Nikon D600 Initial Impressions
After years of working with so many cameras, I trust my eyes, and while reserving the right to nitpick later, my initial impression of the Nikon D600 image quality can be summed up in one word: sensational (this is not advice to favor it over the D800, that remains to be judged, as do some irritating design limitations).
Without a doubt, the D600 sensor blows away any and all of the mirrorless APS-C sensors, including the Sony NEX-7, the Fujifilm X-Pro1, the Olympus E-M5. Not even close. To my eye, it appears to also outperform the D3x, which I shot for several years. At 1/4 the price, that’s not bad progress.
If the Nikon D600 sensor is the same Sony 24MP sensor to be delivered in the Sony RX1, then the RX1 might be a runaway hit with the best image quality per pound on the market. Which leads me to say this: could fixed lens cameras be the next big thing? What is Sony had an RX1-35mm and RX1-21mm? Seems to me to be a very nice approach.
I’ll be publishing a lot of interesting stuff on the Nikon D600 over the weekend, to go into DAP.
The image below looks unbelievably good on a Retina display. The Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar produces jaw-dropping sharpness on the D600.