- 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...
- Pentax K-5 II
- Nikon D800
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- Canon EOS 6D
Rated 78% by by DPReview (Oct, 2012)When we took the image below the metering mode was accidentally set to spot which resulted in a heavy over-exposure and large 'blown out' areas.
Rated 87% by by DPReview (Nov, 2012)But if you want excellent image quality and solid day-to-day performance from a full-frame body the D600 is a very compelling option, and seems likely to remain so for some time.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Pentax K-30 compared to the Nikon D600
24.2 MP
Full frame
Rated 87% by by DPReview (Nov, 2012)Frame rates are consistent regardless of image quality or crop mode.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 24.2 MP   | 30 MP |
K-30 by David-Pierce (Jul, 2012)Its 16-megapixel APS-C sensor is average for a DSLR, but it still does its job admirably.
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
K-30 by DPReview (Oct, 2012)Like all DSLRs with an APS-C sensor the K-30 gives you much more control over depth of field than you'll get from the vast majority of consumer video and digital compact cameras.
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
K-30 by DPReview (Oct, 2012)The viewfinder of the Pentax K-30 is the same size as its bigger brother, the K-5.
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
130 x 97 x 71 mm
141 x 113 x 82 mm
K-30 by Mik-Ponder (Feb, 2013)The weight is good, a nice solid feel and well balanced even with the 55-300mm lens attached.
focus points
| 0 | 39 | 40 |
K-30 by David-Pierce (Jul, 2012)There are plenty of autofocus points and settings, but try as you might you won't get fast focusing performance.
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 Pentax K-30 vs Nikon D600
DxOMark image quality
K-30 by vagrant10--mhThe DA 18-135 picture quality is really good - it's quite sharp, gives great colors, and has a handy range where I can shoot pretty wide to a decent telephoto.
D600 by Armin-H.This is a great camera in terms of handling and image quality, even though I had hoped to just remain happy with the image quality of my "old" Panasonic GF-1, which, size-wise, is so much more attractive.
DxOMark low light performance
K-30 by Dyanek2000It is better than average in low light, handles well and I don't have to worry about sudden rain when I'm shooting.
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 | 162 ms | 200 ms |
K-30 by Hallolog (Apr, 2013)I just got my hands on a 30 year old 50mm prime for all of $40.-Insanely fast shutter lag.
D600 by D.-Emerson (Sep, 2012)Don't notice shutter lag, and the buffer hasn't given out on multi-shot sprees yet, though I do have a lot of the "auto" stuff off, which speeds things up (like the auto anti-vignette, auto d-light, etc).
continuous shooting
K-30 by DPReview (Oct, 2012)With this feature activated the number of frames in a burst and the buffer full rate during continuous shooting decrease significantly.
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
410 photos
900 photos
D600 by D.-Emerson (Sep, 2012)The battery life is fantastic, the mirror lockup mode using the remote is likewise wonderful, and the camera's noise levels in -complete darkness- are unbelievably low.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Nikon D600
| Image stabilization | Sensor shift | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supports image stabilization | |||
| Significantly less delay taking photos | 162 ms | vs | 260 ms |
| Around 40% less shutter lag; Avoid missing spontaneous moments | |||
| Significantly faster max shutter speed | 1/6000 s | vs | 1/4000 s |
| More than 30% faster max shutter speed; capture fast action | |||
| Significantly thinner | 71 mm | vs | 82 mm |
| More than 10% thinner | |||
| Smaller | 130 x 97 x 71 mm | vs | 141 x 113 x 82 mm |
| More than 30% smaller | |||
| Lighter | 650 g | vs | 850 g |
| More than 20% lighter | |||
Advantages compared to the Pentax K-30
| Much larger sensor | Full frame | vs | APS-C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 2.5x larger sensor; higher quality photos | |||
| Significantly better overall image quality | 94.0 | vs | 79.0 |
| Around 20% better image quality | |||
| Autofocus supports continuous | Yes | vs | No |
| About half of cameras support continuous | |||
| Significantly larger screen | 3.2" | vs | 3" |
| Around 10% larger screen | |||
| Has an external mic jack | 3.5mm | vs | None |
| Most cameras have an external mic jack | |||
| Much less noise at high ISO | 2,980 ISO | vs | 1,129 ISO |
| More than 2.5x higher low light performance | |||
| Much faster benchmarked shot to shot times | 0.5 s | vs | 5 s |
| 10x faster shot to shot; Take multiple consecutive photos quickly | |||
| Significantly higher resolution | 24.2 MP | vs | 16.1 MP |
| More than 50% higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| Significantly more phase-detection focus points | 39 | vs | 11 |
| 28 more phase detection focus points; Faster autofocus in reasonably lit settings | |||
| Significantly more color depth | 25.1 bits | vs | 23.7 bits |
| Around 10% more color depth | |||
| Better dynamic range | 14.2 ev | vs | 13.0 ev |
| Around 10% better dynamic range | |||
| Less startup delay | 300 ms | vs | 1,100 ms |
| 3.7x less startup delay; Be ready for anything | |||
| More photos per charge | 900 | vs | 410 |
| 490 more shots; Longer battery life | |||
| Bigger viewfinder | 0.7x | vs | 0.61x |
| Around 20% bigger viewfinder size | |||
| Significantly more highly reviewed by consumers | 86.47% | vs | 82.22% |
| Around 10% more highly reviewed by consumers | |||
| Marginally more recently announced | Sep, 2012 | vs | May, 2012 |
| Announced date 3 months later | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Pentax K-30 | Nikon D600 | ||
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 | Rated by 91 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by vagrant10--mh Rated 100% by by THE-AUTISTIC-WEREWOLF--Wolf-D. Rated 100% by by Jeff-Czaja (Dec, 2012) | Rated by 129 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Testflyer70 (Sep, 2012) Rated 100% by by kendalltristan (Oct, 2012) Rated 100% by by Chandler | |
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Pentax K-5 II Fastest rapid fire mode |
 | 2 | Nikon D800 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark |
 | 3 | Canon EOS 5D Mark III Many many cross-type focus points |
 | 4 | Canon EOS 5D Mark II 3-way tie: Largest sensor |
 | 5 | Canon EOS 6D Good benchmarked shot to shot times |
 | 6 | Nikon D5100 2-way tie: Has a flip out screen |
 | 7 | Nikon D5200 Lightest |
 | 8 | Nikon D7100 Highest resolution screen |
