Just Posted: Hands-on Nikon D600 preview

That plastic front panel bothers me. The lens mount is anchored directly to the plastic, and it must withstand a lot of force from a lens that is mounted. Over time, I worry this part of the camera may be weakened, especially if long and heavy lenses are used often. This camera is therefore not good for people who shoot a lot of sports or birds with a fast and heavy telephoto on the camera.

Sep 15, 2012permalink

wetsleet

the lens mount only needs to support the weight of the camera. If you are using a massive lens you would support the ensemble by the lens, never just hold the camera with the massive lens cantilevered out in front!
Polycarbonate is a fantastic material, no reason at all why you should be concerned.

Sep 18, 2012permalink

jeangenie

The D800 already has a great reputation among fine-art photographers for its dynamic range and colour, which I've heard is "as good as a Pentax D645" by someone that owns both. He further claims that you need to make the print 20x30 or so to see a considerable difference.

If the tonal range of the D600 matches the D800, Nikon has a winner. As a salesman, literally all I have to do is say, "The images are just as good as a medium-format digital unless you make them massive, AND you can have long lenses, VR, high ISO, decent autofocus, and a movie mode. Oh, and you can also buy a really nice used car with the extra money."

Obviously only a small segment of the market is even interested in a medium format digital camera. But if you are, and you can afford a D600, and the sensor lives up to the 800's, then you've just bought a D600.

Sep 15, 2012permalink

Alizarine

it's actually difficult to tell which is full-frame or aps-c or medium format when everyone is viewing the photos on an internet medium like, say, Facebook.

Sep 15, 2012permalink

FranciscoJG

I look forward to at least a year for a Nikon that I imagine will be built.
Was waiting for the D600 had a lower price at least 400 USD
And if this is asking too much, then create a new APS-C with ergonomics and build quality of the D300, but with a sensor at least to the level of a D7000.
I feel that my long wait for a Nikon, was again in vain. D600 is not a good example in terms of construction and ergonomics of FX segment, and is too expensive for a APS-C segment entusiast.
Do not know what they want with this new model D600, but will not convince many buyers. Not at this price.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

GPW

Smaller doesn't automatically make a camera more comfortable. I shoot a D300 and love the size and weight,especially with the added battery grip.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

King Penguin

You obviously don't lug your camera up hills, etc on hikes or to far off places, size is important to me, the D600 is smaller, but still big, perhaps in a few years we'll have FF bodies & lenses in a compact size........but not yet!

Sep 15, 2012permalink

GPW

I am a wildlife photographer and my outings are usually 5 to 8 hours long, so yes I do lug my camera and tripod and backpack up hills.

Sep 15, 2012permalink

I am a little hesitant about reading this, considering it is labeled a "PREVIEW."

Is it as chock full of errors as the recent Sony Alpha 99 "PREVIEW" was, I wonder?

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Nikon D800 now US2400 in Denmark without sales tax,so no reason to get the D600 here???!! which is US 2100 ex sales tax...

Sep 14, 2012permalink

LensBeginner

Euro is still supposed to be worth MORE than dollar...
This rip-off on tech stuff (and not only cameras) is just ridiculous.
I don't think transport, customs and number of potential buyers can justify this big a difference.
I'll buy my next camera used on e-bay just as the last one, methinks...

Sep 14, 2012permalink

AbrasiveReducer

To summarize these comments, it's too expensive and Nikon will sell as many as they can make.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Only me

Difficult to justify buying the D600 at launch at least here in the UK, especially as the D800 are going for £2,099.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

shauravraj

Does dpreview or any photographers here know if Nikon will release an upgrade to its D300 line?

