Secondhand Superstar

A Nikon D3400 and kit lens costs about £400, but I already have an extensive collection of Nikon lenses for my 35mm film cameras. Could I buy a secondhand full-frame body for about the same money? Kelvin Scott, via email

Jason says... If you know your way around 35mm SLRs, the Nikon Df, with its retro styling and hands-on controls, is an obvious candidate, but a secondhand Df is likely to cost twice as much as a new D3400 kit, so we’d go for the more affordable D700.

Nikon D700

Following in the footsteps of the VENE RABLE D3, the D700 was Nikon’s second ever full-frame D-SL R

Released: (year): 2008 Pr ice new: £2,100/$2,600 Pr ice used: From £500/$500

The D700 boasts pro-grade build quality and ergonomics, plus a full-frame image sensor. It doesn’t have the D3’s vertical grip, but it still features a tough, weather-sealed magnesium alloy casing and direct-access buttons for making advanced shooting adjustments. Like all FX-format Nikons and more advanced DX cameras, the D700 has a built-in autofocus motor, which is essential for enabling autofocus in any older AF (rather than AF-S or AF-P) lenses you may have.

By current standards, it has a relatively meagre megapixel count of 12.1Mp. Even so, it’s a CMOS rather than CCD sensor, with an Expeed processor that boasts an advanced automatic scene recognition system. Other upmarket attractions include a 51-point autofocus module and a high-resolution, 920k dot/3-inch rear LCD screen, Live View and Active D-Lighting. As with the Df, however, it can’t shoot movies.