Choices, choices, choices!!!!

The most common question I get as a tech rep is should I buy,  fill in the blank, or fill in the blank!!  It’s not an easy question to answer, because the variables are all over the place.  How much can you afford, what do you shoot, is speed important, how rugged does your camera need to be, do you want a lighter camera, what size enlargements do you make, do you need to shoot in very low light?  Do you want a FX or DX sensor camera?

Get the point?  There is no way I could tell you what to buy, but I could tell you some of the advantages of various models of cameras!  Above are four current Nikon DSLRs, from left to right, the D800, the D600, the D7000 and the D4.  When the D600 arrived today I was anxious to test it, and I figured if I was going to do that, I might as well shoot the same test with the same subject, light, and lens with all four!  I shot the row of books in my office with each camera and a 60mmm Micro Nikkor lens, all shot at f8 and tripod mounted in Aperture Priority mode.  I used a cable release for each shot and then shot the same scene with each camera @ ISO 100 – 200 – 400- 800 – 1600 – 3200 – 6400.  I then blew up the central portion of each file to 100% crop and compared sharpness and noise at each ISO.

I’m not going to put you through posting all the examples since on the internet you could barely see the difference, but I’ve studied them thoroughly, and will be happy to share with you my conclusions!

First:  These are all great cameras and the results in the test are not as different as you might think!!! The D4 is clearly the winner on low noise at the highest ISOs, but then you knew that already!  The D800 is clearly the resolution winner, with more detail than any of the others, and any other camera made in this form factor!  The D600 is maybe the best all around of the bunch, very reasonable price, and very high resolution, great noise and a very pleasant camera to handle and shoot!  Where does that leave the D7000?  In last place?  Yes, but, If you simply don’t have much in your budget this is the finest camera I’ve ever seen for under $1,000. It might be in last place, but it is still a killer camera capable of serious professional work.  If you don’t believe me, look at Mike Moats close-ups!!!

Secondly:  So which to buy???  Let me describe what I think is the perfect user for each model:

The D4:  The perfect camera when speed, ruggedness, and exceptionally low noise at astronomical ISOs is the only thing that will do!  Photojournalists, sports shooters,wildlife and aviation photographers will live with this camera!  Serious build quality, and extreme frame rates, plus every customization option you could imagine and some you haven’t thought of!  Yes $6,000. is as high price, but then nothing else will do what this bad boy does……  This camera makes gorgeous images too!

The D800:  Is the perfect camera for someone for which exceptional resolution, detail and tonal gradation is what floats there boat!  Landscape, nature, close-up, fine art, travel shooters will all find this D800 simply irresistible.  If you don’t need high frame rates, and you are willing to use the camera with great care, the results it can produce are simply like nothing else in the world! Period!  It’s feature set including a broad range of bracketing options for HDR shooters, drop dead accurate color, and a substantial build quality will all make this choice satisfying for years to come.

The D600:  Is the value leader of the pack, a very reasonable price, great resolution, only second to the D800, good frame rate at 5.5 FPS, wonderful color and a very rich feature set, all make for a camera that can do just about anything.  The images are tack sharp, and the noise is very low even at 3200.  The bracketing feature allows up to three shots at 1, 2, or 3 stops apart, and while not as versatile as the D800 and D4 for HDR, it will still allow a great range of exposures which should produce very nice HDR shots indeed!  It is very much like the D7000, it feels great in your hands and the slightly lighter weight is a joy when you have to carry it all day! Only a few years ago I would have found a camera this capable for around $2,100., an impossible thought!!!

D7000: Is the perfect camera for almost anyone that wants a great camera for around a thousand dollars. With 16 mega pixels and a frame rate of 6 FPS this little camera really rocks!  The noise is very good up to 1600 and usable above that if you want to do a little  post noise reduction.  I consider this the perfect camera for travel and being a DX sensor it stretches your longer lenses, I use it often with my 70-300 to get the equivalent crop value of a 105-450!!!  The D7000 is one of the quietest of our cameras along with the D600 and both use the great little ML-L3 wireless remote!  When it sold for $1,295. I thought it was a screaming bargain, now that it has dropped to $995. you can imagine what I would call it!

What will I be using?  Well, I’ve been working on that one!  As of today, the D800 is my camera of choice for all my serious work, for travel and when I’m wanting to shoot in a more relaxed mode, I think it will be a tough choice between the D600 and D7000, I love them both and can see either as a great second camera. The DX sensor D7000 add the versatility of stretching the longer lenses, and the lenses are smaller and lighter, but then the D600 shares all my FX lenses and makes such a beautiful image!!  To be honest I guess I may end up owning three cameras some day, a D800, a D600 and a D7000!  I can see a relevant use for all three!! What about the D4?  I was once a sports shooter, (for the Washington Redskins), and a photojournalist, but those days are past…….

If you want me to muddy the waters a little more, let me share a little story.  A few weeks ago in preparation for the release of the, then rumored, D600 I decided to go into my files and pick out my favorite images, I then I looked at the EXIF data, and guess what, I could not tell hardly any difference between them in terms of quality, and they were made by cameras ranging from D100, D70, D2x, D3, D3s, P7000 and many more!  So what is the conclusion?  It’s the photographer, not the camera!   Maybe a little food for thought…….

Blessings,

the pilgrim