Nikon D600 vs D800 Field Review

Alex Mustard · Issue 72, May/Jun 2013 · pp. 34–40

Products mentioned: Nikon D600, Nikon D800, Nikon D800e, Nikon D3x, Nauticam NA-D600, Nauticam NA-D800, Nikon D7000, Nikon D4, Subal D4, Aquatica housing, Seacam housing, Subal housing, 105mm VR lens, 60mm lens, Subsee +10 diopter, Inon Strobes

It was only a handful of issues of UwP ago that if you wanted a 20+ megapixel, full frame Nikon SLR your only option was the £5000 ($8000 USD) D3x. How quickly things change; not only do we now have the 36MP D800 and D800e, but Nikon have recently introduced the D600, whose 24MP sensor outperforms the D3x in tests and costs just £1300 ($2000 USD). Nauticam have recently launched their new NA-D600 housing and more housing manufacturers will have versions out soon. So I headed to Norway to put the camera through its subaquatic paces. But rather than do a pure D600 review, I also packed a D800 to do a comparative test in Nauticam housings. Anyone considering one of these cameras must surely have thought about the other. Swapping between them in the same housings on alternate dives made the similarities and differences obvious, even through 7mm mitts! Yes, I decided to use the Nudibranch Saf…