D600 or D800?

mergetrio · Dec 12, 2012

I'm an amateur photographer who took photography in college and learned to do prints in the dark room, etc. Then, about 10 years ago I bought a Nikon D1x and used it quite extensively for business and personal use. I also bought Nikkor AF Micro 60mm/ 1:2.8D and 24-120mm/ 1:3.5-5.6D lenses (which I'm assuming can be used on either D600 or D800). I decided to convert the D1x to be a dedicated infrared camera. Since then, I've been on a photography hiatus.

So, I've been saving a pretty penny to get back into photography (I'm really tired of seeing low quality iPhone images, though very convenient

) and am in the position of buying either D600 or D800. I've done some research and saw a few good YouTube videos on them as well.

Still, I'd love to hear from folks here, especially those who have owned or contemplated a similar decision. My main interest in photography is landscapes, portraits and occasional sports activities. Please chime in.

cgipson1 · Dec 12, 2012

I have the D800.. great body. But you need the best lenses Nikon makes to take advantage of the resolution it is capable of. I have gotten rid of several lenses that gave wonderful results on a D7000... but did not cut it on the D800. Keep that in mind if you decide to go the D800 route. (Nikon has a recommended acceptable lens list on their site)

The D600 won't be as picky....

it really depends on what you want to shoot, and what you want to do with the images....

mergetrio · Dec 12, 2012

cgipson1 said:
I have the D800.. great body. But you need the best lenses Nikon makes to take advantage of the resolution it is capable of. I have gotten rid of several lenses that gave wonderful results on a D7000... but did not cut it on the D800. Keep that in mind if you decide to go the D800 route. (Nikon has a recommended acceptable lens list on their site)

The D600 won't be as picky....

it really depends on what you want to shoot, and what you want to do with the images....

I really have only one lens that's useful for general shooting at the moment: 24-120mm/ 1:35-5.6D, but will be investing in lenses as well.

Rhoads238 · Dec 12, 2012

I contemplated the same decision and ended up with the d600. Cost was the primary factor in the decision for me. I upgraded from a dx body and knew that I needed to spend some money on fx glass. Besides the d800's astonishing megapixel count it doesn't have that many advantages over the d600. It has a slightly faster flash sync speed but its not really the end of the world for me. It also has a faster shutter speed of 8000/s. I do like the button layout on the d800 better as well. The d800 is also superior for video because you are able to change the aperture in live view.

That said. I love my d600 it does everything that I need it to do. It has awesome noise performance. The dynamic range is also stunning and actually leads the pack at certain ISOs in comparison tests that I've seen. And with the money I saved, i invested in glass. But since it sounds like you could get the d800 and glass you could always get 3 sb-700 speedlights for the difference in price. Or you could get one of those fancy singh ray nd filters and a beast of a tripod for landscape work. There is a lot of things you can do with that extra 1000 dollars.

The d800 is a better camera. It is also considerably more expensive and you will need the best glass to make the most of it. Which really goes for just about any camera. My advice is get the d600 and extra extra equipment.

Vautrin · Dec 12, 2012

If you HAVE to ask, go for the cheaper version

mergetrio · Dec 12, 2012

Thanks for the sound advice! Makes a lot of sense to me. Just wondering why D600 didn't incorporate aperture change while recording.

mergetrio · Dec 12, 2012

mergetrio · Dec 12, 2012

Vautrin said:
If you HAVE to ask, go for the cheaper version

Information paralysis is my middle name!

TheFantasticG · Dec 12, 2012

I suppose only the people at Nikon know that one. Personally I would get the D600. As fast as my computer is 36mp images would slow it down more than I would like.

My wife has this: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis -- literally if I do not make the decision it will not get made. To be more precise it is the Casual (Personal) Analysis Paralysis because if she is making a decision for someone else it isn't a problem.

jamesbjenkins · Dec 12, 2012

mergetrio said:
I'm an amateur photographer

mergetrio said:
So, I've been saving a pretty penny

The D600 is perfect for you. If you don't have pro-grade FX glass, the D800's resolution will make everything look really soft and OOF.

bhop · Dec 12, 2012

Personally, i'd get a used d700. They're averaging around $1500 around my part of the world anyway... You get a full frame sensor, but with the build quality and control layout of a professional grade camera. Tests i've seen on the web, seems it's not a 'huge' difference in image quality between it and a d600. Use the leftover cash you would've dropped on the new camera for nice lenses.

jamesbjenkins · Dec 12, 2012

Rhoads238 said:
Besides the d800's astonishing megapixel count it doesn't have that many advantages over the d600.

Says you. The D600 is an artificially gimped product aimed at entry level buyers who are gaga for FX. There's no explanation for Nikon limiting the sync speed, shutter speed, variable aperture during video, auto-bracketed set to 3 exposures rather than 9 like every other FX body, and other differences that currently escape me...other than they needed to have some clear distinction between the D600 and its big brother who costs a full grand more. There are a great many people (myself included) who won't even consider the D600 because of how Nikon decided to forcibly limit its features.

That said, if you're just an amateur or enthusiast who wants a nice camera, it's probably the best bang for the buck. Certainly better than the comparable options available from the other major brands.

kns · Dec 12, 2012

The D800 shoots very well using the relatively cheap 50 and 85mm 1.8 AFD lenses as it does with the also relatively cheap 70-300 AFS VR G IF ED. it is a myth that you need to dump your glass and buy new to use it. The D800 is a truly ground breaking camera, and we've found no-one who actually owns one that has anything but good things to say about it. As to the Nikon lens list - what in all honesty would you expect Nikon to do

they want your money....

mergetrio · Dec 12, 2012

Some great thoughts and "honest" opinions so far to consider.

jamesbjenkins · Dec 12, 2012

kns said:
The D800 shoots very well using the relatively cheap 50 and 85mm 1.8 AFD lenses as it does with the also relatively cheap 70-300 AFS VR G IF ED. it is a myth that you need to dump your glass and buy new to use it. The D800 is a truly ground breaking camera, and we've found no-one who actually owns one that has anything but good things to say about it. As to the Nikon lens list - what in all honesty would you expect Nikon to do they want your money....

This is a pretty ridiculous argument to make. Both the 50 and 85 1.8 AFD lenses are among the very sharpest Nikon has ever made, when stopped down past f/2.8. They work extremely well on every DSLR Nikon currently makes.

As for the 70-300 AF-S, you and I must have different definitions of "very well" if you think it works well on the D800.

It most certainly isn't a myth that it takes the best glass to fully utilize the D800. It's simple physics. If the design of a lens doesn't provide the resolving power and sharpness, the sensor acts in a way akin to downsampling in post production. The camera doesn't have data for every pixel of the sensor, so it makes a best guess that results in a soft looking image.