x10 (blech!). The extra real estate is fine and appears to be fit squarely on my camera (i.e. extra space isn't off to one side or anything crazy like that). I also find that I don't have to mash my face against the back of the body to see through the finder anymore. Thank you!!

The responsiveness of this camera borders on ridiculous. I can fire off 18 RAW shots (buffer with the card I'm using) and preview them immediately - that's right IMMEDIATELY. I can also begin shooting again almost instantaneously. No waiting whatsoever. Amazing. No hiccups, no more - "Bear with me for a second" when I'm checking histograms and making adjustments. Shoot/review/adjust/shoot again in two seconds. This matters to me.

AF is also ridiculous. I tracked my daughters on a swing set yesterday (standing in front of them so they were moving front to back of me) using my Siggy 70-200 at F/2.8 and not one shot was out of focus - not ONE. I caught so many expressions that I don't know what to cull down. I love it! Focus in near dark is also spot on and immediate. The only hunting I've experienced is when I've been trying to focus and I'm really close to the lenses close focusing distance. Everything else (outdoor/indoor) is immediately snapped on. Wonderful!

Images on the PC look great. They do look different from Pentax, but the IQ is there and I like the look. Skin tones look wonderful and images rarely need sharpening in post. My only wish here is that the NEF RAW files could be opened right into ACR (like Pentax). I've needed to change using ACR over to LR2 for RAW processing before transfer over to CS2 for final touches. Not a big deal (I've used LR2 for about a year intermittenly with CS2), but a notable change to my workflow.

Switching over from SD to CF cards = sucked because I didn't have any CF and will not be able to use the cards with the D7000 when it comes out (I will be getting this as a back-up).

I don't have a shoe flash yet (waiting for SB700), but the on board flash is fast, predictable, and works flawlessly for fill.

What I love:
- Feel of the body
- Responsiveness of everything
- ISO 6400 is clean (oh my)
- AF
- Flash

What I will miss:
- FA 77 (85/1.8D is good, but not FA77 good)

Neutral:
- Shake reduction. I don't really know how much it helped, but I can say that my keeper rate is through the roof without it. Might help many, but obviously it didn't really matter to me.
- Less shooting modes on D700, but I only use A and M - so it's irrelevant to me. Might matter to some though.
- Legacy lenses are a question mark for me. I don't use them and only use AF lenses. YMMV on this one.

Peter's message to me was spot on and really helped me make my decision. I want to pass along a sincere thank you for the time you took to help me out. I really appreciate it.

For what it's worth I hope this information is helpful...and if you are looking at the D700, well - I think it's an amazing camera in every sense of the word.

Now...I'm off to shoot!

c[_]

[planedriver]

Thank You! Thinking about the D700 a lot although no plans to sell my current Pentax gear. Lens choice for the D700 is an other story I guess..

Andras

PS. I like that picture!

[Aegon]

I've switched to a D90 and the autofocus is amazing. In the dark, moving babies, swingsets, whatever. It works.

I've been using 3D tracking to maintain focus while recomposing. Fantastic results. It is so far advanced from what I've been doing that it feels like magic.

[Ratmagiclady]

I'm pretty sure those series of bodies would be an OK size if I needed to and could go there: (Actually, I'd be comparing to my K20d with grip: it seems they'd be big *enough* without one, ...I worry they might be way too much *with* one. Batteries last well enough if you aren't being careful?)

[K-9]

How's the vignetting? Most lenses wide open have a good degree of it on FF.

[ll_coffee_lP]

A couple more comments after a shoot Friday, yesterday and another one today.

Battery is fine. I've run the same battery now for three sessions in three days. My sessions typically last about an hour or so and I've tallied about 600 shots during that time alone. It appears that the battery has about 4-5 stages that the camera will indicate on the top lcd. I'm still at half juice after this time.

I see a lot of options for 3rd party grips on Ebay (I know nothing about them), but there might be a thinner one than the oem one. The D700 gets pretty big with the grip (for my hands).

Lens choice is very subjective to different people. I shoot people almost exclusively...so anything between 30-200 is perfect. I will be adding a Tamron 28-75mm to finish out my lens line. I love that lens in PK mount. The rest I have are in my sig.

One more quick thing I forgot to mention...changing lenses is a pain in the arse right now, as the lens release is on the left side of the camera (if it's hanging from your neck) instead of the right. This means that you have to hold the camera on the opposite side of the grip to take the lens off. Who's the twit who thought to put the release on that side of the camera?

c[_]

[ll_coffee_lP]

How's the vignetting? Most lenses wide open have a good degree of it on FF.

