Author Topic: Nikon D600/610  (Read 51421 times)

Roland Vink

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 1521
  • Nikon Nerd from New Zealand
    • Nikon Database
Nikon D600/610
« on: July 18, 2016, 10:58:48 »
I was slow coming to the digital age. I like the simple direct experience of using manual cameras and lenses, but I couldn't ignore the advantages of digital technology. So about three years ago I bought a D600. This was the first FX camera that I felt was affordable, and with 24MP there was plenty of room for me to grow into it. Being such a different camera, it took a while to get used to it. Here are some notes from the perspective of a film user, maybe you'll find them interesting. Most of this will be equally applicable to the D610, and to a large extent other similar models like the D750 and D7200.

Shots Remaining
I bought two 32GB SanDisk SD cards for my camera. The cards were set to overflow, shooting Raw + JPG (small medium quality), the camera indicates 556 shots remaining. I actually got over 900 shots before the first card filled. So I'm getting about 70% more shots than I expected. I guess Nikon conservatively assumes all pictures are very sharp with lots of small detail, which don't compress much. In reality most pictures have large featureless areas (sky and soft defocused backgrounds) which compress efficiently and take less space than expected (or maybe my pictures are just soft...)

The other thing which took me by surprise is that the shots remaining is only for the current card. I had the cards set to overflow, and assumed the shots remaining was the total for both cards combined. I only discovered this when I took the first card out to back-up my images. This and the gross underestimation of shots remaining, means I have over 3x more capacity than I expected. I might have bought smaller cards if I knew this, although it's better to have extra capacity than not enough.

ISO control
After using film cameras for years with Velvia 50 and Provia 100F, even shooting at 400 feels blindingly fast. The ability to alter the ISO to current conditions, rather than using a tripod or waiting to finish a roll to load a faster film, is also a huge advantage.

The D600 has an Auto-ISO setting to ensure the shutter speed stays faster than 1/focal length (or multiple thereof) to reduce effects of camera shake. For hand-held shooting in Aperture Priority mode, all you need to do is set the aperture, the camera does the rest – setting the required shutter speed and bumping up the ISO automatically if the shutter gets too slow. Seems perfect...?

Unfortunately this is not available for non CPU lenses, the ISO speed is only increased when the shutter speed drops to 1/30 sec. This renders Auto-ISO useless for lenses longer than about 28mm. This is a strange oversight since the camera knows the focal length from the non-CPU lens data. I'm sure this could be fixed via new firmware. If I understand correctly, the Df, D7200 and D810 fix this issue with non-CPU lenses (if CPU data is entered) so it seems the newer models work better with manual lenses.

Multiple Exposures
I occasionally play around with multiple exposures. For example, when shooting a waterfall I might create and image with many sharp images overlaid so the water retains some texture, instead of a single long exposure with a smooth blurred effect.
With my FM3a and Pentax 645NII film cameras, this is easy. Just switch the camera to multiple exposure mode and adjust the exposure compensation dial down so the number of shots builds up to one full exposure (-1 for two shots, -2 for 4 shots, -3 for eight shots). The D600 does this nicely but I was very disappointed to find it can only take 2 or 3 shots in multiple exposure mode. This feels very limiting, even 4 shots would be a useful improvement.

Keeping it Level
I have the viewfinder gridlines turned on to help me to keep the camera level with the horizon. In spite of this I still have a tendency for horizons to slide down to the left. The D600 also has a virtual horizon which displays on the rear screen. It's buried in the setup menu which seem out of place to me, surely it belongs in the shooting menu? The virtual horizon works well when working on a tripod, but this is precisely when I have time to level the horizon using the viewfinder gridlines, or I eyeball the base of the camera against the horizon, so I this feature seems kind of redundant. I recently added it to “My Menu” so I can find it more easily, maybe I'll try it more often.

