D600 or D7100

mms

New member
I've been saving for a new camera and am now ready to purchase. I had originally planned on the d600 but with all the dust issues and Nikon really not doing anything about it, I'm concerned. Should I purchase the cheaper 7100 (and will it have the same issues as the d600... or would i be better off with a Canon camera?

Any advice would be appreciated,
Michael
 

mms

New member
Thanks so much for your help... I guess we all can't be as smart as you... of course, this could be the type of response one could be expected from a senior member of the forum from New Jersey.

Thanks again for your fine advice.
 

stmv

Senior Member
laughs,, well,, I am not sure how pervasive the issues are,, I have currently 4 Nikon SLRs,, and all 4 came from the factory in perfect condition (knock on wood).

Go to a store, bring a memory card, insist on a test shot (read on the internet how to take a test shot to check for oil spots), if passes, buy and be happy;
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
What are you looking for in your camera? What types of photos are you going to take? There may be other options than just these two.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Call me jaded, but as someone who has been a member for a year reads as you ask about a choice between two cameras, pointing only to the known issues in one and speculating about similar issues with the other, while offering what may or may not be a tongue in cheek out of choosing a different brand, I believe I have every right to be. You come in cold, with no other introduction, walking and talking like a duck. So forgive me if I assumed you were one. Would it have been better if I simply said, "Buy the more expensive camera, because at least you know about those issues."?

Truth is, you haven't given us anything to go on other than that you'd been pondering the D600. You can read all over this forum, and particularly from me, that the D600 has dust issues. At least mine does and has since the day I took it out of the box. I deal with it because the images are that good, and it's a problem I can work with and around. I pondered replacing my D7000 with a D7100, but for all the good on paper I find the fact that they equipped it with a buffer that the camera is capable of exhausting in one second a deal breaker. Couple that with the superior IQ of the FX sensor and for my purposes - which may or may not match yours - I'd grab a second D600 before a D7100, and actually bought a D800 instead for reasons that are stated elsewhere.

Oh, and I have a brother with tens of thousands of dollars of Canon glass at his disposal that I could borrow almost at will. I'm not switching.
 

daredevil123

Senior Member
Over at our side of the world, NSC is starting to replace "shutter mechanisms" for D600, to address the dust issue. I would think NSC in USA should be doing the same as well.
 

Dave_W

The Dude
I've been saving for a new camera and am now ready to purchase. I had originally planned on the d600 but with all the dust issues and Nikon really not doing anything about it, I'm concerned. Should I purchase the cheaper 7100 (and will it have the same issues as the d600... or would i be better off with a Canon camera?

Any advice would be appreciated,
Michael

What made you consider a Nikon camera over a Pentax or Sony or Canon? And of the many different Nikon dSLR's what was it about the D600 and D7100 that interested you?
 

mms

New member
I end up taking a lot of sports shots of the kids... I travel a lot so I also take a lot of landscapes and architecture shots as well.
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
I end up taking a lot of sports shots of the kids... I travel a lot so I also take a lot of landscapes and architecture shots as well.
So basically a mixed bag, what is your budget? As with sports you would be looking at something with a decent FPS.
 

mms

New member
Thanks... I guess my real concern is... is the dust issue a manufacturing issue - which could then be be applicable to other new cameras Nikon is producing or a design issue - which may be an issue for other cameras with a similar design (and does the 7100 have that same design). I was looking primarily at Nikon due to reviews yet am a little concerned at Nikon's caviler response to what appears to be a real issue with the d600. Again, I could be blowing this out of proportion, but I was looking for advise... would you still buy the D600 if you knew up front it would have these issues or would you look to another camera.
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
Thanks... I guess my real concern is... is the dust issue a manufacturing issue - which could then be be applicable to other new cameras Nikon is producing or a design issue - which may be an issue for other cameras with a similar design (and does the 7100 have that same design). I was looking primarily at Nikon due to reviews yet am a little concerned at Nikon's caviler response to what appears to be a real issue with the d600. Again, I could be blowing this out of proportion, but I was looking for advise... would you still buy the D600 if you knew up front it would have these issues or would you look to another camera.
Seeing as Nikon have acknowledged that there is an issue with dust I would be presuming that they would be fixing this issue. I am unsure of what Nikon is doing but I am confident that they will be doing their best.

