[rameshnanda]

^^ I don't see D600 as very expensive. The pricing expectation of below 1L is what making it expensive. When D700 retailed at 1.3L, what's the issue with the pricing of D600? It has got the full HD video capability as well which is not available in D700.

D800 is retailed at Rs. 1.7L.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by joslicx

I checked Canon DSLRs at a Croma outlet and it didnt feel as well built as the Nikons. In fact the rubber/plastic grip was coming out of one of the camera. It just put me off. Havent considered them after seeing that.

I think Canon cameras are equally well made and you may have seen a body that was handled roughly by Croma staff and curious customers that caused the grip to peel off. You cannot go wrong with Canikon. They have the best range of bodies/lenses/flashes and after sales support centres.

I would suggest you choose a camera based on what features you need and more importantly on the ergonomics. IMO Nikon's ergonomics are better but you can pick up equivalent Canon and Nikon bodies of your choice and check what is more comfy to use.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

1.34 L for D600 is bit more than what was expected and that too considering D800 is available for 1.58 L

It is difficult to find a D800 for 1.58-1.6L with most retailers selling at max MRP or slightly less. My relative checked in Mumbai and based upon his rapport with the dealer he was offered a D800 for 1.59, with the dealer clearly mentioning it was a 'special' offer.

In case of the D600 if MRP is 1.36 you should be able to get it at around 1.3L.

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

^^ I don't see D600 as very expensive. The pricing expectation of below 1L is what making it expensive. When D700 retailed at 1.3L, what's the issue with the pricing of D600? It has got the full HD video capability as well which is not available in D700.
D800 is retailed at Rs. 1.7L.

As I said before, most reactions of 'not worth it' and 'too expensive' are the result of people reading internet sites that pegged this body as priced between 1500-1800 USD or less than INR 1L.

Look at it this way - the D600 is what the D700's successor, the D800 or D700s/x was forecast to be (24 MP sensor, weather sealing, pricing et al) before the D800 was released and gobsmacked the public. Unfortunately buying a D600 makes one feel that it is a regressive step as the model # is lower than the D700. In practice I believe the D600 will be a good successor to that body - one reason why Nikon may have discontinued the D700.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

1.34 L for D600 is bit more than what was expected and that too considering D800 is available for 1.58 L.

Incidentally, Nikon had also raised the price for the Nikon D800(Body only) to 1.69 almost a month back claiming the depreciation of the INR as a reason.
So the gap from D600 to D800 (on MRP) is almost 35K.

Regards,
Behemoth

[kaushik_s]

Hmmm alrighty, but I do know about D800 being sold for 1.58L (infact hold the camera in my hand) hence was talking about that price. It was a week back and I don't know if the prices have again gone up. But anyway, may be the difference is 30k around and I was thinking that this might be a too narrow of a gap.
All said and done, I'm more worried about Canon increasing the prices of Lenses by 25-30% than anything else in the world now. D600's price is least of my worries anyway

[chaudhrysan]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Look at it this way - the D600 is what the D700's successor, the D800 or D700s/x was forecast to be (24 MP sensor, weather sealing, pricing et al) before the D800 was released and gobsmacked the public. Unfortunately buying a D600 makes one feel that it is a regressive step as the model # is lower than the D700. In practice I believe the D600 will be a good successor to that body - one reason why Nikon may have discontinued the D700.

D600 was percieved to be an entry level FF body that would be reasonably priced to make it easier for people to migrate from D90, D7000 to a full frame body. No one expected the D600 to surpass D700 features. D800 was supposed to do that. So the expectations of the majority (me included) was on the price basis and not feature based. That is what has led to this disappointment.

Let me clarify that my statement regarding the D600 not being worth it at the current price level was purely from my own point of view. Apologies if it sounded like a global statement.

The D600 is supposed to inherit afew things from the D800. Yet again it has a lot of similarities to the D7000 too. As Joslicx pointed out, what if you took the D7000 feature set, body etc., and plonked in a FF sensor - would an FF sensor cost as much as the difference in the current D7000 body price and the D600 body price (about 70~80K). I doubt it. I do not hold this kind of pricing strategy against the companies as they have to maximize their profits through products that they feel (and their customers perceive) are superior.

I am sure there are many like me (amateur hobbyists who have achieved a decent level of expertise) who would like to own a FF body for the benifits of image quality. We would like the companies to introduce a basic FF model that offers the benefits of the full sensor size, without any of the feature set that is required by proffesional/advanced users, at a reasonable premium, of say 30K, over the APSc format. This way they can make sure that the model does not cannibalize their top range models. Can the companies do it? I think so. Will they do it? I doubt. The marketing philosophy is to add some more features, up the Mp count and whatever else, and introduce the model at the same, or at a slight premium, price level.

For my kind of usage, the attraction and benifits of FX body are only for wide to medium telephoto focal lengths. For longer focal lenghts, I cannot justify (nor afford) the exotic Nikon 300/f8, 400, 500 or the 600 lenses. So for my telephoto needs, the Dx format suits me better. Hence the lament "not worth it".

D700 no longer has any place in the Nikon lineup, so has to be discontinued (both D600 and D800 are specced better). What if you re-christian the D700 as D500 and introduce it at, say, 90k?

The way I see it, sensor's production costs are only going to go down. So my wishfull thinking is that we may see more affordable FF bodies in the near future (and yes, the pigs shall fly).

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by chaudhrysan

Let me clarify that my statement regarding the D600 not being worth it at the current price level was purely from my own point of view. Apologies if it sounded like a global statement.

chaudhry bhai I know it was only your point of view...not to worry I haven't misunderstood. Believe me when I tell you that I too was in the same situation over 2 years ago - I used only film SLRs and found DSLRs ridiculously priced in comparison. I was not interested in the DX format due to my legacy FX (film) lenses. It took me years to save up and go in for the FX body I had set my eyes upon - the D700. It somehow feels better when you save for a long time and finally buy the camera kit of your dreams.

Originally Posted by chaudhrysan

I do not hold this kind of pricing strategy against the companies as they have to maximize their profits through products that they feel (and their customers perceive) are superior. Can the companies do it? I think so. Will they do it? I doubt.

I too was hoping for a reasonably priced FX DSLR that would tempt DX owners to upgrade. Alas it is not to be. I think that Nikon/Canon will always offer their FX cameras as premium offerings at a substantial price difference. There are two reasons - one is cost of production and profits and the other being keeping the DX line (produced in Thailand, as is the D600) alive. Few will buy a DX when they could get a FX at only a reasonable premium.

I can really understand your disappointment - as I went thru this years ago when I drooled over DSLRs while using my 'outdated' film body. They seemed so far out of reach.

Originally Posted by chaudhrysan

So my wishfull thinking is that we may see more affordable FF bodies in the near future (and yes, the pigs shall fly).

I hope to see FX being offered at reasonable prices too - but I don't think Canikon think that way - they are pretty clear in their market segmentation i.e. DX and mirrorless (ML) for consumers, FX for advanced amateurs and pros. The latter group would also consider cropped sensors and ML as backup bodies. I wait for the day when ML will enter the pro segment bodies.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Hmmm alrighty, but I do know about D800 being sold for 1.58L (infact hold the camera in my hand) hence was talking about that price. It was a week back and I don't know if the prices have again gone up. But anyway, may be the difference is 30k around and I was thinking that this might be a too narrow of a gap.
All said and done, I'm more worried about Canon increasing the prices of Lenses by 25-30% than anything else in the world now. D600's price is least of my worries anyway

Congrats on the D800 and the good deal, Kaushik. I dont believe the prices have changed after the last increase in July/Aug. Dealers sacrifice their margins for 'good' customers and to meet their sales targets.

I am concerned about Canon's prices going up as Nikon may be emboldened to follow suit. Do you shoot both systems?

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Congrats on the D800 and the good deal, Kaushik. I dont believe the prices have changed after the last increase in July/Aug. Dealers sacrifice their margins for 'good' customers and to meet their sales targets.

I am concerned about Canon's prices going up as Nikon may be emboldened to follow suit. Do you shoot both systems?

Hey sorry if my post was confusing. What I meant that I was there when another person I know bought this Camera. Hold it and took a few shots with the 24-70 and boy, it felt good. But I'm still with Canon only. Although I love many things about Nikon, it would difficult for me to change system as I've already heavily invested in Canon (unless obviously something great happens financially ).

[chaudhrysan]

@R2D2

Yup. Shall wait and save. The only DX lens I had was sold when I upgraded from D70s to D90. Since all of my current primes and two zooms are FF, it will be worth it.

For now I am considering the Nikon 1V1 with the FT1 adapter (so that I can use my legacy of nikon lens on the V1) as a second body.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by chaudhrysan

For now I am considering the Nikon 1V1 with the FT1 adapter (so that I can use my legacy of nikon lens on the V1) as a second body.

That's a good idea.

However, Nikon may be working on a V1/J1 replacement. They were introduced a year ago in Sept '11.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Hey sorry if my post was confusing.....took a few shots with the 24-70 and boy, it felt good.

hey no worries mate. Switching systems is an expensive proposition.

That 24-70, one of the Nikon 'trinity', is a popular lens. It is my most frequently used glass.

[gigy]

Nikon J2 is coming next month.

[gd1418]

My Nikon D300 was purchased on 18th Aug, 2009. Till date I've shot quite a lot of pictures from this. Wanted to know what the shutter count was. Here is the result.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by gigy

Nikon J2 is coming next month.

Thanks for this update. They are already discounting the V1 heavily..better for Chaudhrysan to wait, as the V2 launch seems imminent.

However, if one were to check the J2 specs, this seems like a half hearted effort to launch a new model. A 10.1 MP sensor is rather bland in today's world. What's with you, Nikon?

I hope the V2 isn't so disappointing.

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by gd1418

Wanted to know what the shutter count was. Here is the result.

Out of curiosity, even I found out the shutter count of my camera.
http://www.camerashuttercount.com/

And here's the result as below. But I am curious to know, how does this exactly work? What details are analyzed in the exif data to check for the shutter count? And is there some error margin or is it accurate?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by gd1418

My Nikon D300 was purchased on 18th Aug, 2009. Till date I've shot quite a lot of pictures from this. Wanted to know what the shutter count was. Here is the result.

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Out of curiosity, even I found out the shutter count of my camera.

This can also be viewed in a free programme called Kuso EXIFViewer (Windows only). Don't bother to upload your shots to an Internet site - privacy concerns and all that.

Get Kuso Viewer here:

http://kuso-exif-viewer.softpedia.com/

Look for the label 'ShutterCount' under the "Standard Information' category. Remember not all cameras generate shutter count values.

It is generated and maintained by the firmware and cannot be reset except by Nikon's service centers. Resets are generally done when the shutter is replaced.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

This is what I also own currently. D7000 and 35mm f/1.8g.
Soon, I am planning to add 28-300 in my kitty.

Hey thats great. Did you buy D7000 body only. Its so difficult to get only body anywhere. Could you tell where you bought it?

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

@Joslix, trust me on this, most of the Canon and Nikon cameras are built pretty well and there is not much to separate them in terms of build quality. One should be good to go with any of these brands.

Originally Posted by R2D2

I think Canon cameras are equally well made and you may have seen a body that was handled roughly by Croma staff and curious customers that caused the grip to peel off. You cannot go wrong with Canikon. They have the best range of bodies/lenses/flashes and after sales support centres.

I was at Croma again checked out the cameras. They had Canon EOS 550d there to play with and Nikon D5100 and D80. Man the D80 feels so good in the hand! I spent about 10mins fiddling with it. Its build felt on another level compared to the D5100. I again felt among D5100 and 550d the Nikon felt tad bit better in the hand! Also checked that equivalent canon primes are so much more expensive. Are they better than nikkor lenses?

After playing with the D90, I am more or less set on the D7000. Asked them about the D7000 and it is delivered only on order. Asked them for body only option and the quoted price for D7000 body was 58k (body + 18-105 kit lens is 72.7k). They were not sure if they could deliver it though and they took my number. Now waiting for their call.