Robinbiorra Loc: Ireland

I own a D7100 which I am quite happy.....but I have a hankering for a full frame option. The D850 is a bit beyond my budget. So, D800, D810, D750 seem to be the obvious options. However, there are a lot of D700 fans out there and I can't help but wonder if much of of this adulation is hype driven group-think or if this old camera is really worth buying in 2024. Has anyone "upgraded" to an older camera such as this? What's been your experience and which of the other options should I consider seriously?

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

Personally, I think both the D750 and the D810 are great cameras. When I purchased my D810 I thought my 750 would join my D7000 in rarely seeing the light of day but I’d say that my camera usage is close to half and half. I don’t see myself purchasing a new camera anytime in the future because these two do everything I need.

Good luck in choosing your next camera and I hope you have many years and lots of adventures with it.

Dodie

scsdesphotography Loc: Southeastern Michigan

Hi Robinbiorra. Before you decide, be sure to check out previously owned cameras on sites such as B&H or Adorama. You may find one of those higher end body's at a price you can afford. However, the D700 would be a significant upgrade from your D7100!

BebuLamar

It would be hardly an upgrade to the D7100. Although the D700 has low noise but it has only 12MP compared to the D7100 24MP it's hard to call it an upgrade. Worse if the OP has DX lenses then the it's only 5.3MP.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Go with the D750 if you can't afford the D850.

PaulW128 Loc: Long Island, NY

Hi Robin,

I've also been tempted to purchase a D700 over the last couple of years. The one thing that stops me is knowing that Nikon no longer services the D700 which makes me wonder if it ever needed repair, I'd be up a creek!

Very interested in the responses you receive.

Regards,
Paul

elee950021 Loc: New York, NY

Yes, The Nikon D700 is hype-driven as well as deserving of adulation. It was Nikon's first full-frame camera, albeit only 12MP. It was released simultaneously with the professional D3 (FX) and the D300 (DX) cameras and used often as a D3 backup body. The D700 was well-made and had the same sensor as the D3 but cost less and because of its 12MP had low-light and low-noise capabilities due to the sensors' larger light-gathering qualities. I bought one at the time, shooting portraits and doing model photography. Later, Nikon released the D3s (also 12MP) with even better low-light abilities as well as a D3X (24MP). Eventually, I bought a used D3s body as well and still use it to this day.

If you buy something today, I would suggest getting the D810 which is also 36MP, and uses the same battery as the 24MP D600, D610, D750 and the D800 (36MP), all full frame as well as your D7100! Some of these bodies use the ubiquitous CF and SD cards and have a built-in flash which I use often with light modifiers and can be bought for less than 30% of the manufacturer's original prices in decent condition with low actuations. With my two D810s, I use the 1.2X crop mode (from 36MP to 25MP NEFs) to increase the number of exposures and to shoot at a faster rate in sequences with plenty of quality to spare!

The Nikon D850 uses an EN-EL15a battery, uses the expensive XQD card as well as SDs and no built-in flash. The camera does have 45.7MP, a faster shooting rate and the same list price as the D810 as well as newer features. However, as a current and newer camera model, it still maintains a higher new and used price.

The choice is yours!

Be well! Happy New Year all! Ed

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I had a D3, which had the same sensor as the D700 and was a significant step up at the time (2008) since it had excellent high ISO performance. The ISO performance of cameras has improved since then, but not really that much. I would think a D750 would be a good choice.

therwol Loc: USA

I'm sure you're aware that the full frame option requires full frame lenses. If you don't already own any, this will be an added expense.

Personally, I would not buy a 12 megapixel camera at this point in time. The ability to crop images is too restrictive.

Personally, I own a D810 and D850, and it's almost impossible to tell the difference in the images they produce. They're both awesome cameras for capturing detail. The D850 is faster and has better autofocus performance, but sometimes I miss the pop up flash of the D810 when I need some fill in light.

Yes, you can tell the difference between 24 MP (D750) and 36 MP (D810). It's something you have to see to appreciate. I can't say anything good or bad about the D750, but I can only say good things about the D810. That's the direction I think you should be looking in.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

The D750 and D780 are fantastic cameras, and quite an upgrade from the D700. You will be very pleased with their performance.

PaulW128 Loc: Long Island, NY

If the OP decided to take your advice and purchase a D810, they would still need to buy new lenses, but you bring up some excellent points.

Perhaps buying a D700 wouldn't make sense and maybe I'm just being swayed by all the hype I've read, I'm just not sure!!

Paul

alvin3232 Loc: Houston, TX

Happy New Year
I currently own both the Nikon D810 and Nikon D750 and both work great and are amazing cameras. You cannot go wrong with either.

Al

User ID

At current pricing of the D700, repair support is irrelevent. Buy a spare. Check the repair prices of the "supported" models. Even later models than the 700 are dixie cups, and will cost you more to acquire a spare.

"Updrading" to *any* SLR today is hardly an upgrade, but the 700 is the cheapest choice and a fine camera. Acoarst a 750 is only a bit more $$ and is worth it. It really is a clearly better dixie cup.

Finally, check out the widely ignored D610 if you want a recent model FF SLR for cheap !

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I had a D810, sold it when I got my z9
810 is a GREAT camera and im sorry I sold mine.

PaulW128 Loc: Long Island, NY

I have a Z50 and I like it. I just miss shooting with a DSLR at times. Since cost is a factor for me, maybe I’d be better off looking at crop sensor Nikons.

Not sure what you mean by Dixie cup