Sep 14, 2012permalink

EvanSmithPhoto

the D7000 is a crop frame body (which some people like nature and sports shooters prefer) and is half the price. It may stick around for a while.
The D300 on the other hand should be let go.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

LensBeginner

@EvanSmithPhoto
I'm not sure that I'd take a crop camera for sports...
They're good for birds and nature in general, as you say, and in fact that's pretty much the standard fare over at the Pentax DSLR forum... :-(

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Marc T

"and D700 be let go too. Nikon never respect it's customers. Poor old nikon boys" pfffffft "Love is battlefield" How for you do

Sep 14, 2012*permalink

AndrewG NY

There is no way that this D600 replaces D7000. It is *much* more expensive, especially when you factor in glass costs. It does look like the pro-level APS-C D300s-class camera has again been neglected, at least this time around.

Will Nikon ever do another pro-worthy APS-C body? Possible, but we can only guess.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Alizarine

The APS-C products will probably come at CP+

Sep 15, 2012permalink

EvanSmithPhoto

@LensBeginner
Sports shooters like crop frame for the same reason as bird photographers: the crop makes for free zoom. Their 200mm lens is now 300mm with no loss of light or quality from a teleconverter. The only reason REAL pro sports shooters may not use one is that its not a true pro body.

Sep 16, 2012permalink

King Penguin

I wonder how many 'pros' who comment here are really 'pros', I think not many as the real ones will be out taking photos on assignments using their 'pro' kit. They're not making these crass comments about how they need this & that (basically gizmos).

I am an amateur and proud of it and to my amateur mind the D600 is a cracking camera, a bit more expensive than i'd like but it's certainly on my Xmas wish list.

It's nice and compact as will complement my FX lenses well, they'll all be wider which for me using a DX sensor at the mo. will be brilliant.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Yeah, pros tend to look down upon the compact amateur cameras, until they actually used those cameras. One pro commented that the Nikon FG film camera, an entry level model, was "the mouse that roars." The D600 is by no means cheap, but it is not a mouse either.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Paul Guba

My clients and I want results how I get there they leave up to me. If there is a specific request for file size then I would have to consider camera choice. Otherwise it is not really that important. Camera is just a tool. If I get the shot using this camera what do I care. No one at the bank asked me what camera I use when I cash my checks.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

King Penguin

To 'Anastigmat' , amazingly the Nikon FG was my last film camera! I took it everywhere and it never let me down. I loved it and never upgraded to their AF systems when they can out cos, I don't know, they didn't do much for me...........now things have moved on though and I reckon the D600 is going to be great for me.........mmmmmmm, just got to work out how to pay for it..........me thinks I'll be saying to my partner 'Darling, do you really need that new dress and yes your bum DOES look big in it'.

I can be brave when I want to be.......honest :)

Sep 14, 2012*permalink

mmcfine

I think they should change the Photokina title to PhotoKidding...

Com'on... instead of focusing on the results we focusing on widgets. A camera is a camera is a camera. It's almost like the old wild west, the guy with the biggest gun wasn't necessary the best shooter...

I say, improve the glass and make it more affordable instead of adding idiotic features that most people will never use or know they exist.

But, ye, way to go Nikon. FF camera when the world is shrinking.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Shogun Fantastico

Just another misstep by Nikon. When will they learn not to build $4000 cameras when people aching for $1,854 cameras only have $600 in their domkes, no? When they learn to honor their market, I will await for a $721 camera with a 18-500mm f1.8 lens and a medium format sensor in a small body I can put in my kimono without obvious bulging and enter museums. I am crazy for pictures of beautiful light effects and brick walls. Nikon Picture Controls do this for me. Canon is way better, but I may sell it for this now.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Jasko014

I readed twice and did not understand what you were intended to write.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

TheLastMan

He is joking...

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Corwess

Neither did I... Hands off Drugs kids!!!!

Sep 14, 2012permalink

taktak91

Ferrari missteps because they didn't introduce a 600hp car that one can buy for under $20000. Porsche missteps because they didn't introduce a version of 911 that can go 36mpg. Nikon missteps because they failed to fit a FF sensor into a P&S sized body. List of missteps by major manufacturers seem to go on and on.:-)

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Saffron_Blaze

I applaud the humour.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Shogun Fantastico, you must immediately supply us with the name and contact info of your recreational drug supplier!

