Digital Camera World » Nikon D600

Nikon D7100 vs D600: which DSLR should you choose?

jmeyer — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:36:01 +0000

Last week saw the launch of the new Nikon D7100 which presents photographers with an interesting (and difficult) choice: should you stay DX-format or go full-frame? Our friends at N-Photo did their best to answer this question in a compelling Nikon D7100 vs D600 head-to-head comparison. What do you think?

When Nikon launched the D600 it seemed like the dream camera for enthusiasts. It was expensive, but affordable – just – and the perfect step up from the D7000 and the ageing D300s.

But the brand new D7100, announced on February 20th, changes everything. It’s far more than just an upgrade to the existing D7000, as our 13-point D7100 vs D7000 comparison shows. In fact it’s Nikon’s most advanced DX-format D-SLR to date.

It’s so advanced, in fact, that it’s enough to make anyone think twice about the D600. The D7100 offers the same resolution, it’s cheaper and it means DX owners can keep using their existing lenses.

It’s a tough choice, so here’s our point-by-point Nikon D7100 vs D600 comparison to help you make your mind up!

Nikon D7100 vs D600: key points to know (1-3)

1) Resolution

Both cameras have 24-megapixel sensors. The D600 has a full-frame sensor, and the larger size (roughly twice that of the D7100) should give it an inherent quality advantage. But the D7100 dispenses with the usual anti-aliasing filter (just like the ground-breaking Nikon D800E) to provide super-fine sharp detail. We can’t say which camera will be best until we’ve carried out a full set of lab tests, but we predict it’s going to be closer than the difference in sensor sizes suggests.

2) Sensor size

It’s not just about megapixels and resolution. The larger sensor in the D600 produces images with less overall depth of field and, often, a greater feeling of depth and space. It’s easier to get shallow depth of field effects with a full-frame camera, though this can backfire if you want to shoot landscapes or still life shots where everything in the frame is sharp, from near to far. A full-frame camera gives you a reduction in depth of field roughly equivalent to 1 f-stop – it’s neither good nor bad, but something to be aware of.

3) Lenses part 1

If you have a selection of DX lenses, you’ll have to ditch them when you move up to the D600. You can use them in ‘crop’ mode, but then you’ll be wasting most of the D600’s potential. This means buying the D600 itself will only be the start – there will be plenty more expense to come. With the D7100, of course, your existing lenses will be just fine.

PAGE 1: Nikon D7100 vs D600 – key points to know (1-3)
PAGE 2: Nikon D7100 vs D600 – key points to know (4-10)
PAGE 3: Nikon D7100 vs D600 – key points to know (11-12)

Nikon announcement addresses D600 dust issue

jmeyer — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:13:51 +0000

An official Nikon announcement has for the first time addressed the much-reported dust issue that seems to affect some new Nikon D600 digital SLRs.

Official service announcements have been made in Europe and in the USA, which acknowledge the issue and suggest the correct course of action if you experience this problem.

You are asked to return your camera to a Nikon service centre for inspection and servicing should not be able to clear the problem using the usual advice given in the instruction manual.

Following long-term testing of two D600 bodies, our friends at N-Photo recently published its own verdict on the problem – which seems to disappear almost as mysteriously as it first appears, after around 3000 frames of shooting.

However, Nikon has taken some time to officially acknowledge the problem for this ‘budget’ full-frame DSLR, which first went on sale in October 2012.

In our post on the Nikon D600 dust issue we noted that we found more significant specks on one of our samples, but acknowledged that dust is always more of an issue on full-frame DSLRs than on DX models, due to the much larger sensor.

The full text of the European advisory is as follows:

To users of the Nikon D600 digital SLR camera

Thank you for choosing Nikon for your photographic needs.Some users have indicated the appearance of multiple granular dust spots in images captured with the Nikon D600 digital-SLR camera.

These granular dust spots are reflections of internal dust generated with camera operation, or external dust particles that have found their way into the camera, either, or both of which, have adhered to the camera’s low-pass filter.

While the structure and concept of digital-SLR cameras makes the complete elimination of these dust spots very difficult, it has come to our attention that, in some rare cases, they may be reflected noticeably in images. Therefore, Nikon is informing users of a service to reduce this issue.

Resolution

As a first step, please follow the guidance from the User’s Manual (pages 301-305) related to the “Clean Image Sensor” function and manual cleaning using a blower. If these measures do not remove all dust particles and you are still experiencing problems, then please consult your nearest Nikon service center. They will keep your camera, examine it thoroughly, and service it as needed.

Requesting service

Please direct inquiries regarding this matter to your nearest Nikon service center.We hope that you will continue to choose Nikon for your photographic needs.

