Nikon D700 vs Nikon Df — Which Is Better?

The Nikon D700 and Nikon Df are both full-frame DSLRs built around the Nikon F FX mount, so any F-mount lenses you own fit either body. The D700 arrived in 2008 as the larger and heavier camera at 1074 g, while the 2013 Df comes in a lighter body at 760 g.

The Df is also the more compact body, measuring 144 x 110 x 67 mm against the D700's 147 x 123 x 77 mm, so it takes up less room in a bag.

The Df gives you more pixels for cropping a distant subject or printing large, with 16.2 MP against the D700's 12.1 MP. The D700 is instead the stronger choice for action, shooting at 8 fps against 5.5 fps and offering 51 autofocus points against 39 to place on a moving subject.

The D700 also offers the shorter exposure option, reaching 1/8000 second against the Df's 1/4000, useful for wide apertures in bright daylight. The Df reaches a higher ISO ceiling, 12800 native and 204800 expanded, against 6400 and 25600, giving more exposure headroom in dim scenes. In shared specifications, both use a full-frame CMOS sensor format with optical pentaprism viewfinders, and neither offers in-body stabilisation.

Neither the D700 nor the Df records video, so both are purely stills cameras and neither suits a workflow that needs motion clips. The D700 does offer built-in timelapse for assembling frame sequences, while the Df has no timelapse function.

The D700 is the better-connected camera for getting images off the body, offering built-in Wi-Fi that the Df lacks. It also carries a built-in flash, handy for a touch of fill light when travelling without a speedlight, whereas the Df works only with external flash units.

Both cameras are weather sealed for shooting in damp or dusty conditions, and both offer live view for tripod work. The Df's rear LCD is slightly larger at 3.2 inches against the D700's 3 inches, while their dot counts sit just 1000 apart at 922,000 and 921,000.

The Df has the longer rated battery life, 1400 shots against 1000 for the D700, measured under their respective test conditions. The two run on different batteries, an EN-EL14 in the Df and an EN-EL3e in the D700, so spares are not interchangeable.

Card formats differ as well. The D700 takes CompactFlash Type I, while the Df takes SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, so an existing card collection only suits one of the two bodies. Neither camera has dual card slots or USB charging.