Nikon
D700
 vs
Pentax
K-x

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Nikon D800 vs Pentax K-x

Nikon D700

96
Winner

Nikon D700
"It has the same ultra solid feel as its bigger (and smaller) brother, and the same magnesium alloy body and soft rubber grips front and back."
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's build-quality
"Class-leading high ISO performance, usable up to ISO 12800"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D700

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,303 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
80.0
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Pentax K-x

74
Runner-up

Pentax K-x
"The camera has a deep, contoured handgrip on the right-hand side, coated in a rubberized compound to aid grip, that enabled me to use three fingers to hold it and my right forefinger to operate the shutter button."
photographyblog.com | talking about the K-x's feel
"The 12.4 megapixel JPEG images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting"
photographyblog.com | talking about the K-x's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Pentax K-x

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
97 ms shutter lag
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 123x92x68 mm
Thickness
 Thin
2.7"
Weight
 Light-weight
580 g

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D700
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,303 ISO vs 811 ISO
Help
 The D700 has excellent image quality 1.5 f-stops higher ISO than the K-x
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 922k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Overall image quality Better image quality 80.0 vs 72.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.72x vs 0.56x
Help
 Around 70% larger viewfinder
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.7 more bits of color
Lens availability More lenses available 121 lenses vs 90 lenses
Help
 More than 30% more lenses available
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 9
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Battery life Longer battery life 1000 shots vs 420 shots
Help
 Around 2.5x more shots per battery charge
Startup delay Less startup delay 400 ms vs 600 ms
Help
 More than 30% less delay when turning on
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The D700's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 5 fps vs 4.7 fps
Help
 Around 10% faster continuous shooting
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/6000s
Help
 More than 20% faster max shutter speed
Nikon D700 Learn more about
the Nikon D700

Advantages of the Pentax K-x
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 97 ms vs 197 ms
Help
 2x less delay when taking photos
Size Significantly smaller 123x92x68 mm vs 147x123x77 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 12.2 EV
Help
 0.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Weight Much lighter 580 g vs 1,074 g
Help
 Around 50% lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.7" vs 3"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Cheaper $602.61 vs $2,749.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,147 cheaper (4.6x less)
Pentax K-x Learn more about
the Pentax K-x
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D700 Nikon D700
96 vs 74
Explain scores
Pentax K-x Pentax K-x
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D700. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro DSLR with a entry-level DSLR.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

NikonD700
 Nikon D700 vs Pentax K-x
PentaxK-x
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
0
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
0
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
0
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
0
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
D700:12.2 EV
K-x:12.5 EV
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
D700:95%
K-x:96%
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
D700:12.1 MP
K-x:12.2 MP
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D700
Compare the D7000 vs the K-x
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the D700
Compare the D5100 vs the K-x
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the D700
Compare the D90 vs the K-x
Pentax K-5

Pentax K-5

Entry-level DSLR

$1,008 - $1,500 body only

$1,293 - $1,650 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the K-5 vs the D700
Compare the K-5 vs the K-x
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3100 vs the D700
Compare the D3100 vs the K-x
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D700
Compare the EOS 60D vs the K-x
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D700
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the K-x

Nikon D700 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Focus points Many fewer focus points
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D700
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR
Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Thickness Thicker
Compare the D800 vs the D700
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Higher true resolution
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D700
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR

$5,197 body only
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Battery life Much longer battery life
Size Much larger
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Compare the D3S vs the D700
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Lens availability More lenses available
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the D300S vs the D700

Pentax K-x Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Pentax K-r

Pentax K-r

Entry-level DSLR

$649 body only

$540 - $579 with 18-55mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Supports 24p No 24p support
Low light performance Slightly more noise at high ISO
Compare the K-r vs the K-x
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Battery life Longer battery life
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the K-x

appearance

Nikon D700 Pentax K-x
Nikon D700 Pentax K-x
Nikon D700 Pentax K-x

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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