Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Nikon D800 vs Sony NEX-7

Nikon D700

66

Winner

Nikon D700

"Fast and accurate 51 point auto-focus even in low light"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's auto-focus
"Clean, artifact-free low ISO output with good resolution and detail"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon D700

Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Low light performance
Low noise at high ISO
2,303 ISO
Sensor size
Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder size
Large viewfinder
0.72x
Lens availability
Slightly more lenses available
121 lenses
Battery life
Great battery life
1000 shots
Sony NEX-7

59

Runner-up

Sony NEX-7

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX-7

Size
Really small
Compact 111x59x38 mm
True resolution
High true resolution
24 MP
Light sensitivity
High ISO
16,000 ISO
Supports 24p
24p movies
For that film look
Screen flips out
Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D700

Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
Catch candid moments easily
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Help
Around 2.5x larger sensor
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,303 ISO vs 1,016 ISO
Help
The D700 has excellent image quality 1.2 f-stops higher ISO than the NEX-7
Battery life Much longer battery life 1000 shots vs 430 shots
Help
Around 2.5x more shots per battery charge
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 121 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
More than 15x more lenses available
Focus points More focus points 51 vs 25
Help
Set focus accurately within the frame
Startup delay Less startup delay 400 ms vs 1200 ms
Help
3x less delay when turning on
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentaprism vs Digital
Help
Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
2x faster max shutter speed
Nikon D700 Learn more about
the Nikon D700

Advantages of the Sony NEX-7

Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 60fps vs None
Help
Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Size Much smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 147x123x77 mm
Help
5.6x smaller
True resolution Much higher true resolution 24 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
Capture around 2x more detail in your photos
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
Automatically focuses shooting video
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 16,000 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
The NEX-7's maximum light sensitivity is 1.3 f-stops better
Weight Much lighter 350 g vs 1,074 g
Help
3.1x lighter
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 10 fps vs 5 fps
Help
2x faster continuous shooting
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3"
Help
2x thinner
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.4 EV vs 12.2 EV
Help
1.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $1,199.99 vs $2,649.00
Help
The best price we've seen is $1,449 cheaper (2.2x less)
Viewfinder coverage Slightly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Color depth Better color depth 24.1 bits vs 23.5 bits
Help
Distinguishes 0.6 more bits of color
Sony NEX-7 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-7
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Nikon D700 Nikon D700
66 vs 59
Explain scores
Sony NEX-7 Sony NEX-7
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 mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

advice

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1
votes
by cherlyn-gunnell this month
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I am a beginner that will never be an expert.  My life is busy as a single mom and we are always...

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0
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by streetglide7 last month
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by Sherry-McCollum last month
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I'm an advanced amateur and the most important features in the camera are ease of use and very sha...

One person recommends the Nikon D300S:

"Go for the D300s and spend some extra money on lenses. To get great wildlife shots you'll need a l..."

0
votes
by Rachel-Hatch last week
Sony NEX-7

I really a compact DSLR. I travelled around europe with a big dslr and it drove me insane having...

One person recommends the Sony NEX-7:

" When I first read the question, I thought you wanted to go cheap. Then I seen the prices. Well m..."

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
D700:80.0
NEX-7:81.0
Screen resolution Very high resolution screens Help
D700:922k dots
NEX-7:921k dots
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
D700:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
NEX-7:APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Color depth Good color depth Help
D700:23.5 bits
NEX-7:24.1 bits
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
D700:12.2 EV
NEX-7:13.4 EV
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Sensor cleaning Self cleaning sensors Help
Avoids dust in your photos
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
D700:Pentaprism
NEX-7:Digital
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
D700:1/8000s
NEX-7:1/4000s
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
30 seconds
Lowest price Very expensive Help
D700:$2,649.00
NEX-7:$1,199.99
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,130 body only

$2,875 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens

Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens

Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$2,298 body only

Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Sony SLT-A77

Sony SLT A77

Pro DSLR

$1,398 body only

$1,998 with 16-50mm lens

Image stabilization Has image stabilization
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier

Nikon D700 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,690 - $1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Size Smaller
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Sensor size Much smaller sensor

Sony NEX-7 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$598 - $600 body only

$698 - $700 with 18-55mm lens

Touch screen Has a touch screen
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,000 - $1,299 body only

$1,100 with 14-42mm lens

Screen type Has an OLED screen
Weather sealed Weather sealed
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Supports 24p No 24p support
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens

Startup delay Slightly less startup delay
Weight Lighter
True resolution Much lower true resolution
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Nikon 1 V1

Nikon 1 V1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$797 - $947 with 10-30mm lens

High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
True resolution Much lower true resolution

appearance

Nikon D700 Sony NEX-7
Nikon D700 Sony NEX-7
Nikon D700 Sony NEX-7

discussion

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