- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Nikon D4
- Nikon D600
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Nikon D7000
- Nikon D3
Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (May, 2012)Boasting a 36-megapixel FX format sensor, the Nikon D800 is currently the highest-resolution “35mm size” digital SLR camera in the world.
Rated 100% by by Enche-TjinD700 has continuous shooting speed are good (5 fps), but when you attached the battery grip, it becomes 8 fps, which is great for sports or wildlife.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Nikon D800 compared to the Nikon D700
MP36.2
Full frame
Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (May, 2012)Featuring a remarkable 36 megapixel full-frame sensor, the D800 also offers 1080p HD video, a 3.2-inch LCD screen and a viewfinder with 100% coverage.
12.1 MP
Full frame
Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2011)ISO 400 is noise free ISO 800 still looking good Nice job at ISO 1600 Even ISO 3200 is flawless There's a little bit of noise at ISO 6400 Let's face it, it's not bad for ISO 25,600 This is the full frame image at ISO 100 This is the 100% crop of the image at ISO 100.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 36.2 MP   | 40 MP |
D800 by KD (Jun, 2012)The beauty of a high megapixel camera is that it makes your pictures better at the same megapixel size as your last camera!
D700 by Jesse-Courtemanche (Mar, 2009)In a world where gimmicks abound (megapixels, HD video), it's nice to know that this camera can hold its own against them all.
sensor size
D800 by Jiunjr-Feng--Robert (Apr, 2012)D800 is my first full frame camera, which I wasn't thinking full frame to be necessary because of good flash is able to handle low light condition, which seems the most key reason for people to choose full frame.
D700 by Jordan-M.-Zuniga--Jordan-Michael-Zuniga (Jun, 2009)You have a beautiful full frame camera, with insanely sharp images.
viewfinder size
D800 by Photography Blog (May, 2012)Otherwise the Nikon D800 is a highly dependable and capable camera that offers a versatile and improved auto focus system, an enhanced viewfinder with 100% frame coverage and a very good movie mode.
D700 by Sam-Hershey--Sam (Aug, 2008)It is a nice option for when you can't look through the viewfinder easily, but definitely not for all-the-time-use.
body size
146 x 123 x 82 mm
147 x 123 x 77 mm
D800 by Clint (Aug, 2012)It exceeds the quality of medium format film cameras in a much more portable size and weight.
D700 by Richard-L.-Chew (Mar, 2009)They are expensive, big and heavy but they are as fast and sharp as can be.
focus points
| 0 | 51 | 60 |
D800 by P.-SUSo good I am willing to not use any other focus points but the center one for now, until Nikon release a service advisory for it.
D700 by Jason-T.-Houge--Jason-Houge-Photography (Mar, 2009)Unselected focusing points are not visible.
Performance Real world tests of Nikon D800 vs Nikon D700
DxOMark image quality
D800 by Doctor.GenerosityFewer pixels would have enhanced colors and dynamic range and contrast, the non-MP ingredients of meaningful image quality.
D700 by Lawrence-Charters-----Lawrence (Dec, 2009)With its superb noise reduction, stabilized lens system, and outstanding low-light capabilities, the Nikon D700 allows you to take photos - without a flash - that you really can't manage well with any other camera.
DxOMark low light performance
D800 by J.-Blaha--JrThe automatic white balance in absolutely amazing in low light conditions, as I shot landscape under a full-moon with long exposure the other night, and it looked like the shot was taken during daylight, complete with the blue sky with stars visible and white clouds, which made for a nice wow factor.
D700 by Jessica-Willis--UnbridledImagery.com (Feb, 2009)I recently did a wedding photoshoot in very dimly lit conditions, and my backup photographer used the D200 with a 1.4 lens while I used the D700 with a 2.8 - the difference in the photos in phenomenal.
shutter lag
| 0 ms | 197 ms | 200 ms |
D800 by Photography Blog (May, 2012)The Nikon D800 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography.
continuous shooting
D700 by DPReview (Oct, 2008)With the MB-D10 attached the D700 feels very much like a D3 (it's actually a fractionally taller combination) and offers high-speed continuous shooting of full size 12.1MP images at a rate of up to 8 fps (when using EN-EL4a/4 or eight AA-size batteries).
