Originally posted by Wired The DXO test actually shows exactly what I'm talking about.
Here are the main areas where the D600 loses out to the K5 in my opinion:
Ergonomics
button placement
body construction
weather sealing
shutter speed
IR ports on the front
wired flash cable
wired shutter remote
number of bracketing exposures
My thoughts on my D600 (I haven't used a K5):
- I find the feel and button placement to be okay.
- It's not a pro-grade camera but rather an entry-level 35mm frame DSLR so I'm not that concerned about body construction. My shooting style includes me using a camera strap wrapped around my wrist at all times so in 27 years I've dropped a camera just once.
- No, I won't use my camera in the rain but, honestly, I wouldn't use any camera in the rain. I have been tempted by the old Nikonos cameras over the years.
- Shutter speed? Are we talking about needing super fast shutter speeds in low-light conditions?
- No, the D600 doesn't have the old-school connections for flash and remote but my shoe mount flash cable works perfectly and the D600 includes its own remote connection via the GPS jack. I don't expect to see pros picking the D600 for studio work.
- Number of bracketing exposures? I'd think you would want either more bracketing exposures or a wider DR, not both. Is this another case of very low-light conditions and a need to tailor the lighting composition? I keep thinking the wider DR + HDR concept will render bracketing obsolete.
If a person is starting from scratch with a camera system I certainly believe all options are on the table and I find the K5II and the Ltd primes to be very tempting. I've also shot Nikon for twelve years now because of the options available during that time frame. I was ready to pull the trigger on a D800 but decided it's pro-grade build, larger file size, and wider DR just weren't that important to me for the extra $1000 US. The D600 is the camera for me at this time. Yes, I shoot landscapes and reasonably well lighted shots. We're talking about pixel-peeping here but I've found simply stunning results with 200% views of shots I've captured with my D600 and my AF-D primes including my 20/2.8 which so many folks on the Interweb believe to be a dog. When friends ask my opinions on Pentax vs. Nikon I always say my results point to both being excellent in different ways and I believe that to be true here.
One person asked if the optical formulas of the Nikon primes are as good as those of Pentax. I've enjoyed shooting with my Pentax gear quite a bit over the years but there is also a very clear, scientific and clinical look about my Nikon shots which I find refreshing and pleasing. Perhaps the results for Nikon shooters point to a camera + lens system providing a baseline image intended for post-processing work. Yes, I must choose my Nikon gear carefully to get the out-of-focus style I want. My first SLR lens ever was an M50/2 so carefully tending to out-of-focus areas isn't new to me.