HankOsaurus
Member
Hello Keith and RFF.
Keith, I suspect that after a month or so of getting settled in you are going to like the D700 very much. I waited until its arrival to buy my first digital. Until then (last August), my most recent new in the box camera was a Nikon F2 in 1975.
John White at aiconversions.com has made my older Nikkors compatible, and now all my old glass works properly on the D700. It even recognizes them and shows the aperture numbers on screen as I adjust it.
I echo the sentiments above about ease of focusing manually. And I am also limiting the auto ISO to 3200 when I use that. I actually like playing with ISO 6400 for the sort of grainy look it gives.
If you want manual control, turn off the auto ISO. It will drive your low key images towards average reflectance even in manual, if left on.
Good luck with it. I wish I could afford an M9 also. Maybe someday.
Keith, I suspect that after a month or so of getting settled in you are going to like the D700 very much. I waited until its arrival to buy my first digital. Until then (last August), my most recent new in the box camera was a Nikon F2 in 1975.
John White at aiconversions.com has made my older Nikkors compatible, and now all my old glass works properly on the D700. It even recognizes them and shows the aperture numbers on screen as I adjust it.
I echo the sentiments above about ease of focusing manually. And I am also limiting the auto ISO to 3200 when I use that. I actually like playing with ISO 6400 for the sort of grainy look it gives.
If you want manual control, turn off the auto ISO. It will drive your low key images towards average reflectance even in manual, if left on.
Good luck with it. I wish I could afford an M9 also. Maybe someday.
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Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Thanks for all the advice so far and positive comments about the D700 ... also glad to see that no one has done the unforgivable and drawn pointless comparisons with the M8 or M9 because that's not what this thread is about. I like my M8 and what it's capable of but in the environment I've been using it in it struggles and every opening I document is an exposure balancing act followed by frustrating post processing to get fifty or so usable images from the three hundred or more I've shot.
The size and weight of the D700 is not really an issue because I don't expect to be lugging it around on a daily basis ... it will mainly be used for what the M8 has been used for so far. I seldom pick the M8 up between jobs for QUT these days as my prefered medium really is film but I'm well aware that digital can pay the bills so a digital camera that I don't have lingering doubts about in certain conditions will be reassuring.
I'd expect to be using a 35mm a lot of the time and I'm not sure about lenses ... I gather the 1.4 Ai-S Nikkor is the main contender here. Unfortunately Zeiss don't make anything faster than f2 in 35mm!
And of course the other killer issue for me here is what the hell am I going to sell to fund this?
The size and weight of the D700 is not really an issue because I don't expect to be lugging it around on a daily basis ... it will mainly be used for what the M8 has been used for so far. I seldom pick the M8 up between jobs for QUT these days as my prefered medium really is film but I'm well aware that digital can pay the bills so a digital camera that I don't have lingering doubts about in certain conditions will be reassuring.
I'd expect to be using a 35mm a lot of the time and I'm not sure about lenses ... I gather the 1.4 Ai-S Nikkor is the main contender here. Unfortunately Zeiss don't make anything faster than f2 in 35mm!
And of course the other killer issue for me here is what the hell am I going to sell to fund this?
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Nigel Meaby
Well-known
Well it's an Evil SLR so it will have to be your Soul to the Devil!!
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Well it's an Evil SLR so it will have to be your Soul to the Devil!!
Ahh .... my soul!
The Devil got a lease on it when I bought the FM3A ... so perhaps now I do just have to hand it over for a D700!
Jamie123
Veteran
Might I play devil's advocate and suggest a Canon 5DII?
The high ISO is amazing and the line up of fast lenses is better than Nikon's.
The high ISO is amazing and the line up of fast lenses is better than Nikon's.
gavinlg
Veteran
Might I play devil's advocate and suggest a Canon 5DII?
The high ISO is amazing and the line up of fast lenses is better than Nikon's.
Agreed - but he wants to share lenses with his fm3a which means the d700 would be a better choice.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Might I play devil's advocate and suggest a Canon 5DII?
The high ISO is amazing and the line up of fast lenses is better than Nikon's.
I had considered that option as the Canon has a great reputation also ... but the catch is with lenses. I've just spent money buying a 50mm f1.4 Zeiss for my FM3A and would really like a digital body to use it and other potential F mount lenses on in the future.
I also checked Canon prices the other day and it's a fair bit more than the Nikon here in Oz.
Like a grand more!
Jamie123
Veteran
Not really. If he's going to use manual lenses he might aswell use them on a Canon with an adapter. Not much of a difference, really.
Never having tried a Canon body/adapter/manual focus F-mount lens combo, I'm just guessing here, but wouldn't you be limited to stop-down metering?
zleica
Established
Keith,
Zeiss 35/2 ZF is an excellent performer that you may consider. I use D700 and Zeiss 35/2 very similarly to the film days with Leica M6 and 35 Summilux ASPH. But with the D700's high ISO capability, I don't find myself to be limited by the lens speed.
