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04-18-2010, 08:05 AM   #1
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D700 winning me over...

I picked-up a D700 a few months back(used) in preparation for a shoot in May and my plan was to get the job done and resell the unit afterward because I wasn't really interested in changing kits.

And So it sat in the box for several weeks while I saved up money to pick-up a pair of zooms for the job mainly because I didn't have the funds to buy everything at the same time and I was sort of hoping some promotions would come-up(but they didn't).

So recently I picked-up one of the lenses(used again) and decided to play with the camera, doing a bit of comparing with our Kx and K20's on hand. And if there was one thing I'd say about the D700 at first glance its that it leaves one hell of an impression with you after handling one...

The live view and LCD screen as a whole is simply mind boggling to see and use. Not to mention the sheer snap and speed of the unit with controls and operation.

All in all... it's been two days since I picked it up and I have never felt so strongly about selling off our Pentax gear until now.

I guess the issue I face now is... does this mean I've outgrown our Pentax solutions or... am I just being mislead into thinking that. The appeal of Pentax was for the wife and I to establish an affordable HQ photography solution and have the ability to share gear between us. Which we were able to accomplish quite nicely with that of limited lenses. Though the D700 has me wondering if we weren't missing out on other aspects of the craft like advanced AF, low light performance and flexibility too.


Looks like its time to loose sleep again I guess...

04-18-2010, 08:28 AM   #2
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Unless I've missed something, Pentax doesn't make a D700.
Moving to Off Brand Discussion.
04-18-2010, 09:18 AM   #3
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Well, Nikon doesn't have anything like the limited lenses, or high-quality, compact bodies. I would take a serious look at Nikon lenses and see if they have what you want and if you can afford them(!). For instance, a D700 with the "holy trinity", 14-24mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm costs nothing less than $11,000! By comparison, a K7 with the 15/21/35/70 limited lenses costs $3500 (and weighs a lot less as well...). Not really a good comparison, but it provides some food for thought...
04-18-2010, 09:46 AM   #4
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Nikon's got some affordable lenses too like the 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 100/2.8..

04-18-2010, 10:42 AM   #5
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Isn't the d700 like 2-3 times more expensive then a k-7? It better be faster at stuff. Thats what you pay for.

Have you tried a k-7? You and your wife could each have one for the price of a D700 and still share lens.
04-18-2010, 11:09 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by frooggy Quote
Have you tried a k-7? You and your wife could each have one for the price of a D700 and still share lens.
Actually we owned a K7 for a short time when they were first introduced and ended-up returning it due to a sensor defect. However... the replacement also had a problem so we returned it also and purchased a second K20D and a lens instead.

The problem with the K7(my wife wasn't interested in replacing her K200 then) was that I was not able to match my K20D in low light with it. And since we had an indoor gig going on at the time, I got discouraged about owning a K7 afterward.

All in all I really liked the feel and mechanics of the K7, though I don't think the AF and handling left the same impression as the D700, I was impressed with it.
And if Pentax ever improved the low light performance, I'd sell my K20D's and upgrade in a heartbeast. Otherwise... my wife's lowly Kx(though stripped down) has been the tool of choice for high ISO shooting to date.

Having said all that... I have come to really like our Pentax glass and the thought of selling it really doesn't bring a sense of well being when I truly think about it. Perhaps I'm just getting caught-up in the whole more is better trap. I struggle with that prior to settling on Pentax about 5 years ago. Guess I wasn't quite cured lol....
04-18-2010, 12:22 PM   #7
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I think that the D700 is a great camera, and I think that Nikon has some really good prime lenses (although most of them are probably older ones that not many people here have heard of, since they don't autofocus on most of the entry level cameras), but the Nikon 24-70mm is probably sharper than most primes, even the Pentax ones.

