Nikon D600 - More Observations

There's a few more things I've observed with the D600.  

Firstly the files are now much bigger than the 12 and 16 MP cameras I also have.  

Secondly the AF is annoying.  I'm trying to find where the centre point AF function is and have yet to find it.  Looks like some research in the manual.

Thirdly the exposure at night can be odd and inconsistent.  Sometimes it gets right, other times not.

Fourthly high ISO performance is exceptional - a significant step ahead of the D700

Nikon D600 - First Review

Today I picked up my Nikon D600 that I had on pre-order and gave it a trial run around the house.  My initial impressions are basically what the reviews say - a cross between a D7000 and a D800, and really not all that dissimilar from my D700.  

Compared to the D700, some things are worse, others better.  It loses out on top shutter speed and a couple other small things, but it gains more resolution, live view AF, excellent video and many other things.

Some quick notes:

•  The Live View AF works very well for a DSLR, about the same as my Sony NEX 5n and Fuji X100.
•  High ISO seems to very clean.  I've only tested to ISO 3200 so far, but it looks very good.
• The D600 with a Nikkor 50mm is significantly lighter than a D90 with a Nikkor 18-200mm.
• The camera feels pro, unlike say the D90 and a D5100 I have been using lately, but not "hewn from billet metal" like the D700.

Both shots below were taken at ISO 3200.

All in all, I think this will be an excellent camera.

 

Post 400

Uh....wow.  This is my 400th post on Snapshot Voyager.   I can't believe I have that much to say about photography!  It's hard to know what photo to celebrate with, but here's a pic of some of my more often used gear, taken with my Nikon D90.

Background Photos

While this photo may not look like much of a shot, it does make an excellent background photo.  I have used it on my facebook page as a background and it really sets off the picture of my daughter and I.  

There is very much a style to a good background photo.  It needs to say something, but at the same time blend in, which this photo does well.

Nikon FE-2 with Nikkor 24mm f2 - Queen Street East, Toronto

 

No Purchase Policy

This is pretty weird.  So far in 2012 (end May) there has been just 4 lens purchases to date - a Leica 35mm f3.5 Summaron in LTM, a Nikon 28mm f3.5, a Sigma 30mm f2.8 and a Pentax 21mm f3.2; the first two of which was part of a trade for some Nikon lenses.  

This is unusual.  Usually I purchase approximately 25-30 lenses per year, most of which are again sold after I try them out, but this would suggest a purchase of about 20-25 so far this year.  So far only the Nikon 28mm f3.5 has been sold; the Sigma and Leica are most definately keepers, while I will ship the Pentax to my Dad.

Oddly enough , I have purchased 5 cameras this year, which is about normal.  Two of these cameras came with fixed lenses (Fuji X100 and the Fuji GA645i) and three as bodies only (Nikon F601, Pentax SFX and Sony NEX 5n).  The F601 hasn't been used at all and the GA645i has had a couple rolls through it, though I have had quite a bit of use out of both the digital bodies