How many D700 owners .... are thinking of upgrading to the D800?

[KM-25]

I just sent my D700's in to Nikon today to prep for sale, I might keep one of them as a backup, but it will be hard going back to it after shooting 3 advertising jobs with the D800 over the past few days.

In my 25 years of using Nikon, the D800 has got to be the most spectacular camera they have ever made, no joke. Tomorrow night, I use it on a gyro for low light aerials with a 35mm 1.4G, GP-1 to tag an oil spill coverup for a big news story...

Don't kid your self folks, this camera is an enormous leap forward...

 

[gavinlg]

The d800 IQ looks pretty incredible IMO. I will not be buying it because I much prefer EOS ergonomics and lenses, but I'm envious of that sensor in the d800. The more pixels, the better and the more 'film like' the IQ.

 

[Nikon Bob]

I just sent my D700's in to Nikon today to prep for sale, I might keep one of them as a backup, but it will be hard going back to it after shooting 3 advertising jobs with the D800 over the past few days.

In my 25 years of using Nikon, the D800 has got to be the most spectacular camera they have ever made, no joke. Tomorrow night, I use it on a gyro for low light aerials with a 35mm 1.4G, GP-1 to tag an oil spill coverup for a big news story...

Don't kid your self folks, this camera is an enormous leap forward...

You gotta laugh a little bit when, someone who makes money from their photography and also likely puts a lotta clicks on a camera in a short time period, seems to think non adopters don't think it is an enormous leap forward. Don't kid yourself, if I fit that profile I would have a D800 now. I don't think anybody in this thread has said it was not a great camera, just that from their POV and particular situation there wasn't an immediate need to get one.

Bob

 

[KM-25]

You gotta laugh a little bit when, someone who makes money from their photography and also likely puts a lotta clicks on a camera in a short time period, seems to think non adopters don't think it is an enormous leap forward. Don't kid yourself, if I fit that profile I would have a D800 now. I don't think anybody in this thread has said it was not a great camera, just that from their POV and particular situation there wasn't an immediate need to get one.

Bob

It has nothing to do with who uses it or how many clicks you make, it simply is the biggest difference overall I have ever seen.

 

[jsrockit]

Any more examples?

 

[--]

Two years from now

Two years from now

Any more examples?

Any more examples?

I went from a D70 to a D200 and then to the D700 paying about the same amount for all three (the first with lenses and flash though). The D200 and I never clicked. The D70 is with my brother now and the D200 with my nephew.

The D700 is more camera than I will ever need. I have very few improvements I would like to see of which the 100% viewfinder is the most important.

Having been raised on a diet of film and developer I very rarely crop, so the D700 output is usually enough.

Last year I was at the Venice Carnival (I was the one dressed up as a photographer). It was an absolutely marvellous experience, arguably the best I ever had with a camera, and there I needed to crop post capture to remove those stupid photographers who kept walking into the frame 😉 As I am sure others cropped me out 😱

Further I constantly switched between FX and APS on the D700 to isolate motifs. The size of the APS part of the D800 is very alluring.

Initially I thought the D800 would need better Nikkors than I own or am ready to invest in (weight is an issue) but maybe that was a hurried conclusion. So when it reaches €2000 I may indulge myself – two years from now probably.

For those who have received or will soon I wish you lots of joy with it - it looks a fantastic tool.

Cheers,
Xpanded

 

[Nikon Bob]

It has nothing to do with who uses it or how many clicks you make, it simply is the biggest difference overall I have ever seen.

What you say is in all probability very true about the quantum improvement but that still does not make it an immediate necessity for some people. It is a matter of needs and desires. You both need and desire it, while I may find it very desirable I really don't need all of what it has to offer at the moment. It makes no practical sense to me right now so I will disagree with you on that point and still say it depends on personal circumstance. The decision to purchase a D800 or not is not a clear cut right or wrong choice. Everyone is right according to their circumstance.

Bob

 

[Dave Jenkins]

I am a Canon EOS user, but I have a parallel experience. I have been using the original 5D for six years and it is all the camera I need, even though my specialty is architecture. I did not upgrade to the 5D MkII, and have no plans to get a MkIII.

I read yesterday on The Online Photographer that David Burnett, one of the most distinguished and successful photojournalists in the world, is still using the original 5D and apparently feels no compulsion to upgrade.

Sometimes, all you need is really all you need.

 

[celluloidprop]

The 5D is a great camera - I sold mine for a D700 years ago because my 5D was a dust-sieve (despite never changing lenses), but I have some amazing images from that body. It was noisier at 3200 than the D700/5DII/etc. but held detail very well.

 

[KM-25]

The original 5D was my first full frame digital camera and to be honest, I could have conceivably used them forever, but I am a Nikon guy and could not wait to get back into the system.

The main reason I wanted the D800 was three-fold:

1. My D700's have over 250,000 clicks on them put together, rubber falling off, lots of wear, etc.

2. 12MP was just not cutting it for some of the larger POP and other display advertising output clients were using the images for, the 800 changes this game considerably.

3. As I am getting out of using digital for still work and going back to mostly film for that as I am now shooting and selling a lot more fine art, digital is really becoming a realm of full motion ad work and documentary shorts for me, so the D800 was a no brainer.

We all have different needs, my gear was getting worn and the leap forward including video makes the D800 worth a mint for me.

 

[mdarnton]

I bought my D300 because it was the minimum for the archival work I do at my shop (smaller versions of what we're doing, here: http://darntonhersh.com/gallery.php ), and I thought it would do until something better came along. It still doesn't quite match what I would like it to do (when I worked for someone else, we did the same work on 4x5 transparencies, and I guess museums, for similar work, are using 4x5 scanning backs now that make the D800 look like a toy). From what I can see, the D800 would be totally fine for that work, for us, and I would like to have one. . . . but I won't be able to afford one for a while.

It's definitely on the list, though.

I would not buy one for fun--for that my D300 is more than adequate.

 

[Godfrey]

I have no plans to buy a D800 at all.

No real need for another DSLR, but since there might be a firesale going on ... If a D700 comes available inexpensively enough, I'll nab one of them. i have several very nice Nikon lenses that would work with it, currently used on Nikon F, Olympus E-1, and Ricoh GXR bodies.

;-)

 

[Contarama]

I have a F2 for FX...why in the heck would I need a D800? 🙂

 

[celluloidprop]

I have a project idea in mind that would require faster AF than my XPro-1 and a zoom.

Weighing D700 vs. D800 vs. D7000

D700 would meet all of my needs specifically for this project, but I'd really like the usable LiveView of the other two
D800 - well, we're talking boatloads of money for a D800 + 24-70. And who knows when they're going to be readily available?
D7000 - the 17-55mm is obscenely priced new but used ones are quite reasonable, sensor is pretty good at 1600-3200 but not as good as the above two.

I'm leaning D7000 and used 17-55.