D600 or D800

[elliot1]

<p>Shun, what kind of batteries do you need to get 6fps?</p>

<p>Alan, are you referring to pre-programmed modes, picture controls or something else???</p>

[ShunCheung]

<blockquote>

<p>Shun, what kind of batteries do you need to get 6fps?</p>

</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-d800-d800e/7#grip">http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-d800-d800e/7#grip</a></p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I believe the D600 has two selections for presets so you can quickly switch from one type of shooting to another, let's say from sports mode to landscape.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I assume Alan is talking about the U1 and U2 custom settings on the D600; that feature is also available on the D7000. Along with its scene modes, that is one feature I have never used on the D7000. Other than being FX with 24MP instead of DX with 16MP, the D600 is 90%+ the same camera as the D7000.</p>

<P>

The higher-end Nikon DSLRs have four Custom Setting banks, A through D as well as four Shooting Menu banks. The D7000 lacks that feature but provides U1 and U2 instead. Therefore, it is not like the D7000 has this additional feature. In fact, it is a more restricted feature with fewer options compared to the higher-end models.

</P>

[allan_jamieson2]

<p>One other point comes to mind looking at how light weight Nikon have managed to make the D600, for landscape photographers it would have been good to have had a choice of the D800 sensor in a D600 type body and for others to have the D600 sensor in a D800 type body. That would probably give most photographers at least one camera model which would suit their needs and give Nikon a direct competitor to the Canon 5D3, without expensive re-tooling or design work. The more I think about it the less of an issue the D600 AF module is, for the kind of photography that I do but a press or wedding photographer would want fast, accurate autofocus to get the best possible results and the D800 is probably overkill for that market and the D600 maybe not quite as good as a Canon 5D3 would be. It isn't that long ago that I was using medium format Pentax 67 cameras with no autofocus and it never bothered me at all. There is no such thing as one camera which will ever suit the needs of every photographer.</p>

<p>In situations where you might be walking long distances a lighter full frame camera that can still give you excellent quality images is an attractive proposition and the D600 would be a good backup camera for the D800 that I currently have. At a lower price point I would think seriously about the D600 at some point in the future. Also even though the D700/D3 12MP sensor is a few years old, there would still be some demand for a D600 type version of it at a lower price point than the D600. Nikon don't have to limit their full frame range to the existing three models, they could easily give their customers other options that would not cost them the earth to deliver. Whether or not Nikon make a lot of money on selling new full frame cameras isn't a big deal as they will undoubtedly make rather a lot more on selling more full frame lenses in the future as the number of people with full frame Nikon cameras increases substantially following on from the sales success of the D800 and the new D600 (at least in the US where it is cheap!)</p>

[mike_vine]

<p>Hi all - understanding that £100 was an aproximation - it was based on the list for the D600 and the current lowest UK price for a D800 at £2099 (see http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/prod2567.html).<br>

Of course the price of the D600 will also drop over time but to create a real differential (say £500) it would need to drop to £1,600, i.e. by 20%, I suspect it is not likely to do that for some time... (and that's ignoring any further drop in the price of a D800).</p>

 

[ShunCheung]

<blockquote>

<p>Nikon don't have to limit their full frame range to the existing three models, they could easily give their customers other options that would not cost them the earth to deliver.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>While the D4 and D800 were very much expected, if you told me at the beginning of 2012 that Nikon would intrdoced three new FX DSLR models in 2012 (again, not counting the D800E as a separate model), I probably wouldn't beleve it.</p>

<p>I think the D600 already represents the lowest FX model Nikon can resonably make. It bothers me a bit that Nikon has downgraded from the Multi-CAM 3500 previously on all FX models. I can't imagine that Nikon would remove AI/AI-S metering capability, the AF motor, dual memory cards, and the 100% viewfinder from an FX model. In other words, there is not going to be any Nikon FX DSLR that has fewer features and therefore cheaper than the D600 in the next couple of years, although we may see discount on the D600 itself.</p>

