Mastering the Nikon D600

Foreword

The Nikon D600 is hard to define compared to previous Nikon digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras.

Nikon’s announcement of the D800 (February 2012) was followed by the unveiling of the D600 a short seven months later. This new camera is smaller and lighter, and instead of being compared to the D800, it is often reviewed as a D7000 on steroids.

The D600 is not a D800, nor is it a DX sensor equipped D7000. It is more like an upgraded combination of the two, making it a very clever merger of a semipro and enthusiast camera with features that surpass some recent professional models.

Imagine the dilemma faced by the author of the past eight Mastering the Nikon® DSLR series books. Nikonian Darrell Young—known to us as Digital Darrell—had just published the most successful (and profuse at almost 600 pages) edition of our books, on the Nikon D800/800E. It was preceded by our Nikon D7000 book (now in its fifth printing). Many of the features from both the D800 and D7000 were combined into the amazing Nikon D600. How could Darrell describe this new, powerful, hybrid digital single-lens reflex in a way that would most benefit his readers?

Working with the camera, Darrell’s first step is the same as the one he recommends to all new Nikon users. He reads the user’s manual as many times as it takes to understand important concepts. Once he grasps the concepts and the basic directions available through the user’s manual, he takes those concepts and directions into the field. He makes sure he understands how each feature works in basic photography and how it can be applied to specialty applications such as landscapes, weddings, events, and portraits. Once satisfied that he has mastered each new feature, he then translates his experience in a simple-to-understand sequence of profusely illustrated steps, and goes on to recommend the best initial settings and shooting techniques to match.

Fortunately, Darrell’s extensive knowledge and hands-on experience gained while writing Mastering the Nikon D800 and Mastering the Nikon D7000 put him in the enviable position to draw comparisons and highlight the remarkable advancements in Nikon’s D600. In the simplest terms, he instinctively knew what was under the hood.

Darrell spotted the best attributes almost immediately. The Nikon D600 is the perfect FX entry-level model. The camera’s cost is more than reasonable when one considers inflation and devaluation, its well-sealed and robust body, and the 24 MP sensor that provides better image quality and dynamic range than the more expensive Nikon D3X. The D600 is designed for those who have wanted to enter the FX world but have been waiting for an affordable option, making it an ideal choice for a serious or enthusiast photographer on a budget, or as a second body for the working professional. It also features a high-speed continuous shooting rate of approximately 5.5 frames per second, compared to the 4 frames per second of the D800—providing the perfect balance between resolution and speed for those who shoot both nature and sports.

Recognizing these attributes and helping owners of this camera was a natural progression for Darrell. He went back to square one with the skills he has developed in the last eight books in this series and addressed his readers with his singular point of view. He wants to help the owner of this particular camera.

In this book, Darrell has applied his time-tested and reader commended skills to the D600. The ultimate reward of much deeper knowledge of your new camera goes to you, the owner of this book. As you read the pages to follow, you will be the beneficiary of Darrell’s diligence and painstaking attention to detail. By reading this book, with camera in hand, your photography is bound to improve.

This joint venture between nikonians.org and Rocky Nook has developed a strong following in the camera instruction genre, and Darrell’s easy-to-understand writing has been a key ingredient in that trend. We are proud to include his impressive credentials and body of work in our ever growing and never-ending resources for our community, which include articles, forums, The Nikonian eZine, Nikonians Academy Workshops, the Nikonians News Blog, Nikonians podcasts, our Wiki, and eBooks. Our community now has three language versions (English, German, and French) and we continue to grow as we surpass 400,000 members on record.

Nikonians, now in its 13th year, has earned a reputation as a friendly, reliable, informative, and passionate Nikon® user’s community thanks in great measure to members like our own Digital Darrell, who have taken the time to share the results of their experiences with Nikon imaging equipment.

It is a pleasure to present you with this book. Enjoy it, the Nikonians community, and your Nikons.

