- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Sony SLT-A99
- Nikon D700
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Nikon D7000
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (May, 2012)Featuring a remarkable 36 megapixel full-frame sensor, the D800 also offers 1080p HD video, a 3.2-inch LCD screen and a viewfinder with 100% coverage.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Nikon D800 compared to the D600
MP36.2
Full frame
Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (May, 2012)Nikon did announce the 36-megapixel D800, the highest resolution 35mm size digital SLR camera in the world by a very wide margin.
24.2 MP
Full frame
megapixels
| 0 MP | 36.2 MP   | 40 MP |
Nikon D800 by KD (Jun, 2012)The beauty of a high megapixel camera is that it makes your pictures better at the same megapixel size as your last camera!
Nikon D600 by Antique-American (Nov, 2012)I am very pleased with the quality of the pictures and the fact that I can crop them up to 50% and still have a respectable pixel count.
sensor size
Nikon D800 by Jiunjr-Feng--Robert (Apr, 2012)D800 is my first full frame camera, which I wasn't thinking full frame to be necessary because of good flash is able to handle low light condition, which seems the most key reason for people to choose full frame.
Nikon D600 by Jeff-L (Nov, 2012)Recommend to anyone looking to move from APS-C to Full Frame - you won't regret it.
viewfinder size
Nikon D800 by Photography Blog (May, 2012)Otherwise the Nikon D800 is a highly dependable and capable camera that offers a versatile and improved auto focus system, an enhanced viewfinder with 100% frame coverage and a very good movie mode.
Nikon D600 by rsub8a (Sep, 2012)Rather than rehash the technical features, I'll summarize in saying that the gorgeous big viewfinder (compared to a DX format SLR) makes all the difference in the world.
body size
146 x 123 x 82 mm
141 x 113 x 82 mm
Nikon D800 by Clint (Aug, 2012)It exceeds the quality of medium format film cameras in a much more portable size and weight.
Nikon D600 by Doctor.Generosity (Sep, 2012)Things are changing in photography, and we are close to the point where one can get beautiful images without needing such a big heavy camera.
focus points
| 0 | 51 | 60 |
Nikon D800 by P.-SUSo good I am willing to not use any other focus points but the center one for now, until Nikon release a service advisory for it.
Nikon D600 by Samuel (Oct, 2012)The biggest adjustment shooting on the D600 is: the FX sensor allows you to get more accurate and wider coverage in viewfinder(no more cropped images like my 300s, what you see is what you get now) and the 39 focus points is accurate and fast but seem to be crowded mainly in the center (my 51 focus points on my D300s covered more area).
Performance Real world tests of Nikon D800 vs D600
DxOMark image quality
Nikon D800 by Doctor.GenerosityFewer pixels would have enhanced colors and dynamic range and contrast, the non-MP ingredients of meaningful image quality.
Nikon D600 by Testflyer70 (Sep, 2012)Color reproduction is absolutely amazing, and so are the levels of saturation.
DxOMark low light performance
Nikon D800 by J.-Blaha--JrThe automatic white balance in absolutely amazing in low light conditions, as I shot landscape under a full-moon with long exposure the other night, and it looked like the shot was taken during daylight, complete with the blue sky with stars visible and white clouds, which made for a nice wow factor.
Nikon D600 by DPReview (Nov, 2012)This video clip demonstrates the low light performance of the D600 along with the image stabilization of the Nikkor 24-85mm F3.5-4.5G ED VR lens.
shutter lag
| 0 ms | 209 ms | 300 ms |
Nikon D800 by Photography Blog (May, 2012)The Nikon D800 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography.
Nikon D600 by Photography Blog (Oct, 2012)The Nikon D600 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography.
continuous shooting
Nikon D800 by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The continuous shooting rate is also faster, 5 fps rather than 4 fps.