The virtual horizon isn't really very practical for hand-held shooting since you really need to look through the viewfinder at all times. A virtual horizon visible in the viewfinder would be more practical. Something like the focus confirmation indicators – left and right arrows to indicate tilt left or right, and a red dot to indicate level. It doesn't need to show the angle up or down since I rarely have the horizon in the middle of the frame anyway, keeping the horizon level is the main point.

Self Timer/MLU – Getting the sharpest shot
My Pentax 645NII has a very cool feature: when the self timer is set to 2 sec it also activates the mirror lockup - you click the shutter, the mirror flips up and camera starts beeping so you know the sequence has started. The camera waits 2 sec for vibrations to die down and then takes the picture. Perfect for getting sharpest shot from a tripod. The FM3a has a similar feature, the mirror flips up at the start of the self timer sequence, and it's possible to set the timer quite short so you don't wait too long. You know the sequence has started because the viewfinder blacks out and you can hear the clockwork timer buzzing.

Yet MLU with self timer is curiously absent from my sophisticated DSLR. The D600 has a 2 sec self timer setting but it does not activate mirror lockup so there is potential for mirror slap to affect sharpness. The viewfinder does not black out so there is a lack of feedback about whether the self timer sequence even started - did I press the button hard enough or not? The AF assist light at the front lights up, but that is useless to the photographer behind the camera, and it uses battery power.

I later discovered the “AE-L” indicator in the viewfinder lights up when self timer is running. It's a useful tip, but small and easily overlooked. Also, after setting up a shot on a tripod I often don't look through the viewfinder when I trip the shutter, so not the best indicator. Besides, if the exposure is locked, why not raise the mirror at the same time? It seems to me the only reason for keeping the mirror down is so the camera can adjust the exposure and focus during the sequence - but this does not happen (I tried).

Finally, I tried setting “Beep” on. This causes the camera to beep when focusing with AF, and self timer. Problem solved. Normally I turn this feature off as I don't like cameras which beep when they focus. However I mostly focus manually so I avoid the issue. The beeping is rather frenetic and the AF assist light still wastes power, but you can't have everything.

The D600 does have mirror lockup - Mup on the drive mode dial. Press the shutter once to raise the mirror, and again to release the shutter. Doing this by hand almost certainly risks vibrations and defeats the purpose of MLU. This feature is obviously designed for hand-free operation using the remote, which I don't have. I don't want buy and carry an extra accessory, especially when other cameras have built-in features which allow sharp hand-free MLU shots.

Manual Focus Lenses
Most of my lenses are AI manual focus, I prefer the way they handle although I am sure the newer AFS lenses are better optically. With film cameras I generally focus using a matte screen with grid lines. I prefer this type of screen as it is easier to focus and compose anywhere in the frame - screens with focus aids tend to produce compositions around the focus point. For static subjects I find the D600 viewfinder is generally adequate, it's bright but sometimes lacks contrast to tell the difference between “in focus” and “nearly in focus”. Maybe my eyes are just getting old. Now I tend to use the AF brackets with the “green dot” focus confirmation, mainly because it's there. It's not perfect however:
  • The AF points only cover a small central portion of the viewfinder, so I often have to focus and recompose.
  • When manual lenses are used, the AF point can only be moved manually, I often find myself fumbling around trying to move the AF bracket around to the right spot, which wastes time.
  • When I'm looking at the green dot I'm not looking at the subject. It would be better if the left and right focus arrows remain green, but the confirmation dot was red, it would stand out in peripheral vision while still looking at the subject.
  • The focus confirmation dot seems generally accurate, although I do get pictures which don't seem quite sharp – maybe the focus system needs fine tuning with some manual lenses or the dot is not accurate enough?
  • I sometimes use live view when using a tripod but it's not as useful as I thought. The screen can be hard to see in daylight. When viewing the whole scene the screen is not fine enough to assess critical focus. When zoomed in to assess critical focusing you can't see other parts of the scene to see if they are also in focus...
I don't know if there are any alternative focusing screens for the D600 which are better suited to manual focusing.