battery life
900 photos
1,000 photos
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the D700
| Much better overall image quality | 95.0 | vs | 80.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 20% better image quality | |||
| Marginally more recently announced | Feb, 2012 | vs | Jul, 2008 |
| Announced date over 3 years later | |||
| Much higher resolution | 36.2 MP | vs | 12.1 MP |
| Around 3x higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| Much larger screen | 3.2" | vs | 3" |
| Around 10% larger screen | |||
| Shoots video | HD video | vs | None |
| Most cameras shoot video | |||
| Much larger viewfinder coverage | 100% | vs | 95% |
| Around 10% larger coverage | |||
| Much more color depth | 25.3 bits | vs | 23.5 bits |
| Around 10% more color depth | |||
| Significantly higher resolution screen | 1,040 k dots | vs | 922 k dots |
| More than 10% higher resolution screen | |||
| Much better dynamic range | 14.4 ev | vs | 12.2 ev |
| Around 20% better dynamic range | |||
| Supports HDR | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Combines multiple photos together to capture both bright and dark areas | |||
| Less noise at high ISO | 2,853 ISO | vs | 2,303 ISO |
| More than 20% higher low light performance | |||
| Slightly lighter | 1,000 g | vs | 1,074 g |
| Around 10% lighter | |||
Advantages compared to the D800
| Slightly faster rapid fire | 5 fps | vs | 4 fps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 30% faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion | |||
| More highly reviewed by consumers | 90.23% | vs | 89.35% |
| Almost the same | |||
| Thinner | 77 mm | vs | 82 mm |
| Around 10% thinner | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Nikon D800 | Nikon D700 | ||
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 |  Rated by 236 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Charles (Jun, 2012) Rated 20% by by E.-K.-Wlin (Jul, 2012)  | Rated by 232 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Peter-G.-Aitken (Sep, 2009) Rated 100% by by Derek-Enz (Oct, 2009) Rated 100% by by Plantasphilia (Feb, 2013) | |
sensor
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)Fortunately, the D800 also excels in areas that require no extra effort on your part; notably its impressive high ISO performance, fast and accurate AF system and the wide dynamic range of its image files.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by TrustedReviews (May, 2012)When set to any of these alternative aspects/sensor sizes the D800 helpfully displays the area covered with a black outline in the viewfinder to make easier work of composing your image.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by Guillermo-CB (Aug, 2012)High Dynamic Range, new focusing alternatives, High ISO low noise, larger LCD and of course the best sensor in market makes D800 teh best camera you can get for the price.
focus
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The D800's fast and accurate phase-detection AF system is not available in live view mode, which of course, includes video recording.
Nikon D800 | Rated 40% by by A.-Amiri (Jun, 2012)We conclude that the issue with the accuracy of the outer AF focus points of the D800 is real and probably affects all units out there to some (varying) extent.
Nikon D800 | Rated 60% by by Fabian-GonzalesGiven that your new D800 is likely to have the same AF issue, and given that the sensor is so demanding it will expose every single flaw of every one of your lenses, expect to send both your camera and lenses in to Nikon for service.
autofocus
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by lunitic (May, 2012)Add in latest-gen processing power to handle a 35mm FX sensor rated at 36 MP with an autofocus system not dissimilar from that on the D4 and the D800 pulls an astonishing amount of detail out of the whole frame across a huge range of exposure.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by Roy (Aug, 2012)The AF system is faster and more accurate than the D700, which is a great, great camera in its own right.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by E.-Bowles (May, 2012)The new AF system of the D800 is excellent - very quick and accurate.
iso
Nikon D800 | Rated 60% by by Emmanuel--ShutterMan (Apr, 2012)+ Handling: The auto ISO is easy to engage and the new position of the ISO button is more intuitive when looking through the viewfinder than on the D700.
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The D800's viewfinder displays a comprehensive set of shooting information including exposure mode and metering pattern, alongside shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation and ISO.
Nikon D800 | Rated 60% by by Doctor.GenerosityI would have much preferred if the D800 had used their D4 sensor with 16MP and ISO up to 100,000, which would allow me to take more unusual pictures and have more latitude in aperture and shutter speed.
lens
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The D800 balances well in-hand with a wide range of lenses including fast zooms like the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by TrustedReviews (May, 2012)During our test period we primarily used the D800 with Nikon’s 50mm f/1.4 prime – a fantastic lens that’s as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel and capable of producing exquisite bokeh when opened right up.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by Nikon-Shooter (May, 2012)The + / - on the image zoom is backwards from the D700.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D4 Fastest rapid fire mode |
 | 2 | Nikon D600 Least noise at high ISO |
 | 3 | Canon EOS 5D Mark III Many many cross-type focus points |
 | 4 | Nikon D7000 6-way tie: Autofocus supports continuous |
 | 5 | Nikon D3 Most shots per battery charge |
 | 6 | Canon EOS 6D Good benchmarked shot to shot times |
 | 7 | Nikon D5200 Has a flip out screen |
 | 8 | Nikon D7100 Highest resolution screen |
Popular Questions
August 28, 2012
Is the Nikon D800 worth the extra money if video is not important?
I am a hobbyist/experienced amateur seeking entry into the profession.
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2
Answers September 18, 2012
Need a camera for Friday night football
I am having trouble shooting Friday Night high school football. I need the faster shutter speed and the low noise high iso to use with my Nikon 80-400 F4.5-5.6 lens. I keep renting different and...
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Answers Unanswered Questions
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January 5, 2013
Low noise at hight sensitivity and hight speed
I lok for lower noise than D700 at hight sensibility hight speed
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Answers January 2, 2013
The D600, D700 or D800?
I'm stumped. I'd like one of the three, but I don't know which would best suit my needs. I'm looking for a camera that would be good for newborn, children and basic portraiture (couples, family,...
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Answers Nikon D800
Nikon D700
Philip-Davis 
Expert III
Pick up a used D700 to save a bit of cash. But really, the body is only part of the problem. Consider buying/renting a faster lens like the 70-200mm f/2.8 with VR. View Philip-Davis's recommendation
- 0 comments
- September 18, 2012
- Reply to: Need a camera for Friday night football
Christopher-Puan-Ziyang 
Beginner I
The sensor of the D800 has 36 MP. The main advantage is of course incredible resolution and the cropping capaibilities afforded to you. However, I agree with Brenden in that you shd get a D700.... View Christopher-Puan-Ziyang's recommendation
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- August 29, 2012
- Reply to: Is the Nikon D800 worth the extra money if video is not important?
