Why should I get the D600 ?

Ok my friends tell me why I should get the D600 ! I have the D5100 now and am quite comfortable with manual controls , I am wanting to do mainly landscape and portraits I am also a jeweller and so take photos of the rings and things I make ! So what benefits will I get moving up to the D600 , I might be able to get the 14-24mm f/2.8 G ED with it !

Sounds like your friends like spending your money,If they are the only reason for buying it I wouldn't bother...

What you need to ask yourself is, do I want it???Will it do the things I like???If the answer is yes the D600 will do whatever you want it to...

Actually since you are a jeweller/photographer and if your sig shows the current set of lenses you have, why don't you spend as much as you can afford on the best macro lens and some lights to capture your creations, yes the D600 will give you a slightly better image but the 5100 will do fine. Alternatively buy some extension tubes to use with the 50mm.

pedroj said:

Sounds like your friends like spending your money,If they are the only reason for buying it I wouldn't bother...

What you need to ask yourself is, do I want it???Will it do the things I like???If the answer is yes the D600 will do whatever you want it to...

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I think you read his post wrong Pedro. He is referring to us Nikonitians as his friends. Put a comma after "Ok my friends,".

Yes Epoc you Nikonites are my friends

Because youjustwant1, worked for me . If that's not enough you'll have excellent images and become an ace at sensor cleaning

I'm going to concentrate on the "So what benefits will I get moving up to the D600?" aspect of your post, because outside of the little you've told us there is likely a lot of other aspects of your photography we don't know about. For me there are 2 primary benefits:

1. Better low light performance. Nothing I've shot with tops the high ISO performance of the D600, including the D800. If you don't like flash and will be shooting indoors, this will quickly become your best friend.

2. 24MP's seems to be about perfect for most photographers (i.e. not many "need" more), and having them on a full frame sensor means that the pixel size is larger and will allow in more light information that can be used in post processing. If you like to fool around in Photoshop you'll have more information to play with, which is very important for landscape photography where the lighting conditions can vary greatly and you want to pull out details in dark spots or tone down the hot spots (just check your histogram when shooting so you know you're not blowing out either end).


I came to the D600 from a D7000 and wasn't expecting to be blown away by the images, but I was. There is the potential of an oil/dust issue, but if you're a jeweler then you're used to cleaning and polishing, so cleaning your sensor if/when necessary probably won't be a big thing for you. It's a drag if you experience it, but any hassles are worth the results.

BackdoorHippie said:

but if you're a jeweler then you're used to cleaning and polishing, so cleaning your sensor if/when necessary probably won't be a big thing for you.

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Actually for TS works, it is a controlled environment. He needs lens, lighting, tripod and remote control more than the d600 haha

You should get a D600 because it's awesome. haha. Really though... amazing low light performance (compared to some DX... can't afford the 800 to compare to) haha. And the image quality is amazing.

gbt said:

spend as much as you can afford on the best macro lens

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This was my first thought after reading your original post>

WM

Bukitimah said:

Actually for TS works, it is a controlled environment. He needs lens, lighting, tripod and remote control more than the d600 haha

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I do have a tripod, lights and flash,home made light box and 3 rf 603 triggers !
as for a macro lens, I am happy using the 50mm 1.8G for my jewellery shots ATM and think a wide lens will be good for landscapes !

Fx is better for landscapes. Fewer diffraction issues at higher apertures and wide angle glass selection is better (In my opinion). You will also experience better perceived bokeh, larger sensors give the impression of lower DoF. That's why P&S's have a hard time throwing the background out of focus, even at f1.8. I had the D5100 before the D600, the D5100 is a great camera and some of my best shots were with it. The D600 is a huge upgrade in almost every way. The only thing I think that could be better is the focus point spread, wish it covered more area. When you shoot it as opposed to the D5100, you'll get a feeling that you're just capturing more light, don't know how to explain it.

Ijustwant1 said:

So what benefits will I get moving up to the D600 , I might be able to get the 14-24mm f/2.8 G ED with it !

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Upgrade is always arguable, but you really need known reasons (known need) to spend that kind of money.

The D600 is FX, but is sort of an entry level FX model, missing several features it should have. It does have the Commander for remote flash that the D5100 does not.

Sounds like what you really need is a macro lens for your jewelry.

If you already have a dedicated area for your jewelry photography complete with tent, sufficient lighting and tripod the 50g on your 5100 will do everything you need (I prefer the 35g for small product photography but that's just me, my setup). If you want a new camera that's an entirely different issue. If not, my recommendation would be buying landscape/portrait glass for your 5100. ~$1600 (D600 refurb cost) will provide you with some nice glass for those pursuits and you can then decide if the 5100 is limiting your composition/technical/post processing abilities.

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WayneF said:

The D600 is FX, but is sort of an entry level FX model, missing several features it should have.

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Whch features?

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I surely should have kept my opinions to myself. Just one notion I guess, but it is afterall a $2000 camera. It is FX, has 100% viewfinder, and at least it does have the Commander, but some expected features are missing. Does not have the faster 1/250 second sync shutter, nor 1/8000 second. No PC sync port. USB is 2.0. Several little things it could have had.

WayneF said:

The D600 is FX, but is sort of an entry level FX model, missing several features it should have.

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While I believe I understand what you're saying, I have a hard time putting the words "Entry Level" and "D600" in the same sentence under any circumstances, given that it has nearly identical features as the top of the line consumer DX Nikons. It's a "consumer" model, and being the lowest priced it is most affordable. But I would never call it entry level.

I'd love to know what features are missing that it "should have"? And I'd measure this in the light that this is not a "Pro" body by Nikon's own definition, so I'd want you to point at other high end consumer grade Nikons for the missing features. I'm splitting hairs, I know, but unless I look to the D800, D3 or D4, all pro bodies, I can't think of a thing missing. Thinks I'd do differently, like 5 or 7 step bracketing? Absolutely. But it's definitely in line with the other high end consumer bodies.

Wayne, we obviously cross-posted, so I now see your list. We could quibble about 1/8000 vs 1/4000, particularly given the shutter issues. You can sync at 1/250 in Auto FP mode, and while I haven't done it personally, I've seen the camera synced to a laptop via the USB port using Lightroom 4 with no issues. Again, I think we could all think of things we'd personally like to see that make the camera not quite what we'd want, but I can fault it given that it's not being marketed as "pro" - which is likely the heart of your point in the first place.

One way to look at it is the D600 bests the D5100 in every respect. Performance of metering and controls, image quality, build quality, low light performance, etc. So pretty much whatever you appreciate about your camera is likely to get a lot better... This is not a small jump in performance D5100 to D600. I would think the oil issue must be solved by now and dust is minor inconvenience of any DSLR. jD