In general I am pleased with the image quality I get from my lenses, although it is easier to spot faults with focusing etc. Certain aberrations such as CA are much more obvious on digital, although looking back at my old film images, it was there too now I know what to look for. Also lenses which were free from flare are not quite as good when used on a digital sensor, I think the sensor is more reflective so ghost reflections sometimes show up on lenses which never occurred on film.

Quick release plate
I have a RRS B82 fore-aft plate on my D600, taken from my AIS 200/4 micro. I prefer the fore-aft arrangement especially for macro since I can move the camera in and out to achieve proper focus/magnification. I've not felt the need for an L plate - my biggest lenses have built-in tripod mounts which allows me to switch formats, and my smaller lenses are light enough that I don't mind hanging the camera sideways from the tripod.

Image Review
When looking at the image, the left-right arrows are used to scroll between images. However when you zoom in, you use the left-right arrows to move around the magnified image, and the rear command dial to scroll between images. This inconsistent behaviour is a bit annoying, it would be nice to use the same control to scroll between images whether you are zoomed in or not.
I like that the magnification stays constant when moving between images – useful for comparing sequences.

Setup
I mostly use manual focus lenses with my D600, this is how I have it set up:
  • I almost always use aperture priority mode, and use exposure lock or exposure compensation to control the exposure.
  • Fn button set for switching between non-CPU lenses. This makes switching AI lenses relatively painless - I still occasionally forget to switch the CPU data ... haven't added CPUs to my lenses yet.
  • Front command dial - set to change ISO - since auto-ISO does not work with non CPU lenses this is an  easy way to control the ISO.
  • Viewfinder gridlines on - helps me to keep the horizon level and the lines are not otherwise intrusive. I still manage to get sliding horizons though
  • My menu - CPU lens data; Battery info; Time zone and date (useful to know what the time is); Multiple exposure; Virtual horizon.

Battery Life
Generally pleased with the battery life. With careful use it can last for days without recharging. This is useful when away on holiday where there is nowhere to recharge. I haven't felt the need to buy a spare battery yet. On the other hand, my FM3a could easily go for a year on a single button battery, although the rate of taking pictures is a lot lower so perhaps it's not a fair comparison.

Processing
This is one area I have not gotten into yet ... seems to be so much to choose from and a big learning curve (plus I need a better computer). My Nikon database already takes too much time! For now I shoot raw+jpg - jpg so I have something to see and share, raw so that when I eventually get round to it, I'll be able to take my pictures to the next level.

Other
There is a little rubber flap at the bottom of the grip which sometimes gets pulled out. I assume it is where the battery grip plugs in, but it's not mentioned in the manual.

General Experience and Handling
  • Compared to my FM3a the D600 is big. My favourite bag is a Lowepro Orion Mini, it's belt pack. It's big enough to hold my FM3a with 75-150, standard and wide lens with a filter or two. That's my basic kit which covers most of my needs. The D600 fits but it is a tight fit - I would prefer a slightly smaller camera.
  • The deep grip is comfortable to hold. When I recently used my FM3a again the lack of finger grip and hard corners were surprisingly uncomfortable.
  • It's complicated. The FM3a (and similar models) is completely intuitive, I knew how to use it without referring to any manuals. My Pentax 645NII is a little more complex, but once set up it works like a dream with very well thought out features. The D600 has so many options – not always where I'd expect them to be. It has taken a long time figure out the best setup, and there is still a lot I have not explored. There are also some surprising omissions, such as MLU with the timer.