04-18-2010, 08:47 PM   #8
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IMO Nikon has better zooms but are too expensive and heavy
04-18-2010, 10:12 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by rustynail925 Quote
IMO Nikon has better zooms but are too expensive and heavy
Well professional zooms with any brand are going to be too expensive and heavy, even with Pentax. I don't think it's really fair to say that, because any of the Canon L series lenses cost over $500 (if you're lucky) and they weigh a ton because of the tight built and the materials that they use when they're making them.
04-18-2010, 10:47 PM   #10
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the 24-70 2.8 is about $1700
04-18-2010, 10:52 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by jct us101 Quote
Well professional zooms with any brand are going to be too expensive and heavy, even with Pentax. I don't think it's really fair to say that, because any of the Canon L series lenses cost over $500 (if you're lucky) and they weigh a ton because of the tight built and the materials that they use when they're making them.
How is it not fair to state that they think Nikon has better zooms but are to expensive and heavy?
04-18-2010, 11:46 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by yeatzee Quote
How is it not fair to state that they think Nikon has better zooms but are to expensive and heavy?
Because every brands professional (key word, he said professional, Nikon has some pretty light lenses too) lenses are heavy and expensive. Why can you single out Nikon when everyone else has them?
04-18-2010, 11:53 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by jct us101 Quote
Because every brands professional (key word, he said professional, Nikon has some pretty light lenses too) lenses are heavy and expensive. Why can you single out Nikon when everyone else has them?
Just wondering, who said about "professional", "Nikon has some pretty light lenses too"?
04-19-2010, 05:12 AM   #14
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Sell D700 & wait 5+ years for something like it from Pentax

Sell your D700 & wait 5+ years for something like it from Pentax. Wait 5+ years for the pentax full frame lenses.

D700 is too big, its too comfortable, autofocus is too fast, too many lens options, no one needs full frame and big viewfinders. VR lenses work real well, you don't want VR either. Seeing the image stabilize in the viewfinder, instead of wondering if you got the shot. Autofocus that works in dark conditions, who needs that?

The Nikon lens deals are bundles, you buy a camera and instantly save $300, $500, $800 on select lenses.

Yes sell your D700 and wait another half decade for pentax to provide something similar, or not.

Full frame Pentax is coming, its just around the corner, due next fall, due next year, due next decade...

I got my D700 15 months ago and I'll never sell it. Its actually gone up $130 new since I got it. I've considered getting 2nd D700 as the wife loves using the one I own. I was hoping the price would drop further, but it went up instead.









QuoteOriginally posted by JohnBee Quote
I picked-up a D700 a few months back(used) in preparation for a shoot in May and my plan was to get the job done and resell the unit afterward because I wasn't really interested in changing kits.

And So it sat in the box for several weeks while I saved up money to pick-up a pair of zooms for the job mainly because I didn't have the funds to buy everything at the same time and I was sort of hoping some promotions would come-up(but they didn't).

So recently I picked-up one of the lenses(used again) and decided to play with the camera, doing a bit of comparing with our Kx and K20's on hand. And if there was one thing I'd say about the D700 at first glance its that it leaves one hell of an impression with you after handling one...

The live view and LCD screen as a whole is simply mind boggling to see and use. Not to mention the sheer snap and speed of the unit with controls and operation.

All in all... it's been two days since I picked it up and I have never felt so strongly about selling off our Pentax gear until now.

I guess the issue I face now is... does this mean I've outgrown our Pentax solutions or... am I just being mislead into thinking that. The appeal of Pentax was for the wife and I to establish an affordable HQ photography solution and have the ability to share gear between us. Which we were able to accomplish quite nicely with that of limited lenses. Though the D700 has me wondering if we weren't missing out on other aspects of the craft like advanced AF, low light performance and flexibility too.


Looks like its time to loose sleep again I guess...
04-19-2010, 07:25 AM   #15
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I think Pentax can do the job for you, so it's not really so much that you've outgrown Pentax, it's that you've found a camera that fits you better. And if you like that camera you like that camera, you don't have to feel guilty about that

Nikon appears to be doing a better job at coming out with some good prime lenses by the way so you won't have to sacrifice there. Just start saving for the best glass
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