Nikon D600 by DPReview (Nov, 2012)The smaller DX format image files do allow for substantially higher burst capacity and increased frame rates once the camera buffer is full.
battery life
900 photos
900 photos
Nikon D600 by Y.-Yamamoto (Sep, 2012)Battery life is much better than Sony SLT or mirrorless cameras.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the D600
| Much faster benchmarked shot to shot times | 0.25 fps | vs | 0.5 fps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2x faster shot to shot; Take multiple consecutive photos quickly | |||
| Significantly higher resolution | 36.2 MP | vs | 24.2 MP |
| Around 50% higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| Significantly more highly reviewed by consumers | 89.44% | vs | 86.13% |
| Around 5% more highly reviewed by consumers | |||
| Higher resolution screen | 1,040 k dots | vs | 921 k dots |
| Around 15% higher resolution screen | |||
| Less delay taking photos | 209 ms | vs | 260 ms |
| Around 20% less focus lag; Avoid missing spontaneous moments | |||
| More phase-detection focus points | 51 | vs | 39 |
| 12 more phase detection focus points; Faster autofocus in reasonably lit settings | |||
| More cross-type focus points | 15 | vs | 9 |
| 6 more cross type focus points; Easier and faster focusing in low light | |||
| Bigger viewfinder | 0.72x | vs | 0.7x |
| Around 5% bigger viewfinder size | |||
| Much faster max shutter speed | 1/8000 s | vs | 1/4000 s |
| 2x faster max shutter speed; capture fast action | |||
Advantages compared to the D800
| Faster rapid fire | 5.5 fps | vs | 4 fps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 40% faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion | |||
| Lighter | 850 g | vs | 1,000 g |
| 15% lighter | |||
| Smaller | 141 x 113 x 82 mm | vs | 146 x 123 x 82 mm |
| More than 10% smaller | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Nikon D800 | Nikon D600 | ||
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 | Rated by 244 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by E.-Ford--Ed-Ford (Jun, 2012) Rated 60% by by W.-Kurtz--B.-Kilgore (Jul, 2012)  Rated 60% by by Philip-Long | Rated by 139 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by SluggoMagoo (Oct, 2012) Rated 100% by by Louis-De-Vic--mondocane (Dec, 2012) Rated 100% by by alan (Jan, 2013) | |
sensor
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)Fortunately, the D800 also excels in areas that require no extra effort on your part; notably its impressive high ISO performance, fast and accurate AF system and the wide dynamic range of its image files.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by Guillermo-CB (Aug, 2012)High Dynamic Range, new focusing alternatives, High ISO low noise, larger LCD and of course the best sensor in market makes D800 teh best camera you can get for the price.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (Jun, 2012)The Nikon D800E is a 36 megapixel full-frame sensor DSLR with the anti-aliasing filter removed, which should result in higher resolution, sharper images compared to the regular D800.
focus
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The D800's fast and accurate phase-detection AF system is not available in live view mode, which of course, includes video recording.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (May, 2012)When using the optical viewfinder - as opposed to shooting in Live View mode -, you can take advantage of the Nikon D800's outstanding 51-point phase-detect AF system.
Nikon D800 | Rated 40% by by A.-Amiri (Jun, 2012)We conclude that the issue with the accuracy of the outer AF focus points of the D800 is real and probably affects all units out there to some (varying) extent.
autofocus
Nikon D800 | Rated 60% by by Fabian-GonzalesGiven that your new D800 is likely to have the same AF issue, and given that the sensor is so demanding it will expose every single flaw of every one of your lenses, expect to send both your camera and lenses in to Nikon for service.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by lunitic (May, 2012)Add in latest-gen processing power to handle a 35mm FX sensor rated at 36 MP with an autofocus system not dissimilar from that on the D4 and the D800 pulls an astonishing amount of detail out of the whole frame across a huge range of exposure.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by E.-Bowles (May, 2012)The new AF system of the D800 is excellent - very quick and accurate.
iso
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The D800's viewfinder displays a comprehensive set of shooting information including exposure mode and metering pattern, alongside shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation and ISO.
Nikon D800 | Rated 60% by by Doctor.GenerosityI would have much preferred if the D800 had used their D4 sensor with 16MP and ISO up to 100,000, which would allow me to take more unusual pictures and have more latitude in aperture and shutter speed.
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)In the graph above, we compare the D800's base ISO of 100 with its Lo 1 setting of ISO 50 (equivalent).
lens
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The D800 balances well in-hand with a wide range of lenses including fast zooms like the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II.