In summary, I'm  have mixed feelings about my D600. I still feel more of a "connection" with my FM3a, but the D600 easily beats it for versatility. The fact that I've hardly touched my film cameras speaks for itself...

elsa hoffmann

  • NG Member
  • *
  • Posts: 3822
  • Cape Town, South Africa
    • Elsa Hoffmann
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2016, 11:57:35 »
Thank you for the write up. I found it interesting. Time..... it only takes time to grow on you like sh&t on a woollen blanket  ;D ;D
"You don’t take a photograph – you make it” – Ansel Adams. Thats why I use photoshop.
www.phototourscapetown.com
www.elsa.co.za. www.intimateimages.co.za

Frank Fremerey

  • engineering art
  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 12323
  • Bonn, Germany
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2016, 12:44:31 »
You can put virtual horizon on one of the Fn buttons. Then you do "Virtual horizon" in the VF in the same matter you balance exposure manually. http://www.nikonsupport.eu/europe/Manuals/d600/d600_en_01.pdf

Feature is called: "Viewfinder virtual horizon"

The multi exposure is intentionally castrated on the more "amateur" cameras like the D600. Pity. The D500 supports up to 10 shots with several different "layer blending" and exposure compensation. See my "10 scotch castle" series...

Generally the "less professional" branded Nikons like the D6xx or D7xxx are a pain to learn (I personnally needed more than one year of daily shooting to get her into my intuition system), while the big guns D3, D4, D5 and the "not quite as big" guns like the D8xx and D5xx are better and more logical designed for accessibility of features and reproducibility thus much easier to learn. The D3 was in my system after 100 shots, the D500 after a few thousands.

Mirror lock up. Simply combine Infrared Remote with MUP in the Menu. Then you do not need the self timer at all and can take as many group shots with yourself in them as you want. The IR control is just 8 Euros...

Image review. You can readjust the whole image review to front and rear command dial...

After reading your write up I strongly suggest you read the manual. For most of your points there is a solution in the manual.

Earlier incarnations had much more trouble and the critique would have been more justified.

What I want to change ist the ground glass. The D500 has the F6 ground glass perfect for focussing manual lenses, the D600 ground glass ist kind of okayish, but soso...

https://www.focusingscreen.com/index.php?cPath=22_137&osCsid=9f579660957d670a6e68888bcb96e961

Is that any good???

You can have the FM-3a focussing screen from them to fit the D600!!! It is 80,74 Euros.
You are out there. You and your camera. You can shoot or not shoot as you please. Discover the world, Your world. Show it to us. Or we might never see it.

Me: https://youpic.com/photographer/frankfremerey/

Roland Vink

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 1521
  • Nikon Nerd from New Zealand
    • Nikon Database
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2016, 02:08:38 »
Thanks Frank.

Virtual horizon - I'll check out the virtual horizon in the VF. The problem is, I have already assigned the Fn button to switching between non-CPU lenses, I use that a lot and would be reluctant to give it up. But I'll give it a try just to see how it works.

Multiple exposures - Interesting that higher models allow more exposures, didn't know that.

Mirror lockup - as I mentioned in my post I don't want yet another accessory such as an Infrared Remote, even if it is cheap. It's just another thing to carry/lose/break/run out of batteries just when you need it. It annoys me because other cameras do this so well with everything built-in. Ok, no point in getting upset about it, but still ...

Image review - thanks again, will look into it. As long as it does not mean reassigning the command dials currently set up for shooting.

Reading manuals - yes I did read it when I got the camera. It's one thing to plough through hundreds of pages trying to understand unfamiliar terms and how setting interact with each other, and quite different to get first-hand tips from those who know.

Focus screens - had a look at focusingscreen.com, a pity they don't have a plain screen with grid lines, but if the FM3a screen fits, that might be an option.

MFloyd

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 1780
  • My quest for the "perfect" speed blur
    • Adobe Portfolio
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2016, 07:41:25 »
The D610 is my first FX camera; now I mainly use it as a backup camera to my D5; or in situations where a small fill-in flash is needed; or for focus stacking, where I pilot the camera with my iPad via the WU-1b dongle.

Excellent camera; the only (big) blame is the much too small AF-sensor area, which is directly derived from a DX body.
Γνῶθι σεαυτόν

John Geerts

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 9085
  • Photojournalist in Tilburg, Netherlands
    • Tilburgers
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2016, 09:24:07 »
Nice review Roland.