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Shogun Fantastico

Bath seltzer and saki is good, in a martini glass, mirrorless, of course, so not to damage my sensor. There are many dead pixels some days.

Sep 15, 2012permalink

Alizarine

So should Apple, then?

Sep 15, 2012permalink

stevepow

I shoot Canon - too many lenses to think about another make, but wow - Nikon is really giving them a run lately. A Canon version of this would make for a nice compact and affordable backup for a 5D3.

Gotta envy Nikon shooters lately - some really great camera choices.

Sep 14, 2012*permalink

Amelio Rate

Seems like a great camera except for 1 thing: USB 2. I already wait forever for my D7000 photos & videos to transfer and the 600 takes even larger files. Why in the world wouldn't Nikon go with USB 3 which has been a standard for nearly 2 yrs already (and which probably only saves them pennies per unit)!?

Sep 14, 2012permalink

stevepow

Use a card reader - seems much better and faster than using the camera for that.

Sep 14, 2012*permalink

mmcfine

Card reader mate. USB 3 or Firewire.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Nishi Drew

A cheaper alternative to the D800, and we're complaining about the USB !

Sep 14, 2012permalink

USB interface on D600 sucks, that's for sure. They should have had USB 3.0, SATA 3, and Thunderbolt, come to think of it.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Rickard Hansson

For both my old D70 and my D300 i haev never ever transferred any images from the camera.
When i bought my D70 2004 i also bought an firewire card reader for CF.
When i bought the D300 i continud using the FW reader until it broke and then i bought an USB 2 reader instead.

Even if camera is usb2, an external reader, most of the time, is faster.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Leichhardt

Make a cup of tea :)

Sep 16, 2012permalink

kwhi02

'$2100/£1955/€2149' - I don't understand, at current exchange rate £1955 = €2439 or $3149USD. Are they honestly selling for $1000USD more in the UK?

Sep 14, 2012permalink

in Denmark its DKK 16.995=$2800=£1807=€2266 if selling price is US 2100=DKK 12600+VAT25+Duty= 16250..so we have the US price + taxes here. But the D800 is DKK 18.995 only $333 more so its a no brainer on which to get..at least here

Sep 14, 2012permalink

TheLastMan

If you take into account 20% VAT (sales tax) payable in the UK the equivalent price to compare with the US is £1,629 or $2,639. So still over $500 more expensive. It is strange that companies feel they can rip us off like this so consistently.

We need a free trade zone with the USA, that would stir things up a bit!

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Looks like the U.K folks are getting ripped-off a whole lot more by Her Majesty's Treasury than by various Japanese companies.

Here in the USA, we do not support the British treasure, we have no VAT, and fort example in the state I live in, we do not even have a "sales tax." No taxes on cameras, lenses, accessories, period.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

LensBeginner

Be assured that it's not only the British that are ripped off, it's the whole Europe.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

I sincerely hope that this Nikon D600 preview on DP Review is not going to be a hack job like what we were given with the Alpha 99 preview 2 days ago. I am still trying to figure out what that camera (A99) can in fact do, what sort of interfaces it has, and what type of memory cards it takes.

We do not really need images from the D600 at this juncture -- just the hard, undisputed facts of its main features and specs.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Kwang M Yi

Nikon can read the market, and satisfy its consumers and previous owners.
Wonderful.

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

kk123

D600 - unfortunately not the answer for replacement of the D300/s -D7000.

- Too low fps 5,5 isn't good enough!
- Too low resolution for DX - only 24mp/2,25, not more than 10mp in the DX area.

Nearly useless for bird photos.

Maybe I should buy an old D2X - with 8 fps.

Why on earth isn't Nikon listening to its customers? I refuse to buy D600!

And where is an update of the 80-400mm? And a 300 f4 with stabilizer. And I could use a 500 f5,6. Come on NIKON!!