J. Ramón Palacios (jrp) and Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs)

Nikonians Founders

www.nikonians.org

Camera Body Reference

Front of Camera on Right Side (facing camera)

1. Accessory shoe (hotshoe)

2. Flash mode/compensation button (also raises flash #10)

3. Bracketing button (BKT)

4. Lens release button

5. Audio connector cover

6. HDMI/USB connector cover

7. Accessory terminal connector cover (GPS, etc.)

8. AF-mode button

9. Focus-mode selector

Front of Camera on Left Side (facing camera)

10. Built-in flash (Speedlight)

11. Control panel

12. Metering/Formatting button

13. Movie-record button

14. Exposure compensation/Reset button

15. Shutter-release button

16. Power switch

17. Sub-command dial

18. AF-assist illuminator

19. Depth-of-field preview button

20. Fn (function) button

21. Infrared receiver (front)

Back of Camera

22. Mode dial lock release

23. Mode dial

24. Release mode dial

25. Release mode dial lock release

26. Playback button

27. Delete/format button

28. MENU button

29. Retouch/Picture Control button

30. Help/Protect button (WB)

31. Playback zoom in button (QUAL)

32. Playback zoom out/thumbnails button (ISO)

33. Viewfinder eyepiece

34. Diopter adjustment control

35. Rubber eyecup

36. AE-L/AF-L button (AE/AF lock)

37. Main command dial

38. Multi selector

39. OK button

40. Focus selector lock

41. Ambient brightness sensor (for Monitor)

42. Live view selector

43. Lv button (Live view)

44. Memory card slot cover

45. Infrared receiver (rear)

46. Speaker

47. Memory card access lamp

48. Info button

49. Monitor

Bottom of Camera and Lens Mount (F-Mount)

50. Battery-chamber cover

51. Battery-chamber cover latch

52. MB-D14 contact cover

53. Rubber base plate

54. Tripod socket

55. Label for ID, battery voltage, and serial number

56. Lens lock pin (moved by Lens release button #4)

57. Lens mount (F-mount)

58. AF coupling (screwdriver)

Under the Camera’s Side Covers

59. Card Slot 1 (under #44)

60. Card Slot 2 (under #44)

61. Headphone connector (under #5)

62. External microphone connector (under #5)

63. USB connector (under #6)

64. HDMI mini-pin connector, type C (under #6)

65. Accessory terminal for GPS and other accessories (under #7)

Colors and Wording Legend

Throughout this book, you’ll notice that in the numbered, step-by-step instructions there are colored terms as well as terms that are displayed in italic font.

1. Blue is used to refer to the camera’s physical features.

2. Green is for functions and settings displayed on the camera’s LCD screens.

3. Italic is for textual prompts seen on the camera’s LCD screens.

4. Italic or bold italic is also used on select occasions for special emphasis.

Here is a sample paragraph with the colors and italic font in use:

Press the MENU button to reach the Setup Menu, and then scroll to the Format memory card option by pressing the down arrow on the Multi selector. You will see the following message: All images on Memory card will be deleted. OK? Select Yes and then press the OK button. Please make sure you’ve transferred all your images first!

Basic Camera Setup

Isabell and Her New Toys – Jesse Martinez (jesse101)

The Nikon D600 is an exciting new full-frame (FX), hybrid-digital, single-lens reflex (HD-SLR) camera in Nikon’s line of advanced digital cameras. It has a newly designed imaging sensor with even more dynamic range and image quality than the top-of-the-line Nikon D3X pro camera. With a camera body design and internal operating system based on the mature and stable Nikon D7000 and many of the same internal hardware features as in the Nikon D800—including the new, very powerful EXPEED 3 microprocessor system—the Nikon D600 is the ultimate advanced-enthusiast camera. It is the first step into the FX world, where full-frame sensors and professional lenses provide commercial-level image quality.

The D600 simply has everything an enthusiast photographer will need to bring home incredibly good images, without jumping through hoops. With the D600, digital photography has reached a level of maturity that will allow you to use your camera for a long time.

The massive resolution of the 24.3 megapixel (MP) sensor and an amazing 14.2 exposure value (EV) steps of dynamic range make the D600 one of the world’s best digital cameras. In fact, DxO Labs rates the Nikon D600 as the number three digital camera in the world, with an overall score of 94, just behind the Nikon D800 (score of 95) and the Nikon D800E (score of 96). This score significantly exceeds the best cameras from other brands. DxO Labs stated on their website (www.dxomark.com) that the D600 is also a significant improvement over the high-end professional flagship DSLRs, the Nikon D3X and the Nikon D4.

