Thoughts after shooting with a D600 today

[Sw1tchFX]

I've had the D600 with me today for testing. I'm really excited about this camera, and I think it's going to be great! Here's why:



-It really is a D7000 with a FF sensor in it. Feels the same, sounds the same, operates the same.
-The AF is better than the D7000's. It just about nails it every time.
-The sensor kicks serious butt. Blows away my D700 in high ISO and detail retention by a long shot, plus it's got the DR of a D800
-The color straight out of the camera sucks, just like the D4 and D800.
-On this copy, the front dial doesn't work half the time (sample variation p








Things I like:


-The sensor. 24MP is a great balance.
-How quiet the shutter is. It's not 5D3 quiet mode, but it's not bad.
-It uses the ML-L3. This should be standard equipment on all models.
-Weighs nothing. FF doesn't equal a brick anymore.
-100% finder. Might be a smidge brighter than my D700..might be crap on it too.
-Dual axis level. Clutch for shooting interiors.
-Dual card slots for Main/Backup. This is just being professional, plain and simple.
-Balances perfect with the f/1.8 primes. Mach it perfectly and I bet a 70-200 f/4 is imminent in 2013.






Things I don't like:


-The grip is a bit chinsy. The D700 feels better, fatter and grippier.
-The OK button brings up the retouch menu instead of 100% zoom during playback. This is actually really frustrating.
-Can't set the ISO to adjust in full stops. I don't need no stinkin' ISO 1250
-Zoom in/out buttons reversed vs. D700. Again, this is surprisingly frustrating.
-No direct AF area switch. Par for the D4, 800, and 7000, but this is just bad taste IMO.






From someone who works with alot of pro photogs on a daily basis,


This camera is obviously designed for the budget portrait/wedding photographer who is shooting with the 1.8's primes and the 16-35/24-120. IMO, for the exception of the D4, this is Nikon's wedding camera. It weighs nothing (great for multiple bodies), has great AF (I had a 100% hit rate with the 50 1.4G today), Quiet mode (clutch during the ceremony), ISO is awesome up to 6400 (better than my D700), Dual card slots (this is a huge deal if you're getting paid), files aren't super enormous (avg 25-30MB each). Who cares if it doesn't have a PC port or 1/8000th of a second? That's why God invented Pocket Wizards, the AS-15, and "ISO 50". The grip is just a little small for the 85mm f/1.4G and the 70-200 f/2.8, but the vertical grip should fix that. My 24mm f/1.4G balances just fine on it. The 24-70 is front heavy, the 16-35 and 24-120VR are just fine.




In perspective, it's the perfect wedding kit:


-2x D600's
-2x SB-700's
-28mm f/1.8
-85mm f/1.8
-16-35 f/4
-"70-200 f/4"

You can just about do anything with that. If you need faster, rent it for the one day in the year where you might need it.

 

[Derrel]

Good post. Your opinion on cameras and lenses is one of the few that I actually value a good deal, even though we sometimes have different opinions on things.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Thanks for taking the time to write this.

On your comment "The color straight out of the camera sucks, just like the D4 and D800", do you think a global Lightroom saturation increase upon import can compensate for that?

 

[nmoody]

Thanks for posting this! I am very interested in this camera once I do need to upgrade.

Looks like this will be what I am looking for.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Good post. Your opinion on cameras and lenses is one of the few that I actually value a good deal, even though we sometimes have different opinions on things.

Thanks dude! And yes, this is true.

Thanks for taking the time to write this.

On your comment "The color straight out of the camera sucks, just like the D4 and D800", do you think a global Lightroom saturation increase upon import can compensate for that?

I'm talking about JPEGs or video.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Good post. Your opinion on cameras and lenses is one of the few that I actually value a good deal, even though we sometimes have different opinions on things.

Thanks dude! And yes, this is true.

Thanks for taking the time to write this.

On your comment "The color straight out of the camera sucks, just like the D4 and D800", do you think a global Lightroom saturation increase upon import can compensate for that?

I'm talking about JPEGs or video.

OOOOO OK thanks

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Applies to video too though!!!!

 

[molested_cow]

So that means editing video out of D600 isn't just going to be cut and stitch? Well I know next to nothing about video editing, but want to get into it some day.

 

[molested_cow]

BTW can you tell me how's the auto bracketing? I know it goes in 1/3 EV interval. How many stops can I set it? For example, max on the D700 is 9 stops.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

3 frames up to 3 stops apart.

 

[Vautrin]

How does it compare in terms of features to the D700? Anything seriously missing?

Also were you using Nikon lenses? Which one?

I'd expect the nikon 1.4 50mm to perform great, but would love to know how it would treat my sigma 1.4

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I was using the Nikon versions. With the sigma, all bets are off because of AF consistency.

Compared to the D700 it's just not as beefy, not as many AF points, SD instead of CF cards or 8fps with a grip.

Otherwise just about everything else is better. Better sensor, redundant card slots, lighter weight, smaller body, faster fps, quieter shutter, very robust video mode, dual axis level, and so on..

 

[Mach0]

I was using the Nikon versions. With the sigma, all bets are off because of AF consistency.

Compared to the D700 it's just not as beefy, not as many AF points, SD instead of CF cards or 8fps with a grip.

Otherwise just about everything else is better. Better sensor, redundant card slots, lighter weight, smaller body, faster fps, quieter shutter, very robust video mode, dual axis level, and so on..

Sweet deal

 

[jake337]

This camera and two of the new 256mb sd cards would be sick for vacations or the ultimate spray and pray shooter!

 

[Tee]

Thanks for the review. :thumbup: