Full-frame cameras are digital cameras that have sensors that are equivalent in size to the surface area of a single frame of 35mm film. When digital cameras first arrived on the market, the sensors were small when compared to a frame of 135 (35mm) film. Eventually, camera manufacturers were able to market cameras that had larger sensors that matched the size of 35mm film, and thus the term “full-frame” was used to describe them.
Only a small segment of digital cameras on the market today are full-frame cameras. Most consumer DSLRs and mirrorless cameras use the APS-C sensor format, which feature a sensor size that’s about 30% smaller than a full-frame sensor. If you are reading this article, the DSLR you already have is most likely an APS-C camera. The reason APS-C is still popular is because it’s a good technical compromise: the sensors are just big enough to produce very good images, but because they are smaller than full-frame the cameras and lenses are usually less expensive for the consumer.
The answer is yes. You can use Nikon’s 35mm DX lens on an FX camera in FX mode. For some reason, the lens was designed to *almost* cover a full-frame sensor, despite being designed and marketed only for DX bodies. There are some problems with it, but if you recently upgraded to a full-frame Nikon and already have this lens, it’s worth giving it a try.
The first thing you need to do is find the “Image area” submenu on your camera and turn OFF the “Auto DX crop” option. Also make sure “Choose image area” is set to FX, which it probably already is unless you’ve been screwing around.
Turn off Auto DX crop! This is the most important menu option change you will ever make in your entire life.
Once that’s all set, the camera will no longer go into DX mode and you’ll be able to use the full 35mm glory of this tiny lens on your full-frame system. You will now get a nice and useful 35mm field of view with only some minor vignetting at wider apertures (generally speaking, under f4).
If you stop down too far (past f4) the edges will change from gentle vignetting to totally black, as if you’re looking through the keyhole of a door. That’s the caveat with using this lens on an FX camera. But you bought a full-frame system to use the lenses wide open for that ridiculous background blur, so who cares about f4 and above, right?
Nikon D700 with 35mm f1.8G DX lens at f3.2. This image is uncorrected so you can see the vignetting in the corners.
As you can see in the sample photo above, the vignetting is definitely there but it’s not too bad under most shooting conditions. Vignetting may be become more distracting in bright sunlight, but you can always crop it out or correct for it in Photoshop or Lightroom under the Lens Corrections menu. If you shoot a lot at night or in dark bars like I do, then the vignetting won’t even matter.
Vignetting? Nobody cares! Nikon D700 with 35mm f1.8G DX at f1.8.
The lens performs well on full-frame cameras, with rich and vivid colors. Sometimes the colors are too vivid, to the point of being almost cartoonish. But you can always color correct in your editing software.
Beware — this lens causes storms and rain when attached to an FX camera! Nikon D700 with 35mm f1.8G DX at f2.5.
Autofocus is quick and accurate, but that’s to be expected since FX autofocus systems are generally the best anyway. It’s also nice to use this lens with a huge, bright FX viewfinder rather than the tiny DX viewfinders.
Look at how much crap you can fit into the frame now! 35mm all day, baby! Nikon D700 with 35mm f1.8G DX at f1.8.
Give this lens a try on your full-frame camera and let me know what you think below in the comments! And follow me on Instagram for my latest photos of New York City.
It seems that every photographer dreams of some day owning a digital full-frame camera. The lure of full-frame is strong, with promises of photos that have less noise, better retention of shadows and highlights, better color accuracy, and that amazing shallow depth-of-field.
However, improvements in sensor technology have made APS-C and even Micro Four Thirds (m4/3) nearly equal to full-frame cameras in many of those areas. In my opinion, the main reason to move to a full frame system is if you really need very shallow depth-of-field at normal to wide angles (such as 50mm, 35mm, 28mm, 24mm, and so on). Otherwise an APS-C or m4/3 will probably serve you better, and for much less cost.
That being said, if you really want a full-frame camera but don’t want to spend a lot of cash, there are lots of used options among older models. Once selling for thousands of dollars, these old full-frame cameras can now be had for mere hundreds.
Enter the Nikon D700
The Nikon D700 is a legendary camera. It has always reminded me of a digital version of Nikon’s F4 film camera in terms of cult status and aesthetic. And much like the Nikon F4, I have always wanted one (and now own both). The Nikon D700 originally retailed for $2999.99 back in the year 2008. In the used market today, you can pick one up for around $399 — or even less if you are patient and find a good sale. At this point, it’s the cheapest viable way to enter the world of full-frame photography.
A well-used Nikon D700 poses on my bed.
Using an Eleven Year-Old Camera
So how does the Nikon D700 hold up today? Pretty well. It’s a rugged, solid, weatherproof camera. It’s *very* heavy but feels good to hold. The grip is perfect. The controls are great. The viewfinder is enormous and clear. And the full-frame images are… alright.
