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Field Test of the Nikon D600 in the Arizona Desert by Paul

Posted on by Posted in Featured, Product Overview, Product Review, Techniques, Tips 2 Comments

 

Hey, folks!  I was recently presented with the opportunity to explore the desert Southwest in Arizona.  I thought this would be a great chance to play with Nikon’s newest (and more affordable) full frame DSLR, the D600.  Below is a list of the gear I used to capture the images you’ll find in the gallery at the end.  If you’d like a closer look at the gear, you will find the names are actually links to the products on our website!  Just click to find out more.

After some rather lengthy and heated internal debate with my selves, I decided to bring just 5 lenses and 1 flash along to use with my new D600.  I brought 4 prime lenses.  For wide-angle I selected the 24mm f/2.8.  The 50mm f/1.8 served as my normal lens.  I grabbed the 85mm f/1.8 for telephoto, and the old school 55mm micro-nikkor for detail shots.  Also packed, but very rarely used, was the 80-200mm f/2.8 and an SB-900 speedlight.  Call me crazy, but I still kinda prefer the 80-200 over the 70-200VR, because it happens to be a tic smaller.

 

Since I took mostly prime or fixed focal length lenses instead of zoomers, it was important for me to find a way to get really quick access to the gear.  A big bag was pretty much out of the question, because I was unsure how far we would be trekking.  The last thing I wanted was a bunch of unnecessary weight on my back. I’m just a skinny guy, not a pack mule.  Thus I elected to run with a strong, maneuverable strap and belt accessories.  The Carry Speed Slim MarkII strap proved indispensable.  It allows you to tuck the camera around your hip and out of the way, but can be pulled up to shooting position without causing any “strap burn” from dragging it across your shoulder.  The camera moves independently from the strap on a guide of sorts.  It’s brilliant!  Best strap I’ve ever used. I prefer it even to the similar Black Rapid systems.  I did modify it with a Manfrotto quick release plate system, as I do almost all my accessories, to speed up the process of moving it from strap to pod to bracket, etc.  For toting my glass, I put two primes together with a double rear lens cap and shoved them in a simple lens pouch hooked to my belt.  Another body (or, in my case, the 80-200) could be hooked onto a Spider Rig.  Again, I used the Manfrotto plate system on my other hip.  For stabilization, I brought a super light-weight Tamrac ZipShot tripod which I was able to attach to my belt loops using the nylon stretchy strap jobbies that hold it together when collapsed.

 

Here is a picture of my initial desert rig:

 

 

After the first trip out, I soon realized that the 80-200 was not worth bringing.  I was concentrating on scenic and there wasn’t very much active wildlife.  I think I saw a skink once, could have been a shadow.   The extended telephoto was just pulling my pants down.  Then I discovered a neat trick with the D600.  On the occasions where I needed a little more “zoom” than my trusty 85mm could provide, I just switched into DX crop mode by holding the function button and spinning a dial.  This instantly gave me that extra little reach (127.5mm equivalent) while still producing a 10MP image (like a D200).  This trick made me consider why I had continued to lug around the 50mm, too.  I could have done the same thing with the 24mm.  Needless to say, the bigger 80-200mm remained in the trunk for much of the rest of the trip.
My impressions of the D600:
I simply love this camera.  Yes, it is not as durable overall as the D800, but I never once felt like it was going to break as I knocked it around.  In fact, I was really, truly impressed by how light-weight it felt!  I’m used to big cameras with big grips and big glass bogging me down.  This was a refreshing change.  It’s not as light as mirrorless, but that huge optical viewfinder with 100% coverage was awesome to use under the unforgiving sun.
Yes, its flash sync is slower than its major competition.  But for travel and scenic photography, who the heck cares?  I did pack the SB-900, but with the stellar high ISO performance of the D600, the flash never made it out of the suitcase.  In fact, the tripod got very little use.  I was never afraid to jump up to 6400 ISO and hand-hold this well balanced, well built machine.  Noise was minimal at best and easily removed in Lightroom.  Write speeds can be slow if you are not using the right memory cards.  Remember, all cards are not created equal. Make sure you get a fast enough one!  Class 10 or better.  With big mirrors comes big dust, so be prepared!  If you’re swapping glass in the desert, bring a hurricane blower.
So I’m going to go out on a limb here and just say it . . .
I’ve owned over 120 cameras thus far in my short time on this rock.  Amongst all of the digitals, I believe the D600 is the BEST camera in terms of overall image quality, without question!
As for shooting in the desert:
1)  Keep hydrated.  Bring plenty of water.
2)  Bring good shoes.  I brought my Dr. Marten’s Johns.  Rugged leather with awesome soles, but STILL had a thorn get through!
3)  Don’t carry too much gear.  Everything in your camera closet does not belong in the desert. Stay light.
4)  Sunscreen.  Duh, it’s the desert.
5)  Leave it as you found it.  The desert is beautiful just as it is.  Take only memories and images, and leave no trace for the next folk.
Cheers,
Paul

What’s the Concept Behind this Nikon J1? Who is it For?

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Turns out a lot of folks have been asking me questions about the Nikon J1.  What is it?  Who is it for?  How does it work?  Is it any good?  Thought I’d take just a few moments here to put paper to pen so to speak, and give ya my insight!

Ok, so what is it?

The Nikon J1 is a small interchangeable lens system camera.  These cameras have image sensors that are much bigger and better at gathering light than compact cameras, and add the ability to swap out the optics.  They keep a smaller profile for convenience and are often far less complicated to operate than a traditional DSLR.  For more info on this segment of camera check out our blog post on EVIL (electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens) cameras!

For more on the design of the J1, I put together this little video . . . check it out!

Who is it for?

I think this camera is perfect for the new family photographer who wants easy operation, smokin’ fast performance in a smaller and more portable outfit than a traditional DSLR, but doesn’t want to sacrifice image quality by settling with a compact camera.  This sounds like about 85% of the new mommies and active 30-something’s that surround me in my little slice of the universe.

How does it work?

Well, by shrinking the physical size of the sensor and removing the traditional mirror and pentaprism elements (the guts of a DSLR), the engineers were able to greatly reduce the size.  The CX sensor in use, however, is MUCH bigger than that out of 99% of compact digital cameras so we don’t really sacrifice any image quality.

Also, by removing those mechanical bits we get to greatly increase the frame rate or the number of shots we can take in a second.  It’s actually twice as fast or more than Nikon’s entry level and intermediate DSLRs!

Is it any good?

You bet!  A lot of people get carried away with the idea that it’s “only” 10mP, especially now that we have compact cameras at 16mp or more and DSLRs in the 20s and 30s!!  There is a good reason the engineers went with this sensor . . . BALANCE!  The 10mp CX sensor will certainly allow for you to print upwards of 8X10′s, no worries!  It wasn’t too long ago I was selling prints commercially that were 2 feet by 4 feet from a 6mp camera.  This sensor lets us keep the system smaller without needing to increase the size of the optics or the body and maintain higher quality in low light.  And, a lot of the new family photographers are going to be taking thousands of pictures of first steps and baby pools and what not . . . don’t forget about memory card and hard drive space!

What’s more, High Definition Video!!

Oh, and it comes in different colors so you can keep your stylish edge!

For more specs or to pick one up for yourself, click here!

cheers,

Paul