D600 handling vs D300

[andrew_andrews1]

<p>Hi,<br>

I read in many reviews / previews that the handling of the D600 is akin to the D7000.<br>

I've never used a D7000, and am considering an upgrade from the D300.<br>

In terms of handling, would the D600 be a backwards step from the D300? I mean in terms of speed of making changes to ISO, exposure mode, AF mode etc.<br>

I'd also be interested to hear any opinions of AF and exposure performance when compared to the D300.<br>

Thanks in advance for any practical advice!<br>

Andrew</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>The D600's controls are similar to those on the D7000, which is in turn similar to the D80/D90. There is a dial on the left side to control the SPAM exposure modes, instead of holding down a button and rotate the main command dial.</p>

<p>There is no dedicated AF-ON button and no 10-pin connection on the D600/D7000. Otherwise, all the controls on the D300/D700/D800 are also on the D600/D7000, but the locations are different.</p>

<p>The Multi-CAM 3500 AF model on the D300 is definitely better than the Multi-CAM 4800 on the D600, and the D600 is FX so that the 39 AF points are more concentrated in the center. However, the D600's AF is still quite good just like it is quite good on the D7000.</p>

<center><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/16513141-md.jpg" alt="" /> <br />D600 (front) and D800E (back)</center>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>I don't like the handling of the D7000 and hence it is no surprise that I am not thrilled that essentially the same drawbacks are found in the D600 - in terms of handling, to me both cameras are a clear step down from the D300/D300S. Unfortunately, even the D800 shares many of those features - so it appears that this is the direction Nikon will be going in future bodies and I will eventually have to adapt. My main gripe is actually the shape of the grip which makes holding the camera very uncomfortable to me (that goes to some extent even for the D800) - I still find the grips on the D200 and D300 a lot more comfortable. All the rest of the changes (compared to D300/D700) I can see myself getting used to after a while - it's just tough if one shoots new and old cameras together.</p>