- 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...
- Nikon D700
- Nikon D800
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Sony SLT A57
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)In the examples above you can see Sony's wide panorama setting which yields a 12416 x 1856 pixel image, followed by a 100% crop from the scene.
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 Sony SLT-A99 compared to the Nikon D600
MP24
Full frame
Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)In our experience of using the A99's GPS, we've found that it works very well.
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 |
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)The A99's JPEG performance on our resolution chart is about what you'd expect from a Bayer sensor at this resolution, with the ability to resolve detail up to about 2800LPH.
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
SLT-A99 by D.-F.-Watt--dfwattOverall, this is an appealing choice for individuals looking to upgrade from Sony APS-C models or other subframe DSLRs to full frame cameras - if they are willing to pay the hefty cost and weight penalties, in order to get the extra picture quality at high ISO, along with somewhat better speed of operation and an improved autofocus system.
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
SLT-A99 by T-Payne--t_payneI personally like the EVF a lot and appreciate the fact that I can see the white balance of my picture as it will actually be captured, I can see the picture I just took right in the viewfinder (great for bright outdoors) and the clarity and realism of what you see through that thing is remarkable.
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
147 x 111 x 78 mm
141 x 113 x 82 mm
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)What's more noteworthy, is that such a solid construction weighs in at only 812g, making it noticeably lighter than both the Nikon D800 and Canon EOS 5D Mark III.
focus points
| 0 | 39 | 40 |
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)As you reduce the focus range, fewer and fewer of the camera's 121 focus points will light up yellow, letting you isolate your subject and prevent the lens hunting outside that range.
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 Sony SLT-A99 vs Nikon D600
DxOMark image quality
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)Sony is certainly confident about it, suggesting that it's close enough to the quality of a high-end optical viewfinder that the advantages (the ability to preview exposure and white balance, or to gain-up for working in low light), outweigh the areas in which it isn't as good.
D600 by Testflyer70 (Sep, 2012)Color reproduction is absolutely amazing, and so are the levels of saturation.
DxOMark low light performance
SLT-A99 by Tim-Naff--TimOf the three similar options (the other two are Handheld Twilight and Night Scene) on the cameras, MFNR is my favorite.
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 | 127 ms | 200 ms |
SLT-A99 by Tim-Naff--TimLower noise means more than the ability to work in low light: it means you can shoot at higher f-number when you need depth of focus and at faster shutter speed (SS) when you need to minimize camera-shake blur (e.g., with long lenses or low SS), or freeze action.
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
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)One distinct disadvantage to current EVF technology is that when shooting bursts at higher frame rates, you are not seeing a live preview, rather the frames you have just captured.
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
500 photos
900 photos
SLT-A99 by Alex-Parker (Feb, 2013)I haven't shot to exhaustion on the a99 yet, but under the same conditions (manual focus, EVF 70% of the time) I took about 500 shots on one of the days and showed just under 30% battery life.
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
| Much higher resolution screen | 1,229 k dots | vs | 921 k dots |
|---|---|---|---|
| More than 30% higher resolution screen | |||
| Image stabilization | Sensor shift | vs | None |
| Supports image stabilization | |||
| Has a flip out screen | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Great for recording movies | |||
| Much less delay taking photos | 127 ms | vs | 260 ms |
| 2x less shutter lag; Avoid missing spontaneous moments | |||
| Automatic panorama | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Stitches together multiple photos into a single ultra-wide view | |||
| Includes a GPS | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Records the location of your photos automatically | |||
| Much faster max shutter speed | 1/8000 s | vs | 1/4000 s |
| 2x faster max shutter speed; capture fast action | |||
| Thinner | 78 mm | vs | 82 mm |
| Almost the same | |||
Advantages compared to the Sony SLT-A99
| Much larger screen | 3.2" | vs | 3" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 10% larger screen | |||
| Better overall image quality | 94.0 | vs | 89.0 |
| Around 10% better image quality | |||
| Significantly less noise at high ISO | 2,980 ISO | vs | 1,555 ISO |
| More than 90% higher low light performance | |||
| More phase-detection focus points | 39 | vs | 19 |
| 20 more phase detection focus points; Faster autofocus in reasonably lit settings | |||
| More photos per charge | 900 | vs | 500 |
| 400 more shots; Longer battery life | |||
| Less startup delay | 300 ms | vs | 700 ms |
| 2.3x less startup delay; Be ready for anything | |||
| More highly reviewed by consumers | 86.47% | vs | 85.25% |
| Almost the same | |||
| Marginally more recently announced | Sep, 2012 | vs | Aug, 2012 |
| Announced date 1 months later | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Sony SLT-A99 | Nikon D600 | ||
 |  
| 
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Rated by 26 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by R.-King (Jan, 2013) Rated 80% by by D.-F.-Watt--dfwatt Rated 80% by by D.-F.-Watt--dfwatt | Rated by 129 users at amazon.com Rated 80% by by MT1 (Oct, 2012) Rated 100% by by kendalltristan (Oct, 2012) Rated 80% by by MT1 (Oct, 2012) | |
sensor
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 80% by by D.-F.-Watt--dfwattAt ISO 3200, the A99 is capable of generating remarkably clean and smooth pictures with minimal noise and much detail.
