Nikon D700 Digital Camera: Plain English Review

Unless you're a professional photographer or a photograpy buff, sometimes reading technology reviews are like reading in a foreign language. However, just because a customer doesn't understand all the technical details, it doesn't mean they don't want a high-quality camera. In light of this, this review strives to explain everything in plain English.

In the world of professional photography, the Nikon D700 has a full-frame image sensor. With its many innovative technologies, it shoots pictures with amazing detail and color with low noise.

The Nikon D700 has so many features that the owner's manual is over 400 pages. Consequently, it's impossible to cover all the great benefits this camera has to offer. However, some of the features include:

• Compact, lightweight, durable body made out of magnesium alloy.
• Full frame DSLR
• 12.1 million effective pixels/12.9 million total pixels. Whereas total pixels count every pixel on the sensor surface, effective pixels are the number of pixels actually used in the image after the edge pixels have been dropped.
• FX format - Unlike DX digital cameras which use smaller sensors, the FX format uses an image sensor the same size as 35 mm. film. This enables the photographer to use 35 mm camera lens.While the FX sensor is 35 mm wide, the DX sensor is 24 mm. wide. When digital cameras came out, it was expensive to produce sensors of that size, and they switched to DX sensors instead. Consequently, when you use a DX lens on a camera with a FX format, the image will be reduced by approximately 1.5 times the size. On the other hand, when a 35 mm camera lens is placed on a camera with a dx format, only part of the view is picked up. CMOS image sensor - The image sensor has photodiodes that convert light from the lens into electrical signals and is saved on the camera's image card. Quality is determined by how much light can be loaded as an electrical charge into each of the pixels and how efficiently the light is converted into an electical signal. The Nikon FX format has a larger pixel size which allows it to collect more light. Image sensor cleaning system reduces the accumulation of dust with high frequency vibrations.
• The camera has two autofocus modes and one manual mode. The two continuous modes are single-servo and continuous servo. In the single-servo mode, the camera focuses when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway. The focus locks when the in-focus indicator appears and remains locked while the shutter-release button is pressed halfway. During the single-servo mode, if the subject moves away or towards the camera while the shutter-release button is pressed halfway, predictive focus tracking will try to predict where the subject will be when the shutter is released. In the continuous-servo, the camera continuously focuses while the shutter-release button is pressed halfway In the manual mode, the focus must be adjusted manually. The single-servo AF works better for landscapes and stationary objects while the continuous servo AF works better for erratically-moving subjects. If the camera is unable to focus using the auto focus modes, the manual focus mode is suggested.
• Picture control setting - Includes 9 customizable setting and 4 preset options for the fine tuning of image preferences
• In-camera editing allows you creativity without the need of a computer. It includes: trim, D-lighting (adjusts contrast between highlights and shadows by boosting detail in shadowed areas and restricting exposure in overly bright areas), color balance, image overlay, filter effects, monochrome, and red eye.
• Base ISO 200 to 6400 with extremely low noise enables shooters to take pictures in the widest variety of lighting conditions. It can be expanded to ISO 100 (Lo-1) to 25,600 (Hi-2).
• 5 fps continuous shooting speed
• The 12-sec. startup speed ensures you won't miss any special pictures
• 51-point autofocus sensor
• Live View - Includes hand-held or tripod shooting.
• Virtual horizon feature - This feature ensures the horizon in a landscape picture is level.
• Virtual Horizon and Live View can be used in conjunction
• 3D Focus tracking - Indispensible for action pictures, it automatically shifts the point of focus to follow the movement of a subject. When the shutter-release button is pressed halfway, it continuously focuses on the moving subject. By using predictive...prediction is based on subject's movement and speed.
• 3D focus track with Live View shoot modes
• Responsive shutter release time lag of 40 ms - Shutter release time lag is the time between when you press the press the shutter-release button and when the camera actually takes the photo. It can make the difference whether a moving subject is captured in the frame.
• DX Crop mode - With the DX crop mode, the camera automatically readjusts the picture angle to a DX format when a DX lens is attatched and to a FX format when a 35 mm format lens is attatched.
• 3-inch 920,000-dot VGA monitor
• 51-point AF system
• Continuous shooting, up to five frames per second, and with the optional MB-D-10 multi-power battery pack, it can shoot eight frames per second.
• 14-bit A/D conversion and 16-bit processing pipeline provides detail and smooth gradiation
• Large photo storage space
• EN-EL3e lithium ion rechargeable battery has a battery life of 1,000 shots with live view off
• Battery charger
• Body cap
• LCD cover
• Shoulder strap
• USB cable
• Video cable
• CD-ROM with the Nikon Software Suite

To see more technical details, click on the link.

One time I asked people on a forum, if they were to become homeless, what would they want to take with them. Many people replied they would want to save their photo albums. Whether it's a loved one's smiles, your child's first steps, or an awe-striking nature scene, photos capture the nuances and important moments in your life that might otherwise be lost in our memories. Consequently, don't you want to trust these one-time moments to anything but the best camera.

Rated 5 stars out of 5 in Amazon customer reviews, although some customers were not impressed with the lens, the overwhelming majority were totally impressed and satisfied with the camera. Amazon also has a body only Nikon D700 available at a lower price in stock.

Amazon is a name you know and can trust. Placing an order is as easy as clicking this link.

Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever . . . it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything - Aarron Siskind