Spring 2019 near Times Square. Nikon D700 and the even older Nikkor 24mm-120mm f3.5-f5.6D “Streetsweeper” at 24mm.
A Camera for the People
Color rendition at lower ISOs is excellent and true-to-life. Highlights and shadows in brightly lit scenes are preserved well. Blue colors seem particularly vivid, as is the case with many older Nikons. Skin tones at the base ISO are pretty good. The D700 seems to excel as a portrait or “people” camera, perfect for events.
Waiting for the US Women’s Soccer Team’s New York City victory parade to start. Nikon D700 and Nikkor 50mm f1.8D at f1.8, ISO 200.
ISO Performance & Color
As ISO increases, the color rendition does not hold up as well, though that’s true of many cameras. The further up the ISO ladder you go, the more washed-out and inaccurate the colors become. When you reach ISO 3200 and beyond, you may find magenta or green color casts in a lot of your images.
Night Lights. Nikon D700 and 50mm f1.8D at f1.8, ISO 450.
Difficult Shooting Situations
In high-contrast scenes where you may need to lift the shadows — such as trying to capture a group of people as they capture a sunset on their cell phones — there is a noticeable amount of noise. It’s not overwhelmingly bad, and not unlike film grain, but it definitely will be there if you try to salvage a photo taken under difficult conditions.
Manhattanhenge Love. Nikon D700 and “Streetsweeper” 24mm-120mm f3.5-f5.6D lens at 24mm, ISO 200
Low-Light Performance
Noise is also noticeably present in high-ISO shots and night shots. In addition to noise, some night shots suffered from vertical AND horizontal banding at ISO 3200 and higher. If you shoot a lot of night shots like I do, I would say ISO 5000 is your usable limit in terms of noise. But you’re better off staying at ISO 3200 and below.
One World Trade Center as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge at night. Nikon D700 and 35mm 1.8G DX (yes, DX!) in FX mode, ISO 3200.
Other Things to Consider
This is an old camera, and the people who owned them were often professionals or serious enthusiasts. Therefore if you buy one it will probably have a very high shutter count. It’s likely that any one you pick up will have a shutter count of well over 100,000 actuations, and possibly over 200,000 actuations. The more actuations your camera’s shutter has, the more likely it is (statistically) that you’ll encounter a shutter failure which will need to be repaired.
If your camera suffers a mysterious problem and simply stops working, other parts needed for repair (such as LCD screens, internal electronics, the internal card reader) may be hard to come by or impossible to obtain.
The camera uses Compact Flash (CF) Cards instead of SD cards, so if you don’t have CF Cards laying around, that will be another thing you’ll need to buy. You will also need an external CF Card reader since no computer or laptop has a built-in CF card reader.
The Nikon D700 does not shoot video. In addition, the Live View mode is extremely cumbersome to the point of being useless, so if you’re a shooter who uses Live View often, you may want to rethink buying this camera.
If you are moving from a Nikon DX camera, you will mostly likely need to buy new lenses. Only FX lenses will work properly on this camera (except for the 35mm DX lens which actually does work pretty well, but that’s for another article).
Note: some of you who are Nikon DX users already have the Nikon 50mm f1.8G or f1.8D lenses which you are using for portraits; those two 50mm lenses will work fine.
So, remember to factor in the cost of all of these things when deciding to purchase this camera. You may find that your “cheap entry” into full-frame has gotten rather expensive after all.
Sticker Life. Nikon D700 and 35mm 1.8G DX (yes, DX!) in FX mode, ISO 3200.
The Final Verdict
Would I recommend this camera over a recent DX Nikon? No. Even my little Nikon D5100 from 2011 performs better in terms of pure image quality and produces much better colors. It even handles noise better. The D700 is not a bad camera, especially for one that’s over a decade old. But technology has moved on and made significant improvements every area.
Would I recommend this camera to someone looking to buy their first full-frame camera? Maybe. The prices of used full frame cameras are all dropping. For a few hundred dollars more, you could pick up a used Nikon D610 or Nikon D810 which would produce much, much better low-light images. So if you’re a night or low-light shooter, I’d lean towards no. If you shoot mostly in the daylight or at well-lit events, then go for it.
I’d definitely recommend the D700 for people like me, who fall into the “always wanted one” category and are willing to put up with — or just don’t care about — the limitations of using an older camera. If you just want one, I feel like that alone is a perfectly fine reason to get one.
“Renuncia Ricky” protest in Union Square. Nikon D700 and 35mm 1.8G DX (yes, I said DX!) in FX mode, ISO 200.
What are your thoughts on the Nikon D700? Leave a comment below if you are still using this camera in the year 2019 (or now, 2020) and tell me what you think about it. And consider following me on Instagram.