In my opinion, the image is what counts, and the Nikon D600 can deliver some of the highest-quality images out there. It’s a robust camera body designed to last. With this camera we can return to the days when we seldom bought a new camera body and instead put our money into new Nikkor lenses. Wouldn’t you like to have some new lenses?

Sure, new Nikon cameras will come out, and, like me, you’ll be attracted to them. However, with the D600 you won’t have to buy a new camera unless you really want to. It will last for many years!

Now, let’s learn how to configure and use your new D600.

Learning about the Nikon D600

The difficulty in writing a book about a powerful camera like the Nikon D600 is balancing it for multiple types of users and their various levels of knowledge and interest. With too much technical detail, the book will read like a user’s manual. With too little technical detail, advanced users will get no benefit from the book.

Some users of the Nikon D600 HD-SLR camera have come over from the world of fully automated point-and-shoot cameras. On the other hand, many photographers have upgraded to the D600 from cameras like the Nikon D3200, D5100, and D7000. Then, there are professionals who bought a D600 to have a backup for their pro-level and semipro-level cameras, like the Nikon D300S, D700, D800, D800E, D3, D3S, D3X, and D4. Others have come over from the film world, drawn by the siren call of lower cost, immediate image use, and very high quality.

In Mastering the Nikon D600 I’ve tried my best to balance the needs of new and experienced users. I remember my first DSLR and my confusion about how to configure the camera compared to my old film SLR: What’s all this histogram, white balance, and color space stuff?

The bottom line is that the Nikon D600 is a rather complex camera, and it requires a careful study of resources like this book to really get a grasp on the large range of features and functions. According to Nikon, it’s an advanced camera, with features not found in lesser consumer models. It’s designed for people who really love photography and have a passion for image making that far exceeds just taking some nice pictures at a family event.

The D600 has most of the features found in cameras like the D800 and D4, which are cameras that professionals use to make a living. In fact, the Nikon D600 is becoming the camera of choice for many pros who want a backup camera or a smaller, lighter camera for pleasure use and activities like hiking, skydiving, and underwater adventures. The camera body is robust enough, with its magnesium-alloy frame, to take abuse and survive.

Following the publication of my books Mastering the Nikon D7000 and Mastering the Nikon D800, I compared the D7000, D800, and D600 side by side. I’m here to tell you that the Nikon D600 has all the critical functions found in the D800 and extends the feature set of the D7000.

The D600 has a full range of functions that allow you to shoot images and post-process them in the camera instead of on your computer. If you don’t like computers but want to take digital photographs and videos, the Nikon D600 is the camera for you!

Additionally, the Nikon D600 has a very powerful video subsystem, allowing you to record H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) compressed Full HD video movies to the camera’s memory cards, or stream uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2 video to an external video recorder through its HDMI port.

I could rave for hours about all the cool features in the D600. In fact, I do go on raving about this camera for the next 12 chapters. I hope you can sense my enthusiasm for this cool new imaging machine as you read this book. There are few cameras in the world with this level of capability, and you own one!

First Use of the Camera

Surprisingly, quite a few brand-new DSLR users are buying a Nikon D600 instead of a lower-cost, entry-level model. Even new users appreciate the robust high quality of the camera.

The upcoming sections and chapters are best read with your camera in hand, ready for configuration. There are literally hundreds of things to configure on this advanced DSLR. In this chapter, I’ll give new D600 users a place to start. Later, as you progress through this book, we’ll look at all the buttons, switches, dials, and menu settings in detail. That will allow you to fully master the operation of your Nikon D600.

Each menu in the camera has its own chapter or section. Plus there is additional information on how to put it all together in chapters like Metering, Exposure Modes, and Histogram; White Balance; Autofocus, AF-Area, and Release Modes; Live View Photography; and Speedlight Flash. Since the D600 has a movie mode, we’ll cover video capture in a separate chapter, Movie Live View.

