I just realized we got absolutely no leaked sample D700 shots, like we did with the D3… anyway, you’ll be happy to know that the D700 is capable of taking nice shots of hot chicks (but if you shoot them this close, you might have to have them shave first):
Reports (via dpReview so far) as that it makes the focusing better and more accurate in low-light situations.
The US download site for Windows is here, Mac-heads can get it here.
On the other hand, I’ve got at least one report that the f-stops aren’t being recorded properly into EXIF data.
Also interesting is that while there were confirmed reports of the 1.12a/b firmware, it appears to never have gotten released.
Software’s tricky…
A little birdie sends the inside scoop on D700 pricing (directly from a page dump):
D700 D-SLR BODY
Description:
Supplied with:
- #25444 D700 Digital SLR Body;
- EN-EL3e Rechargeable Li-ion Battery;
- MH-18a Quick Charger;
- UC-E4 USB Cable;
- EG-D100 Video Cable;
- AN-D700 Strap;
- BM-9 LCD Monitor Cover;
- BF-1A Body Cap;
BS-1Accessory Shoe Cap;- Nikon Software Suite CD ROM
Product #: 25444
List Price: $3,260.00
MAP: $2,999.95 [ed: Minimum advertised price- if you want to sell for less, you have to do a ‘click to see the price’ deal]
So thankfully, despite the deplorable value of our dollar right now, we’re not going to set as badly soaked as or Euro buddies.
European English
French
(the rest, I’m sure you can figure out which Nikon site to go to)
As far as I can tell, there isn’t anything that we didn’t know about in the last few days, do we know the price in USD yet though? I’m kind of wondering where this fits relative to the D3. If it’s only about $1000 less, then its placement would appear to be as simply a smaller D3 with less battery (btw- which battery is it using? I’ll have to look).
With respect to the PC/E (tilt/shift but not at the same time) lenses, they were already previously announced, iirc.
The SB-900 is relatively new news and after a quick read of its specs, it looks like it’s about the same but detects FX vs DX, KNOWS if there’s a colored filter over the flash (!), talks to the body more, allows firmware to be upgraded via the body. I can’t tell yet if the menus are at all changed / made simpler or easier, I don’t see any called-out changes to the CLS, no RF, and wtf can’t I use a Nikon camera body battery for the flash? They appear to have made it more energy efficient so that it’ll recharge with 4 batteries in the time it took the SB-800 to recharge with 5, but with even a smaller body battery, we could have shot forever…
I guess we’ll have to wait for Photokina for primes (oh God, please? I’m starting to think this is hopeless… time for more Zeiss maybe) and the D3.
No, this is not a fake video from the guy in Santa Barbara (as far as I can tell)- and the video would be reasonably hard to fake since we get some closeup shots of the D700:
Honestly don’t know what to make of this one- chaos is reigning, I can’t tell fake from maybe real any more with the D700. This article isn’t helping much- they’ve actually got a shot of the “D700″ next to a D3 and there aren’t any markings on it- there’s no “D700″ on it or “D3′ marking on the D3…
When Nikon sends out engineering test cameras, do they not have the model number silk-screened onto the body? And if they did, why would the D3 not have marking? Strange, tending toward fake?
Here’s the article and here’s the translation:
Karl had a talk with “za mole”:
Just had a puzzling conversation with my very well-connected Nikon mole in London. He says that the SB-900 announcement is imminent, but the D700 is still some time off announcement. Unexpected.
Not sure what to make of this one. I’ll call it anomalous and see what happens tomorrow, I suppose. Karl’s also not sure how likely this is.
Thanks Karl!
The links! They flood my inbox- I got a metric ton of them, thanks for sending!
Here’s the translated article for the D700 in photoscala.de. Interestingly, if I can understand the translation, this is just a picture of the previously reported article from Profifoto, another German magazine.
The only interesting thing (to me) that’s in the specs that we hadn’t already seen was the built-in sensor cleaning:
The same 12-megapixel sensor, apparently the same 51-point autofocus system, slightly lower image speed serial (5 fps instead of 9 fps - however, the battery part to 8fps increase), the viewfinder field of 95 instead of 100 percent, but but a built-in flash (also for wireless flash control), a sensor-cleaning system (more about this tomorrow) and an interesting price tag: just under 2,600 euro, the new costs and from the end of July 2008 will be available.
Wow, I hope that price isn’t right for us Americans because we can nearly have a D3 for that (~$4000usd today).
Oh hey, remember that report that the chip was being made by Renasis (? Even I can’t dig up the post or recall how to spell it)- well that’s resurfacing. Someone remind me how to spell it so that I can look it up again!
So supposing that we can get this interview approved and arranged, I’d like to know what questions you have for him. Please either post in the comments or send me an email (see the image on the right for the address).
Nikon has updated their lense guide (thanks for everyone for pointing it out) and you can read about them all here:
PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D
85mm medium telephoto lens with tilt/shift mechanism and macro capability
• Wide tilting and shifting range (tilt: ±8.3°, shift: ±12.4mm)
• 1/2 life-size macro shooting capability (at 0.39m/1.3 ft.)
• ±90° lens revolving capability for versatile tilt/shift effects
PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED
High-performance wideangle lens with Perspective Control
• Wide shifting and tilting range (shift: ±11.5mm; tilt: ±8.5°)
• ±90° lens revolving capability for versatile tilt/shift effects
• Maximum reproduction ratio of 1/2.7 (at 0.21m/0.75 ft.)
