This is the first of a series of posts on the camera equipment that I use and carry at every single wedding I shoot. My bag is simply full of gear and to be honest its forever changing. So lets start with the obvious, my main camera body which is a Nikon D700.

The wait for Nikon to release a DSLR with a full frame sensor suitable for wedding photography felt like a life time, Even after canon steamed ahead Nikon stuck top there guns with the “APS-C” sensors. So as soon as the D700 was announced I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. The imaging side of the D700 is pretty much the same as the D3 with the  12.1MP full frame sensor and the same processing engine so the output is almost identical to its much more expensive brother ( the d3 is almost 3 times the price of the D700).

The build quality of the d700 is the one thing that really sold it for me. The body is built like a tank (Magnesium alloy body) and they even claim a weatherproof body, something I have not tested I have to say.

At only £1750 the Nikon d700 is a great price for a professional DSLR

Nikon D700 Key Features

• 12.1 megapixel full-frame sensor (8.45µm pixel pitch)
• ISO 200 – 6400 (with boost up to ISO 25600 and down to ISO 100)
• Same ultra-fast start-up and shutter lag as D3
• Nikon EXPEED image processor
• New Kevlar / carbon fibre composite shutter with 150,000 exposure durability
• Auto-focus tracking by colour (using information from 1005-pixel AE sensor)
• 95% coverage, 0.72x magnification viewfinder
• 5 frames per second continuous with auto-focus tracking
• Optional MB-D10 Battery Pack (same as D300), increases burst rate to 8 fps
• 3.0″ LCD monitor
• Virtual horizon indicates if camera is level (like an aircraft cockpit display)
• ‘Active D-Lighting’ (adjusts metering as well as applying D-Lighting curve)
• Detailed ‘Control Panel’ type display on LCD monitor, changes colour in darkness
• Magnesium alloy body with connections and buttons sealed against moisture

D700 Cons

The main low point to the d700 is simply a downfall to its main high point. With the change to the full frame FX sensor all the old DX lens are not fully compatible.  While they will work all images will automatically be cropped therefore reducing the image size and quality.