Nikon D600 24.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (OLD MODEL)

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I purchased this camera about 2 weeks ago and have shot one wedding and two portrait sessions on it since receiving. I own the D7000, and have rented the D700 for all my weddings over the past year. Ive also used the D700 and D3S while second shooting for other photographers. I didnt purchase one in hopes of a D700S coming out and finally decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and buy the D600. The 24 megapixel files take some getting used to, esp after the 12 and 16 megapixel files I was working with before. I will say, a wedding photographer does NOT need a D800. Theres no way to quickly and efficiently handle files that large. 36 megapixels is way overkill. If you are doing commercial or landscape photography, sure, knock yourself out with the D800. The D600 feels a lot different in my hands compared to the D700. It is heavier than I expected, but still lighter than the D700. The quiet shutter function is awesome for church ceremonies. I did buy an off brand grip to help balance the weight when using large lenses. The dynamic range is like nothing Ive ever seen. I have photos from my last wedding that have beautiful details in the highlights and shadows that would not have been in shots taken by either of the previous cameras Ive used. The time lapse function is pretty neat. I tried it out this past weekend and really enjoyed it. I have not had any issues with dust or oil spots. Knock on wood. The focus is great, the resolution is great, and all in all it makes beautiful photos in a very compact and lightweight body. I am going to wait a while to see what Nikon decides to come up with, but I anticipate I will be buying another one of these this fall.

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First of all I really love this Camera. I received this camera yesterday from Amazon after a long wait hoping Nikon might have taken care of the dust/oil issues by now as suggested in multiple forums. I am not good with writing reviews but wanted to write this one since there are hundreds of folks like me waiting to buy this camera and possible d600 defect is holding them back. This review is also for the folks waiting for a recent update on dust/oil spots issue. I shot first couple of shots starting with F16 thru F22 and I see multiple spots. These spots are quite visible without any highlights/blacks adjustments. There are two kinds of spots - 1. round spots - These look more like oil/liquid spots. I spotted 8-9 spots. 2. irregular spots - These are more like when bugs get smashed on to your windshield and leave nasty spots(may be dust?). I spotted 4-5 spots. I am planning to dust cleaning today to see if it get rid of some spots. I have owned multiple Canon cameras (5dmk3, 7d, t2i) and I never had to wet clean the sensor. I know multiple folks commented that dust accumulation is very natural but believe me dust/oil spots that you see on some d600 images they dont seem natural so please stop defending a product which has a possible design defect, it doesnt make us less of a fan of Nikon or for that matter of any brand. If you ask me I will probably keep this camera considering all other good things. I know how to wet clean the sensor. But if this problem is recurring every few hundred shots after sensor cleaning (dry and wet) I will choose to send it back. Happy clicking!

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This camera has been incredible. Ive hauled it through a hurricane, Ive dropped it in the snow, Ive shot hundreds of live bands with it, and I still love it to death. My ONLY complaints have been the dust-on-the-sensor issue, the lack of video features (which you cant really complain too much about, since this is already an older camera), and the Nikon trademark of mishandling color (the red spectrum in particular). The "dust-on-the-sensor" thing is something thats easily addressed by regularly cleaning and maintaining the camera (from my understand though, a lot of the specks are from mechanisms inside the camera, so this will happen even if you dont take the lens off). The video features, well, you cant really do anything about that. However, the red spectrum issue is something you can fairly pretty easily fix in post. Just be ready to spend a bit more time on skin tone and fall leaves. Outside of that, this camera has handled everything I have thrown at it, with incredible results, and I shoot a LOT of vastly different things. Definitely worth the investment, if youre looking for a cheaper/older camera, that can still hang with the new crowd.