D600 is a great Camera. But what I dislike most is the impossibility to review in one click with the OK button, which is possible with all other Nikon higher-end camera's. And I don't like you can't save uncompressed RAW files.

What I do like is the storage capacity, with two cheap 16GB SD cards as you also mention, you have an enormous capacity. 

For manual focussing, in bad light, focus first, check green dot, and then frame. Works always. 

For ISO control with manual lenses, you can use the Auto-ISO, just enter the desired minimum shutter-speed. The 'AUTO'-Shutter speed'  is always a dangerous one. It's part of my routine when changing lenses.

When light is pretty stable I choose a fixed ISO value.

charlie

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 587
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2016, 03:15:19 »
The multi exposure is intentionally castrated on the more "amateur" cameras like the D600. Pity. The D500 supports up to 10 shots with several different "layer blending" and exposure compensation. See my "10 scotch castle" series...

Is the multiple exposure overlay mode option new with the D500?
I'm only familiar with the auto gain feature for blending.

Frank Fremerey

  • engineering art
  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 12323
  • Bonn, Germany
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #7 on: July 20, 2016, 07:59:04 »
Charly. I feel there are more options in the menu than I have in my other cameras.

As far as I remember I had gain compensation on and off in the older models. Now I have a selection.
I did not try them all yet.
You are out there. You and your camera. You can shoot or not shoot as you please. Discover the world, Your world. Show it to us. Or we might never see it.

Me: https://youpic.com/photographer/frankfremerey/

Bjørn Rørslett

  • Fierce Bear of the North
  • Administrator
  • ***
  • Posts: 8252
  • Oslo, Norway
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #8 on: July 20, 2016, 08:02:39 »
The ability to turn off 'Auto Gain' when doing multiple exposures has been there with all Nikon models I can remember.

I much prefer this option set OFF as it makes multiple digital exposures behave like the analogous procedure on film.

charlie

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 587
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2016, 02:02:47 »
Yes, but on the D500 it would appear as though there are several options for overlay modes: Add (equivalent to auto gain off), Average (equivalent to auto gain on), Lighten, & Darken. I've never seen that in a Nikon before and wondered if the D500 was the first.

Bill De Jager

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 577
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #10 on: July 21, 2016, 05:44:34 »
Mirror lockup - as I mentioned in my post I don't want yet another accessory such as an Infrared Remote, even if it is cheap. It's just another thing to carry/lose/break/run out of batteries just when you need it. It annoys me because other cameras do this so well with everything built-in. Ok, no point in getting upset about it, but still ... 

Roland, I shared your irritation at first with my D7000.  Then I found that the IR remote was really quite handy, and easier than using the shutter release button.  There's no need to even touch the camera when doing a sequence of shots unless you're changing a setting.  I did get two remotes on the assumption that I'll lose or break one eventually at the most inopportune time.  Because the remote is relatively smooth plastic it could fall out of a compartment or a shirt pocket fairly easily, so I put a rubber band around it several times to increase friction and make it stay put.  I still need to pack a spare cell in case the remote dies unexpectedly.

I completely second your comments about the FM3a and 645NII being much easier and more intuitive to use.  Digital cameras are a mess by comparison.  Making it worse, even within one brand controls get moved around, and try using more than one brand!

That said, the high ISOs and other advantages of digital are compelling.

Frank Fremerey

  • engineering art
  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 12323
  • Bonn, Germany
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #11 on: July 21, 2016, 05:56:04 »
Bill. You are so right. It seems the knobs and dials are moved around at random for no good reason.

Yet. Currently I own and use three of these beasts: The D3. The D600. The D500.

Till I got the D500 with grip I thought the D3 was the Holy Grail in ergonomics.
Then I had the D5 as a loaner, used all of them in parallel.
Result?

