Canon 400D vs Nikon D700 Comparison

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Canon 400D

10 MP | APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon D700

12 MP | Full frame (36 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon 400D vs Nikon D700 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two DSLR cameras from Canon and Nikon. Canon 400D was introduced to market in October 2006 and Nikon D700 was launched in October 2008. As you can see, 400D is 2 years older than D700. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Canon 400D has a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Nikon D700 has a 12.0MP Full frame sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 400D and Nikon D700 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 400D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2006-10-14

10MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

556g. 127 x 94 x 65 mm

Also known as EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X

Replaced Canon EOS 350D Compare

Nikon D700 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2008-10-07

12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 6400 ( expands to 100-25600)

Nikon F Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

1074g. 147 x 123 x 77 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Canon 400D was replaced by Canon EOS 450D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 450D vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)
Canon EOS 450D vs Nikon D700

Nikon D700 was replaced by Nikon D750. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D750 vs Nikon D700
Nikon D750 vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 400D and Nikon D700 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 400D over Nikon D700

Weight	556 g vs 1074 g	518 g lighter

Reasons to choose Nikon D700 over Canon EOS 400D

Viewfinder Magnification	0.72x vs 0.5x	Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution	12 MP vs 10 MP	19% more pixels
Max ISO	6.400 vs 1.600	300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	51 vs 9	42 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.5"	0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	922k dots vs 230k dots	300% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	5.0fps vs 3.0fps	2 fps faster
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Color Depth	23.5 vs 22.1	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	12.2 vs 11.0	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	2303 vs 664	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	71.70µm² vs 32.60µm²	119% larger pixel area
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Optical Viewfinder Type	Pentaprism vs Pentamirror	Pentaprism Viewfinders are brighter than Pentamirror type
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)	Yes vs No	Adjust each lens for more accurate focusing
Shutter Life Expectancy	150000 cycles vs 50000 cycles	Longer use without changing the shutter mechanism

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 400D and Nikon D700

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality

Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 400D and Nikon D700

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization
Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles

Canon 400D vs Nikon D700: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 400D and Nikon D700 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 400D has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 65 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.56″) and weighs 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz) (including batteries). Nikon D700 has external dimensions of 147 x 123 x 77 mm (5.79 x 4.84 x 3.03″) and weighs 1074 g (2.37 lb / 37.88 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 400D and Nikon D700. Canon 400D is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 20mm narrower, 29mm shorter and 12mm thinner than Nikon D700.

Comparison image of Canon 400D and Nikon D700 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon 400D is significantly lighter (518g ) than the Nikon D700 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Nikon D700 has a Full frame sensor and Canon 400D has a smaller APS-C sensor, Canon 400D's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon D700 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

400D

D700

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

400D

D700

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of D700, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to 400D.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D700's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 400D's 2.5" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Canon 400D vs Nikon D700: Sensor Comparison

Canon 400D has a 10.0MP APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Nikon D700 has a 12.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.

Below you can see the 400D and D700 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 400D and Nikon D700 Cameras

As seen above, Nikon D700 has a 2.6x Larger sensor area than Canon 400D. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon 400D and Nikon D700 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D700 has a better overall score of 80, 18 points higher compared to 400D's score of 62.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Canon 400D	62	22.1 bits	11.0 Evs	664 ISO
Nikon D700	80	23.5 bits	12.2 Evs	2303 ISO

Canon 400D vs Nikon D700 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 400D has an advantage over Nikon D700. There are 326 lenses for Canon 400D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 309 lenses for Nikon D700's Nikon F lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount and 106 lenses for Nikon F mount with IS.

Lens Type	# of Canon 400D Lenses	# of Nikon D700 Lenses
Standard Zoom	40	33 (17 Full Frame)
Standard Prime	19	21 (18 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	37	33 (17 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	49	48 (46 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	58	53 (43 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime	43	45 (44 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	28	30 (6 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	7	8 (3 Full Frame)
Macro Prime	28	26 (23 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	16	11 (11 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	1 (0 Full Frame)
TOTAL	326	309 (228 Full Frame)

Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Canon 400D and Nikon D700 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM	25.5 - 82.5mm	645gr	1201gr	111mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR	24 - 70mm	1070gr	2144gr	155mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM	75 - 225mm	1350gr	1906gr	198mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon AF-S 70-200mm F2.8E FL ED VR	70 - 200mm	1430gr	2504gr	203mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM	45mm	435gr	991gr	63mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon 50mm f1.4G	50mm	290gr	1364gr	54mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM	15 - 30mm	520gr	1076gr	88mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon 17-35mm f2.8D ED-IF	17 - 35mm	745gr	1819gr	106mm	Amazon B&H Photo

24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM	22.5 - 127.5mm	575gr	1131gr	88mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon 24-120mm f4G ED VR	24 - 120mm	710gr	1784gr	104mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM	100 - 400mm	1590gr	2146gr	193mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C	150 - 600mm	1930gr	3004gr	290mm	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Canon 400D and Nikon D700 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Canon 400D and Nikon D700 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 400D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D700 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon 400D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D700 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Canon 400D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D700 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
51 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1000 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon 400D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D700 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
556g
Body Thickness 65mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1074g
Body Thickness 77mm
Read the details

Canon 400D for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon D700 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Canon 400D vs Nikon D700: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 400D and Nikon D700, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 400D and Nikon D700 scores compare:

Canon 400D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #609 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Nikon D700

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #47 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #259 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Nikon D700 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon 400D in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Canon 400D. Otherwise, Nikon D700 is the better camera overall.

Nikon D700 vs Canon 400D Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Canon EOS 400D	Nikon D700
Brand	Canon	Nikon
Announced	2006-10-14	2008-10-07
Body Type	Compact SLR	Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	APS-C	Full frame
Dimensions	22.2 x 14.8 mm	36 x 24 mm
Area	328.56mm²	864.00mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	3888 x 2592	4256 x 2832
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	6,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	9	51
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Canon EF/EF-S	Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses	326	309
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.5"	3"
Resolution	230k dots	922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentamirror)	Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.5x	0.72x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00 m (ISO 100)	n/a
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None	None
Video Formats	n/a	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	556g	1074g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 65mm	147 x 123 x 77mm
Battery Life	n/a	1000 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	62	80
DxO Color Depth	22.1	23.5
DxO Dynamic Range	11.0	12.2
DxO Low Light ISO	664	2303
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