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[UPDATE 07nov2013]. Got it back from service again. This time the doc actually said they did replace the shutter. I set out to test it--shooting over 500 shots in and hour on the Ch setting and then going to the park and shooting a f22 all day. Only 1 spot is on the sensor and that one seems to have been there since it was returned. But no additional spots so far. [UPDATE 16Oct2013] After a month of using the D600 _after_ Nikon Service updated the Shutter for me, I am seeing a few more spots on the sensor. I havent shot a lot of photos -- maybe in the 200 - 300 range, however, there are now a handful of substantial spots on the sensor once again--even with the fix. So if they truly did replace the shutter with that used in the D610, Im not optimistic about the D610 nor am Im relaxed about owning the D600. [UPDATE 16Sept2013] I just received my D600 back from Nikon Service. During the NAB in Las Vegas earlier this year, a Nikon Rep told me that they had a "quiet" service practice for D600. She said "Send it in". I didnt bother doing that until early September of this year and got it back 10 days later. They paperwork said "clean sensor, upgrade firmware" so I was concerned. I called and the Service Tech said, yes theres more to it than that, but he wasnt allowed to say--but he did say "They fixed the problem". After a lengthy test shoot of the Sky, timelapse of nature and several "party" shots, I see Zero Dust/Grease whatever on the pictures. I believe this camera is now fixed. Thank you Nikon and of course Amazon for the best Customer Service ever! [UPDATE 29Nov2012] The 4th unit is now going back to Amazon. This D600 was oil-free and I was very happy for the first 100 or so images. Then excessive dust started to appear. I "let it go" for about a week and it seems to have settled down. I called Nikon who told me I could not clean the sensor myself--it had to be sent to a Nikon Authorized service center. But my experience with Nikon service while good, is also VERY time consuming. So this unit is now on its way back to Amazon and another one has been ordered. Lets hope we get both no oil and little to no dust on this one. (Fingers crossed) [UPDATE 21Nov2012] Im on the 4th D600 from Amazon.com (gotta love their fantastic customer service). The other 3 units had Oil spots either right after shooting or came with oil already on the sensor. This unit seemed okay for the first 40 or so images, and then I saw some particles of dust (not oil) on the sensor. I blew it away and shot another "roll" and saw even more dust and what I believe to be 1 or possibly 2 tiny oil spots (the prior units had larger oil spots). Regardless of how good the image quality is, if you cant depend on the product to product pictures vs dusty images (or oily images) it isnt worth your time. My pure speculation is that some units have oil and some have excessive dust. Oil being caused by Nikon assembly workers over-oiling a poorly designed shutter mechanism, and dust if they did not over oil the shutter mechanism. So you get one bad feature or the other. The other camera I have is a D800e and it now has 1 oil spot after roughly 1000 images. I may send it in to be cleaned, assuming no more appear. But this being the 4th D600 Im going to conclude, based on what Ive read here and from my own experience, that this model is definitely NOT ready for prime-time. I would suggest you put off your purchase until either they replace this module with a new one (one that has the problems resolved) or you invest in a cleaning kit and become what most consumers are not, a camera cleaning expert. Oh, and those who keep saying "are you sure its oil and not dust" please move along until you actually own one of these models, youre boring the rest of us who are actually trying to make this camera with great potential, work. [Original Review] This camera produces some of the best pictures of any Nikon yet. Sure the D800/e has more pixels, but a 50% increase in those pixels makes your computer run slow as it reads/processes them. Plus, the camera itself slows down as it processes 36 megapixels (again on the D800). This camera has just the right mix of features. So unless youre a pro, this should be your camera if youre a Nikon shooter (or get he new CANON 5D Mk III if you prefer CANON, both are great). This is a full-frame camera, not a Pro Camera. It has all the scene modes youve used from the D7000 but gives you that great depth of field results you normally only see in an FX (full frame) model. Likewise you can use Program/Pro mode, or Aperture or Shutter Priority modes and pull fantastic shots. The Good: FX sensor, 24 megapixels is good enough, more would be a negative feature, fits all your Nikon lens, but start buying FX (non-DX) lenses if you havent already; it has a fast enough shutter speed and great colors. The not so good: The focus sensors have been purposely crippled on this camera. Instead of using an FX autofocus array from the D4, D800 or other cameras, they use the same autofocus array used on the D7000 DX camera. This cheat means that you basically have a small area in the center of the view finder in which focus occurs. While this is really offensive to me as a consumer, (shame on you Nikon) it isnt a show-stopper. It too borders on "good enough" but I do find it irritating in some situations. So while focus is perhaps the biggest shortcoming feature, it shouldnt stop you from selecting this over other models. Last, like all 2012 Nikon cameras, this model too tends to overexpose its photos when not using matrix metering (e.g., spot metering). So I tend to have to shoot at -0.3ev all the time. The more I use the matrix metering however, Im learning to know when the camera will work with it vs spot metering. The over exposure that can occur in spot metering (Im speculating) was done to accommodate those "ultra stupid hi ISO" features. If you want to shoot in the dark, get a camera with night vision. So unless youre a professional, get the D600, youll love it. If youre a pro... keep your D3 or get the D4 or for B-roll consider the D800. OIL SPOTS: One caveat: The original D600 I received was wonderful until I hit about 100 photos. Then a bunch of oil spots on the "sensor" (actually on the anti-alias filter) started to appear. Apparently if the person or machine on the assembly line didnt have their coffee, they might have over-oiled the shutter release on your camera. Now, it is easy to clean off dust particles, but oil is problematic. If you look around, youll see two types of users writing about this issue: Those who received a good unit that doesnt show the problem and who falsely conclude that is never happens, and those who are having the issue. To see if yours has the issue, shoot a photo of the blue sky, and look at it on your computer. If you see little grey or slightly dark orbs, you have the problem. I originally had zero, then about 5, then it went to over 20 spots. One or two is nothing--it wont show up on your prints or elsewhere. But one or two dozen, thats a problem The great thing about getting your cameras from Amazon.com is you can return/exchange it for another unit. And thats what I did.

