Focus Issues With A Used Nikon D600

Recently (less than a month) bought a used Nikon D600, sadly i realized that no matter what i do (even using a tripod) my images came up blurry. I tested it with several lenses and all came up blurry, not terribly blurry, but blurry. I use the same lenses on a D7200, even hand held, with really sharp images. Thinking on returning it and probably getting a D750 instead.

Can anyone comment on what could have been wrong with the D600? Can this issue be fixed? I called a local camera dealer and they said to send it to Nikon, but they require a $300.00 deposit, which i think is too much.

I searched online extensively about the focus issue and found some advice to test the lenses for fine tuning (an option on the d600), but i don't feel confident on the performance of the d600 anymore.

Would the D750 be a better option? Maybe a D750 refurbished? ( i am a newbie in Photography, trying to learn more and become a professional)

Your comments are appreciated!

Quick test: if you focus the D600 in live view, are you getting sharp images? I assume it's blurry because something's wrong with the AF system calibration (or the mirror is broken!), but if live view causes blurriness as well, something more complicated is going wrong.

 

The D750 has better autofocus than the D600 (in the same class as the D7200), but you shouldn't be getting blurry images out of the older body, at least consistently across all lenses. You may be able to AF fine tune them to help, but if they're all significantly off, there's only so much you can change and it suggests something's wrong.

It would take a lot of research for me to move to a D600 or 700 series given all the many recalls for shutter replacement and sensor oil spots on these cameras.

A good one would be a delight for me but I'm spooked by the risk.

Thanks Andrew and Steve, for the comments. I guess returning it, is the right path at this point.

I am interested in a full frame, specially Nikon, since all my lenses are for Nikon.

 

I did a ton of research before getting a used one at a nice price and since this one had around 3000 shutter count only, i thought it would be in good shape, i guess my research wasn't enough or just bad luck.

Any recommendations, according to your experience?

 

Thanks again!!

As Andrew points out, first of all, you need to use live view to see whether you can manually focus your D600 to get sharp images. If that works, you need to AF fine turn your lenses to see whether you can match the results you get from manual focus via live view.

 

Early on, I got a sample D600 from Nikon and used it for over a month, and I bought an early D750. Other than a non-working GPS connection that Nikon fixed under warranty, I pretty much ignore all discussion about recalls on the web. My D750 has been working great for over 3 years.

I don't recall there being any problems with the D700 - I deliberately bought one knowing that it was basically a D300 body and D3 sensor, and Nikon would already have tested the bits! The D750 had a very minor flare alignment issue. The D600 had a small number of oil problems, although it was worth getting the free fix from Nikon or just getting a D600. This sounds like none of those; if there's genuinely a problem, it's likely it's just a one-off and you were unlucky. If it's a used body, there's a chance it took an impact which might have knocked it out of alignment, or there could be something more complex wrong with it - I don't believe it's a design issue.