D600 or D800?

tevo

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Finally upgrading to a FF, and I'm considering buying one of Nikon's new FF SLRs as opposed to an older D700 or D3. If I had to choose between a D600 and a D800, would the 800 be worth the extra stretch? With that being said, would the 800E be worth the even further stretch? I shoot a wide variety of things, so I want a very flexible camera. Continuous rate isn't as important to me for sports (although at some point I may buy a D3 for a sports dedicated body as well), but low light and AF performance is.
 
The thing here is that probably not to many people owned both (few but not many) so most will likely advise you based on pictures they see and reviews they read. One thing you can be sure of is both models help produce top class images. All the reviews and owner feedback almost guarantees it. The specs other than image quality are what you will need help you decide here. You say you are looking at these models over the d700 and d3. I use canon but got a "go" off a d700 and it is a fab camera
 
Having shot with both, the D800 is the clear and obvious winner in just about all categories.
36MP is actually more useful than I thought it would be, and ISO6400 cleaned up looks pretty awesome.

The disadvantages that really swayed me from the D600, is the sync speed, the small focus area in the view finder, and the max shutter speed.
Those 3 things were deal breakers.

Of course the D600 is capable of taking great photos, but it has too many limitations for my way of shooting.
 
D800 is by far the better choice... MP, Usability, Focus system, etc..

D600 is a grand cheaper... with some limitations that may be overcome by the price.

Both are capable of great images!
 
.........Of course the D600 is capable of taking great photos, but it has too many limitations for my way of shooting.

I'm exactly the opposite. The D800 had nothing over the D600 that I could use... so why spend the money on gear that won't help me? I'd rather get glass with the difference.
 
As Ken points out, for some the D600 is sufficient. For some, only the D800 will do.

The Multi-CAM 4800 auto focus module in the D600 is an issue when compared to the Advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX AF module in the D800.

Also the D600 has the 2,016 pixel metering sensor, while the D800 has the 91,000 pixel metering sensor.
The D600 can only do 3 Auto Exposure Brackets (AEB), while the D800 can do 9 AEB.
The D600 does not have the 10 pin connector and PC flash cable ports that the D800 has.
Another difference is shutter flash sync speeds: 1/200 for the D600, 1/250 for the D800.
The D600 has a max shutter speed of 1/4000 (150,000 actuation rating), the D800 is 1/8000 (200,000 actuation rating).
The D600 has a magnesium alloy top and back plate. The D800 has a complete magnesium alloy chassis and better weather sealing.

The D600 has all the features and functions that Nikon's consumer grade cameras have and is essentially a D7000 with a FX image sensor in it. The D800 is Nikon's prosumer grade FX camera.
 
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...........The D600 has all the features and functions that Nikon's consumer grade cameras have and is essentially a D7000 with a FX image sensor in it........

When I first put my paws on a D600, I said, "This is a D7000 on steroids!"
 
Honestly the 600 feels flimsy in my hands. I like the solid construction and feel of the 800.

Also the button layout on the 800 suits my "button for everything" mentality.
 
.........Of course the D600 is capable of taking great photos, but it has too many limitations for my way of shooting.

I'm exactly the opposite. The D800 had nothing over the D600 that I could use... so why spend the money on gear that won't help me? I'd rather get glass with the difference.

Preference is ultimately the deciding factor.
 
Thank you all for the replies. Can anyone attest for whether or not the D800E is worth the extra money? It's my understanding that Nikon has corrected the desharpening caused by an AA filter on the sensor, but it does not result in noticeably sharper images like you would find with a Leica M8 or M9, comparatively.
 
I've noticed a difference between the 800 and 800E, but the level of noticeable differences depends on how you're using it. if you're using a large portion of the frame, and downsizing for web use then you won't see much of a difference between the D800/D800E, however if you're cropping a good amount, the difference with the E is noticeable and worth it IMO. FWIW, I use the E for wildlife stuff where I'm shooting at wide open or close to it, and higher crops may be required.

also remember though that at a point, depending on the lens and how much you're stopping down, diffraction can and will negate the differences in sharpness.

so, it kindof depends on your uses, style, and preferences as to if the E is worth it.
 
Thank you all for the replies. Can anyone attest for whether or not the D800E is worth the extra money? It's my understanding that Nikon has corrected the desharpening caused by an AA filter on the sensor, but it does not result in noticeably sharper images like you would find with a Leica M8 or M9, comparatively.

The night before I got my D600, I printed out the specs of both the D600 and D800. I crossed out all the stuff that's the same, and looked hard and close at what the differences were. And to be truthful, none of the difference were of any use to me. Long story short: The D800 did nothing for me the D600 couldn't. In fact, given the D800 has 36mp and two different card types was a huge ding against it.

I really tried to convince myself to keep my powder dry until I could secure the difference (in dollars) to get a D800, but it just wasn't gonna happen. And truth be told, there's a lot of stuff on the D600 I wish would either disappear, or was different. But Nikon won't listen to me.

At the end of the day, only YOU can decide which camera is best for you. All the rest of us can do is give you advice based on our needs and experiences.
 
I have the D800 and wish I had picked up the 800E. With 36MP on tap and really good glass in front of it, having that staggering sharpness and being able to dial in the amount of AA you want post-processing is a huge win in my book. I would go the 800E, personally.

I've never used a 600, but my understanding is that it's an entry level FF camera... and has entry-level characteristics. The D800 is not entry-level. In fact, the D800 is sort of daunting. I've been a photographer for about ten years now, and I'm not afraid of much, but I'll tell you that whenever I pick that thing up, I have to be very serious about what I'm doing. It is NOT a toy.

Oh and 50 meg raw files are painful. Plan to upgrade your hardware and storage to compensate. 24MP isn't anything to sneeze at either... but 36?! Jeez.
 
Thank you all for the replies. Can anyone attest for whether or not the D800E is worth the extra money? .
That can only be a personal decision based on your wants and needs.

The D800 outperforms the D600 in many ways. So on a performance basis the additional cost of the D800 is justified on that basis alone.
 

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