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I bought this camera as an upgrade from my Canon T3 which I used for many years. I love the camera and have learned a ton since using it. This has so many options that Im not sure I have used them all. It is a huge change from the cropped sensor I was used to. There is a bit of a learning curve going from cropped to full frame. I did have sensor oil spots after using it for many nights of star photography and long exposures, but I sent it back to Nikon and they replaced the sensor without question. This camera is an extension of my right arm. It is extremely heavy, if you are used to a starter DSLR, though, so be prepared. I have bought several lenses and other accessories for it, and so far have had no issues. I do like the vivid colors of the Canon a bit better, but the ease of the controls on the Nikon are so much better. The fact that I can have different user settings for different circumstances is a huge plus, because I like to shoot at night a lot, but I also shoot portraits quite often. This has back button focus capability, can record video, has two memory card slots, can do double exposure, hdr, and is great in low light.

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Shutter oil issues aside - this is a fantastic camera. I moved to Nikon from the Canon 7D to this. Its night and day. * Focusing - the focus system works almost flawlessly. My Canon I had front and back focus issues. Here, with 6 more megapixels - its more in focus and more details show, the final images are incredibly detailed. I love it! * Shadow noise - On my old Canon, if I boosted shadows or lifted the exposure more than 1 stop - FORGOT it. Noise was insane. On the D600 the noise level is consistent - when I boost shadows it has the same level of noise as the mid or high brightness areas had. The detail is not lost. No strange vertical or horizontal noise. Just a clean, consistent image. * Shutter noise - Compared to my Canon 7D its quiet. Noticeably. CONS * No exposure preview on the live preview display. Live preview stinks compared to what Canon is doing.

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great photo quality at an affordable price. Unfortunately, there are some trade offs. 1/200 max hotshot sync and 1/4000 max shutter speed. It has not stopped me from capturing amazing images, but know that those are very serious trade offs if you are looking for specific type of capture. The build does feel cheaper than the d800, and it is not as sturdy. However, i cannot tell the difference on day to day images side by side with the d800. I would highly reccomend this camera if you are deciding to get this or the d800 and are on a budget. Even if you are not, it might be a better idea to get this and a better piece of glass than the d800 for most purposes.