• Three ED glass elements, and three aspherical lenses
• Nano Crystal Coat reduces ghost and flare for clear images
• Nine-blade rounded diaphragm
• Auto aperture control with electromagnetic diaphragm (with D3 and D300)
PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED
Normal lens with Perspective Control and macro capability
• Wide shifting and tilting range (shift: ±11.5mm; tilt: ±8.5°)
• ±90° lens revolving capability for versatile tilt/shift effects
• Maximum reproduction ratio of 1/2 (at 0.253m/0.83 ft.)
• ED glass element
• Nano Crystal Coat reduces ghost and flare for clear images
• Nine-blade rounded diaphragm
• Auto aperture control with electromagnetic diaphragm (with D3 and D300 )
I’ve gotten a few emails from people telling me that various retailers (like Adorama) are cutting prices on the D300 and doing the cute little “Add to your cart to see the better price” deally. I suppose they’re expecting the D700 (or something else?) to replace the D300’s current place in the market.
However - I’m not big on Adorama, I don’t trust them. I’ve had my own, less than good, experience with them. Here’re some other reports. I only recommend B&H Photo Video- I’ve never had them play any games.
Guy points me to this page from DigitalDepot
(UK Camera Retailer) that says:
Nikon will be announcing the new Nikon D700 on Monday 30th June!
Check back soon for details, images & specifications.
[A little birdie] writes:
Hi Matt,
For your information, [Edited by request. Suffice to say, he knows it’s real.]
Release is really soon, by now but not confimed between 1st of july or a week after. There is always a mix up between press conference and worlwide announcement. What you can read about the body is near what it will be for real, some details are still missing.
Take care.
That’s fantastic! I guess we can expect to see an FX body with the D3’s sensor, 1 CF card, lower FPS. Other specifics are probably immaterial for the most part- having the D3’s sensor in a smaller body at half (guessing) the price is the big deal!
It seems like it’ll be a sweet camera, wonder what the official prices are going to be. I’m guess the MSRP is ~$2800 or so. Street will eventually have it at $2499?
I got all excited for a minute and then realized that, yet again, Ken’s got a really nice looking picture of what the D700 might look like and he’s also got a nice writeup on what he thinks the specs are.
If you’re into that, then here’s the shot and here’s the writeup on what he THINKS the new camera will have.
I don’t get too excited by pure speculation, I’ll leave that to the other rumor site.
[Update: Speculation is that the lenses are Sigmas. If the lenses are Sigmas (I’m not good and ID’ing the “lenses” that are “made” by Sigma, so I’ll let others do it), I’m tending to put a little more doubt into the authenticity. In any case, I’d be surprised it it didn’t look about like this in any case.]
Guy pointed me to this Chinese forum post with what looks like a camera-phone shot of the D700:
It’s strange that we’re getting all of these rumors from Eurolands and nothing similar (that I can recall) from US distributors.
But Xavier writes:
Hello Matt, I confirm the date of 1st of july to be the one for nikon’s announcement.
A friend who is owner of the biggest selling nikon store in Paris (and France), is going to some places in France, invited by Nikon to try or see the new stuff from them !
The dates are 30 of june to the 1st of july ! In fact he told me about this date a month ago !
So from what I understood, SB900 and “D700″ (whatever the name can be!) as well as the d3x will be presented.
As for the lens, Nikon already had announced the two PC lenses (so no surprise here) but it seems that not much will be said on july. It looks like it is more for the Photokina in Germany, that most of the announcement will be made!
Keep the funny good job Matt. I’m fan of the cover you put each time !
Wow! We’re getting lots of independent “confirmation” on the SB-900- surprisingly, because this was a relatively late development, it hadn’t been on the radar until just recently. Someone please get me some specs!
The “D700″/D10, whatever, is basically expected at this point, and I’m kind of surprised to see the D3x back in the mix, I was starting to think they’d hold off on announcing it, or maybe the private demo will be a prototype and they won’t announce it yet…
Who knows? The ways of Nippon Kogaku are strange and mysterious…
Some how the Swedes seem to get a lot of Nikon rumors and scoops. Ronin writes:
Seems like the 1 July date is for real. David is an editor for a major swedish photoforum and has been to a meeting with Nikon and confirms that he has signed NDA and can’t give any comments to the D700 rumor until the first of july…
“David Elmfeldt (elmfeldt) Redaktör
Varit på möte med Nikon-lasse men jag har skrivit på avtal att vi inte kan berätta något förrän den 1 juli. Håll utkik då. 2008-06-24 15:04″
Here’s the Original D700 thread in Swedish. Thanks Ronin!
I’m guessing we’ll see 2-4 new lenses, the D700 or whatever they call it, that’s probably it. I’m betting the D3x is next year’s big deal.
My main man, [edited at his request], writes:
I know a nikon ex-employee who imports goods directly from nikon japan to the far east, she said she has ordered 50 SB-900 to be delivered next month.
Maybe we’re going to see an announcement of the SB-800 replacement! So what’s the SB-900 got? WTF knows? I’ve begged [edited at his request] to try and get some specs.
It figures too, since I recently bought another SB-800. Arg. Please god, let them dumb-down the menus. Either I’ve lost too many brain cells lately, or working with it is just a bit of a pain. ESPECIALLY when I put it into slave mode and then bring it back.
It SERIOUSLY needs custom menu functionality, it seems that most of the settings I want are hard to get to.
Thanks [edited at his request]!
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