D700 - The Legend

There are many camera groups on Facebook. Some are dedicated to a particular type of photography - Street, or Monochrome, or Minimalist, for example. Others are for people involved in particular professional uses (eg. Wedding Photographers) or phases in their development (eg Beginners). Yet others are for users of certain makes of camera (Nikon, Canon, Sony and so on). And yet others are dedicated to specific models of camera, especially models which have gained a following and a "classic" status. This blog is dedicated to the legendary Nikon D700, and this post is about the D700 Legend Group on Facebook.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    

The Legend Group on Facebook really is something special. The cult-like devotion to the Nikon D700 and the unpleasantness which is meted out to any group member who appears to appreciate any other camera or who fails to toe the line have been noteworthy for years. Camera groups are often given to a certain amount of nastiness, but The Legend group is, well, legendary. Other related groups frequently receive new members who arrive bruised and beaten, really wounded in spirit, by the arrogance and cruelty of the Legend group and its founder and main admin.

The Legend group seems to operate broadly on the principle that the Nikon D700 is the greatest camera ever made, and that its greatness is owed principally to its sensor. Mention is often made of the size of its pixels, which supposedly gives superior light-gathering power, signal to noise ratio and colour quality. It is supposed that this superiority is readily demonstrated by means of posting images on Facebook, despite all the loss of resolution and compression that is involved in that.

A number of concerned individuals have worked together over the last few years to attempt to challenge the Legend Facebook group in a way which exposes the false assumptions which lie at its heart.

Some of us have been members of the group for years under our own names. Others have been banned from the group and have returned under new identities. Still others have retained membership under their own name but also post in the Legend group under a pseudonym. None of those involved know the identity of all the others - we have worked as individuals. There are around 12 of us in total. All of us own a D700, some more than one, and all have posted images from our D700s in the Legend group.

What we have all done, contrary to the group rules, but in a combined attempt to challenge the culture of bullying, sycophancy and intimidation that prevails, is to post images from other cameras in the group. We are all Nikon people so our bias is obviously to Nikon cameras, but we have tried to achieve maximum diversity. 

Over the last four years (we are patient!) we have posted images from the following cameras:

Nikon (taking the D as read)

40,50,60,70,90

200, 300, 500

3000, 3300, 3500

7000, 7200

610, 750, 800, 810, 850

1,2,3,4,5,6 and S and X variations where they exist.

All the Z series thus far

We have taken particular care to post images from Z-series cameras, given the constant hatred, loathing and scorn which is directed at them and their owners in particular. 

Canon

Canon cameras have an even more diverse naming system than Nikon and it would be impossible to name them all. But we have managed to post a large quantity of material from low-end Rebel bodies, many shots from the 5D Mkii (a classic camera which was the D700’s chief contemporary and competitor, and which has significantly more megapixels than the D700) and very recent bodies from their mirrorless series.

Sony

Alpha models of many types as well as low end compacts going back to 3 mpx days.

Fujifilm

Basic compacts, X-series crop sensor models and GFX medium format cameras.

Panasonic Lumix

Many cameras from their bridge range, going back to the FZ5, FZ7 and FZ20. Also many cameras from their MFT range, from the more basic GF models through to the G9 and G9ii. Unfortunately no full-frame Lumix material has been made available.

Olympus

For some reason we have had no group members with Olympus digital cameras.

Pentax

Relatively few Pentax offerings, but a number of images have been posted from a very early digital compact in the Optio series - only 3 mpx with some images even shot at less than that.

Leica, Hasselblad, Phase One

We have posted a few images taken with very high end and medium format cameras. In a sense, the fact that they have been accepted as images taken with the D700 is a compliment to the camera - but remember - we are not in the business of knocking the D700 but of exposing the group. 

Phones

Too many phones to list but iPhones from 4 up to recent models, and a similar span for Samsung Galaxy and other models. The iPhone 4 has only 5 mpx but squeezed into a sensor a fraction of the size of the 700. Other phones have even tinier pixels.

Film

We have managed to post images taken on both colour slide and colour negative film. These have been taken on a variety of cameras. We are largely Nikon people so Nikon SLRs dominate but there have also been images from Pentax and Minolta SLRs and Yashica rangefinders.

What is the point of all this effort?

The point of all this is that ALL of these posts have garnered praise in the group and ALL have specifically been applauded for the excellence of the D700 that supposedly took them. The D700’s superior colour rendering and excellent light-handling due to large pixel size have been mentioned many times for ALL the camera types mentioned above.

Where the actual camera taking the shot is a recent full frame Nikon, a modern Leica or even a medium format camera, comparison with the D700 flatters the older model, of course. But when images taken with old iPhones or tiny compacts with huge pixel density are praised for their big pixels and their wonderful handling of light and colour, the game is up.

Two things are demonstrated.

1. Facebook is no place to compare cameras. The resolution and compression involved makes fools of us all when we attempt to comment on any aspect of image quality. It just doesn’t work. You simply cannot compare cameras or lenses on Facebook.
2. More specifically, the comments made by many people about our posts, praising that wonderful D700 sensor and its "unique colours" are shown to be meaningless nonsense. This includes all the mathematical and optical gobbledygook sometimes commented on our photos by Old Nick himself.

The whole exercise has been very enlightening. At the very least, it should now curb some of the arrogance and cruelty with which “erring” members are  treated. That so many (including the admins of the group) can be so  completely and utterly hoodwinked by a simple ploy tells you all you need to know about how much they really know. It will be interesting to see if any humility or even kindness becomes visible.

It would be nice to see members of the Legend group becoming rather more measured in their admiration for their favourite camera and slightly more appreciative (or less vilely rude) about other classic cameras. To name but one, the Canon 5D Mkii has arguably outlasted the D700 as a serious photographer’s camera. It certainly does not deserve to be casually disrespected by the ignorati of the Legend group. Similarly, there is no basis for the streams of hate spewed out about mirrorless cameras of any make.

So, it would be nice to see some changes. Even penitence. But we aren’t holding our breath. The group will go on adoring its Legend, the Fuhrer will go on posting his gloomy and unpleasantly over-processed city scapes and anyone who fails to adore in just the right way or who cracks a joke that the admins don't like will be stoned to death. Cos that's what makes the Legend special! 

In fact, the great Leader is so utterly lacking in humour - he has the sense of humour of a road-kill skunk - that he won't even check the date!