<p>So if you think Nikon will add to the D4, D800/D800E, and D600 with a 4th FX DSLR, you need to specify where the gap is for any new model to fill. The D600 is clearly the lower bound. I also don't see Nikon putting a 36MP or higher to the D4 body to make that some D4X; that will be so expensive that cannot compete against the D800, and if I shoot landscape or studio work, I don't need such a huge, robust body.</p>

<p>Earlier I was hoping that Nikon might put the D4's capability onto a more affordable body ALA the D3/D700 dual, but with the introduction of the D600, I no longer think that is going to happen.</p>

[pjdilip]

<p>Hi, why do guys keep dissing (is that a word?) the preset or Scene options?I found the modes very useful in quick snapshots on a walking trip: makes the flash come up automatically for portraits in the gloom, or dark rooms, etc as needed... or automatically choosing depth of field or fast shutter etc. </p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Dilip, scene modes is usually viewed as a beginner feature. Some people even refer to it as "idiot modes." I for one would rather have full control of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity than depend on some pre-defined combination Nikon chooses, which may or may not meet my needs. There are reasons that the higher-end DSLRs such as the D3, D4, D700, and D800 do not include that feature and the highest-end D3 and D4 have no pop-up flash.</p>

<p>However, if scene modes work for you, by all mean use it for the time being. Your preference may change later on.</p>

 

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>For what it's worth, my issue with scene modes has generally been that manufacturers haven't documented exactly what they do. By the time I've attempted to reverse engineer the effect that any scene mode will have (especially the fifty or so that some cameras have been provided with) selecting the right one is much slower than just changing the camera settings.</p>

<p>This is especially true once the number of scene modes becomes a marketing feature. My discount compact camera bought from a supermarket has at least three pet modes, for example. What the difference is isn't documented. I generally know what aperture or shutter speed I want much better than I trust my camera to, and I certainly want explicit control over what the on-camera flash is doing (typically not lighting the subject directly, except in extreme circumstances).</p>

<p>But if you've mastered what your camera does in the scene modes you use, that's not to say that they may not work better for you than manual mode selection.</p>

<p>Incidentally, to clarify, the D3 and D4 don't have a pop-up flash for reasons of robustness - the pop-up flash is a weak point. The F5's prism housing is made out of titanium, for this reason. I actually prefer the D700/D800 integrated flash - for occasional use when any photo is more important than one with decent lighting, but mostly for use as an optical flash commander (and these cameras have a global flash compensation control, which the D3 series, at least, lacks).</p>

<p>That said the custom modes (C1, C2 - although I'm not sure they're really alternatives to SPAM) are probably geniunely useful. I've never had a camera with them, and probably wouldn't get as much use out of them as a certain Mr Rockwell in part because I don't shoot much in JPEG, but I concede that they might have their places.</p>

[Richard Williams]

<p>'So if you think Nikon will add to the D4, D800/D800E, and D600 with a 4th FX DSLR, you need to specify where the gap is for any new model to fill.'</p>

<p>If there's a gap, it's where the D700 used to fit - speed (8fps with grip) and the flagship AF module in a semi-pro mid-size FX body. The D700 was an all-purpose model that was fast enough to shoot sports. D700 (or D300) users looking to upgrade will find both the D600 and the D800 compromise cameras in some respects, despite all those extra pixels and new technology. I agree this niche seems unlikely to be filled in the current product cyle, though. </p>

[photomarche]

<p>Hi,<br>

On "d600 or d800", what concern me are the hidden costs related to the d800. There are comments about the d800 requesting only the best lenses to fully take advantage of the 36mp sensors. What does this mean in practice? For example, what would be the result of using the d800 with the new 24-85mm lenses (sold as kit lenses for the d600)?<br>

I do not need the build and aperture of pro lenses. I have in mind the 24-85mm, the 70-300mm, the 50mm 1.8 G and possibly the 16-35mm f4 (manly for landscapes/ still objects photography), and I do not want to be forced to get more expensive lenses because of the camera sensor. I have not tried the d800 with the above lenses and I cannot say what would be the quality…. What is your experience?</p>

[Albins images]

First images of D800 on AFS 50/1.4 and AI 24/

2.8 look really good. Zooming in on sharp

details is a treat. To subjectively illustrate everyday use and lenses.