The official advice makes no mention of the commonly held belief amongst D600 users that the ‘dust’ in question is in fact oil from the shutter, or that the problem disappears after the camera has been run in.

Via N-Photo

Has the Nikon D600 dust issue gone away?

jmeyer — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 01:00:43 +0000

Reports of D600 dust issues have dogged Nikon’s affordable full-frame DSLR almost from day one, but just how much of a problem is it really? Our friends at N-Photo asked the question. Here’s what they found.

It seems every camera launch has to be accompanied by some sort of scandal, oversight, omission or issue, and with the Nikon D600 it was sensor dust.

For weeks the forums were filled with complaints about D600 dust spots – or, more often, complaints about the possibility of dust spots, as reported by others. Then stories began to appear that the problem went away after a couple of thousand exposures, and that maybe the spots were not dust, but oil spatter from the camera’s mirror or shutter mechanism.

So what do we think? N-Photo has used the D600 extensively, the N-Photo test team has a D600 of its own for shooting videos, and regular N-Photo contributor and pro photographer Chris Rutter has taken thousands of shots with his own D600.

Our N-Photo D600 certainly had a ‘spot’ issue. We don’t think it was dust since it didn’t respond to ‘dry’ cleaning or the camera’s own dust-removal process, only wet cleaning with a sensor swab and cleaning fluid.

To us, that indicates sticky deposits rather than dust, lending weight to the idea it might be oil spatter. That would also explain cases where the problem goes away after a couple of thousand exposures. This wouldn’t be the first time oil spatter has caused problems in a digital SLR, we’re not just talking about Nikon.

The N-Photo test team hasn’t reported any problems with its own D600, but they use DSLRs day in and day out, but sensor cleaning is a matter of routine. Chris Rutter says the same thing. He doesn’t feel his D600′s sensor has proved any ‘dirtier’ than any other full-frame D-SLRs, but he’s used to cleaning sensors routinely too, so for him it’s not a big deal.

Chris Rutter and N-Photo’s editor Chris George point out that full-frame DSLRs do attract more dust than APS-C DSLRs – primarily as the sensor is over twice the size. The wider area at the back of the mirror box also means the sensor is more difficult to clean than on DX DSLRs. It’s something that most pros take for granted, but which can be a bit of a shock for anyone upgrading from a consumer camera – and the D600 is aimed at first-time full-frame SLR buyers, who might be more sensitive to dust issues than old hands.

Our conclusion? We think that the D600 maybe has an oil-spatter problem when new, and that it does go away after it’s been used for a while. We also think that the whole issue has been blown up into something bigger than it really is.

DSLR sensors do get dirty. If you don’t take a lot of photos, rarely change lenses and only shoot in clean environments, it might take a very long time. But if you take a lot of shots with lots of different lenses in a wide variety of challenging conditions, your sensor will need a periodic clean.

It looks like the D600 might be dirtier than most in its early days, but in the long run there’s no reason to imagine it’s any better or worse than any digital SLR.

If you have a D600, why not share your experiences on our special Facebook post at http://www.facebook.com

If you are having problems with spots on your pictures, why not watch the N-Photo guide to cleaning your sensor on YouTube, or read our step by step guide to cleaning your sensor?

Nikon D600: manual aperture control for video finally explained

jmeyer — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:30:58 +0000

Given the Nikon D600 price tag and spec sheet, you may be forgiven for wondering why a camera with a full frame sensor and so much potential for recording video would appear to have no manual aperture control when you read the Nikon D600 manual.

One aspect of the D600 that has riled some DSLR video enthusiasts is the apparent lack of a Nikon D600 manual aperture control for video.

Not having manual aperture seems odd given its other video-friendly features, such as audio monitoring and full HD video capture with an option to record uncompressed footage via HDMI.

While the Nikon D600 manual mentions nothing about manual aperture control for video recording, there is a quick and easy solution to manually control the aperture for video.

Here Ali Jennings of our testing takes a look at the Nikon D600 and shows you step by step how to do it.

Nikon D600 Review: find out how our experts rated Nikon’s new full-frame DSLR

jmeyer — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 10:00:19 +0000

Our testing team has had their hands on the Nikon D600 and put the camera through their rigorous regime of lab and field tests. They’ve posted their full, scientific Nikon D600 Review over on our sister site TechRadar. So go there for all your image quality analysis, noise charts and more. If you want some of the review highlights and the verdict… well, find out here what our in-house experts thought.

Nikon has been rather busy over the past year, having already released the D4 and D800 in quick succession. But the company isn’t taking a break just yet. The Nikon D600 aims to fill the gap between the hugely capable and professional Nikon D800 and the enthusiast-level Nikon D7000.

