Nikon D700

Viewfinder (9.00)
The pentaprism viewfinder shows 95% of the picture area, with a magnification of approximately 7.2x. The diopter control allows adjustment from -3 to +1 m-1.  We were pleased with the handy viewfinder shutter control. Instead of the cumbersome slide-in covers provided with many SLRs, this built-in shutter slides open and closed using a convenient control to the left of the viewfinder, making it easy to keep light from behind from fouling up tripod-mounted exposures.
 
The camera comes with a type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VI focusing screen with AF area brackets. An on-screen grid line display is available via the custom settings menu, when using FX-format lenses.

While shooting, the basic viewfinder display is a clear yellow on black strip at the bottom of the screen showing focus confirmation indicator, focus mode, shutter speed, aperture, shooting mode, ISO speed and shots remaining. Of course, as additional setting adjustments are made, these are reflected in the display, but we couldn’t manage to create enough on-screen clutter to be confusing.

One interesting viewfinder option is the Virtual Horizon feature. By programming the function button to enable this feature, the exposure indicator in the viewfinder becomes a tilt indictor, displaying whether the camera is tilted to the left or right. The Virtual Horizon can be displayed as an image overlay in Live View mode.

The shutter inside the viewfinder makes tripod shooting simpler.

Live View
Unlike some cameras, which initiate Live View mode with a simple button press, Nikon requires you to press down the lock button on the release mode dial lock button, then rotate this control to the Lv mode position.

There are two versions of Live View mode, Hand-held and Tripod, selectable via the Shooting menu, each with a slightly different shooting procedure. In Hand-held mode, you start by pressing the shutter all the way down – this doesn’t take a picture, it just raises the mirror so the light coming through the lens will hit the sensor and be displayed on the LCD instead of bounced up into the optical viewfinder.  During Live View display, pressing the playback zoom buttons will enlarge or reduce the on-screen image.

While framing your shot on the LCD, the image stutters noticeably as you move the camera from side to side. It‘s not bad enough to make you miss a shot, but it is distracting. A more serious obstacle to using Live View is the confusing focus sequence.

After pressing the shutter all the way down to get into Live View mode in the first place, a second halfway shutter press (or depressing the AF-ON button) is required to focus. This lowers the mirror and blanks out Live View. The sound of the swinging mirror makes it seem that you took a picture – but that‘s not necessarily so. You need two clicks – one to initiate focus, the second to actually take the photo. If the camera had trouble achieving focus (a common occurrence when shooting relatively close subjects with the 24-120 lens we used for test purposes), you hear a click, don’t get a photo, and don’t get automatically get back to Live View mode either (that takes another shutter click). Best case, there’s a significant focusing lag between hitting the shutter and taking the shot. Worst case, you hear lots of familiar clicking sounds and, if focus fails, end up with no photos at all. Of course, you can avoid the problem by focusing manually.

When shooting in Live View Tripod mode, there’s a lot less confusion, because the screen never blanks out for auto focus. Instead the camera uses a different focusing technology, called contrast-detect auto focus, which relies on data from the image sensor itself instead of the standard phase-detection auto focus used when shooting with the optical viewfinder and with Hand-held Live View. You see the camera attempt to achieve focus live on screen, with focus confirmed both audibly and visually, when the focus area  indicator turns green. Nikon warns that contrast-detect auto focus may not be as accurate as phase-detection technology, particularly with a moving subject.  When shooting product setups and landscapes with tripod-mounted Live View, though, we found the actual focus achieved to be spot-on, and composing the image was certainly more comfortable than peering through the optical viewfinder, especially when shooting from a low or high angle. It could take a few seconds, though, to finish focusing.

LCD Screen (9.50)
The D700 display is a 3-inch, 920,000-pixel LCD with a wide 170-degree viewing angle. This screen has now been used in several Nikon models, so it no longer excites the thrill of discovery it once did. It’s still guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, though, when you move up from the ordinary 230,000-pixel display used on most SLRs to this dramatically crisp and clear view of your recent shots. And while we’re still not big Live View fans when it comes to composing images, the ability of this display to capture the color and detail in the Live View preview makes the feature a lot more appealing.

Seven levels of LCD brightness are available through the Setup menu. The screen is very reflective, which can be an issue when shooting in sunlight, but after cranking up the brightness we found it was still practical shooting with Live View or reviewing your images in the harsh afternoon glare. The snap-on plastic LCD cover is very clear and reasonably scratch-resistant – we left it on when shooting in less-than-ideal outdoor conditions and were grateful for the extra protection.

The Info screen toggles between straight
information and control options.

There’s also a 1.75-inch monochrome display on the top right of the camera that provides basic shooting information: shooting mode, image size and compression settings, aperture and shutter speed settings, battery level, white bance setting and number of shots remaining. This display can be illuminated briefly by turning the power switch beyond the ON position. Like so many D700 camera behaviors, the length of time this illumination lasts can be tailored to your personal preferences.

Flash (8.25)
While the D3 is too much of a highbrow pro camera to incorporate a built-in flash, the D700 provides a pop-up unit that’s both handy and effective. When you press the small back button on the right of the viewfinder hump the flash pops up a good 4 inches above the center of the lens, a generous distance that noticeably minimizes red-eye when shooting in dark rooms. According to Nikon, the guide number at ISO 200 is 17/56 (m/ft).

Flash modes include front curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction and red-eye reduction with slow sync. Flash exposure compensation ranges from -3 to +1 EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV increments. By default the built-in flash operates in TTL (through-the-lens) metered mode, but you can also set the flash level manually, set repeating flash mode to continue firing as long as the shutter is depressed, or set Commander mode to control external flash units (SB-900, SB-800, SB-600 or SB-R200), in two separate groups if desired.

Flash sync speeds range from1/60 second to 1/1/250 second (the default), or 1/320 with an external flash. This makes the built-in unit an effective fill-flash even in bright lighting conditions.

The hot shoe on top of the viewfinder hump accepts the external flash units listed above. Other flash systems can controlled via the flash sync terminal on the front right of the camera.

The high flash position helps minimize red-eye.

The ability to choose from a plethora of Nikon lenses
is a key part of the D700 appeal.

Speed Performance	Page 6 of 15		Design / Layout
Nikon D700 Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Physical Tour	Color Performance	Noise Performance
Speed Performance	Components	Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters	Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Sample Photos	Specs / Ratings