I have a Nikon D300 and have been happy for years. I have quite a mix of Nikon lenses DX but also high end non-DX ones like the superb 70-200 f/2.8. I figured that it was time to get to the 1-year-old Nikon D600 specially now that Nikon released a D610 with the exact same specs as the D600 really? rofl? of course this put the prices of the D600 on the falling and I see in toppreise that FotoPro GANZ is aggressively taking the lead to flush their old D600 stock so they were offering it for 1448.-Sfr last week about 100.-Sfr less than other shops.
Since I work nearby the Rennweg shop I went immediately to buy it. But I noticed their price at the Rennweg shop and their price online at http://www.fotopro.ch/ is different for about 300.-Sfr. I nevertheless entered the shop and talked to the seller, first he asked to me if I wanted to buy also memory, when I answered no, he said that unfortunately I can not get the camera for the price of of 1'448.-Sfr advertised in toppreise at the store but only online. At the store I have to pay +1750.Sfr
I thought Ok now I will buy it online and get done with it. So I ordered it and paid with CC. Today I get an email from FotoPro GANZ support saying that they cancelled my online order and that I have to go to Rennweg to pay for it, the question is for which price? wouldn't this qualify as monkey business?
Maybe just try calling them to see if they will honour the price seeing as you tried ordering online. Are they still selling them online perhaps they ran out of online sales stock.
Problem with company aside, were you aware of the oil on sensor fault prevalent with the d600? This is being corrected by the release of d610. Personally I would avoid the d600 due to this issue alone.
Thank you. I'm aware of the oil sensor fault and will nevertheless give the D600 a shot (actually many shots ) if the D600 I will buy has the issue (visible dust spots in the pictures due to the fault), then I will get them to replace it as Nikon has to honor the warranty and it never admitted officially that all D600 had a model fault. I can also imagine this issue occurred in the first D600 batches but then Nikon could have corrected it in later batches, maybe just wishful thinking
Im not sure I would take the risk if it was me as I have heard Nikon not repairing the issue fully for some cameras. These cameras should have been recalled and even just out of principle would not buy one. The d610 is a much safer bet if you can stretch the budget.
The oil problem is unfortunately pretty commonplace amongst Nikon models from the last 2 or 3 years. The D7000, D800 and D600 all suffer from it.
It's not really a problem unless you go looking for it as it tends to only have a visible effect at aperture values that would not normally be used - only when doing macro work does it really become a problem, and even then it's easy to knock the spots out in post.
As for the D600 i'd say it's a bit early in the day to start finding the real bargains, especially given that Nikons announcenment only arrived in my inbox this week, and that the D600 and D610 are pretty much identical in spec. Give it 2 or 3 months and you may find the D600 overstocks appearing as "specials" at ID and MM.
I'm also wondering, Mr.Maquiavelo, as to how you'll feel moving from a pro body to what is essentially a consumer level body. Sure the D600 is streets ahead of the D300 technically speaking, but the control layout is very different, not as easy to access when shooting, and lacks certain features such as a dedicated rear focus button.
After reading a lot about it, I don't think it is a problem at all. It would be funny if Nikon released the +10 version just for the placebo effect "the dust fault is now gone" and no change whatsoever . This is also the opinion of Ken Rockwell see the "Sensor Dust Rumor" here http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d600.htm
I wouldn't be so sure, in this specific situation where the D610 is just a subjective improvement over the D600, the D600 might well run out stock in no time.
Indeed, good question. As I understand the D800 would be the natural upgrade path for the D300. After a bit of research I realized that the D800 does not offer much more than the D600, specially not 1k Sfr worth in value. The D600 is lighter and I will really prefer that specially going out with my 1 y.o. daughter it is not fun carrying a heavier camera. I find the higher MP count of the D800 unnecessary. I actually use the rear focus button very seldom in my D300.
The lower number of AF points 39 in the D600 and 51 in the D800 would actually be the only true compromise I can think of, maybe also that I'd like to reuse my 8GB CF cards too and the D600 supports only SD cards.
I have had it for a couple of days now and have taken quite a few pics. I tell you this, the notorious dust/oil fault is just the usual internet bullocks. I installed my Nikon 50mm 1.4D and I ain't taking it off, ever. It is super lightweight, fast and the quality at Auto is excellent. I have also taken extremely nice shots in manual settings and using my old SB-800.
Regarding the OP FotoPro GANZ "as an exception" allowed me to get it at the store for the advertised price in toppreise of 1448.-Sfr
I bought the D600 when it was first released (so a year ago) and I had oil on the sensor after a few hundred frames. You really didnt have to hunt to look for spots, and anything shot over f/8 you could pretty easily see spots in the top left and right corners of the frame. It progressively got worse and at about 2500 shots, I sent it to Nikon for repair. They replaced the shutter and cleaned the sensor (all free of charge) and the problem has not returned.
