The introduction of Nikon's new D700 may been one of the worst kept secrets in an industry with more leaks than the Titanic, but it was still something of a surprise coming so hot on the heels of the D3 and D300. Essentially a D3 shrunk down and squeezed into a body roughly the same size as a D300, the D700 is Nikon's first 'compact' professional SLR, and seems designed to go head-to-head with whatever Canon has up its inscrutable sleeve to replace the EOS 5D.
The imaging side of the D700 is pretty much the same as the D3; it shares the acclaimed 12.1MP full frame ('FX') sensor and has the same processing engine, so we would presume output to be almost identical. The main differences (aside from being considerably smaller) are physical; there's a different shutter (good for 150,000 exposures rather than 300,000 on the D3), different viewfinder prism (with 95% coverage) and a slower burst rate. You also lose the rear LCD info panel (there's no room for it) and one of the D3's two CF card slots, but you do get a couple of extra features to soften the blow slightly; most notably a self-cleaning sensor and a built-in flash. We'll look a little more in-depth at the differences between the D3 and D700 in a moment.
The D700 joins the D3 as a fully-fledged 'professional' model; it has the same tank-like build quality (though we're sure the pop-up flash will cause a few raised eyebrows), and gets you the full pro service from Nikon. And the pricing (around $2999) reflects this; anyone hoping for an 'affordable' semi-pro full frame Nikon SLR will have to wait until the cost of producing such large sensors falls considerably.
Although the D3 and D700 are essentially the same camera in a different form factor (the D700 being far closer to the D300 in design and control layout), there are a few important specification differences.
Price (body only) |
• US: $ 2999
• UK: £ 1999
• EU: € 2599 |
Body material |
Magnesium alloy |
Sensor |
• 36 x 23.9 mm CMOS sensor
• FX format
• RGB Color Filter Array
• Built-in fixed low-pass filter
• 12.87 million total pixels
• 12.1 million effective pixels
• 3:2 aspect ratio |
Image processor |
Nikon EXPEED |
A/D conversion |
14 bit |
Image sizes
(FX format) |
• 4256 x 2832 [L; 12.1 MP]
• 3184 x 2120 [M; 6.8 MP]
• 2128 x 1416 [S; 3.0 MP] |
Image sizes
(DX format) |
• 2784 x 1848 [L; 5.1 MP]
• 2080 x 1384 [M; 2.9 MP]
• 1392 x 920 [S; 1.3 MP]] |
File formats |
• NEF (12-bit or 14-bit , compressed or lossless compressed RAW)
• NEF + JPEG
• TIFF
• JPEG (EXIF 2.21) |
Lens mount |
• Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts
• No field of view crop (full-frame)
• When using DX lenses / DX mode 1.5x FOV crop |
Usable lenses |
• DX AF Nikkor: All functions supported
• Type G or D AF Nikkor: All functions supported (PC Micro-Nikkors do not support some functions)
• Other AF Nikkor: All functions supported except 3D Color Matrix Metering II. Lenses for F3AF not supported. IX Nikkor lenses not supported.
• AI-P Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II
• Non-CPU AI Nikkor: Can be used in exposure modes A and M; electronic rangefinder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster; Color Matrix Metering and aperture value display supported if user provides lens data |
Auto Focus |
• 51 focus points (15 cross-type sensors)
• Multi-CAM 3500FX
• AF working range: -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, normal temperature)
• AF fine tuning possible
• Contrast Detect in Live View (Tripod) mode |
Lens Servo |
• Single Servo AF [S]
• Continuous Servo AF [C]
• Manual focus [M]
• Focus Tracking automatically activated by subject's status in [S] or [C] AF |
Focus Point |
• Single point from 51 or 11 focus points
• Liveview (Tripod mode): Contrast AF on a desired point anywhere within frame |
AF Area Mode |
• Single point AF
• Dynamic Area AF [9 points, 21 points, 51 points, 51 points (3D-tracking)]
• Automatic-area AF |
Focus Lock |
Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button |
AF assist |
AF-assist illuminator (range approx. 0.5-3 m/1.6-9.8 ft.) |
Exposure modes |
• Program Auto [P] with flexible program
• Shutter-Priority Auto [S]
• Aperture-Priority Auto [A]
• Manual [M] |
Metering |
TTL full-aperture exposure metering using 1005-pixel RGB sensor
• 3D Color Matrix Metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses); color matrix metering (non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data; metering performed)
• Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8, 15, or 20 mm dia. circle in center of frame or weighting based on average of entire frame
• Spot: Meters approx. 4 mm dia. circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point (on center focus point when non-CPU lens is used) |
Metering range |
• 3D Color Matrix Metering: 0 to 20 EV
• Center-Weighted Metering: 0 to 20 EV
• Spot Metering: 2 to 20 EV
• At normal temperature (20°C/68°F), ISO 100 equivalent, f/1.4 lens |
Meter coupling |
CPU and AI |
Exposure lock |
Locked using AE-L/AF-L button |