Nikon D800 | Rated 100% by by TrustedReviews (May, 2012)During our test period we primarily used the D800 with Nikon’s 50mm f/1.4 prime – a fantastic lens that’s as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel and capable of producing exquisite bokeh when opened right up.
Nikon D800 | Rated 82% by by DPReview (Jun, 2012)The D800 inherits the D4's improved aperture control in movie mode, with the addition of 'Power aperture.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Sony SLT-A99 Most detailed video recording mode |
 | 2 | Nikon D700 Big viewfinder |
 | 3 | Canon EOS 5D Mark III Many many cross-type focus points |
 | 4 | Nikon D7000 Most shots per battery charge |
 | 5 | Canon EOS 5D Mark II 4-way tie: Largest sensor |
 | 6 | Canon EOS 6D OK benchmarked shot to shot times |
 | 7 | Nikon D7100 Newest |
 | 8 | Nikon D5200 Smallest |
Popular Questions
July 4, 2012
Should I get D800, D7000 or wait for a possible D600/D400?
Currently, I have a D5000 and I've been feeling for a while that I want to upgrade to something a bit more professional. I would like to start working professionally as a photographer, not I've a...
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Outdoors, bird photography?
I am looking for a camera that can get me into bird photography. I think I would need a camera with high shutter speed, number of shots / sec, continuous focusing etc
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Answers June 29, 2012
Upgrade from Nikon D90
I've been hearing more and more about the D600 lately. I am wanting to upgrade from my D90. Looking for Full frame and more megapixels. I don't want to upgrade to the D600 and wish 6 months that...
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January 4, 2013
Portraits, landscapes, night photography
I am having a hard time making up my mind im currently owning a nikon d7000 but im looking for an upgrade to a pro dslr and im stuck between the d800 and d600 i like the 36 megapixles but i know...
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Answers January 2, 2013
The D600, D700 or D800?
I'm stumped. I'd like one of the three, but I don't know which would best suit my needs. I'm looking for a camera that would be good for newborn, children and basic portraiture (couples, family,...
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Community What does Sortable's community think
15
vs
23
Nikon D800
60% of users recommend the D600 over the Nikon D800
Nikon D800
heuscher 
Intermediate II
ISO is better on D600 at 1:1 pixel level but downsize a 36MP image to 24MP or below and D800 is ahead from everything I have seen... worth a check out. If you have any DX lenses they're very a... View heuscher's recommendation
- 0 comments
- November 1, 2012
- Reply to: Overall Shooting: Nikon D600, D800 or Sony A99
M-t-l-R-s-n-y 
Beginner I
Forget Crop sensor, with Nikon D800 you could get a creative options to crop it & enhance composition. I have experienced it myself as I bought D800E recently. View M-t-l-R-s-n-y's recommendation
- 0 comments
- October 16, 2012
- Reply to: Outdoors, bird photography?
John-Kim 
Intermediate III
Whether you upgrade to D800 or wait for D600, you will most likely be looking at upgrading your lenses to FX lenses unless you already have them. You will need to factor in the cost of lens as a... View John-Kim's recommendation
- 0 comments
- July 5, 2012
- Reply to: Should I get D800, D7000 or wait for a possible D600/D400?
D600
Hershal-Patel 
Beginner I
The right step up for you is definitely a full-frame. I would wait for the D600, though. I'm sure this camera will fit somewhere in the middle of Nikon's range of full-frame camera, it will also... View Hershal-Patel's recommendation
- 0 comments
- July 4, 2012
- Reply to: Should I get D800, D7000 or wait for a possible D600/D400?
Tyler-Atkins 
Beginner II
I'd choose the D600, it seems to be have slightly better ISO handling than the D800, is $1k cheaper than D800, and is slightly faster fps for shooting action. I'm not too sure about the Sony, if... View Tyler-Atkins's recommendation
- 0 comments
- October 22, 2012
- Reply to: Overall Shooting: Nikon D600, D800 or Sony A99
Peter-Berardi 
Intermediate I
Going with the D600 or even a used D700 will give you extra money to spend on lenses. View Peter-Berardi's recommendation
- 0 comments
- October 16, 2012
- Reply to: Outdoors, bird photography?