That's a good question and one that I honestly can't answer for you, as I add vignette to all my photos anyway.

All I can tell you is that I'm still adding vignette...so it can't be that bad if it's happening.

If you shoot landscapes and this matter you might want to check into this.

c[_]

[dugrant153]

Cool to hear about the transition and thanks for sharing all this info!!!

I've tried the D700 and it's a beast to carry around but a great camera that does some absolutely amazing things in the hands of the right person

Can't wait to see more images

[alexeyga]

My only wish here is that the NEF RAW files could be opened right into ACR (like Pentax). I've needed to change using ACR over to LR2 for RAW processing before transfer over to CS2 for final touches. Not a big deal (I've used LR2 for about a year intermittenly with CS2), but a notable change to my workflow.

Aren't there ACR updates to support D700's files?

[Ratmagiclady]

A couple more comments after a shoot Friday, yesterday and another one today.

Battery is fine. I've run the same battery now for three sessions in three days. My sessions typically last about an hour or so and I've tallied about 600 shots during that time alone. It appears that the battery has about 4-5 stages that the camera will indicate on the top lcd. I'm still at half juice after this time.

I see a lot of options for 3rd party grips on Ebay (I know nothing about them), but there might be a thinner one than the oem one. The D700 gets pretty big with the grip (for my hands).

Cool 'nuff to know. I tolerate a pretty big camera, mostly: I've got fairly long fingers and I like the heft. (What really bothers me is a lot of dead weight of lenses in the bag. There's a limit, though, and I figure adding a grip to a D300 or bigger might stray over into the 'uncalled-for.'

One more quick thing I forgot to mention...changing lenses is a pain in the arse right now, as the lens release is on the left side of the camera (if it's hanging from your neck) instead of the right. This means that you have to hold the camera on the opposite side of the grip to take the lens off. Who's the twit who thought to put the release on that side of the camera?

c[_]

I think Pentax are the odd ones out, here, actually. I came here from Canon FD, and I wouldn't be surprised if I could change those lenses in my sleep in my next lifetime, but I'm still feeling a bit awkward about the K-mount changes, even if they make perfect sense in their own way. (The rear caps kind of bug me, still: they can *come loose* in ways I never had to deal with before. Someday, I'm going to find some that fit securely regardless of which slot's where and splurge on like a dozen of them. I gather Op/Tech makes some that sounds promising. This is really one of those little details Pentax ought to attend to, I think. )

[ll_coffee_lP]

Aren't there ACR updates to support D700's files?

To be honest I never bothered to check. Always worked with Pentax straight from the memory card... I should look into this.

Thanks for the message.

c[_]

[K-9]

Cool to hear about the transition and thanks for sharing all this info!!!

I've tried the D700 and it's a beast to carry around but a great camera that does some absolutely amazing things in the hands of the right person

Can't wait to see more images

D700 --> 990g
67II w/. AE finder --> 1660g

After using a 67II handheld, the D700 is miniscule. The K20d, Pentax's biggest DSLR, was always too small for me.

My question about the D700 is that will it still be better in ISO than it's replacement, the D800, which is set to have 24MP? The higher the pixels, the more chroma noise kicks in. I know the D3s is said to have better ISO than the D3x, despite being half the megapixels.

[gawan]

Thank you very much for your observations and thoughts, Coffee!

EDIT: BTW, my LR 3.2 seems to open D700 NEF's without any problems, so I guess it is just a matter of having a later version. OTOH LR3.2 does not yet open the D7000 samples I have, too new I guess. Nikon seems to change the files def's often...

[deadwolfbones]

D700 --> 990g
67II w/. AE finder --> 1660g

After using a 67II handheld, the D700 is miniscule. The K20d, Pentax's biggest DSLR, was always too small for me..

Thing is, when you add on the MB-D10 and the EN-EL4a battery in the grip (and then the 24-70/2.8 or 70-200/2.8), it's right around the same weight as the 67II. Not that I'm complaining, mind, you, but it is indeed a heavy rig.

[gawan]

After using a 67II handheld, the D700 is miniscule. The K20d, Pentax's biggest DSLR, was always too small for me.

for that. I like the size of my K10D, D700 is bigger but after holding it at the store, I like it too, very solid feeling. I rejected the possibility to upgrade to K-7 simply because I felt it was too small, like a toy :-)