Introduction

How Canon and Nikon have pitched their battles against each other has always been a fight worth watching, and the past couple of years has arguably seen the latter camp landing some of the finest blows.

Its D300 and D3 models have each gone on to set a impressive benchmark for the sectors they represent, with the latter having persuaded many pros to trade in their Canon DSLR and putty-white army of lenses in its favour. As Nikon’s first full-frame model, it broke new ground in terms of high-sensitivity image quality, proving particularly successful in the field of photojournalism where both its resolution and speed suffice, and positioning itself as a more than worthy competitor to Canon’s 1D series of DSLRs.

So why is it that now, when everyone is expecting a replacement for the venerable D80, has Nikon chosen to release yet another professionally orientated DSLR? Well, if you think about it it’s actually quite a shrewd move and one which makes perfect sense. The D700’s price pitches it pretty much bang in between the D300 and D3, and so further saturating the enthusiasts/professional sector.

Perhaps more crucially, the intervening time has given the company a chance to garner the feedback and opinions of D300 and D3 users, to iron out any wrinkles, and essentially to distil a more refined compromise between the two. Even if you don’t have the money for one, most photographers will look in the hope, dream or delusion of one day being able to afford such a model, and with the D300 now priced under £1,000 and the D3 also having shaved a few hundred pounds off its RRP, enthusiasts may not need be so delusional after all.