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04-23-2012, 03:44 PM - 1 Like   #1
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D700

With prices of early full-frame camera models dropping, I’m sure there are others considering their options. Thought I’d share some thoughts on the D700 purchased to compliment my K5.
Negative Surprises:
  • D700 is LOUD. You forget how nice the quiet shutter is on the K5. It really draws attention from your subjects, something that seemed like a much smaller difference on paper.
  • D700 (without grip) shoots slower . . . so there’s more of a space between shots in burst mode.
  • CF Cards and readers are a PITA. Hard to buy in a pinch and way more expensive.
  • I miss shake reduction. As someone who likes old glass, you forget how nice it is to have SR AND fairly high ISO capability.

Positive Surprises:
  • D700 “ feels” like more megapixels than there really are . . . of course, it’s a good low light performer. Image quality is stellar.
  • The amount of good used glass available for Nikon under $500. Pro AF glass has gone through multiple renditions, so you can get a 3 or 4 generation back zoom lens (like a 35-70 f/2.8 or a 80-200 f/2.8) or primes like 85 f/1.8; 180 f/2.8; 50 f/whatever; and any wide angles. Even 3rd-Party offerings are less expensive, since they have so much more competition.
  • I like the feel of the larger camera. Neither are going to fit in your pocket.

Neutral Observations:
  • D700 is a “simpler” camera to use. More is accessible using external controls versus menus. However, it’s missing a lot of bells/whistles (HDR, Video, shooting modes, etc.).

Overall, I’d say that these two cameras complement each other well. The results of my images from both systems seem in the same ballpark, aside from the obvious full-frame benefits (subject separation, less high ISO noise) and K5 benefits (more megapixels). I don’t feel like I was doing any different post-processing on either system.

04-23-2012, 10:27 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rude Quote
[*]CF Cards and readers are a PITA. Hard to buy in a pinch and way more expensive.
Ummm, go into any Walmart and they sell 8GB CF cards. And all in 1 memory card readers are also very easy to find, and very cheap like this $13 one from Kingston: 19-1 USB card reader.
04-24-2012, 05:10 AM   #3
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I have done the same thing recently and have been compiling some notes - don't have them to hand but will add to this thread if there's anything worth adding. The shutter is, as you say, the biggest shock difference!

I only have one real nit-pick with what you've put so far:

QuoteOriginally posted by Rude Quote
[*]D700 (without grip) shoots slower . . . so there’s more of a space between shots in burst mode.
If you're in a situation where burst shooting is important, AF-C probably is too. I'd rather take 5 in-focus shots from my D700 than 7 so-so ones from the K-5, which I find a bit hit and miss. Better than any other Pentax to date, but still hit and miss.
04-24-2012, 07:28 AM - 1 Like   #4
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You may want to read Tom Hogan's article Nikon VR Eplained. In short, you don't use VR as often as you might think you should on a Nikon if you had that. Which might explain why Nikon doesn't put VR on some lenses.

And in your pro and cons you list a negative surprise as missing "fairly high ISO capability" yet say the D700 is a good low light performer in the positive surprises?

04-24-2012, 11:49 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rude Quote
The amount of good used glass available for Nikon under $500. Pro AF glass has gone through multiple renditions, so you can get a 3 or 4 generation back zoom lens (like a 35-70 f/2.8 or a 80-200 f/2.8) or primes like 85 f/1.8; 180 f/2.8; 50 f/whatever; and any wide angles. Even 3rd-Party offerings are less expensive, since they have so much more competition.
This is a point that so many Pentaxians try to make a positive for Pentax, yet I have found very untrue, at least in the US.
There is a lot more used Nikon glass available than there is Pentax glass. And if you want AF, it's not even close. Plus, with the D700 and other upper-end bodies, the compatibilities increase.

BTW, I had a 80-200mm f/2.8 and it was an absolutely killer piece of glass. I even had the pre-AFS version, and I loved it. I hear the AFS one is even better.
04-25-2012, 04:33 PM   #6
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Cali92rs, thanks for that bit about the 80 - 200D; I've enjoyed using my Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 on my K5 . . . and looking to add the 80-200 push-pull next to the Nikon collection.
04-26-2012, 05:42 PM   #7
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I would add that K-5 control (changing ISO, Hyper P, Hyper M) is much better than Nikon D700.

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