nikon d700 worth it?

jwdxb · Dec 11, 2010

Hey there! im a food blogger and i am currently updating my website and i would like it to look more 'professional'.I am however not professional,most shots i take are in low light settings (sitting outside at resturants at night) however id also like a really great quality camera that will last for years to come..Is it worth (price wise) buying the D700? im not sure i would use all its qualities and is there a camera that can rival what im looking to use it for?
thanks, any help would be very much appriciated

Ken Rockwell Fan · Dec 11, 2010

Pickup a D700 and a 50mm f/1.4 lens or if price is a issue then get a D7000 and a 35mm f/1.8 lens. The ISO performance on both of these cameras is nothing short of incredible. Both will serve you very well in low light photography with or without flash.

Derrel · Dec 11, 2010

Honestly, I think I'd rather have the APS-C sized sensor for doing food blogging stuff...the D7000's low-light, higher-ISO performance is according to dPreview, the best of all the APS-C d-slr's...since food is very slow-moving and tends to just sit there...I think you could rely on a VR lens for deeper depth of field, and/or a small tripod, perhaps a table-top model, for the occasional shot that absolutely needs stopped-down apertures and slow speeds. I dunno...I kind of think the shallower depth of field per angle of view of the FF D700 is not the priority for food blog type pictures...I thiunk the less-costly D7000 would be up to the task, for the most part.

Remeber though...low, crappy lighting looks like...low crappy lighting...so...

KmH · Dec 11, 2010

jwdxb said:
Hey there! im a food blogger and i am currently updating my website and i would like it to look more 'professional'.I am however not professional,most shots i take are in low light settings (sitting outside at resturants at night) however id also like a really great quality camera that will last for years to come..Is it worth (price wise) buying the D700? im not sure i would use all its qualities and is there a camera that can rival what im looking to use it for?
thanks, any help would be very much appriciated

The D700 has excellent low light performance, however, it has few automatic functions and requires a good amount of technical photographic knowledge to use well.

Frankly, if you have to ask I'd say no, the D700 isn't the right camera for you.

If the cost is not really a big consideration, then sure, go ahead.

The D7000 is not in the same league, ISO wise (low-light) as the D700. However, the D7000's image sensor has superior dynamic range compared the D700.

Big Mike · Dec 13, 2010

Shooting good 'food shots' (or anything else for that matter) is more about lighting than the camera you have.

Like Derrell said, the food probably isn't moving, so with with a small tripod or something, you won't need a camera with outstanding 'low light ability'.

My suggestion would be to learn about and practice lighting. Of course, you may need get creative if you are going to be shooting at restaurant tables, but that's part of the fun.