Nikon D600 The Disruptive Full-Frame DSLR?

By now the whole world know Nikon has launch their "affordable" D600 FULL-FRAME DSLR!  Priced at US$ 2,099 (body) it is a thousand bucks cheaper than big brother the D800.

So what it is 12 MP LESS than the 36 MP big brother, who or how often do you need all those extra pixels anyway?

Every photographer worth his/her pixels knew the full-frame DSLR is the ultimate upgrade, trouble is a decade ago; you will have to take out a second mortgage just to upgrade to a full-frame system!  It was that expensive ;)


I recall in 1997 the Kodak DCS-520 DSLR that I ordered for the Malaysian paper where I worked cost a whopping RM 60,000.00 ( NZ$27,000.00) and it is NOT even full-frame!

A year 2000 Kodak DCS RAW file of Erra Fazira taken with the 2 MP Kodak DCS-520 DSLR.

In the same year I also had a chance to try out the other Kodak DCS-560 which is 6MP and cost TWICE as much as the 520, at RM 120,000.00 (NZ$ 54,000.00) a body; in year 2,000 you can purchase a small HOUSE with that kind of cash!!

A portrait of our photogenic year 2,000 news photographer Leen with the hundred and twenty thousand Ringgit DCS-560 DSLR.

Twelve years later we are looking at a 24 MP full-frame DSLR costing a mere NZ$ 3,000!

There are scores of web sites talking, testing the new baby FX wonder kid; pointless for me to repeat same. If you are the techno kind, go to the Nikon Imaging site and you will learn all about this camera!

Lets look at some sample images of the D600, provided by Nikon themselves.

Shutter speed 1/160 second Aperture f/3.2 Focal length 85mm Exposure mode Manual Exposure metering 3D Color Matrix Metering II Sensitivity ISO 100 White balance Direct sunlight Picture control Portrait Image quality RAW (14-bit) Lens AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G
Shutter speed 1/1,000 second Aperture f/4.5 Focal length 35mm Exposure mode Manual Exposure metering 3D Color Matrix Metering II Sensitivity ISO 100 White balance AUTO 1 Picture control Neutral Image quality RAW (14-bit) Lens AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Shutter speed 1/800 second Aperture f/8 Focal length 800mm Exposure mode Aperture-Priority Auto Exposure metering 3D Color Matrix Metering II Sensitivity ISO 800 White balance AUTO 1 Picture control Standard Image quality RAW (14-bit) Lens AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II + AF-S TELECONVERTER TC-20E III
Shutter speed 1/1,000 second Aperture f/10 Focal length 135mm Exposure mode Aperture-Priority Auto Exposure metering 3D Color Matrix Metering II Sensitivity ISO 100 White balance AUTO 1 Picture control Standard Image quality RAW (14-bit) Lens AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

Famous Last Words... Is this baby full-frame herald the beginning of a disruptive innovation trend?  Will we see the demise of DX format DSLR? Come to think of it, the DX (APS-C) format is neither here or there; I predict the realisation that there will only be 3 main sector of photographers... full-frame for maximum resolution, micro 4/3 for compactness and near FX quality and the small sensor sector for the point and shoot die hard. The DX format not fitting in anywhere! Hmmm.... my fingers are getting itchy, SIMON where are you?  He will get me a D600 to test ;)