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

dark goob

This is a camera for people upgrading from D5100/D7000, not for people from D300. Wait for the D400!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

kk123

Yes - but D600 ??? Why can't Nikon make the D400? How long are we going to wait? I sold my D300, bought D7000 as a camera in between. Very many want a 10fps DX camera with say 17mp and fast AF. Ideal for bird and animal shooting.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

(unknown member)

Nikon is trying to grab a particular market ahead of Sony and Canon. That's a business decision, right or wrong. Many desires out there for particular cameras and features, and they are trying to make the best guess as to what is needed at this time. Business decision. No way they could please everyone. If the D400 were first, all the people wanting less expensive FX would be filling your current slot of dissatisfaction.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Josh152

Very few if any people who are buying cameras in the price range of the D5100 and D7000 are going to spring for a $2100 body. At $1500-$1600 it would be for DX upgraders but at this price it's as unreachable as the D800 for practical purposes.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

(unknown member)

Josh, we all have our ideas about what people want or would buy, and those ideas are usually based on what we ourselves want or would buy.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Griffo59

You refuse to buy a D600? Oh man! Nikon will be breaking their hearts about that.

I'm not going to buy one either. Not until they have one with the build quality of the D300 rather than the D7000.

I don't get this obsession with birds - very boring subjects - but each to their own I guess.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

I feel your pain brother, hang in there, it'll get better soon!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Bamboojled

Josh152,
the D600 is currently in the top ten of all electronic products on Amazon, no other camera is in tis list...
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics/zgbs/electronics/ref=zg_bs_unv_e_1_3017941_3

And to further make the point the D600 is #1 in the top Photographic products...
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Camera-Photo/zgbs/electronics/502394/ref=zg_bs_unv_e_2_3017941_2
So I think that a lot of people have a different opinion :)

Sep 14, 2012*permalink

Josh152

It's not about wants it's about what people can afford. No one buys a camera like the D5100 because they just don't want a better one they buy them because it's all they can afford or because they already have a better one and want something smaller. Most people buying cheap DSLRs will NEVER buy a $2100 body. They just don't have the money.

Of course it is on the top now as every one who can easily afford one is pre ordering but that wont be sustained. In fact almost every new DSLR release ends up on the top of the amazon list for time. It really means nothing.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

AndrewG NY

I suspect Nikon has put a lot more effort into their business cases than most of the armchair CEO's here.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Henri Nikon

I hoped for a handsome FX-body with a far less heavy sensor than the magnificent D800. The rate of 24 Mp is much but not to much I guess. The light sensibility goes up to ISO 6400 as the D700 already does, but the D3s and D4 are the light champions up to ISO 12.800. The images of the D600 will certainly be very good but for what reason did Nikon mount such an unpractical menu-button/dial on the left side of the body?! This will slow down the work-speed changing ISO values as I continuously do while photographing. Why does this D600 have only 2 SD slots in stead of a CF and a SD as the D300s has?

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

dark goob

They need to make a consumer-level 135-format camera if they ever expect 135-format to remain profitable to manufacture and sell. Sony and Nikon are betting together that they can produce X number of 135-format sensors in 2013. If they succeed, it will reduce manufacturing costs for 135-format and allow them to continue to make less and less expensive 135-format cameras. Until then, the sensors are prohibitively expensive.

Unfortunately I don't think $2100 for just the body is cheap enough to push sales. $1500? Maybe... expect to see heavy rebates on this soon, just like we have on the D7000 now. Because Nikon will twist their dealers' arms into buying boatloads of D600, and the dealers will do it because they will think it will sell like the D800, but I would be kinda surprised if it does... because what lenses are you going to put on there? 24-85 crappy version, really?

The RX1 on the other hand will drive sales because every rich person in the world will most certainly buy it.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

5D3 is the only D700 replacement, it is OKAY to jump ship. You don't have to worry about AF malfunctioning. 5D3's AF is a thundering successes!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

No one's interested in the views of deranged forum Canon fanboys like you Vegas. It's image quality and DR that are the primary pull and of course you don't really get either with the 5DIII, which has now been superseded by the D600 at half the price.