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by Tim-Naff--TimAs I continue to develop my dexterity in control of aperture, SS, and ISO (using the A99's Silent Multi-controller in conjunction with the usual front and back control dials set as I describe below), I become more wedded to the EVF because I can control so many things simultaneously and see the effects on my exposure in real time.
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by Tim-Naff--TimI've found that shooting RAW, I get excellent images at ISO 6400 with an A99.
lens
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by James-D.-LaPiana (Dec, 2012)f/1.8. The a99 is fully customizable and the quick navi interface bests the a900 navi interface that was already a snap to use.
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by T-Payne--t_payneI thought if I upgraded to a better camera (like the Nikon D600) with a serious lens (Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8), then my problems would be solved.
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by T-Payne--t_payneSuffice it to say that after using a LensAlign MkII Focus Calibration System and Reikan's FoCal software, I concluded that the D600 was back-focusing either slightly or a lot (depending on which lens I used and at what focal length).
iso
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 80% by by D.-F.-Watt--dfwattSurprisingly good ISO performance (better than some 22-24 MP FF sensors, suggesting that Nikon really did their homework around the sensor and its microlenses, specs and design (clearly a Sony-manufactured sensor though - which drove the rumors that the A99 would have 36MP too)).
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 80% by by D.-F.-Watt--dfwattISO 6400 on the A99 is roughly equivalent to ISO 1600 on the A65 (the last really useable RAW setting for the A65 before being forced to use heavy-handed post-processing NR).
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by Tim-Naff--TimShooting at ISO 3200, the noise differences in the A99 and A77 were easily apparent without pixel peeping.
focus
Sony SLT-A99 | by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)The only things we found which may be applicable to a wider range of users include a slightly slow AF performance from the 28-75mm F2.8 SAM lens which is bundled with the Alpha A99, and a rather loose door to the side which accesses the microphone and headphone ports.
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by James-D.-LaPiana (Dec, 2012)With the a99 set to direct manual focus, I use auto focus to lock on with a half press of the shutter button, and then focus peak to sure up my focus point, and bingo, perfect every time.
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by Alex-Parker (Feb, 2013)The AF system on the a99 is very, very assured.
viewfinder
Sony SLT-A99 | by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)The Sony Alpha A99's OLED viewfinder is highly detailed thanks to its blistering 2369k-dot resolution, and responds fluidly when light levels or scene content changes.
Sony SLT-A99 | Rated 80% by by D.-F.-Watt--dfwattPersonally, I chose the Sony A99 over the D600/D800 and 5DIII/6D because I value what a great electronic viewfinder offers over the traditional OVF (even though the EVF is hardly perfect - see cons).
Nikon D600 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Oct, 2012)The 100% frame coverage is a bonus, and a clear sign that Nikon has intended the D600 to be a serious proposition to serious photographers.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D700 Most shots per battery charge |
 | 2 | Nikon D800 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark |
 | 3 | Canon EOS 5D Mark III Many many cross-type focus points |
 | 4 | Sony SLT A57 Rated the best by consumers |
 | 5 | Canon EOS 5D Mark II 4-way tie: Largest sensor |
 | 6 | Sony SLT A77 OK display resolution |
 | 7 | Canon EOS 6D OK benchmarked shot to shot times |
 | 8 | Nikon D7100 Newest |
Popular Questions
October 17, 2012
Overall Shooting: Nikon D600, D800 or Sony A99
I shoot a little bit of everything from weddings, to skateboarding, to military training/ action. I currently shoot with a D300s and love the size, button placement and feel. I will soon be up a...
Intermediate I
4
Answers October 11, 2012
Why 19 points of focus?? sony has 102+19, or not?
Sony A99 is better focus system??? it has dual AF systems !! what do you think guys? It has full autofocus video with dual AF focus systems.
Intermediate II
2
Answers Unanswered Questions
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February 17, 2013
The D600 oil spotting issues from the sensor has Nikon fixed??
I'm currently using a Sony A200 and ready to upgrade. I thought I found it in the Sony A77 SLT then I read about firmware issues. I've looked at the Nikon D7000 But saw low MP count and I...
Visitor
0
Answers Sony SLT-A99
Brenden-Sherratt 
Expert I
Our system doesn't have the ability to model 2 focus systems on one camera yet. Sorry. View Brenden-Sherratt's recommendation
- 0 comments
- October 12, 2012
- Reply to: Why 19 points of focus?? sony has 102+19, or not?
Nikon D600
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