First-Time HD-SLR Users

Although the D600 is an advanced enthusiasts’ camera, many brand-new HD-SLR users have purchased a D600 as their first DSLR-type camera. New users may not know how to attach and remove a lens or change the battery, and they may need help with inserting and formatting memory cards.

The majority of this book’s readers, however, already know how to perform these tasks. I do not want to ask a more experienced DSLR user to read over the basics of DSLR use, so I’ve created a document called Initial Hardware Considerations that you can download from either of these websites:

http://www.nikonians.org/NikonD600

http://rockynook.com/NikonD600

There are also several other articles of interest to new Nikon D600 users on these webpages.

Now, let’s start with the initial configuration of a brand-new Nikon D600. There are five specific steps you must complete when you first turn on the camera.

Five Steps for First-Time Camera Configuration

This section is devoted to first-time configuration of the camera. There are certain settings that must be set up immediately (covered in this section) and others that should be configured before you use the camera extensively (covered in a later section, Camera Functions for Initial Configuration).

I won’t go into detail on all possible settings in this chapter. Those details are reserved for the individual chapters that cover the various menus and functions. Instead, I’ll walk you through five steps for first-time configuration of the camera. In the Camera Functions for Initial Configuration section I’ll refer you to the page numbers that provide the screens and menus for each function that should be configured before you use your camera for the first time. The later chapters will cover virtually all camera settings.

When you first configure an older Nikon, after inserting a battery into a just-out-of-the-box camera, the word CLOCK normally flashes on the camera’s upper Control panel or Information display (rear Monitor). When I first turned on my brand-new Nikon D600, I was expecting the flashing word, but it wasn’t there. Instead, the Control panel was blank, except for a battery charge indicator in the upper left corner. Other than that, nothing appeared on the Control panel until I completed the five-step initial setup, then a normal Control panel display was activated.

On page 28 of the Nikon D600 User’s Manual (English) it states that CLOCK will be flashing on the camera display if the camera’s internal time clock has not been set. It could be that some distributors set the clock on the camera before distribution. Mine certainly wasn’t flashing. Therefore, if you do see CLOCK flashing on any of the displays, be sure to set the clock before using the camera. In fact, we will review and set the clock during the final step of our five-step initial setup.

Let’s examine how to configure a new camera. You’ll see the following five screens when you first turn the camera on, and they must be set up immediately.

Setting the Language – Step 1

The D600 is multilingual or multinational. As partially shown in figure 1.1, the menus can be displayed in 28 languages. Most likely the camera will already be configured to the language spoken in your area since various world distributors have the camera somewhat preconfigured. The following is a list of the display languages available in the D600, firmware version C1.00, L1.006 (Setup Menu > Firmware version):

Figure 1.1 – Setup Menu Language screen

• Arabic

• Chinese (Simplified)

• Chinese (Traditional)

• Czech

• Danish

• Dutch

• English

• Finnish

• French

• German

• Greek

• Hindi

• Hungarian

• Indonesian

• Italian

• Japanese

• Korean

• Norwegian

• Polish

• Portuguese (Brazil)

• Portuguese (Portugal)

• Romanian

• Russian

• Spanish

• Swedish

• Thai

• Turkish

• Ukrainian

Here are the steps to select your language:

1. Refer to figure 1.1 for the Language list the camera presents on startup.

2. Use the circular Multi selector on the back of the camera—with arrows pointing left, right, up, and down—to scroll up or down until your language is highlighted.

3. Press the OK button in the center of the Multi selector to select your language.

The camera will now switch to the second screen in the setup series, the Time zone screen.

Setting the Time Zone – Step 2

This is an easy screen to use as long as you can recognize the area of the world in which you live. Use the map shown in figure 1.2 to find your area, then select it.

Here are the steps to select the correct Time zone for your location:

Figure 1.2 – Setup Menu Time zone screen

1. Refer to figure 1.2 for the Time zone screen. You’ll see yellow arrows pointing to the left and right on either side of the small black and gray world map.

2. With the Multi selector, scroll to the left or right until your world location is highlighted in yellow. You will see either a vertical yellow strip or a tiny yellow outline with a red dot. At the bottom of the screen you will see the currently selected Time zone. Mine is set to New York, Toronto, Lima (UTC-5), as shown in figure 1.2.