Check out his posting history everyone :)

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Maji

Jump if you like banding in your shadows.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

And not just in the shadows :)

Sep 13, 2012permalink

backupgeek

I would love to get this camera, but I would be upgrading from a D5100. I have a few FX lenses already, but my primary lens is a 10-24 Ultra wide angle. The cost of an equivalent FX lens in addition to the D600, really pushes the price out of my range. Sure I could use my old lens in Crop Mode, but it is only a 10MP crop. Really need some more 3rd party Ultra Wide FX lens options.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Hugo808

Just keep what you've got, it's plenty good enough and you won't notice that much difference in IQ.

All this upgrading is a trap that manufacturers love you to be in so you feel like you're missing something that will actually make a difference to your photography, when only getting out and mastering the gear you've got will do that.

You will not take better pics with a new camera!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

ybizzle

Hugo said it best!

A new cam won't make you a better photographer. Invest the money in lenses if nothing else. Just to give you some reference, my daily camera is a Fuji X10. I take it everywhere and it yields great images that some think came from a DSLR because I know how to use the tool! Master what you have and great images will follow!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

backupgeek

I enjoy the D5100, but I really would prefer more controls at my fingers and not hidden in menus. . It doesn't even offer a histogram to check a shot before you take it. I also would like the increased number of autofocus points. If Nikon announced a next generation D7000, I would probably move up to that.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Devendra

just because a scooter or a bicycle can take you from one spot to another, people still tend to buy cars or even Ferrari's to get the job done.
if you have the time, budget and inclination to get D600, nothing wrong in getting it.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Robert Hoffman

Hugo808 - No truer words were ever spoken. You should be able to take any current DSLR, at any price level, and do good work. If not, then new expensive hardware will not save you from bad technique.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

OseasMillan

I have the D5100 + Nik 35mm f1.8, and let me tell you, I don't see much difference vs full frame like D700. I'm speaking only in IQ.

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

drmrbrewer

In the UK there's only a £250 difference in price between a D600 body and a D800 body at present... differential is not big enough IMHO.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

CBestwick

The D800 can be had for £2099 at this moment in time; what sense is there in the D600 at its release price?

Sep 13, 2012permalink

drmrbrewer

True. So that's only a £150 difference. How many D600s does Nikon expect to shift in the UK at that price? Maybe they know that they will struggle to keep up with demand in the US, so why not just stuff the UK user base as per normal?

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Grim

my own view was that the d800 had too many pixels (just look at the extra care required to use all those photosites). i had thought the d700 was closer to ideal but that now costs a bomb to get hold of. the d600 is still too many pixels for us 'serious' enthusiasts as larger photosites mean better signal/noise ratio and superior low light performance. the problem is i'm tired of waiting for my ideal camera and the d600 may be as close as i'm likely to get at an affordable price.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Gesture

I think part of the strategy is to have more cameras at healthy price points, albeit many of the Nikon DLSRs are undoubtedly excellent/outstanding cameras. As other formats advance, I don't see as much interest competing with entry-level DSLRs. I consider the Pentax K-30, Canon T4i and Nikon D3200 all expensive.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

akondo

Slightly pricier than I expected, but the D600 looks like a great full frame option for amateurs and enthusiasts! Nikon is definitely filling this niche area. The D600 and D700 fit right in between Canon's 7D and 5D Mark III, although I think the Canon 7D (crop sensor) might still have an advantage with regards to video features over the D600. Nonetheless, if you don't care about video then the D600 looks like a great upgrade from the D7000 or D300s.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

ScottRH

The frame rate is too slow for it to replace the D300/s. It would fail for what I do. Nikon is failing to produce anything short of a D4 brick body for high speed action. Hope that changes before I do.

