What Do You Think D700 vs D600 vs D800?

[JAS_Photo]

I am thinking I need a new camera, and one of the reasons is- I am unhappy with the ISO performance of my D300 although I love it otherwise. I hate to use it above ISO 400 as it is just too noisy. So my upgrade choices are:

• D600 - do not like the configuration of the camera controls and since I will be using large lenses, am not so sure of its durability. But mostly it is the configuration that bugs me. Also, I am very used to using the back focus button, a feature it seems to lack.
• D700 - Probably my most preferred choice. Drawback is that they are no longer made so would have to look around and try and find a used model. So there is the risk of buying a used camera with that choice.
  
• D800 - Only one drawback and that is price, and maybe the huge pixel size of the photos. A plus is it's video capability, which would be handy for short little videos to archive for the Club. Otherwise, a close tie with the D700 in my mind.

What is your overall opinion? And no, I will not be switching to Canon.

[Marko]

Really - there's no way to customize the D600 to use back button autofocus? That's very surprising. I've tried the d600 and it's feels good. It's not as beefy as the D-700 but still good.

If you have the bucks...d800 is very appealing.

[Andrew]

If you can find a good D700 for around $1000 that would be the way I would go. Electronic cameras are like any of the other electronic goods and prices drop dramatically. Unfortunately, some people want to make back 80 - 99 percent of what they paid new. When the D700 price is approaching the $1500 mark that's too close to the D600 and for a few hundred more you get all the warm and fuzzies of a new camera with warranty. The price and pixel count of the D800 really put that in a separate class. The camera was purpose built to compete with the huge price drops in digital medium format cameras. If you are a professional and need to be able to make large poster size prints as the norm then perhaps it may be a choice. Take a look here Side by Side Comparison: Digital Photography Review to compare the differences and judge for yourself whether another $1000 is worth it to you and your needs.

[Barefoot]

You've been shooting long enough to be considered somewhat of an authority and I've seen you offer excellent advise to others here regarding the purchase of new gear. What gives? Looking for someone to talk you out of buying the D800? Well...I won't be the one to try. Not too long ago I was making the same considerations as you, but only for about ten minutes. Get the D800, you won't regret it.

[Barefoot]

Let me just add this...

My D800 Trick - YouTube

[JAS_Photo]

Lol, stop it! As it turns out, it was not as easy as going to The Camera Store and saying, "Take my money!" Shortly after starting the thread, I went to 'The Camera Store' (see pic at bottom of page) and tried out the D800 with the new Tamron 24-70 2.8 that has vibration reduction (See video). I actually talked to Chris, who is in the video below, got the camera and said lens in my hands and it was pretty sweet. I told him I had to think about it a bit. So this past Thursday, I went down the The Camera Store (pic below) and tried to purchase said camera and lens. But, alas, they were sold out of the D800 and the only Tamron they had in stock was the demo model. They did offer to sell me the demo, which I purchased, but still no camera So I get on the interwebs and start searching, Vistek no, a few other places no, finally, London Drugs had 2 but not at the store near me, so I had it sent to the store. Whew. I am a happy camper and with the inspirational video from Dave Black that I watched last night, I am chomping at the bit.

[DNPhoto]

I have a D300s, a D700 and a D800. I like all three. The D700 is better for higher ISOs and has a higher frame per second rate than the D800. The D800 has very large files but the drawback is you only get a few frames per second at best. So the D800 is not great if you shoot a lot of action or hope to shoot at very high ISOs. I also find that straight out of the camera, the D800 images need a little sharpening where the D700 seems sharper. To get an idea of just how large the files are, I have a fast 16 GB CF card and a 128 GB SD card in the D800. I usually get around 1500 images shooting RAW. Be prepared to buy extra storage if you get the D800. Another factor is, do you have the battery grip and the larger batteries already for the D300? If so it will fit directly on the D700. It does not fit on the D800. You need the D4 batteries for the D800 grip. There really isn't a bad choice, it just depends how you want to use the camera. Sorry but I haven't played with a D600 so I can't add anything there. I hope that helps!

Dan

[Hillbillygirl]

Although with that video you posted the Tamron does fare quite well. The barrel distortion @ f2.8, and in the video @ 7:55 mark you can see the lack of clarity/sharpness from the Tammy would def have swayed my decision. Don't know if I would accept that, especially on such a dense pixel body as the D800. As was said, maybe the D600 with better glass, (can assign Focus to AE lock, Fn, or dof button if you like on D600), or D700 with same again, if budget confined, would be my choice.