The D600 is Nikon’s first ‘accessible’ full-frame DSLR. Its £1,955.99/$2,099.95 price tag comfortably undercuts the full price of the Nikon D800 or Canon EOS 5D Mark III, while the size and weight of the Nikon D600 are only a marginal increase over the cropped-sensor Nikon D7000.

But has Nikon cut any corners to produce its smallest and least expensive full-frame offering?

At the heart of the Nikon D600 is a new 24.3 million pixel, FX format CMOS sensor. It may seem quite a reduction from the 36.3MP chip in the Nikon D800, but it’s still enough to outdo a Nikon D4 or Canon EOS 5D Mark III in terms of outright resolution.

Of course a good sensor needs to be backed up by a fast processor, and fortunately the Nikon D600 shares the same Expeed 3 engine as the Nikon D4 and Nikon D800.

In the Nikon D600 it’s capable of a 5.5fps continuous shooting rate, making it slightly faster than the Nikon D800′s 4fps (thanks mostly to the Nikon D600 needing to shift fewer pixels).

Sensitivity settings range from standard settings of 100-6400, but can be extended down to ISO 50 or as high as ISO 25,600 for shooting in minimal light, albeit with a hefty increase in image noise.

Autofocus is taken care of by a slightly revamped version of the Multi-CAM 4800 system in the Nikon D7000. As before, this has 39 AF points, of which nine are the more accurate cross-type.

What’s more, the central seven focus points will function at apertures as small as f/8, meaning users of teleconverters can still retain autofocus capability.

The Nikon D600 also makes use of the Nikon D7000′s 2,016-pixel RGB TTL exposure metering sensor, rather than the Nikon D800′s superior 91,000-pixel meter.

Time-lapse shooting mode is another feature that appears from the Nikon D800. Its basic functionality is similar to more common built-in intervalometers, but Nikon has taken things a stage further by saving recorded image sequences straight into a Full HD video file.

With this function demanding many shutter actuations, it’s good to see the shutter in the Nikon D600 is rated for 150,000 cycles.

These days a good DSLR must also have decent video capture capabilities. The Nikon D600 is similarly specified to the Nikon D800 in this department, with uncompressed recording available when tethered via HDMI, as well as headphone and external microphone sockets for audio.

The only major omission of the Nikon D600 compared to the Nikon D800 is its inability to control lens aperture during recording.

Data storage is left to dual SD card slots, so there’s no need to carry multiple card formats. Although the Nikon D800′s compatibility with the XQD card design improves recording speed, the rarity and extra cost of the new format compared to SD would have made it less appealing to the Nikon D600′s target market.

Common to the Nikon D600 and its direct siblings is Nikon’s EN-EL15 1900mAh Li-ion battery, which in the Nikon D600 has a rated CIPA-standard life of 900 shots per charge.

That’s comfortably enough charge for a day’s hard shooting, especially if you avoid using the built-in flash.

NEXT PAGE: The Big Verdict

Nikon D600 sensor rated third best ever by DxO Labs

jmeyer — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 11:25:46 +0000

The Nikon D600 sensor has been rated the third best sensor of all time, according to new tests by DxO Labs.

The Nikon D600 sensor topped cameras like the medium-format Pentax 645D and even its own sibling, the Nikon D4, in tests aimed at measuring its potential for colour depth, dynamic range and low-light performance.

The only two cameras to best the Nikon D600 sensor, according to DxO, are its twin siblings, the Nikon D800 and the Nikon D800E, which tops the list.

The top Canon DSLR on the list is the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, in 13th place.

Our testing team has a Nikon D600 in the office and we should have a review soon. In the meantime, you can catch up with their updates over on their Nikon D600 hands-on review.

Via Gizmodo

Nikon D600 vs D700: which camera is the better upgrade?

samanthacliffe — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:00:28 +0000

In this post we’ll compare the Nikon D600 vs D700 to see if the latter, a classic Nikon DSLR, can still hold its own when compared to the newer D600?

In addition to bringing out the highly touted D4 and D800 this year, Nikon recently announced what was then (before Canon launched the EOS 6D a week later) the world’s first ‘entry-level’ full-frame DSLRs, the Nikon D600. But as we get to grips with what this new Nikon camera offers, it’s also worth comparing it to older Nikon cameras, which will likely see a drop in street price.

