New Camera: Nikon D700

After much run around with the … delivery service yesterday (and I won’t say which one, but it’s not the one that I work for!!), I got my brand spankin’ new Nikon D700!  Of course as soon as I got it home I practically Edward Scissorhanded  it out of the box. I was never patient about that kind of thing…

…hello big box…

…what kind of “Christmas in the Summer” goodies do you have for me?…

…my favorite gold box…

..the “ohhhh”s and “ahhhh”s began here…

…ain’t she a beaut!  (And significantly heavier than my other camera! Wait til you see my triceps in 2 months)

I have the feeling the D700 is going to treat me well.  Of course instead of reading the entire camera manual, I’m a figure-it-out kind of girl, so I played with it throughout the night and was super pleased with the results!  The D700 is a great low-light camera, with ISO settings being able to skyrocket with minimal noise. This is one of the reasons I’m really excited about this camera.  Also, the large format means I’m not converting my lens focal lengths anymore. I conducted a test between the D700 and my other camera, the D80. 
Here are the results:

Both shots taken at the same settings:
1/160 shutter speed
f/3.5
ISO1600
50mm prime

D80: You may not be able to tell in this image, but at ISO1600 you hit grain on the D80.  Also, the 50mm prime lens on my DX format camera makes the focal lenght actually not 50mm.  Slightly confusing, but it could be a pain when shooting.  However, the D80 has been great to me thus far – all of the images on my website are taken with my D80.

D700:  At ISO1600 I’m getting no grain. At ISO6400 I’m getting little to no grain. It’s pretty darn amazing. Add on top of that the fact that my 50mm is actually my 50mm.  It’s nice. The view is clear, there are more focal point offerings, the dials are in a more convenient place (although I like to scroll the images on my camera using the SS wheel, and right now I can only figure out how to scroll using the direction button on the back panel… hmm… maybe that’s what that big manual is for?).  Overall first impression – woooooooooooooooooooooooo!  Now if I could only get the CF card reader to be aligned in formating so that I don’t have to direct upload from my camera. I’m going to use the D700 a little bit this weekend for Scotty and Leah’s wedding. I can’t wait to see the results!

An aside: Today is our 11 monthiversary, so “Happy Monthiversary” to my husband! Next month it’ll be a year! It’s crazy how time flies!