In Landscape mode the D5 is perfection for my hands.
In Portrait mode the gripped D500 is slightly better because I do not have to extend
My thumb so much to reach the AF selector.
The D3 is still very good but not as perfect as I feel the 5th generation to be
The D600 is  not as good as the other three but I know her very well.
You are out there. You and your camera. You can shoot or not shoot as you please. Discover the world, Your world. Show it to us. Or we might never see it.

Me: https://youpic.com/photographer/frankfremerey/

Les Olson

  • NG Member
  • *
  • Posts: 502
  • You ARE NikonGear
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2016, 13:29:24 »


Mirror lockup - as I mentioned in my post I don't want yet another accessory such as an Infrared Remote, even if it is cheap. It's just another thing to carry/lose/break/run out of batteries just when you need it. It annoys me because other cameras do this so well with everything built-in. Ok, no point in getting upset about it, but still ...

All the upper consumer Nikons, including the D600/610 have a kinda-sorta MUp in the custom setting "exposure delay" - it is d11 on my D7000 - which puts the mirror up when you press the shutter then waits a few seconds - 8 on the D7000 - before it takes the photograph.     

mxbianco

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 931
  • A teddy bear from the Alps, rarely fierce
Re: Nikon D600/610
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2019, 12:08:01 »
You can put virtual horizon on one of the Fn buttons. Then you do "Virtual horizon" in the VF in the same matter you balance exposure manually. http://www.nikonsupport.eu/europe/Manuals/d600/d600_en_01.pdf

Feature is called: "Viewfinder virtual horizon"
...
https://www.focusingscreen.com/index.php?cPath=22_137&osCsid=9f579660957d670a6e68888bcb96e961
...

You can have the FM-3a focussing screen from them to fit the D600!!! It is 80,74 Euros.

@Frank,
Thanks for the link to that useful site, in another part of the site there are instructions for replacing the focussing screen for just about any Nikon digital camera (only exceptions: the D40X and the D5)

By looking at a table of the available focussing screens, I see some (intended for Nikons) are marked as Canon-built, and some others are marked as Nikon-built (labelled F6 and F3m ). Does it mean that I could pull a focussing screen from an F3m and put it on a D600, or D500? Or trade between the bodies?

@Roland,
One way of freeing the Fn button is to chip your MF lenses. No more forgetting to dial in the correct lens number, and the additional bonus of chipped lenses' ability to be recognised by entry-level models (for example, my IR-converted D70, or a D40/D40x, or even D100/D1/D1H/D1X), who do not have a non-CPU lens menu (introduced with the D200/D2X/D2H).

The D600 has been my third digital camera (jan.2013), I kept using my F4 until the D70 was introduced (2004), then second camera was a D300 (2008), and the next steps were a D810 (used 3K shutter count, people buying the D850 were dumping them), a used D7000, and a used D500 (april 2019, 4K shutter count). I like all my cameras with an added grip, the D500 and D810 accept the D4/D5 batteries (EN-EL18, with the BL-5 adapter), not so with the D600, which is categorised by Nikon as a midrange camera, with some characteristics "castrated" as Frank efficiently illustrated:
Only 3 shots for multi-exposure (and same for bracketing); semipro and pro (Dx, D300,D700,D800 etc) will have up to 9 shots
No compatibility with the pro batteries (D300 and D700 can host an EN-EL4 D3 battery in the grip, D810 and D500 the EN-EL18)
only 1/4000" fastest shutter speed (good old D1, D1H and D1X had 1/16000", remaining pro/semipro 1/8000")
...but then you have U1 and U2 modes (not available on pro/semipro), where you can save most camera settings and flick back and forth between two different scenarios (for example, outside with bright lights vs inside a church with low lights and maybe artificial lighting)

The D600 is a brilliant camera, I haven't stopped using it, I generally use two cameras with two lenses: maybe one prime on the D600 and a zoom on the D810, or two zooms (16-35 VR and 70-200 VRII), and more variations on the theme, from fisheye to supertele, depending on location, but always two cameras.

Ciao from Massimo
Since evolution has given us TWO ears and ONE mouth, we are supposed (me included) to be doing more listening than talking.