The Nikon D600 has many photographers intrigued; it shares many features seen in Nikon’s high-end D800 and D4 models, such as Nikon’s EXPEED 3 processing engine and the new 24.3-megapixel, full-frame (35.9 x 24mm) CMOS sensor, 100-6400 (expandable from 50-25,600), a maximum continuous shooting rate of 5.5fps, 39-point AF system, in-camera HDR and full HD video recording. The icing on the cake is that the D600, at £1,955.99/$3150 (body only), is one of the most affordable full-frame cameras yet.

In fact, when making a Nikon D600 vs D700 comparison you only need to look back to the similar reaction at the Nikon D700′s launch back in 2008.

The Nikon D700 was subject to much speculation prior to launch, much more excited discussion post launch, and many rave reviews. Boasting a 12.1-megapixel full-frame sensor, ISO sensitivity ranging from ISO 200 to 6400 (expandable from 100-25,600), EXPEED processing, 51 focus points and a maximum continuous shooting speed of 5fps, the D700 was certainly a camera that comfortably held its own in a competitive marketplace.

So what are the big differences between the Nikon D600 vs D700?

For those interested in video recording, the D600 clearly wins vs the D700. The D600 has 1080p HD video recording, plus a mic socket for an external microphone, and a headphone jack. The D700 does not include video recording.

The Nikon D600 also offers U1 and U2 positions on the camera’s mode dial with which you can save certain preferred default settings. For instance, if you’ve set up your camera to shoot wildlife but want to quickly take a landscape, twist your mode dial to U1 where you’ve stored your preferred landscape settings. The Nikon D700 doesn’t offer this.

The D700, however, offers more focus points and a much faster maximum shutter speed – 1/8000sec vs 1/4000sec (though the D600 wins with cross-type focus points at 15 vs the D700′s nine).

Nevertheless, these are two very good cameras with excellent specifications, but if you’re a photographer looking to get the most pro features you can from a DSLR at a bargain price, the D700 might be the better upgrade.

Now discontinued, the Nikon D700 can be found for around £1000 at some retailers, and will certainly start to drop even further in street price. What’s more, like its sibling the D90, the D700 still demands respect despite its age.

On the other hand, the D600 is a smaller, lighter, more portable full-frame DSLR than others on the market, and that is something of value in and of itself.

Whatever is more valuable to you, the latest and lightest or the best in its class at the lowest price, the truth is it’s hard to go wrong with either camera when choosing between the Nikon D600 vs D700. Nikon DSLRs have a history of being a good investment and providing value for money.

Nikon D600 vs D800: 20 things you need to know

jmeyer — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:00:50 +0000

Our friends over at N-Photo have been so intrigued by the new Nikon D600 that they put together this interesting comparison of the Nikon D600 vs D800 to see how the two new Nikon cameras compare. You might be surprised by what they found.

The new Nikon D600 is designed to bring full-frame photography to the masses, combining a full-frame 24-megapixel sensor with a consumer-friendly design at a lower-than-ever price point.

So is it just a D800 with a lower-resolution sensor? Absolutely not! The Nikon D600 is a brand new camera with some very significant differences that only become apparent when you study the specifications and handle the camera.

If you’re thinking about investing in your first Nikon FX-format DSLR and you’re faced with a Nikon D600 vs D800 dilemma, then these are the differences you need to know about.

1. Price difference

The Nikon D600 price tag is £1956 in the UK, which is £650 lower than the official price for the D800. Currently, the D800 is available online for as little as £2200-2300, so the differential is much smaller. But that will change once dealers start discounting the D600, and we expect the differential to be restored. One retailer we spoke to anticipated a street price of £1700 for the D600 body once there is a decent supply of the camera in the stores. In the US, street prices are much closer to list prices, so the price gap between the two cameras is larger.

2. Top shutter speed

The D600’s top shutter speed is 1/4000sec, where the D800’s is 1/8000sec. That seems odd, since every other FX camera can shoot at 1/8000sec, as can the DX-format D7000. That, to us, seems like an artificial differentiator to maintain the difference between the Nikon D600 vs D800.

3. Flash sync speed

The D600’s maximum flash sync speed is 1/200sec, while the D800’s is 1/250sec. That might not sound like a big difference, but it is nevertheless a significant drawback for outdoor flash photography, where even a small increment in available shutter speeds is valuable. Strobist guru David Hobby claims this point alone makes it worth avoiding the D600.

4. Weight

The D600 weighs just 760g (body only, without memory card), while the D800 weighs in at 900g, and that’s a big difference. If you’re carrying a camera round with you all day, the D600’s lighter weight is a huge advantage.

Nikon D600 hands-on video review

jmeyer — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 09:30:20 +0000

The Nikon D600 announced today is an all new full frame DSLR that offers a 24.3 million pixel sensor, full 1080p video capability and a 39 point auto-focus system.