Exposure bracketing |
• 2 to 9 frames
• 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV steps |
Exposure compen. |
• +/-5.0 EV
• 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV steps |
Sensitivity |
• Default: ISO 200 - 6400 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps
• Boost: 100 - 12800 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps, HI2 = ISO 25600 |
Shutter |
• Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal plane shutter
• 30 to 1/8000 sec (1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps)
• Flash X-Sync: 1/250 sec
• Bulb |
DOF Preview |
• Stop-down lens aperture by pressing button
• Activates modeling flash |
White balance |
• Auto (1005-pixel CCD, image sensor)
• Presets (seven) with fine tuning
• Manual presets (five)
• Color temperature in Kelvin (2500 - 10000 K)
• White balance bracketing (2 to 9 frames in increments of 1, 2 or 3 |
Picture Control |
• Standard
• Neutral
• Vivid
• Monochrome |
Image parameters |
• Sharpening: Auto, 10 levels
• Contrast: Auto, 6 levels, Custom tone curve
• Brightness: 3 levels
• Saturation: Auto, 7 levels
• Hue: 7 levels |
Color space |
• sRGB
• Adobe RGB |
Viewfinder |
• Optical-type fixed eye-level pentaprism
• Built-in diopter adjustment (-3 to +1m-1)
• Eyepoint: 18 mm (at -1.0m-1)
• Focusing screen: Type B BriteView Clear Matte VI screen
• Frame coverage 95%
• Viewfinder magnification approx 0.72x with 50 mm f/1.4 lens
|
Focusing screen |
• B-type BrightView Clear Matte IV Screen
• Superimposed focus brackets
• On-demand grid lines |
LCD monitor |
• 3.0 " TFT LCD
• Approx. 920,000 pixels (VGA; 640 x 480 x 3 colors)
• 170° viewing angle
100% frame coverage
• Brightness adjustment |
LCD Liveview |
• Handheld mode: TLL phase-detect AF with 51 focus areas (15 cross-type sensors)
• Tripod mode: focal-plane contrast AF on a desired point within a specific area |
Shooting modes |
• Single frame
• Continuous Low [CL]: 1 - 5 fps (1 - 7 fps with Battery Grip)
• Continuous High [CH]: 5 fps (8 fps with Battery Grip)
• Liveview [LV]
• Self-Timer (programmable)
• Mirror-up mode |
Self-timer |
• 2 to 20 sec custom |
Flash |
• Manual pop-up type
• Guide number of 17/56 (ISO 200, m/ft.) or 12/39 (ISO 100, m/ft.) |
Flash control |
• TTL flash control with 1,005-pixel RGB sensor; i-TTL balanced fill-flash and standard i-TTL fill-flash available with SB-900, 800, 600 or 400
• Auto aperture (AA): Available with SB-900, 800 and CPU lens
• Non-TTL auto (A): Available with SB-900, 800, 28, 27 or 22s
• Distance-priority manual (GN): Available with SB-900, 800 |
Flash Sync Mode |
• Front-curtain Sync (normal)
• Red-Eye Reduction
• Red-Eye Reduction with Slow Sync
• Slow Sync
• Rear-curtain Sync |
Flash Accessory Shoe |
ISO 518 standard-type hot shoe contact; Safety lock mechanism provided |
Flash Sync Terminal |
ISO 519 standard terminal, lock screw provided |
Flash compensation |
• -3 to +1 EV
• 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV steps |
Creative Lighting System |
With Speedlights such as SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, SB-R200, or SU-800 (commander only), supports Advanced Wireless Lighting, Auto FP High-Speed Sync, Flash Color Information Communication, modeling flash and FV lock; built-in flash can be used as a commander |
Orientation sensor |
Tags images with camera orientation |
Playback mode |
• Full frame
• Thumbnail (4 or 9 images)
• Zoom
• Slideshow
• RGB histogram
• Shooting data
• Highlight point
• Auto image rotation
• image comment (up to 36 characters) |
Languages |
• Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)
• Dutch
• English
• Finnish
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish
• Swedish |
Connectivity |
• USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) Mini-B connector
• HDMI video out (version 1.3a, Type C mini connector provided)
• Remote control 10-pin terminal
• PC Sync flash terminal |
10-pin terminal |
• GPS: NMEA 0183 (Ver. 2.01 and 3.01) interface standard supported with 9-pin D-sub cable and GPS Cable MC-35 (optional)
• Remote control: via 10-pin terminal |
Storage |
• Compact Flash Type I or II
• UDMA supported
• 36 characters of text can be input and stored in EXIF header |
Power |
• Lithium-Ion EN-EL3e
• Included dual battery charger MH-18a
• Optional AC adapter EH-5a/EH-5
• Optional Battery Pack MB-D10 |
Dimensions |
Approx. 147 x 123 x 77 mm/5.8 x 4.8 x 3.0 in. |
Weight (no batt) |
Approx. 995 g/2.19 lb. |
Operating environment |
Temperature: 0 - 40 °C / 32 - 104 °F, Humidity: under 85% (no condensation) |
Box contents |
Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e, Quick Charger MH-18a, USB Cable UC-E4, Video Cable EG-D100, Camera Strap AN-D700, Body Cap BF-1A, Accessory Shoe Cover BS-1, LCD Monitor Cover BM-9, Software Suite CD-ROM (Supplied accessories may differ depending on country or area) |
Optional accessories |
Wireless Transmitter WT-4, Magnifying Eyepiece DK-17M, AC Adapter EH-5a, Capture NX 2 Software, Camera Control Pro 2 Software, Image Authentication Software |
