A Field Test – sensitivity and Optics

 

In this field test we will observe the capabilities of this camera in bad lighting conditions and the use of different lenses with this camera –some interesting surprises included are.
We will start with the iso issue. Principally, the iso capabilities are not so different to those of the D3. They can both reach high iso values – 25,600.
The iso defined for this camera is 6,400 and the next two levels 12,800 and 25,600 are "pushing-the-limit" levels. We will see how useful they are in a short while.
The weakness of every camera appears in the dark areas of the picture. Even in the lower iso levels, even if we can brighten the dark areas with the appropriate editing software, some amount of snow will remain (electronic noise).
This camera is no different than others. But if we are precise with the exposure level, we can easily take a picture at any iso level that is allowed by the camera.
I used its abilities in the high iso range for shooting with long focused lenses (mirror lenses) while hand held, which is absolutely "forbidden by the book” – but surprisingly, it worked very well.
For example, here is a picture taken with Nikon's 1000/11 reflex lens hand held (!) at iso 2,000. If we consider the fact that the scene was dynamic, the couple jumped about the waves and the focusing was manual, and the results are marvelous, hair-by-hair:

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/2000sec F Number: 11 Max Aperture Value: 0 Focal Length: 1000mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 2000 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 1000 Date Taken: 2008:08:09 17:15:34 Color Space: sRGB

This picture would be impossible to take without high iso, and would require a pentapod and a static scene.
This is of course possible with cameras made by other manufacturers which enable us to photograph comfortably with high iso.
One evening I went out of the residential area in Kibbutz Nachsholim and in the yard, almost in total darkness, I saw something going on in the picnic area. I raised the iso on the camera to its maximum – 25,600 and I focused in the dark towards the happening.
To be honest, only two out of five pictures came out in focus. The camera did not have anything specific to focus on in the dark and I did not use any focus light since the scene was at a distance and I did not want to interfere.
To my surprise the picture came out as if it was taken in daylight – the grass is green, the benches brown and the main characters – cats that are celebrating with the leftovers.
This picture was quite noisy – but definitely acceptable. The following is the scene free of any processing and at 100% crop presenting the snow and the entire scene:

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/10sec F Number: 3.2 Max Aperture Value: 3 Focal Length: 70mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 70 Date Taken: 2008:08:08 22:04:25 Color Space: sRGB

And this is how it looks after slightly cleaning with Adobe Photoshop – which does quite a good job:

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/10sec F Number: 3.2 Max Aperture Value: 3 Focal Length: 70mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 70 Date Taken: 2008:08:08 22:04:25 Color Space: sRGB

 

Earlier, while sitting with the forum members around the bonfire, I set the iso to a higher level. I took the picture with an underexposure of 2/3 stop, equal to an iso level of 40,000:

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/125sec F Number: 3.2 Max Aperture Value: 3 Focal Length: 24mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: -0.6666667 Metering Mode: Center Weighted Average White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 24 Date Taken: 2008:08:07 22:09:20 Color Space: sRGB

 

The noise can be observed on the roof of the pavilion, but the result is definitely acceptable. I would not recommend using such a high iso on a regular basis, but it's good to know it exists – to create acceptable pictures in poor lighting conditions.
One should be very careful with underexposure, which may result in a colorful snow storm. Some practice with the camera's capabilities can certainly help if we need to use such high values.
We will now leave the high iso issues and get on with some optics.
This camera has about the same capabilities as the D3 in identifying DX lenses and creating an automatic crop, a function that is easy to control or cancel if needed.
In the D3 test report I wrote about the forgiveness of the FF format to optics.
Lenses that almost fail with APS cameras, come back to life with these cameras, especially because there is no need to enlarge the frame to achieve a certain size – for which the pictures from the APS cameras should be enlarged.
It is true that the APS camera takes only the middle better part of the camera so this does not match the need for further enlargement.
When FF cameras will appear with double resolutions, as expected from Nikon (a 24Mpixel camera), they will present a significant challenge for the lens, but will also be quite forgiving to optics.
One of Nikon's historical lenses is the old 28-105 lens. The lens has a variable aperture ranging between 3.5 and 4.5 (almost a constant lens of 4), its price is not high at all, and although Nikon recently removed this lens from the market, it is a precious asset for many photographers and can still be found for sale.
This camera has the capabilities to shoot from close-up – almost macro – up to about 1:2.
Although this lens is not an AFS fast focusing lens, it focuses quite fast on the D3 and D700 cameras. It served as my middle lens in my D100 days.
At a wide open aperture at the 105mm state, it has a slight drop in contrast, which disappears by closing 2/3 of a stop to 5.6.
With the new FF cameras it regained its glory, and can certainly serve as a middle lens for those that cannot afford to buy the 24-70/2.8.
If we remember that the 28mm on an FF camera is really at the wide state (almost equal to 18mm on an APS camera) we can also enjoy the wide side of life. The lens has a nice bokeh primarily because of the rounded iris leaves. The following are several examples taken with this lens and the D700.
First of all, with an open aperture and close-up shooting – as sharp as a razor:

When closing the aperture to 5.6 and shooting in long-range – a very sharp picture:

And with a wide open aperture at the wide angle state (28mm) one can see that the picture is very sharp in the middle and slightly less sharp at the edges. Using aperture 5.6 yields excellent results throughout the field of view, but it is also acceptable with an open aperture:

