Comparison Between Canon 5D mark II and Nikon D700

Canon 5D Mark II vs Nikon D700

Canon has done it again, undoubtedly, they are the leader in technological innovations for DSLRs but have they gone too far? is HD Movie really needed or wanted on a DIGITAL CAMERA? for now It is safe to say that photographer prefer their CAMERAs to take still shots… if they wanted to take HD Movies, it may be a wiser idea to get a HD VIDEO camera that has all the features for a good HD Video Camera instead of cramming a good SLR with a so-so HD VIDEO Recorder, but i may be wrong…

Now back to the comparison of the 2 cameras. Canon definitely has outdone Nikon in the Megapixel category but it remains to be seen if the picture quality is much better.. Why do I say this? When I talked about pixel Density earlier (D700 vs D300) Technically, the D700 (36×24) supposedly had cleaner files since pixel density was less than than that of the D300 (23.6×15.8).. it was D700 at 1.4MP/cm2 vs the D300 at 3.3MP/cm2.

In this comparison both D700 and Canon 5D Mark II both have the same sensor size at 36×24.. The difference will be on pixel density.. since the Canon 5D sports a 21mp resolution, it packs more pixels per cm2 at 2.4MP/cm2 while the D700 at 12.1MP packs around 1.4MP/cm2. Technically, the D700 should have cleaner files but the differences may only be evident once you print large sized images.

At this resolution, the lens quality shall play a big part in the image capture. Bad Glass will standout and defects like barrel distortion, pincushion distortion will be more obvious. Like the D700, vignetting will be a problem on some of canon’s lenses. Packed with good lenses, more detail and info can be captured on the 5D.. fine details and more definition than the 12.1MP D700.

The Canon 5D has 8 positions for the white balance while the D700 has only 6, Not a critical feature if you ask me, since the D700 white balance settings can be controlled on the Kelvin Scale.

The D700 has a built in flash, but is it really used? it can come in handy at times and might be a plus if extra light is really needed.

If extra exposure is needed the edge goes to the D700 having -5 to +5 with 1/3 EV or set it to 1/2EV.. this is a plus since the Canon only goes up to -2 to +2 with 1/3EV or 1/2EV.

Speed goes to Nikon D700 with 5 FPS per second and 8FPS with attached battery pack while the Canon 5D mark II is just a tiny bit faster at 3.5FPS than the 1st generation counterpart Canon 5D.

In Terms of Viewing the images, the Canon 5D gives a better feel since you can see 98% of the image that is captured and not limited by the 95% coverage of th D700.. (a quirk anyone can live with)

Its packs more megapixel does that mean it should weight more? nope not neccessarily true, the Canon 5D packs 21.0MP and only weights 850g while the Nikon D700 is on the heavy side at 1074g. This may be a deal breaker for some since they like to lug around lighter gear and with more women coming into the photography scene, maybe canon is givng them a power packed option in a lighter packaging? maybe..

Ok now comes the part where we talk about the canon HD Movie recorder again.. is the 1080p video recorder really needed by the photographer? It may come in handy for wedding photogrphers or your typical family photographer. Did they release the Movie feature with a high end camera to get the professionals to sell the idea to the  basic consumers? maybe.. to justify eventually adding this as a standard feature for future upgrades of the lower end models, giving the consumer another reason to spend! will it catch on? this remains to be seen.

Which is a better camera? again it depends on your use.. but the 21MP will come in handy for big prints.. ok maybe billboard prints.. with 21MP watch your hardisk space VANISH.. then the cycle of having to upgrade computers and hardisk space and all that will happen again.. it is  a vicious cycle..

Nikon D700 vs D300 – Which one is right for you?

Nikon D700 vs D300 – Which one is right for you?

Too many choices too little time to enjoy your camera before the next good thing comes around!

I have compiled a table below to show the basic differences between the Nikon D700 and the Nikon D300. The Main difference between the 2 cameras is that The D700 uses a FX – full frame sensor and the D300 uses the DX – 1.5x cropped sensor. Which one is better? Well that depends on your needs.. If you are a sports shooter or birding.. the cropped sensor would be better because you get a 1.5x multiplier to your lenses but if you shoot weddings or need to shoot up close in tight, cramped spaces the d700 will be good for you. I basically boils down to use.. might even be good to have one full frame and one cropped as back-up to get the best of both worlds.

Do you see any difference from the 2 cameras? Is it just me or does the d700 look more compact since they had to cram in the full frame sensor without adjusting the body size? Check out the weight below, if you think the d300 was heavy enough, you will be surprised that even if it looks the same, there is an increase weight. The d700 goes up to 1074g while the D300 is 925g.

Now lets talk about sensor size, D700 uses a 36 x 24 size and pixel density is just 1.4MP/cm2 compared to the 23.6 x 15.8 Size and Pixel Density of 3.3MP/cm2. What does that mean? technically the D700 should have cleaner file since the pixel density is almost half that of the D300.. this means less noise in trying to cram data/info on the sensor.. probably the reason you see the ISO of the d700 shooting up to 25,600 ISO compared the to 6,400 limit of the D300.

Whats wrong with the D700? well it aint all that perfect.. the viewfinder coverage only gives you 95% meaning you may be seeing less than what is actually taken in your shot…not a big issue if you ask me.. but still the something to look forward to fixing in the next models.

Main Features of the D300

• All-new 12.3 effective megapixel Nikon DX-format CMOS image sensor with integrated A/D converter and the increased bit precision of selectable 14-bit NEF (RAW) output
• Incorporates Nikon’s original EXPEED digital image processing concept
• Nikon’s original Scene Recognition System greatly improves autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance performance
• New 51-point autofocus system features 15 cross-type sensors that maximize the potential of lenses with apertures as small as f/5.6
• Rapid 8 fps or 6 fps continuous shooting for up to 100 shots
• Quick response of 0.13 sec. power-up and 0.045 sec. shutter release time lag
• 3-inch LCD with 920,000-dot (VGA) resolution and a 170° ultra-wide viewing angle
• Optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 extends shooting capability, enhances stability, and provides the further shooting potential of added controls

Main Features of the D700

• Nikon’s original FX-format CMOS image sensor with 36.0 (H) x 23.9 (V) mm image size; 12.1 effective megapixels
• Superior picture quality throughout a wide ISO sensitivity range of ISO 200 to 6400; can be set to ISO-equivalent 25,600
• Incorporates Nikon’s original EXPEED digital image processing concept
• Continuous shooting speed is up to 5 frames per second with the included Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e, and up to 8 frames per second when using the optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 and Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a/4 or eight AA-size batteries
• Two Live View modes enable shooting while confirming subjects in the LCD monitor
• 3-inch LCD with 920,000-dot (VGA) resolution and a 170° ultra-wide viewing angle
• Optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 extends shooting capability, enhances stability, and provides the further shooting potential of added controls
• Nikon’s original Scene Recognition System, utilizing the 1,005-pixel RGB sensor, greatly improves autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance performance

I have the d300, will I want to upgrade to the D700? maybe not.. The difference isnt that much to make me switch.. full frame? my lens selection is already customized to suit my shooting style from wide to tele.. maybe if I needed an extra body then I would consider it… but paying almost double the price is a big hindrance in any purchase since you can get a extra d300 at half the price and still get the same quality.

What is the best thing to do for now? wait.. wait till the prices go down then the gap between the D700 and the d300 gets closer and is easier to justify. If you are after quality then just go jump to the next level and get a medium format digital camera. If you have gadget lust, then go and feed your craving for a new toy.. and dont forget to let us know how the nikon d700 performs in the real world.

Happy shooting!