Why does the D700 retain such a high pre owned price

[JR1]

!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shadowman]

It may depend on particular seller and location. In the U.S. through Amazon I've seen used prices from $600-1,200; some from private sellers and a few from Adorama. New and refurbished models tend to retain higher prices.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Why?
Because even though they are relatively 'old' design cameras, they are still very capable ones which even newer ones have a hard time matching.

[dubaiphil]

Err

Because they're good!

[Stagecoach]

Err

Because people are prepared to pay the price

[dubaiphil]

Methinks Jeremy is in a provocative mood again ;-)

[tbob]

I am not a techie type so all the technical comparison stuff bores me to tears and could not compare the merits of one camera to another to save my life. So take this for what it is worth.

I own a D700 and when I bought it the clerk at the store said Nikon had messed up by making the D700 a professional quality build (rugged metal body, great seals, great controls and shooting options) and then pricing it at the advanced amateur price point. She said a lot of the pros in Alberta were buying them as a second body or buying two or three to use with one lens permanently attached to quickly switch focal lengths. They were not buying the $8000 D3X but were buying three $2500 D700s instead.

True or not, the D700 was quickly discontinued as part of the Nikon lineup.

I will say it is a very tough camera. Don't try this at home but I kicked over a tripod set at 180 cm (5 feet 11 inches), with the camera and a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 attached, onto a concrete patio. The full weight fell on one corner of the camera body. The only damage was I bent the battery housing a bit. The lens mount was unscathed and works with no problem. Now I have to wrap the battery in a dental floss loop to pull it free as it sticks a bit. No big deal. I may try to bend the bent bit out one day but so far it is only a minor inconvenience and I would hate to crack off something.

[dubaiphil]

I am not a techie type so all the technical comparison stuff bores me to tears and could not compare the merits of one camera to another to save my life. So take this for what it is worth.

I own a D700 and when I bought it the clerk at the store said Nikon had messed up by making the D700 a professional quality build (rugged metal body, great seals, great controls and shooting options) and then pricing it at the advanced amateur price point. She said a lot of the pros in Alberta were buying them as a second body or buying two or three to use with one lens permanently attached to quickly switch focal lengths. They were not buying the $8000 D3X but were buying three $2500 D700s instead.

True or not, the D700 was quickly discontinued as part of the Nikon lineup.

I will say it is a very tough camera. Don't try this at home but I kicked over a tripod set at 180 cm (5 feet 11 inches), with the camera and a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 attached, onto a concrete patio. The full weight fell on one corner of the camera body. The only damage was I bent the battery housing a bit. The lens mount was unscathed and works with no problem. Now I have to wrap the battery in a dental floss loop to pull it free as it sticks a bit. No big deal. I may try to bend the bent bit out one day but so far it is only a minor inconvenience and I would hate to crack off something.

True up until a point, Trevor

The D700 was not discontinued quickly though - its replacement was delayed by the tsunami until the long overdue D800 came out (which was not a direct replacement, but that's another story)

As long as mine still has breath in its batteries and shutter I'll merrily keep on clicking. Incidentally I have two batteries (one carried over from my previous D90) and they're still showing as 4/4 for life on the LCD after all this time.

Moving from a D90 to a D700, the high ISO IQ was a revelation, and could truly change what and how I shot. More modern high end bodies may out perform it in low light by 1 - 2 stops, but it's still more that most will ever need and you could argue that with 12MP being enough to print up to A3 with no problems means that paying more to upgrade to a 36MP camera (along with the inevitable upgrades for processing power on desktop/laptop) is in most cases complete overkill.

Obviously there are exceptions to this overkill - you can crop more heavily and still retain IQ, for example.

I think it will be one of those rare digital bodies that has a cult following for years to come

[Glenn NK]

Methinks Jeremy is in a provocative mood again ;-)

O post better suited to DPR methinks.

[tao2]

Re. OP,

See LEICA...see implied cachet...

[dubaiphil]

Re. OP,

See LEICA...see implied cachet...

Ever shot one? So that means that when I've managed to scrimp and save for one you'll all laugh at me?

I'm hurt

[tao2]

Hi Phil,

Ah own two...

#1 - looks like it's from Toysrus...has two, extremely sharp lenses 2.8/40mm + 5.6/80mm (not a zoom). Built by Minolta, in collaberation with Leica



#2 - the poor man's Leica (actually an improvement with the removable back and dioptre adjustment) and of course, the excellent J12.

[rpcrowe]

Here are what the D700 has sold for on USA eBay. Green listings are completed (sold) while red listings are incomplete listings (unsold):

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Digital-Came...dmd=1&_ipg=200

It seems like the completed (sold) listings mainly run from $800 to $1,000 (U.S. Dollars) with a few over that range and a few under...