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/500sec F Number: 3.5 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 28mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 400 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 28 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 10:16:24 Color Space: sRGB

This old lens came back to life. It is quite reasonable that Nikon will replace it some time in the future with an AFS and VR version.
One of my favorite lenses in the DX format is Nikon's relatively new 16-85 lens. It is equal in value to the 24-127.5 in the FF format.
You can mount it on the D3 and the D700 and use it at the DX state – but it results in about 5Mpixels.
The trick of mounting a teleconverter does not work on other cameras – not the APS nor the FF types. When the teleconverter (KENKO 1.4) is mounted, strange things happen.
When pressing once, the VR starts throwing the picture in a strange way and after that the camera seems to drop dead and shows that the battery has died.
I thought to myself – why not try this connection on the D700 – what's there to loose?
To my surprise, after some movement of the VR at the first press, the connection works very well! There is stabilization, fast focusing, but no report on the EXIF regarding this new arrangement (an effective focal length and aperture).
The results are acceptable indeed.
After mounting the teleconverter, the lens became a 22.4-119mm lens, maximal aperture 8 at the long state and 4.9 at the wide state.
The decrease in the effective aperture size is easily compensated by raising the iso by one exposure step (for example, iso 400 instead of iso 200).
The results are excellent with the widest open aperture (16mm = 22.4mm on the camera):

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/500sec F Number: 3.5 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 28mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 400 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 28 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 10:16:24 Color Space: sRGB

 

In long-range shooting at the 85mm state (119mm with the teleconverter) – the picture comes out very sharp and the effective aperture is 8 (but not reported on the EXIF):

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/500sec F Number: 3.5 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 28mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 400 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 28 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 10:16:24 Color Space: sRGB

 

In close-range shooting at the same conditions – the results are similar:

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/500sec F Number: 3.5 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 28mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 400 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 28 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 10:16:24 Color Space: sRGB

 

And in poor lighting conditions in the kitchen, the VR did wonders (an exposure speed of 1/15 of a second by the hand):

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/500sec F Number: 3.5 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 28mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 400 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 28 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 10:16:24 Color Space: sRGB

 

This lens also comes to life in the FX format!
Knowing this fact, I decided to check this issue with Nikon's acclaimed 18-200mm lens. As stated, in the DX state it works well, but also with the teleconverter it works as well in the FX format and covers the entire frame.
The new focal length (that is not reported on the EXIF) is 25-280mm with maximal apertures similar to the 16-85 lens.
Here too, the VR and AFS work smoothly; here too we can find some slight vignetting as with a lens with no teleconverter.
An example taken with 200mm (effective 280mm) with open aperture (effective aperture 8):

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/500sec F Number: 3.5 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 28mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 400 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 28 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 10:16:24 Color Space: sRGB

 

Not bad at all! The next example was taken at the 18mm state (25mm) at a wide open aperture (effective 4.9):

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/250sec F Number: 3.5 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 18mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 400 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 18 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 09:59:20 Color Space: sRGB

The sharpness is good. And this is how it looks with the camera in the FX state without a teleconverter at 18mm – huge vignetting at the edges:

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/500sec F Number: 3.5 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 18mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 400 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 18 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 10:00:42 Color Space: sRGB

 

When mounting the x2 teleconverter on this lens, the auto-focus stopped working, but the VR mechanism carried on and the exposures were precise. The results weren't great and the connection isn't really recommended – unless you don't really have a choice.
The last lens in this report is the AFS VR 24-120 lens which is suggested to be the kit lens for this camera. This lens covers the entire frame and is not a DX lens.
It is an old lens with a mediocre reputation on APS cameras but it served for some time as my middle lens on the D100 and its successors until the appearance of the 18-200 and the 16-85 on the market.
The results on the D700, show once again the forgiveness of FF cameras to  the lens' optics.
At the 200mm state, when closing aperture to 7.1 (2/3 stop), the results were good and the VR system worked well (1/30^th of a second) and the focusing was fast:

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/30sec F Number: 7.1 Max Aperture Value: 5 Focal Length: 120mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 250 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 120 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 09:04:17 Color Space: sRGB

 

At a wide open angle state – 24mm, at wide open aperture - the results are reasonable but not excellent:

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/200sec F Number: 3.5 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 24mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 250 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 24 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 09:03:40 Color Space: sRGB

 

But when closing aperture to 7.1 (one can work with this aperture in all the zoom states) the sharpness jumps out of the screen:

 

Model: NIKON D700 Exposure Time: 1/160sec F Number: 7.1 Max Aperture Value: 3.6 Focal Length: 24mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 250 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 24 Date Taken: 2008:08:15 09:04:40 Color Space: sRGB

One must remember that a 24mm lens on an FF camera is a very wide lens as can be seen from each picture.
I assume that Nikon will soon produce a higher-quality lens that will replace the 28-105 lens and this lens with a new lens which is compatible to its new cameras that will probably have a fixed aperture along the zoom range such as the Canon 24-105/4 lens.
I can conclude that Nikon's older lenses came back to life on the D700 and even the DX lenses which were buried by many people, work well in this format – either at the DX state at a cost of 5Mpixels or with a teleconverter in full resolution.
Other lenses, such as the 12-24 or the 17-55 lens work from a certain focal length and on as they are on the D3 or the D700 with no teleconverter and no crop.
And one last word – the color space I use is the D2x space in state 1. It suits my taste best.