July 2nd, 2008
Nikon announces D700: Full-frame dSLR for $2,000 less than flagship D3
If you’re looking for a full-frame, pro-quality digital SLR, but don’t want to spend the money (or lug around the heft) of the big guns like the Nikon D3 or Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, the new Nikon D700 may be just the fit for you. Announced yesterday, the D700 offers a full-frame 23.9×36mm CMOS sensor (12.1 megapixels) in a smaller and lighter form factor than the D3, Nikon’s flagship full-frame professional dSLR. 
Not only will the D700 save you two grand off the D3’s $4,999.95 list price (it will be priced at about $2,999.95, body only, when it starts shipping in late July), but it also weighs almost 9 ounces lighter and measures 5.8×4.8×3.0 inches, vs. the D3’s dimensions of 6.3×6.2×3.4 inches. The new model sports a 3-inch LCD viewfinder with two Live View modes (for handheld or tripod shooting), as well as Nikon’s 51-point auto focus system with 3D Focus Tracking. The D700 also includes a scene recognition system that intelligently sets exposure and white balance, and improves the auto-focus performance.
Lori Grunin offers a good at-a-glance comparison of the Nikon D300 (the lower-end DX model), D700, and D3 on CNET’s Crave blog.
DPReview has an in-depth, hands-on preview of the D700.
Janice Chen has been covering technology for almost two decades. She got her hands on a Nikon Coolpix 900 back in 1998 and has been a digital camera enthusiast ever since. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
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