Nikon D700 Specifications & Preview

Digital Photography Review has a hands-on preview of what looks to be a fabulous new camera from Nikon — the Nikon D700. Still a bit pricey at $2999 for body only, it does however contain the same full-frame FX sensor as the more expensive Nikon D3. Great news.

The introduction of Nikon’s new D700 may been one of the worst kept secrets in an industry with more leaks than the Titanic, but it was still something of a surprise coming so hot on the heels of the D3 and D300. Essentially a D3 shrunk down and squeezed into a body roughly the same size as a D300, the D700 is Nikon’s first ‘compact’ professional SLR, and seems designed to go head-to-head with whatever Canon has up its inscrutable sleeve to replace the EOS 5D.

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The D700 joins the D3 as a fully-fledged ‘professional’ model; it has the same tank-like build quality (though we’re sure the pop-up flash will cause a few raised eyebrows), and gets you the full pro service from Nikon. And the pricing (around $2999) reflects this; anyone hoping for an ‘affordable’ semi-pro full frame Nikon SLR will have to wait until the cost of producing such large sensors falls considerably.

The Nikon D700 can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com Expected availability is late July or August 2008, but the item is likely to sell out very quickly indeed.