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

akondo

If you're looking for a fast frame rate and sport-type shooting, then you're probably better off going with Canon anyways. Nikon has never been known for fast frame rates. Canon's 7d has 8fps, the D700 needs a battery grip to get that fast. Both the D800 and D7000 suffer from buffer problems. You can get a few shots at the fastest frame rate but then you can't shoot at all until the buffer refreshes.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

ScottRH

Ok, now where is the D700 replacement and the D400 DX ?

Sep 13, 2012permalink

bocajrs

Let the rumors begin :)

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Tomskyair

D700 replacement = D800s? 24 MP, 9fps, snappier AF? Would probably be well apppreciated by the market.

D400 = 24MP D300s? I absolutely want it, and I think I'm not the only one...

Sep 13, 2012permalink

akondo

I doubt there will be a D400. The number four is an unlucky number in Japan.

The D600 and D800 are positioned so it doesn't cannibalize the D700. Nikon has been on a trend of adding new cameras to the lineup as opposed to replacing them (besides the D3100 and D5100). Curious to see how they avoid cannibalizing the D300s.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

MarkByland

@ akondo: D4.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

5D3 is the TRUE D700 replacement. 61 vs 51 AF pts., 22 vs 12 mp, silent mode at 3fps vs no silent mode, video w/h mic vs no video, same high ISO performance according to DXO, same build and weather sealing(5D3 uses gaskets on buttons), 950g vs 1075g, 35cr2 vs 17nef buffer, 100% vs 95% VF and it can focus in low light -2ev vs -1ev. This is the legitimate D700 replacement spec for specs, NOT D800 or D600.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Grim

@ vivalasvegas: much as i respect canon and their attention to customer demands (they are far more considerate of amateur astronomers) i chose nikon (like many a photographer) because their glass is better. i don't believe there is anything that canon can do in the way of sensors (given that nikon use bloody good ones) and their enclosures to entice me away - my glass cost considerably more than the cameras.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

Cobber55

Akondo, the D40 has been successful for Nikon as well.

Sep 14, 2012permalink

ealvarez

I thought number 4 is considered bad luck in Chinese culture, not Japanese. But i don't know for sure.

Sep 16, 2012permalink

In Denmark D600 16.995 D800 18.995 2.000kr difference about $300..who will buy the D600 then????

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Rasso01

There have NOT been any price levels, released in Denmark.!! coorect me with links - if i am wrong. I have heared that price will target 12000 dkr or even lower

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Hej se her
http://www.kamerahuset.dk/kamera/spejlrefleks/?filter_manufact=2
nb.kamerhuset et normalt den billigist sted her at køb....men ikke for 17K

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

AbrasiveReducer

Assuming this is made in Thailand and the lens is from China, it doesn't seem like that much of a price breakthrough.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

This is price gouging if this is really made in Thailand, look at the bottom of the cam?

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Go and enjoy the imaginary 5DIII you don't own Vegas which was twice the price of this body with a 7 year old sensor. The only company price gouging out there are Canon you sucker. Every body and lens they've launched in the last 2 years have been eye watering rip-offs and everyone out there knows it. Lucky for Canon users, Nikon are around to help drive down the price of your grossly over-priced equipment.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

AbrasiveReducer

Good grief, what an angry and ugly reply. I have a 5D3. But wait-- I also have a D700. How can this be? Because I don't root for, or worship camera companies. My observation--and this may be news to you--is that the cost of labor in Thailand and China is less than in Japan. In itself, this is not a bad thing. For example, Canon, the company you hate as if it was a person, is making a killer 40mm lens for just $199. They manage this by making it in Malaysia.

As for Canon's pricing, you are at the mercy of Canon UK, just as we have to put up with Nikon USA who are nothing like the courteous & helpful folks at Nikon Tokyo.

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

I truely feel your pain GB Landscaper!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

beemerman2k

I'm with AbrasiveReducer in that the camera companies work for me, I don't work for the camera companies. I own Nikon equipment (have since I bought my N70 17 years ago), but I greatly admire the Sony SLT series and the Canon 7D and 1Dx. When I upgrade my D7000 to a full frame model, I'll consider all providers. I am commited to my images, not to camera manufacturers.