The other positive aspect about the D700 is that it will likely become one of "classic" DSLR that retains its value. If, in your applications, 12MP is sufficient and you don't need any video capability, D700 has pretty much everything you need (of course, there is always room for Nikon to make some improvements).
I also have a Leica M8. I will certainly upgrade the M8, but I will keep the D700. I hope Leica will make a future M? with a sensor that has D700 high ISO capability.
Kind regards,
Zeiss 35/2 ZF is an excellent performer that you may consider. I use D700 and Zeiss 35/2 very similarly to the film days with Leica M6 and 35 Summilux ASPH. But with the D700's high ISO capability, I don't find myself to be limited by the lens speed.
The other positive aspect about the D700 is that it will likely become one of "classic" DSLR that retains its value. If, in your applications, 12MP is sufficient and you don't need any video capability, D700 has pretty much everything you need (of course, there is always room for Nikon to make some improvements).
I also have a Leica M8. I will certainly upgrade the M8, but I will keep the D700. I hope Leica will make a future M? with a sensor that has D700 high ISO capability.
Kind regards,
dfoo
Well-known
Retains its value. Thats a laugh
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Retains its value. Thats a laugh
I think that's a possibility depending on your scale of value!
I believe the D70/D70s was such a camera ... I had one for quite a few years and was amazed at the price I got when I sold it on eBay a year ago.
Four to five year old Canon 5Ds are still fetching pretty fair prices IMO ... they seem to have become somewhat of a classic as DSLRs go.
gavinlg
Veteran
Yeah the 5d is a special camera as far as DSLRs go - they're still at the pointy end of the image quality pyramid.
That being said, I sometimes get a little envious over the d700 - it's a really nice camera. Then I realize that canons primes are just too sweet to give up
- 35L @ 1.4
That being said, I sometimes get a little envious over the d700 - it's a really nice camera. Then I realize that canons primes are just too sweet to give up
- 35L @ 1.4
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gavinlg
Veteran
Mind you, nikonrumors is saying that nikon will be announcing a 24mm 1.4G af-s in the next week. Judging from nikons last few lenses, it'll be brilliant.. Just such a pity they went away from the aperture ring with the "G" design so wouldn't be able to use it with the fm3a..
Always got the ZF's though. Hey Keith - how are you liking that 50mm planar?
Always got the ZF's though. Hey Keith - how are you liking that 50mm planar?
paul 101
Newbie
Nikon D700 + Your Wisdom on Great Lenses
Nikon D700 + Your Wisdom on Great Lenses
Hello all,
Here are my questions:
What is your advice for the top notch lenses for the Nikon d700 ?
Right now, I can afford only about 2 lenses, and I am open to zoom, if the clarity is not sacrificed too much. I would like wide angle and a good portrait lens.
I am also open to using great NON-Nikon lenses, if they are adaptable, without adding too much expense.
I am new to the "Land of DSLR", so please forgive my shallow knowledge.
Many thanks!
Paul
Nikon D700 + Your Wisdom on Great Lenses
Hello all,
Here are my questions:
What is your advice for the top notch lenses for the Nikon d700 ?
Right now, I can afford only about 2 lenses, and I am open to zoom, if the clarity is not sacrificed too much. I would like wide angle and a good portrait lens.
I am also open to using great NON-Nikon lenses, if they are adaptable, without adding too much expense.
I am new to the "Land of DSLR", so please forgive my shallow knowledge.
Many thanks!
Paul
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Sadly I've been so busy during the day over the last few weeks I've had little time to try it ... or the FM3A for that matter! :bang:
But that's about to change ... four free days this week and the weather is looking a little kinder for photography with a few more clouds around at the moment.
I hate those blazingly bright Aussie days!
paul 101
Newbie
Nikon D700 + Your Wisdom on Great Lenses
Nikon D700 + Your Wisdom on Great Lenses
Hello all,
Here are my questions:
What is your advice for the top-notch lenses for the Nikon d700 ?
Right now, I can afford only about 2 lenses, and I am open to zoom, if the clarity is not sacrificed too much. I would like wide angle and a good portrait lens.
I am also open to using great NON-Nikon lenses, if they are adaptable, without adding too much expense.
I am new to the "Land of DSLR", so please forgive my shallow knowledge.
Many thanks!
Paul
Nikon D700 + Your Wisdom on Great Lenses
Hello all,
Here are my questions:
What is your advice for the top-notch lenses for the Nikon d700 ?
Right now, I can afford only about 2 lenses, and I am open to zoom, if the clarity is not sacrificed too much. I would like wide angle and a good portrait lens.
I am also open to using great NON-Nikon lenses, if they are adaptable, without adding too much expense.
I am new to the "Land of DSLR", so please forgive my shallow knowledge.
Many thanks!
Paul
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Of course in a perfect world Olympus would bring out a full frame reasonably priced DSLR that would take all my old Zuiko glass and I wouldn't have to go through this torture!