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I love this camera. Ive had it for over a year now and I can say that it has allowed me to produce professional results and charge for my photography. It is a great first full sensor camera to have, and a great value for the money. I have no regrets. My camera did not have any dust problems either. I think it is also an excellent second camera to have if you shoot professionally and need a back up camera. This camera is not perfect, however, and here are the two reasons why I would spend twice the money for a d800: 1. The focal points in this camera are all concentrated in a small area in the center of the screen. This is supper irritating to me. I find it limiting in composition. Yes, you can focus, lock, and reframe, but Im not good at doing that. I want to assign my focal point anywhere I want to and shoot. This camera wont let me do that. 2. Noise at higher ISO. I live in Alaska and its pretty dark here during the winter. I find myself pushing this camera to the limits of its ISO. Sometimes I go too far and get noise. Overall it is an excellent camera. I would not spend the $3,000.00 for a better one unless you have outgrown this one and find yourself repeatedly needing the features it lacks. If youre not trying to get professional results in really, really, low light, and if you have mastered the lock and reframe technique, theres no need to spend twice as much. Also, this camera is super light and small. I like that because I have small hands and the glass is already heavy enough.

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This camera just makes you look like a pro...The reason I say the reviews (around the web) said it was for pros is not because they said non-pros cant use it but they all read like only pros would want it. Meaning they seemed written in a language that touted things on the camera I didnt even understand. I wondered if it would be too much for me, a non-pro, to handle. Or would it just exceed all my expectations and make me understand what all the hype was about as well? I jumped. It exceeded expectations. If it broke next year Id buy the same exact camera. I doubt Ill want another camera for years no matter what the future ones do. Just take a photo of something that appears, to your eye, to be lost in shadow and watch what this does, for example. It astounds. When it came time to pick a new camera that is more current (you can buy an optional piece for this and it will wirelessly upload photos to an iphone or ipad not only for editing, but to share on social networks, with friends and family, on blogs etc easily) I was a bit overwhelmed but I do endless research before picking any expensive new item and no matter if I was reading photography magazines, consumer reviews, or professional reviewers reviews it seemed everyone was literally blown away by this new Nikon. Best Buy sold out right when they brought it in. Ive personally owned many Nikons over the years. When I was majoring in art at college my photography professor raved about Nikon bodies and lenses and I fell in love right then. Ive upgraded a few times but none held a candle to this one. This Nikon puts many things that were formerly only in bodies twice the price or twice the size into this compact (well, compared to many pro cameras at least) body. Many pro writers of camera reviews actually rated this far above those 2-3 times the price so I mean that literally. The one mention that interested me the most was its ability to perform well in low light. I always had a huge flash on my other Nikons which doesnt make for easy travel and while I have no doubt a professional likely still would, for me I wanted to be able to use the flash on the camera...as long as it worked well, without attaching one. I took photos yesterday in a building with no windows and only indirect light and the room looked incredibly well lit. In fact, Ive been taking endless photos everywhere. I took photos in a CAVE and it lit up. That was a huge test. (This wasnt a place Id normally take a nice camera...but its in my backyard! Oddly, we own a cave.) And I see why in my research for this camera that I just couldnt find a hater among any professional reviewer at the time. Everyone seemed to say it outperformed cameras they couldnt dream it would outperform. It seemes to have a bizarre mind of its own its so good. Yesterday I wanted to take some product photos. Ive done this many times over the years but the comparison in color was just amazing. I couldnt take a bad photo. What the non-pro will love is the camera thinking for you. The past Nikons Ive owned all had a few "scene" buttons...Not only can you do some manual things or put the camera on automatic, but you could get more specific and pick, for example, "portrait" and get soft lighting and a focus on the person yet soft focus in the background automatically...well this has those buttons too but Nikon has expanded the buttons so literally anything you want to take a picture of you have no need to think about the lighting, the focus, the aperture, or the shutter speed to get the best effects...because the camera will do it for you. SCENE SETTINGS: Lets say your dog is doing something really funny...pick the "pet portrait" scene button and you can easily capture fast movement yet a soft focus background. If you are a food blogger or simply want to capture your Thanksgiving meal you just made, choose "food" and you get very well lit, bright photos just like you see in magazines. Incidentally, if you are taking a picture of something that you want to bring out the colors of and its not a well lit situation or you want the colors to even appear richer than they are, this is a good button to use even if its not food because of what it does. I consider it my "vivid" button Choose the "child" scene if you want the above vivid colors in the clothing and the scene but soft skin. Seriously. Pick "landscape" scene for landscapes in the daylight. This is another favorite of mine because I consider my backyard the prettiest spot on earth at times. But mainly its an easy button to keep on when you travel and get all the right shots and I have an upcoming honeymoon which is why I chose the new camera in the first place. Pick "sports" for fast shutter speeds and to freeze motion...if your kid is playing football or soccer and you dont want them to be a blur in every photo, you can actually capture them all day long in freeze frame. Have your kid jump in the air and get amazing shots...it freezes the action without you having to think about setting the shutter speed or ever even needing to know what shutter speed means. This setting allows you to take continuous shots right after each other. Set the camera on continuous release mode with one click and instead of taking single clicks it does the fast shots just like the pro sports photographers without you ever having to learn a thing about how to do it the pro way. Pick "close up" for close up shots like a bee on a flower Capture NYC as you see it...Pick "night landscape" and you automatically reduce noise and unnatural colors normally seen in night photos. Take a picture of a neon sign with this and then