Nikon D700

[Abstract]

^^^That's what I was thinking as well regarding Canon.

If Canon's 5D MkII had specs that already do not match up with the D700, and they had set their price at around $3000 USD, they're going to get some more negative press. Maybe this announcement will make them do an adjustment on the price or something. Their other option is to adjust the specs again. I'm fairly certain that the reason the 5D MkII hasn't been released for so long is because of the D300 and D3 release. I mean, just 1 year ago, they had no FF competition, so if Canon wanted to make a 5D MkII with 14 MP, 15 AF points, 4 fps continuous shooting, and 400 shot battery life, people hoping to get a FF camera at a decent price would have no choice but to take what Canon gives them. Now Canon has to compete, so Canon users are seeing a long delay.

If the specs of the 5D MkII match up to the D700, then Canon could still proceed according to plan.

The image area on the D3 can be either automatic (DX if DX lens is attached) or user-selectable for FX, DX, or 5x4 no matter what lens you're using.

Thanks. That answers my question.

For now though, I'd still rather stick with DX. Once there's a D800 or D900 that can give me at least 10 MP in DX mode, I'll happily replace my D300 (despite not really "needing" to).

 

[drlunanerd]

the SB-900 is huge...

from the leaked pictures i thought they had made it smaller, seems not.

Yeah, I noticed it was even heavier than the SB800, but didn't realise it was even bigger too! Perhaps Nikon will keep the SB800 on then, especially as for some weird reason it's more powerful?
Still, I'm selling my SB800 as I just don't use it often enough, even though when I do it gives great results.

 

[OreoCookie]

Canon needs to adopt that. Definitely best of both worlds.

They can't, EF-S lenses would damage the mirror of full frame cameras (I think it's the same for 1.3x crop Canons), they physically cannot do that.

I am not sure about third-party lenses, though.

 

[LaJaca]

El Fake-o Grande, I think. Look closely at the last 0 in 700. Suspicious for an add-on to the D70 usual look.

People have a great capacity to believe what they want to believe, I'm afraid.

I am publicly and officially eating my words.

Now, I want to believe I have enough funds in my bank account! Great news, great news.

 

[Westside guy]

I'm curious to see how this all plays out. I'm happy to see 12MP on this camera, rather than a higher-density sensor. The noise characteristics are likely what'll sell it anyway. But I wonder if the D3's price will trend downward a bit over the next few months?

As an added bonus - the D700's only a centimeter taller than my D70, so I will be able to fit it into my existing bags.

I wouldn't necessarilly write Canon off though. They may be delaying their release; or they may have been targeting Photokina all along. Time will tell.

It's great to see the competition heating up, since it'll be beneficial to all of us over the long term. In the short term... the D700, spec-wise, looks like my perfect camera. Now to sell that to the wife...

Addendum: The BAD part of this whole announcement is the lenses. As in, where are the new full-frame lenses?

 

[sonor]

i am hoping the D700 will be about £1200 -£1500 in a few months time

We can hope.......current advertised price at Calumet and Jacobs is.......£1,999.99

 

[Kebabselector]

Give it 3-4 months, once the initial 'I must buy it now crowd' have been and gone then it'll be more likely £1500/1750.

RRP doesn't really mean anything anymore, the current RRP for the 5D is £1860! (can be had for £1200).

 

[Abstract]

Give it 3-4 months, once the initial 'I must buy it now crowd' have been and gone then it'll be more likely £1500/1750.

I'd give it 9-12 months. The D300 hasn't dropped in price where I live, although with the drop in price on the D3, the D300's price may drop a little bit soon.

 

[taylorwilsdon]

I'd give it 9-12 months. The D300 hasn't dropped in price where I live, although with the drop in price on the D3, the D300's price may drop a little bit soon.

D300 has dropped a lot here in the states. Places like Buydig and us1 have it for $1550 USD or less (US1 had it for $1500 at some point in June).

I got mine for $1200 with Live casback, brand new in box.

 

[Hmac]

I don't know about pricing. Nikon USA and Nikon Europe are different business units, so you can't just pick the current exchange rate for GBP or euros. Most of the rumors point to $2999 USD here in the US, and I note that Adorama is taking pre-orders for that price...

 

[cube]

Compared to most crop viewfinder, the F80 had a great viewfinder. Even my F50 had a larger viewfinder than the small Canons (not sure about the new 450D, but everything from 300 to 400D is a lot smaller, ditto for Nikon's D40-D70).

The F80 viewfinder is barely usable. The D70 is way better.

 

[OreoCookie]

The F80 viewfinder is barely usable. The D70 is way better.

What?
I've owned both cameras. The D70's viewfinder was so pathetic that I sold it at the first opportunity and got a D80. The F80's viewfinder was larger and brighter.

I can't of a reason why the D70's viewfinder was better than the D80's. Can you?
And why go the extra mile and call it barely usable?

 

[Digital Skunk]

What?
I've owned both cameras. The D70's viewfinder was so pathetic that I sold it at the first opportunity and got a D80. The F80's viewfinder was larger and brighter.

I can't of a reason why the D70's viewfinder was better than the D80's. Can you?

Once you go F100 nothing else compares.

Seriously though, that's why I would rather have a D700 with D3 viewfinder. That would be the true digital F100, though the D200 and D300 did come pretty close.