The Nikon D600 joins the D800, D800E and D4 as Nikon’s entry level full frame camera.   In our latest video, our head of testing, Angela Nicholson, takes a hands-on review of what the Nikon D600 has to offer.

Follow Angela’s tests with the Nikon D600 in real-time over on our sister site, TechRadar.

Also don’t miss the guide Nikon D600 vs D800: 20 things you need to know by our friends at N-Photo

Vote in our poll!

As for the Nikon D600 price and the manufacturer’s claims of launching an ‘affordable full-frame camera’, let us know your thoughts in the poll below.

Take Our Poll

Nikon D600: is an affordable full-frame EOS camera next for Canon?

jmeyer — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:19:09 +0000

Following the announcement of the Nikon D600, can we expect Canon to follow suit with an affordable full-frame EOS DSLR? Our friends at PhotoPlus posed the question and laid out what they’d like to see on a potential ‘Canon EOS 6D’ affordable full-frame EOS camera. PhotoPlus editor Pete Travers shares his thoughts below…

Our mock-up of what a 'Canon 6D' affordable full-frame EOS camera might look like.

So Nikon has just released a new compact full-frame DSLR. The Nikon D600 has a new full-frame 24.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, and is the smallest and lightest full-frame camera on the market; it weighs approx 760g and is 141 x 113 x 82mm in size.

The Nikon D600 will be on sale from the 18 September and has an RRP of £1,955 body only.

This is good news for Nikon users. And bad news for Canon users? Not necessarily so, hopefully this will prompt Canon to launch their own, compact and affordable full-frame EOS DSLR…

With the advent of Nikon’s D600, it got us thinking (and longing for) that it’s about time Canon released its own affordable, smaller full-frame camera than the EOS 5D Mark III – which is an excellent camera and our current favourite EOS DSLR – but at a current price of around £2,864.

Although down from the original RRP of £2,999, this is a hell of lot of money for a ‘semi-pro’ full-frame digital camera – the EOS 5D Mark III is a hell of a lot of camera too, which is why we’re hoping Canon will release a smaller and cheaper full-frame EOS DSLR soon!

Whether it’s Canon ‘EOS 6D’ – which has long been rumoured, and there’s talk that we might get to see one launched at the Photokina show in Germany next week (18-23 September 2012) – or a new number EOS, ideally this new EOS would sit nicely above the EOS 7D and below EOS 5D Mk III.

Physical size-wise, around the build and weight of the 7D would be great in our book.

The full-frame advantage
A full-frame camera means it has a bigger sensor (35mm film equivalent, and bigger than popular EOS APS-C sensor cameras like the 7D, 60D and 600D, which have 1.6x crop sensors), and has bigger pixels to APS-C cameras.

This means bigger and better quality images, and true wide-angle focal lengths: a 24mm lens is a true 24mm (not 1.6x 24mm = 38mm), but you loose out on telephoto focal lengths.

Full-frame 22Mp images also means bigger file sizes, with Raw files averaging at around 27Mb each – so expect to upgrade your memory cards and PC hard drive to allow for increased image sizes.

The current Canon EOS 5D Mark III has a 22-megapixel full-frame sensor. Nikon has cleverly specced the D600 with a 24-megpixel sensor – two megapixels more than the Canon EOS 5D Mk III’s CMOS sensor.

It will be interesting to see, when (not if, hopefully) Canon bring out a new full-frame camera, what resolution sensor it comes armed with. Would it match the EOS 5D Mk III’s 22-megapixel sensor, would it go bigger?

This would be odd, as it will hopefully be smaller physically and smaller in specs, but this is what Nikon did with its monster D800 36-megapixel full-frame semi-pro camera. Or more likely, will it be around 18-megapixels but with a full-frame, non-crop factor sensor?

Canon EOS 6D specs we’re hoping for

22Mp full-frame CMOS sensor
ISO102,400 (with working range of 100-51200)
6fps Continuous Shooting rate
Vari-angle 3in touch-screen
Built-in flash
19pt AF, 63 zone metering, with more sensitivity on central AF points
More in-camera processing and shooting modes like HDR

What specs would you like to see in a new full-frame Canon EOS DSLR?

And, biggest question and request of all, what price point would you like the new Canon full-frame camera to be? We think an RRP of around £1,800 would be great, with street/online prices eventually levelling out at around £1,500 even better.

We can but dream.

If you’re that way inclined, and what to read more on the Nikon D600, check out the hands-on Nikon D600 review at our sister site TechRadar.

Also don’t miss the guide Nikon D600 vs D800: 20 things you need to know by our friends at N-Photo