with most other cameras and compare...you dont get the noise and blur around the lighting. Street lamps and neon and lights in windows against the night sky are suddenly clean and beautiful. Night portrait is just the opposite. It gives the person in the portrait main focus but the night lights and objects are in soft focus behind them. Have the lights out and your kid is blowing out the candles on the cake? Choose "candlelight" scene. Want to take a picture of a black item with a black background? Choose low key. White on white kind of purposefully washed out? Choose high key "Autumn colors" brings them out best. "Blossum" is your setting for that field of bluebonnets. If you want to capture birthday parties, game nights, and family events, you pick "party indoors" and suddenly Chuck E Cheeses place looks way better. Actually anything indoors does. This is like the "food" button allowing indoor things not to be tempered with poor lighting but it can be used for far away objects and the whole room whereas the "food" button is better on those close up pictures like the plate in front of you (although it works fine for most far away things too. I use both of these a bunch) Normally light reflects off sand and snow but this camera wont allow you to have to sit and think about how to fix it. Just put it on "sand/snow" and it fixes it for you. It captures the brightness of outdoor white scenes well but doesnt over illuminate anything either. I have a huge wall of white limestone in my backyard that I used this on as well. Typically dusk and dawn are ruined even on auto exposure on cameras. You have to learn how to capture them and even then its hard and most cameras make the flash go off just because its night time and the effect is lost. The "dusk and dawn" setting preserve the rich colors in the weak light of dusk and dawn and turn the flash off automatically "Sunset" preserves the deep hues so you can finally perfectly capture the scene and the flash stays off "Portrait" makes the person in sharp focus but the scenes behind them in soft focus and their skin soft. If you want this look, like I used for a piece of fruit hanging from a tree, in other things you can use it as well...anything where you want the main item to be sharp in focus and the background to be in soft focus works. Now that may sound like lots of buttons but the above are not buttons at all. You just turn the dial to "scene" and then when you push the "info button" you can pick which scene you are photographing...and it keeps it there until you change it. So, for example, if you are traveling and its going to be outdoor landscapes all day, you just keep it on there and dont think about it until you feel like turning the dial to the dusk button and then the sunset button, for example. You can go back and forth from the auto button, for example, to the scene button all day long and it will remain on your last chosen scene. Sure you can play with shutter and aperture or keep it on auto but this does even more thinking for you. For example, keeping it on auto also means the flash will go off anytime its low light. But choosing "sunset" means it will adjust its settings to preserve the colors and also not wash them out with a flash. So, this makes the camera amazing for pro OR novice. I felt a bit worried it would be too "pro" for me in reading the reviews because it appeared to be the only people who were buying it...I wanted the best but I didnt want something I couldnt use because Im not a pro on any of the latest camera bells and whistles. It turns out its very user friendly but the book brings clarity in one day to all it can do just by reading it. Its like pro camera class in a few hours time so nothing is left out. Sure you can just read one chapter but you can honestly learn the whole camera by reading the book. For example, if you read the pages on "high dynamic range" (HDR) you discover that if you are taking a photo of something that has high contrast like a building thats black marble against a white sky, you can set it on HDR...It will take one photo that focuses on the dark details then a second photo that focuses on highlights and combine the two together so you see every last detail in the building. Something like that is not going to be used in every picture but its thinkgs like this in the book that make it interesting. You can also use it to make creative shots like taking a photo of "Big Tex" then the Ferris Wheel at the Texas State Fair. What you wind up with is a super cool shot of them both combined and overlapping in one photo. I choose this example because I actually won a photo contest once when I did just that...but that was a far more complicated process with an older camera. This makes it something you dont have to think about. Youll also learn other things like time lapse photography that breaks it down into simplicity...so I do suggest reading things like this in the book. The camera does so much that youll wow yourself with what you have when you do and youll surely miss out if you dont. There is even a setting that allows you to take pictures QUIETLY if you are sneaking photos in those "photos prohibeted" spots. Yep it does. And it has a setting for "flash prohibited" spots too you can set it on so no flash goes off no matter what. Like in a theater and Broadway show. Have bad eyesight and cant see the focus bracket? This camera does so much that you can actually adjust THAT. You move a dial until they are in full focus on the disply as seen by your individual vision. Thats what I mean about finding out all it does...Id never figure that one out on my own without having done some reading. Incidentally, I highly suggest getting the camera body WITH the 24-85mm lens. Especially if you arent a pro who wants to be swapping out lenses...this way you get close up shots and full-room shots without missing a beat and just turning the lens dial. You are also in charge of cropping your own shots before you upload them because you stand wherever you want and then crop what you want by turning the lens rather than walking forward or backward etc. Plus the VR in this lens means "vibration reduction". If you are in car using your Nikon or on an African safari in jeep you set it on vibration reduction and it actually takes that into account to still give you great shots! While I got this primarily for the camera, I have to say the videos are equally as gorgeous. The Nikon lens is so great and the video capability so crisp that they are the best Ive personally ever taken and Ive had some great video cameras before. Plus having it built in is just amazing for travel or, Im sure, kids sporting events or a wedding. The things you want a video of like the toast you get, then the still photos you get as well. With just one camera. One really awesome camera. Is it "a bit much" for someone who is a non-pro? It can make you feel like one and certainly take pics like one and as an artist, my camera has always been very important to me...It captures life and art and things like my honeymoon I can live through forever with great photos so its an expense that is one I deem "worth it"...it turns a hobby into pure bliss. You cant put a price on that.