Sep 15, 2012permalink

Jack Simpson

Wakey-wakey Barney,

"A lot has changed since the 1Ds went on sale though (at an eye-watering $7999)"

I remember the price being around $14K, then the 1DsII came out around an
eyelash under $10K :o

Cheers,

Jack

Sep 13, 2012permalink

WhaleShark

dpreview has done a disservice to readers by not clearly pointing out that the D600 is a total fail as a serious video tool - even though Nikon is trying to sell it as one.

Why?
1) Audio gain (& headphone level) cannot be adjusted while shooting (source: Nikon USA website)
2) Aperture (and hence exposure) cannot be adjusted while shooting (source: the preview above)
3) As if that wasn't enough, the Nikon website also says that the HDMI output 'may' not have the same pixel dimensions as those that you chose -- in other words, the 1080x1920 output will be what? All sorts of post-production stupidity might result from this.

I would have loved to have listened to the stream of expletives that must have been flowing from the lips of the poor suckers who had to shoot Nikon's doc-style promo videos with these. No wonder so many shots look wooden and set up.

What could have been a nice stills and video camera is actually just a nice stills camera with useless video buttons on it.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

bocajrs

make a great point here!!!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

So what are you saying, Nikon crippled the video too? If so, then they are really protecting their D4/D800 cams.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Gholson21

All we have is a Canon fanboy that is very embarrassed!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

WhaleShark

I'm not a Canon fanboy. I've been using Nikon gear since 1991. I still have my FM2n from that year. I have never bought nor professionally used a Canon SLR, but have bought and professionally used at least 7 Nikons. When all you have is a lame insult, Gholson21, don't expect anyone to take you seriously.

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

(unknown member)

@WhaleShark: good point, RESPECT. I am 90% a Canon USER (and 10% a Nikon D80 user), and I was very upset about the 5DIII pricing policy (btw, I am always picky when it comes to Canon corporate marketing policies). But, guess what: something happened with the BIG GUYS (C/N): all the prices are a bit... strange, these days, when overlaping with the camera capabilities (D800 should cost a tad more, 5DIII should cost a tad less...).

Sep 13, 2012permalink

mandm

WhaleShark, you just joined DPR today, was it only to dump on the D600?

Sep 14, 2012permalink

WhaleShark

I've been on these forums before under other names. For some reason someone else has taken over my previous username, so I had to get a new one. I'll say the same thing to you as to Gholson21: If all you have is a lame insult, and fail to address the facts, don't expect anyone to take you seriously. The facts are that the D600 has been crippled as a serious video tool, and in that respect falls far behind the Canon lineup, which is a huge pity because I was looking forward to putting my Nikon glass on it and not having to buy a Canon camera (I don't like them as stills cameras). I don't understand why Nikon does this -- there is a huge market for affordable, manually-controllable video DSLRs.

Sep 14, 2012*permalink

Paul Petersen

I was hoping the price would have come in within 500 dollars of the D7000 but now its over twice the current price.
WTH Sony has embedded phase detect on their 24mpFF sensor but the new Nikon does not?
It seems Nikon has been very skimpy with the features to protect the D800's position.
Looks like I will be sticking with the D90 a little longer.
Pete

Sep 13, 2012permalink

The price has to do with protecting the D7000 as much as it does the D800. If the price is $1,500, why would anybody bother with the D7000? $500 is not pocket change but it is not going to be a deal breaker either.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Yep, this is CLEARLY not a replacement of the D700, far from it. Nikon got soft on the features for the purist, it seems like they crippled it then added video features, priced it above 2k then called it an entry level FF camera. A very strange marketing strategy knowing that their are a boatload of D700 owners and possibly D300/s owners waiting to upgrade to a legitimate D700 replacement.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Just to be clear here, there is no such thing as to "protect D800" sales, a sold Nikon camera body is good for the bottom line. Best of all, they will buy numerous AFS glass during their honeymoon. Now if you cripple the features and don't provide direct replacement of certain models like D700, a buyer starts imagining a tour de force of A99 specs, the unmatched EF line up.....then one of this daydreamer jumps ship. So in the end who did Nikon protect?

