Nikon D700 vs Pentax KP

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D700 and the Pentax KP, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon D700 was introduced in October 2008 and Pentax KP was introduced in January 2017. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D700 over Pentax KP.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax KP over Nikon D700.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon D700 and Pentax KP have 3.0" screens with 922k dot and 921k dot resolutions respectively. Nikon D700 has a Fixed screen Pentax KP has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. Nikon D700 has 95% coverage with 0.72x magnification and Pentax KP has 100% coverage with 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Nikon D700 features a 12.1 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36.0 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 860.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Pentax KP features a 24.32 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 819,200.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Nikon D700 is equipped with EXPEED processor and can take pictures up to 4256 x 2832 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3184 x 2120, 2128 x 1416 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Pentax KP is equipped with PRIME IV processor and can take pictures up to 6016 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4608 x 3072, 3072 x 2048, 1920 x 1280 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon D700 has Nikon F lens mount and Pentax KP has Pentax K_AF2 lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Nikon D700 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to APS-C sensor in Pentax KP its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Pentax KP

Pentax KP has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 5 stops of compensation. This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Pentax KP

Pentax KP has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D700 comes with EN-EL3e battery pack with battery life of 1000 shots and Pentax KP comes with D-LI109 battery pack with battery life of 390 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon D700 has a single CompactFlash (Type I, compliant with UDMA) card slot. Pentax KP has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Nikon D700 has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D700, and up to 1/24000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/6000 sec with mechanical shutter on Pentax KP. Nikon D700 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Pentax KP can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D700 has 51 focusing points and Pentax KP has 27 (25 cross-type) focusing points. Pentax KP has detection range from -3 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D700 and Pentax KP range from 0 to +20 EV and -3 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D700 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax KP.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 6.00 m at ISO 100 on Pentax KP. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Nikon D700 and via Hot Shoe to Pentax KP. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Nikon D700 and 1/180 sec on Pentax KP.

Nikon D700 body has dimensions of 147 x 123 x 77 mm (5.79 x 4.84 x 3.03") and Pentax KP body has dimensions of 132 x 101 x 76 mm (5.2 x 3.98 x 2.99"). Nikon D700 weighs 1074 g (2.37 lb / 37.88 oz) and Pentax KP weighs 703 g (1.55 lb / 24.80 oz).

Nikon D700

Pentax KP

147 mm

123 mm

132 mm

101 mm

123 mm

101 mm

77 mm

76 mm