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I purchased this camera the December after it was released. Id wanted to upgrade from my D80 and had been collecting FX lenses along the way. The camera is very capable and has some nice features: FX sensor, two SD card slots, video and a good burst rate with a good buffer depth. I started out with regular 16GB cards, but soon realized that I needed to get bigger and faster SD cards. I found that I have the best results with a card thats at least 90MB/Second from a reputable maker. Ive used both 32GB and 64GB cards with no issues at all. Frequently, I shoot both jpeg fine and RAW, so having two cards to push the photos to helps keep things organized and safe. Although the camera shoots video, you need to use an external microphone. The internal motor noise is horrendous and theres virtually no protection from wind noise. Ive noticed that the camera has issues focusing in low light when shooting video, so I use manual focus. If you have aspirations of movie making, I recommend a steady-cam type mount, an external microphone and a viewing hood for the LCD display since it tends to wash out in bright light. Even though these all sound like negatives, the cameras primary purpose for me is shooting stills and it does a spectacular job. My camera came with the 24mm-85mm kit lens which is decent, but not especially fast. Photograph quality is very good, but these cameras also have an issue when new of flinging tiny specks of oil on the sensor whenever the mirror flips up. I didnt really notice the issue for the first 500 shots or so, but ended up buying a cleaning kit and taking care of the problem myself. Ive shot about 15,000 shots since the first cleaning but its something Ive kept an eye on. Overall, I think its a great camera. Its not as feature rich as some of the higher-end cameras on the market, but its a strong choice for the advanced amateur.

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