What is your budget? Is the D800 out of your range?
 

mms

New member
Is that what you would recommend? I'm thinking that would 6 or 700 to the cost? I could probably continue saving and purchase that before summer. I guess I was not impressed with Nikon's response to the dust issue... I guess I was expecting some type of recall and fix - but that may have been expecting too much.

Thanks again for your help
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
Is that what you would recommend? I'm thinking that would 6 or 700 to the cost? I could probably continue saving and purchase that before summer. I guess I was not impressed with Nikon's response to the dust issue... I guess I was expecting some type of recall and fix - but that may have been expecting too much.

Thanks again for your help

With no experience with either I would not recommend something that I do not know, I have a D800 and like it very much hence why I suggested it if its within your budget. From all accounts the D600 gets great reviews on here, the D7100 I am unsure of.
 

gqtuazon

Gear Head
Thanks... I guess my real concern is... is the dust issue a manufacturing issue - which could then be be applicable to other new cameras Nikon is producing or a design issue - which may be an issue for other cameras with a similar design (and does the 7100 have that same design). I was looking primarily at Nikon due to reviews yet am a little concerned at Nikon's caviler response to what appears to be a real issue with the d600. Again, I could be blowing this out of proportion, but I was looking for advise... would you still buy the D600 if you knew up front it would have these issues or would you look to another camera.

The issue appears to be an excessive use of lubricating oil. Since I clean my own camera sensor (wet swab), this will not be an issue with me since it only takes me less than 5 minutes to swipe any dust or oil. 24 mp is much more manageable than 36mp.

Some prefers the bulky feel of the D800 since they are use to the feel of the D300s, D700 or any of the pro cameras.

Performance wise, I think the D600 is well-balanced especially for hobbyist or enthusiast like myself. However, since I already have the D800, I would have preferred a 24mp sensor but I am use to the larger file sizes since I had to upgrade my computer and hard drives to support the larger NEF files.

Your decision will be based on your budget and preference. Both will perform really well especially in the high ISO category. I prefer FX cameras since I like the wider field of view compared to the DX cameras.
 

stmv

Senior Member
DSLRs are just not free of dust or oil potentially,, so far, out of the box, mine have been mostly fine, but I have noticed sometimes dust, so, I clean that out myself. Just part of owning a DSLR is learning how to clean the sensor, tons of online videos showing how it is done. Cleaning sensors is just part of the process of digital.

I will say,, that with the vibration mechanism, my cameras have way less prone to dust lately, plus, I have developed a more of a habit of the way I change my lens,

get the new lens out,, take off back cap,,
put lens under left arm
hold camera down/and always downwind
flick off the lens, smooth motion
shuffle new lens into hand (while keeping camera held down/and downwind)
flick new lens on,,
back lens cap on taken off lens
total elapse time, 8-10 seconds
camera exposed time to the air (2-4 seconds)

I cringe when I am teaching a photo class, watching people switching lens, pausing as they start debating the merit of one lens to another, holding the camera up to the air, and they wonder why they get dust.

I can now go almost a year without the mirror up/clean mode.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Is that what you would recommend? I'm thinking that would 6 or 700 to the cost? I could probably continue saving and purchase that before summer. I guess I was not impressed with Nikon's response to the dust issue... I guess I was expecting some type of recall and fix - but that may have been expecting too much.

Thanks again for your help

Recalls are an extremely difficult thing to manage, particularly given that distribution is through a network of independent, regional companies. A recall would need to be done by Nikon Japan, which would then cascade down to each of the others and would essentially require each and every D600 to be shipped back - at least within a range of serial numbers if they could isolate batches. A nightmare.

Each region has acknowledged that there is a problem related to dust in the model, and I've just shipped mine for warranty service. Another post here stated that they got theirs back from Nikon USA with a new shutter and there is no evidence of dust since. I would hope that all current production is free of the issue. I know it was something that impacted early days of the D7000 as well, which impacted mine, but it went away after a couple thousand actuations.

I can totally understand someone not wanting to have to turn around and ship a nearly new camera to Nikon for warranty service within a month of having it, but if it fixes a problem then it's worth it. You could also work with your dealer to see if they can assure that you get a more recently produced body that hopefully no longer exhibits the issue.
 

daredevil123

Senior Member
I think NSC in some countries are already starting a hardware part replacement for D600 sent in. It seems the part is referred to as "shutter mechanism". According to what we heard so far, this part is replaced to address the excessive dust issue. In our part of the world, the turn around time for this is 3 working days.
 
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