Their service was great.. Apart from the very swiss (pardon the stereotype here ) situation when I went to pickup the camera from Nikon. The service desk opens at 8am, and I was there at 7:57am. I was just about to press the button for the bell at the service desk when this young guy tells me "Its 7:57, you must wait 3 more minutes. Please take a seat." I had to wait. The lovely receptionist then told me when it was 8am, so I could happily ring the bell... funny
Just to share my experience, this seems to be (relatively?) common practice here. I bought a lens at Digifuchs and the exact same thing happens - if you buy online it's a lower price, if you buy at a shop it's a higher shop.
Presumably because they can advice you if you buy at the shop, though you have to pay the higher price even if you don't want their opinion :P
You do realise if you stop down past f8 your images will loose resolution due to defraction? If it's only an issue below F8 I would not be to bothered as I would never take a picture at such a stop.
The Sweet spot will be over by then, as you say defraction becomes obvious above f11, the change is gradual........
I maintain the sweet spot is between 5.6-8, if you look on a lens projector it's very clear to see fall off from 8. Having tested lenses from Zeiss, Cooke & Leica costing over 10k a lens, it's not just a problem of cheap mass produced lenses from Nikon, Canon etc.
I accept that most people are visually illiterate, happy with the camera from a mobile phone however thats not really the point
It's arguable that some really good quality lenses become defraction limited at 5.6 or perhaps wider, however you're unlikely to notice that on current sensors.
Photography is always a compromise, a balancing act of the settings to get the camera into the optimum state for your subject and your intended interperation thereof. You're always trading one thing for another.
I agree diffraction starts at 5.6 for most lenses, but it is not visually noticeable. I still stand by the claim many lens are optimal between F8 - F11.
Advising someone not to use F8 due to diffraction is misleading, in my opinion. Especially without knowing which lens was being used etc.
There is no point in buying a camera with 24 MP & stopping down a lens to f11. The OP would gain nothing by upgrading his 12 MP camera , he could just downgrade to a 7 MP camera or just use a mobile phone.
It's noticeable if you look for it, I never stop down past 8, rarely past 5.6, I have earned over a million CHF in CH using cameras so do have some idea of lenses & resolution., giving my clients the best quality even when they don't care or can't see the difference. Yes there are people who use mobile phones & bluff this stuff .
No lens exists for a 35mm sensor that does not exhibit this issue at f11. If your were shooting 6x6 format then f11 would be fine, however that's another thread .
I understand what youre getting at, but its also a bit misleading to novices who dont understand the physics of defraction and resolution etc etc. But to counter argue your point, there is a good reason to shoot a 24MP full frame camera, stopped down past f11, and that is to get a nice 24MP image with a large depth of field. Yes, you could also shoot a small sensored camera (like your phone) at f/2.2 and get the same DOF, but i would argue you'd get better results from the 24MP defraction inhibited f/16 or f/22 pic than your 7MP f/2.2 phone shot.
There is plenty of discussion around diffraction available on the internet as a resource. Here is one which advises optimal shooting for best sharpness, using the lens and camera tested (APS-C I believe), is f8 - f11.
So how much DOF do you want on what subject & what resolution.
Set a 14mm lens @1.5m F5.6 3/4 (F7.33) and 0.75m to infinity is in focus.
I don't think there is ever a good reason to shoot 24MP FF camera at F11, in 20 years of shooting a huge amount of macro work I have never ever done so. Generally not having everything in focus is what looks better, hence fast lenses........
If your going to shoot at small apertures then avoid fast lenses, the glass is physically thicker so the quality of the image will be lower.
Cooke Lenses actually produce 3 colour matched sets, the S5's set opens to T1.4, the S4's open to T2 & the mini S4's open to T2.8. http://www.cookeoptics.com/l/fiveilens.html
Tourist snap infront of a lovely landmark. At 35mm focal length, Full frame, shooting at f/5.6, tourist standing at 3 metres away from you - everything past 5m would be completely out of focus. That lovely landmark behind the tourist probably wouldnt be recognisable at f/5.6.
Shoot at f/16 and the far limit increases to infinity. Now you have the tourist and the landmark in focus.
Your mistake is placing the focus point at the closest point . TBH the picture will look better if the background is indeed slightly soft .
Setting the focus to 5.14m at f5.6 will give from 3.01m to 17.55m in focus, probably a great shot . If you want all pin sharp f8 will give you 2.6m to infinity sharp with the focus to 5.25m perhaps you should turn your camera to Manuel & see what happens
No need for f16 to achieve your shot as in your example the person is in frame head to tow, the background will always be recognisable but soft rather than completely out of focus.