Sep 13, 2012permalink

You don't know the first thing about Nikon Vegas. Or anything else come to that. Tell me, where are all of the brand new Canon offerings at Photokina? lol. Oh that's right, they're all just pipe dreams...

Sep 13, 2012permalink

David Rosser

Park Cameras
D800 £2249
D600 £1956
If you can afford £1956 you can afford an extra £293. I can't see many people rushing to buy D600 now D800 price is dropping and it is available of the shelf.
Nikon have not timed this at all well D600 street price will drop quickly to something under £1700.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Joe P Doyle

I reckon £1500 in a month, D800 all the way, specially given the polycarbonate front on D600, not sure I'd want a heavy lens hanging from that

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

vaha

Exactly my point.

I have no camera at the moment after selling my D800.

I was really looking to pre-order the D600 but at that price point there's no way.

If things don't change, I will either buy a D700 or get a D600 from USA.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Damo83

Ridiculous. Who the hell would buy one at that price when for a few hundred more you could get a D800? Regardless, I don't even really see £1956 of innovation here. I think they're overestimating how much people really desire a FF body with an intention to shell out a lot of cash.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

ianimal

Take the ultra cheap D600, add a $700 Zeiss lens and you have the price of the ultra expensive Sony RX1 ($2800). Problem, there ain't any $700 35mm f/2.0 Zeiss lens. This tells me two things: 1. The D600 ain't very cheap. 2. The RX1 ain't very expensive. It's all relative I think. But for sure I would like to see FF cameras much under $2000, don't know if that is possible.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

intensity studios

Thanks for sharing!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

A full frame for a lot less than $2,000 is certainly possible and profitable. However, because of a lack of competition, nobody wants to drive down prices. A full frame sensor costs $500 or a lot less, depending who you believe. That means a D7000 body with a full frame sensor can be sold for $1,500 and still make as much profit as a D7000 with a crop sensor.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Kevin Luo

This is no way that a FF sensor costs $500, it's more likely costing about $50 and a APS-C cost $35. The price difference is about the sensor, it's the volume they sell.

Sep 13, 2012permalink

Josh152

Even a cursory glance at the wildly different prices of cameras with the same sensor indicates that the cost of the sensor is insignificant when compared to the cost of the rest of the camera. If the Sensor was the most expensive part as some seem to believe, than there is no way a T3i and a 7D or A D3 and a D700 for example could have such huge price differences. FF is in the $2000-$3000 range because suckers believe this nonsense about how a FF sensor is soooo expensive.

Nikon could have easily sold the D600 for $1500 they just didn't' want to admit to and lose the huge markup FF gets. I think in the end though the price of the D600 will have to come down. It simply is to low featured to support a $2000+ price point beyond the initial, hype driven demand.

Sep 13, 2012*permalink

pwilly

These are not CPUs the size of your thumbnail.
There is an app that might convince you that you are wrong about sensor cost. Put in the sensor size and check the yield for APS-C vs FF and see if you are still convinced that the difference is $15
http://tams-www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/applets/yield/index.html

Sep 14, 2012permalink

HBowman

Long Live to the D700. No need to replace it against this ;)

Sep 13, 2012permalink

For the PURIST(still photographers), D700 is the number ONE, it has a single mold metal alloy body, a pro grade build and weather sealing, a proven 51pts. AF system, a machine gun frame rate of 8fps, a proven AWB, it can do 1/8000 of a sec. in tv, an excellent high ISO performance(2400 DXO), an extremely manageable NEF files in post and storage, a superior ergonomics and BEST OF ALL a price below 2k. Oh and one more thing, it is better looking too!

Sep 13, 2012permalink

ScottRH

Sep 13, 2012permalink