Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
When I was shooting available darkness gallery openings with my M8 I generally had to come home with at least 300 exposures to be sure of success in an environment of projection screens and monitors and virtually no other light sources. While the matrix metering of my D700 hasn't been entirely fool proof in this constantly changing light it does an amazing job and it allows me to relax a little more and concentrate on framing and focusing. Occasionally I'll use the AE lock to compensate for something really difficult in the viewfinder but generally the camera gets it right.
I think last night was the first time I've felt really at home with the D700 and consequently I only took about 100 shots.
It's taken a while for me to be totally convinced ... but this is a great camera!
I think last night was the first time I've felt really at home with the D700 and consequently I only took about 100 shots.
It's taken a while for me to be totally convinced ... but this is a great camera!
scorpius73
Well-known
I totally agree. I love mine. I have had it for a month and it makes me smile everytime I get a usable low light shot. I can't wait to get to Turkey and Italy over the next couple of weeks and shoot with it.
kdemas
Enjoy Life.
Keith,
I shoot a D300 for sports work (same meter) and I totally agree, it's pretty rock solid. If. They would put one in a black SP2005 Digital i'd be a happy man (yes, I'm kidding).
Kent
I shoot a D300 for sports work (same meter) and I totally agree, it's pretty rock solid. If. They would put one in a black SP2005 Digital i'd be a happy man (yes, I'm kidding).
Kent
Vickko
Veteran
Hmmm, and a D700 costs only as much as an M8.
And I have a bag of Leica R glass, which could all be converted over with Leitax mounts.
hmmmmmmm
Vick
And I have a bag of Leica R glass, which could all be converted over with Leitax mounts.
hmmmmmmm
Vick
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
This shot was taken at 6400 ISO 1/50 sec at f2 and while there is some noise if you look closely it's not excessive. I would have had two or three goes at least with the M8 in the same situation ... not to mention shooting at 1/8 or maybe even 1/4 sec through not being game to go over 320 ISO.
I'm not knocking the M8 ... it was a great camera and if they ever put a full frame sensor and a metering system as good as the D700's into a rangefinder I'll reconsider my options because a rangefinder is definitely easier to focus in this environment.
In the meantime I love this Nikon.
I'm not knocking the M8 ... it was a great camera and if they ever put a full frame sensor and a metering system as good as the D700's into a rangefinder I'll reconsider my options because a rangefinder is definitely easier to focus in this environment.
In the meantime I love this Nikon.
Nikon's matrix metering is tops for sure.
rxmd
May contain traces of nut
The only downside is that it does not work out of the box with older lenses, but AFAIK if you put a chip in your old lenses it will do that, too.
Shac
Well-known
Not sure what you mean by "does not work out of the box with older lenses" - I have both unchipped and chipped MF's and metering, etc. works fine for both - but I bought mine used on RFF and it didn't with a box
(Edit: I agree with the others - it's an excellent camera with a super metering system)
BillBingham2
Registered User
High praise in deed coming from Keith. What glass are you using these days?
B2 (;->
B2 (;->
No need for chips with the D700. You just need to enter the focal length and maximum aperture in the Non-CPU lens data section and you get colour matrix metering.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I lashed out and got a couple of Zeiss lenses ... a used 50mm f1.4 Planar from Matusiya and a 35mm f2 Distagon from our classifieds ... both really very cheap for what they are IMO ... the 50mm in particular is an amazing lens and I got the 35mm for using at gallery openings.
I'm a lot happier with the camera now that I'm totally familiar with all it's buttons and menus etc. Intially I found it a little confronting after the simplicity of the Leica but now my fingers just seem to know instinctively where the controls lie and all is well.
If you're careful you can hand hold the thing down to shutter speeds that I thought were Leica territory and still get very usable results. This was 1/5 second and although it's not perfect it's pretty decent ... I think the weight of the camera helps!
keepright
matthew
The D700 gave me real trouble when I first started using it: I had to un-learn my habit of using exposure compensation. I'm half-convinced that the meter can recognize the difference between a black chalkboard and a white cinder-block wall.
Not that over-exposing with the 700 really matters…
Not that over-exposing with the 700 really matters…
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
It's worth going to Nikon's site and reading about how matrix metering works ... it's impressive. The exposure is based on information from a data base of some thirty thousand images ... it doesn't just read light and colours, it attempts to match settings from previous possible similar scenarios with what it's seeing!
Vickko
Veteran
he he....
Yeah, I bet there is some prototype software that Nikon didn't release, that indicates "good, acceptable, bad" composition, from going over your image, and comparing from its internal database.
As well as settings for "Leica, Nikon, Canon, other" composition
Vick
Yeah, I bet there is some prototype software that Nikon didn't release, that indicates "good, acceptable, bad" composition, from going over your image, and comparing from its internal database.
As well as settings for "Leica, Nikon, Canon, other" composition
Vick
N
Nikon Bob
Guest
While I love the D700 in many ways and think the matrix metering in it is very good I find that it has a tendency to blow out highlights. I still use exposure compensation even though you are not supposed to with matrix metering. That said it is still my favourite camera to use.
Bob
Bob
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
It's pretty safe to underexpose a little with the D700 IMO ... it makes certain you won't blow highlights and the files are very flexible making it easy to recover shadow detail.
It's all good as they say!
Phantomas
Well-known
Yep. Actually, since I use some old lenses, I have my Fn (function) button programmed for that. Attach a lens, press Fn to choose the right one - voila!
N
Nikon Bob
Guest
It's pretty safe to underexpose a little with the D700 IMO ... it makes certain you won't blow highlights and the files are very flexible making it easy to recover shadow detail.
It's all good as they say!
Yea, exactly.
Bob
Andy Kibber
Well-known
One of the reasons I like the Nikon F100 so much is the matrix metering. It very rarely gets it wrong. I used manual metering (M6) for quite a while but I never got as good as the Nikon computer chip!
N
Nikon Bob
Guest
Me too, I did that after I accidentally hit the Function button instead of the Stop Down button and then had a few what the .... moments when the exposures went nutty. That is till I figured out that the Function button's factory pre set triggers auto bracketing. Safer and more convenient, for me, to have the Function button set to change manual lens info as you do.
Bob