I agree about the lens announcements. I am hoping for the AF-S primes, and that FX 24-120 VR update.

 

[Westside guy]

So, given that Nikon didn't announce any new lenses (except for the PC lenses, and we already knew about those) - what are people planning to use on their D700? I'm hoping to get the 28-70 f/2.8 at some point; but something lighter for walking around would be nice...

 

[cube]

What?
I've owned both cameras. The D70's viewfinder was so pathetic that I sold it at the first opportunity and got a D80. The F80's viewfinder was larger and brighter.

I can't of a reason why the D70's viewfinder was better than the D80's. Can you?
And why go the extra mile and call it barely usable?

I have bought both a Kodak 14n full frame with an F80 viewfinder, and a D70. Viewing on the D70 is no problem. Composing on the Kodak is almost as bad as with a P&S.

 

[OreoCookie]

I have bought both a Kodak 14n full frame with an F80 viewfinder, and a D70. Viewing on the D70 is no problem. Composing on the Kodak is almost as bad as with a P&S.

I'm asking why? Is the F80's/Kodak's viewfinder smaller? Is the exposure information harder to read?

 

[cube]

You have to fit a full frame in the F80 viewfinder, while the D70 is crop.

The F80 has a 17mm eyepoint, while the D70 is 18mm.

 

[Hmac]

So, given that Nikon didn't announce any new lenses (except for the PC lenses, and we already knew about those) - what are people planning to use on their D700? I'm hoping to get the 28-70 f/2.8 at some point; but something lighter for walking around would be nice...

Word is that Nikon has several product announcements upcoming over the next several months and they're dribbling them out so one product doesn't detract from the others. I keep hearing about two new lenses, although I don't know what they are. Other products include the D3X rumored around the Olympics, and the D90 in early fall.

My three main lenses are the 17-35, 28-70, and 70-200, all the f/2.8 versions. All three are magnficent lenses overall, but spendy. IMHO, I find that the 28-70 f/2.8 is the one that spends the most time on my D3 these days.

 

[OreoCookie]

You have to fit a full frame in the F80 viewfinder, while the D70 is crop.

… that's why the D70 has a smaller viewfinder. The F80 uses a pentaprism (which are brighter and larger), the D70 penta-Dach mirrors (which are cheaper and smaller). The D70's viewfinder is useless for MF.

Both have a magnification of about 0.75x (as usual, measured with a 50 mm lens), but a 50 mm lens won't have the same viewing angle on the two. If you want the equivalent of a 50 mm viewing angle on the D70, the image will be, well, smaller.

In fact, it was so small that one week after trying the D80, I bought one for just that reason. It was that bad. That's why I'm really surprised by your reaction. I was very content with the F80's viewfinder.

The F80 has a 17mm eyepoint, while the D70 is 18mm.

I haven't had problems with the F80, even though I wear glasses.

 

[OreoCookie]

Once you go F100 nothing else compares.

I'm sure of it. I just don't like tempting myself before I win the lottery!

 

[juanm]

The F80 viewfinder is barely usable. The D70 is way better.

The F80's viewfinder was (and still is) great for the weight of the camera. I don't know if Kodak did anything to it, but, back when my main camera was the F80, I got my hands on the D70, which I was about to buy (really, I went to the store with the intention of getting one), and changed my mind the second I peeped through its viewfinder. It was awful!
Compared to an F5 viewfinder, the F80 was smaller, but more than usable. The D70 set me back as soon as I tried it.

 

[ChrisA]

There are plenty of reason why DX is better for certain applications:

Yes but all you have to do is crop and the FX becomes DX.

 

[Westside guy]

Word is that Nikon has several product announcements upcoming over the next several months and they're dribbling them out so one product doesn't detract from the others. I keep hearing about two new lenses, although I don't know what they are. Other products include the D3X rumored around the Olympics, and the D90 in early fall.

My three main lenses are the 17-35, 28-70, and 70-200, all the f/2.8 versions. All three are magnficent lenses overall, but spendy. IMHO, I find that the 28-70 f/2.8 is the one that spends the most time on my D3 these days.

Thanks for the info (rumors though it may be). Given the dent the D700 is going to put into my credit card, I'm going to have to hold off on the pro glass for a while anyway. But I was able to find a used "E" rated 24-85 on Adorama; so I grabbed it. I've got a 35mm f/2 prime already, and I might grab a 50mm f/1.8 in the short term. Beyond that, I can always shoot in DX mode if I have to. I'll sit on my hands for a while and see when/if Nikon announces anything new.

The 17-35 f/2.8 is certainly on my list long term, though, as is the 24-70.

I'd love to see some f/4 zooms start coming from Nikon.

 

[juanm]

Yes but all you have to do is crop and the FX becomes DX.

But you don't get the same resolution. A D300 has 12MP a D3 in DX mode gets 5MP (or something like that). For teles, it's much cheaper to get a D300, unless you need the ultra-High ISO.

By the way, it seems that next time I change cameras, I'll get two D700s (or D800s...) They are exactly what I wanted.

 

[miloblithe]

They can't, EF-S lenses would damage the mirror of full frame cameras (I think it's the same for 1.3x crop Canons), they physically cannot do that.

I am not sure about third-party lenses, though.

Dang. That sucks. I forgot about that.