What's been improved in D700 since the introduction of D200 3 years ago?  Quite a lot!

I couldn't be more happy with the purchase of Nikon D700 Digital SLR camera. It replaced my 3-year old and retiring Nikon D200, which I have put well over 100,000 images through (and it's still going strong.)

The camera have a very solid construction, it is said to use a thicker magnesium body than the D300 and D200, and is very water-resistant (one reviewer used the camera for 4+ hours in the rain with absolutely no problem).

For the first time, I have absolutely no worry about setting my ISO at 6400 and know for a fact the images will come out far superior than that would produce on my old D200 with iso of just 640, sharpness and resolution wise. The High ISO performance is astonishing on D700, thanks to Nikon's full frame 12mp sensor (the exact same sensor that's been used in Nikon's top of the line D3). The sensor's default setting produces neutral, film like results, with the ability to fully customize color/contrast/sharpness.

The ability to produce 14bit raw files would put some of the most critical photographer on the ease, knowing that they will not compromise on the shadow and highlight details while shooting in 14bit raw. However, in my field test the difference is impossible to distinguish with human eye, it can only be detected with the aid of a histogram.

I love the cameras ability to customize at least 3 different function keys for various tasks (the DOF button, Function button and AE/AF-Lock button). The ability to use the en-el4a battery with the MB-D10 grip is a huge plus (although the grip, adapter, the battery itself and the charger for battery costs well over $500 dollars), it enables the ability to shoot well over 2,000 images on a single battery charge, and amazing 8.1fps frame rate (16 raws continues shooting, or unlimited jpgs). MB-D10 is actually constructed of mostly metal, with it's individual dialing wheel for vertical compositoin. The MB-D200 grip of D200 is mostly cheap plastic and does not grip to the camera body well when installed on my D200.

The LCD screen is truly a joy to stare at, it offers 3x more pixels than the old 320x240pixel screen on D200. 1:1 pixel viewing is possible. With 178 degree viewing angle, and anti-glare coating all help ensure accurate color rendition. (mine comes with 1 stuck pixel however that's not noticeable unless screen is displaying complete black). I thought D200's screen was fantastic couple years ago, now I'm speechless with this new 640x480pixel screen, its just too beautiful.

If you've used Nikon's DSLR before, you'll be at home with D700's menu system, very intuitive with a help function which explains every setting on the fly. Some really useful features include: Self sensor cleaning, Mirror lockup, Multiple exposure, Intravelmeter, Visual horizon and much much more.

For novice photographers: D700 offers numerous functions to make novice photographers at ease, such as the Active D-Lighting system, which automatically compensate for scenes with very high dynamic range. The sophisticated 3D Color Matrix Metering II ensures spot on exposure time in different automatic exposure modes.

D700 also features advanced face detection in it's Auto Area AF focus mode, the camera uses all 51 focus areas and automatically selects the correct focus points for you.

D700 offers fully programed mode (P mode) with auto-iso adjustment for fully automatic exposure, all you need to do is press the button and compose and the camera would take care of everything else.