3. Press the OK button to lock in your Time zone.

The camera will now present you with the next screen in the series, the Date format screen.

Setting the Date Format – Step 3

The English-speaking world uses various date formats. The Nikon D600 allows you to choose from the most common ones. There are three date formats you can select (figure 1.3):

• Y/M/D – Year/Month/Day (2013/12/31)

• M/D/Y – Month/Day/Year (12/31/2013)

• D/M/Y – Day/Month/Year (31/12/2013)

Figure 1.3 – Setup Menu Date format screen

U.S. residents usually select the M/D/Y format. However, you may prefer a different format.

Here are the steps to select the Date format you like best:

1. Refer to figure 1.3 for the Date format screen.

2. Using the Multi selector, scroll up or down to the position of the date format you prefer. M/D/Y is selected in figure 1.3.

3. Press the OK button to select the format.

When you have selected a Date format, the camera will switch to the Daylight saving time screen.

Setting Daylight Saving Time – Step 4

Many areas of the United States observe daylight saving time. In the springtime, many U.S. residents set their clocks forward by one hour on a specified day each year. Then in the fall they set their clocks back, leading to the clever saying, spring forward and fall back.

You can use the Daylight saving time setting to adjust the time on your D600’s clock forward or back by one hour, according to whether daylight saving time is currently in effect in your area.

To choose an initial Daylight saving time setting, follow these steps:

Figure 1.4 – Setup Menu Daylight saving time screen

1. Refer to figure 1.4 for the Daylight saving time screen.

2. There are only two selections: On or Off. The default setting is Off. If daylight saving time is in effect in your area (spring and summer in most areas of the United States), select On. When daylight saving time ends, you will need to change this setting to Off (via the Setup Menu) to adjust the clock back by one hour.

3. Press the OK button to select your choice.

Now that you’ve made the Daylight saving time decision, the camera will move on to the last screen in the series of five setup steps, the Date and time screen.

Settings Recommendation: If you live in an area that observes daylight saving time, it’s a good idea to adjust this setting whenever daylight saving time begins and ends. When you set the time forward or back on your wristwatch and clocks, you will need to adjust it on your camera as well. If you don’t, your images will have metadata reflecting a time that is off by one hour for half the year. This setting allows you to adjust the camera’s clock quickly by simply selecting On or Off.

Setting the Date and Time – Step 5

This screen allows you to enter the current date and time. It is in year, month, day (Y, M, D) and hour, minute, second (H, M, S) format.

Here are the steps to set the Date and time:

Figure 1.5 – Setup Menu Date and time screen

1. Refer to figure 1.5 for the Date and time screen.

2. Use the Multi selector to scroll to the left or right and select the various date and time sections. Scroll up or down to set the values for each one. The time values use a 24-hour clock, or military time. Use the 12- to 24-Hour Time Conversion Chart on page 270 to convert the 12-hour time you are probably using (for example, 3:00 p.m. is 15:00:00).

3. Press the OK button when you have entered the Date and time.

This completes the initial camera setup, and you are now ready to start configuring other parts of the camera in whatever order you find convenient. You’ll use the menu system, as described in the next section, to access individual configuration screens. Each configuration step described in this book is accompanied by all the screen graphics you’ll need and step-by-step instructions on configuration choices.

Let’s look at an overview of the menu system.

Accessing the Camera Menus

To access the various configurable menus in the D600, you’ll use the MENU button on the back of the camera near the top left of the Monitor. Please remember the location of this button since it will be used often in this book (figure 1.6). To avoid unnecessary repetition in the upcoming chapters, I won’t mention that you need to press the MENU button to get into the camera menus.

Figure 1.6 – Press the MENU button to open the menus

There are six primary menu systems in the camera, and this book has a chapter devoted to each one. Let’s take a brief look at the opening screens of the six menus, shown in figure 1.7. You get to these six menus by pressing the MENU button and scrolling up or down with the Multi selector. A selector bar with tiny icons will appear on the left side of the Monitor when you press the MENU button. You can see the selector bar at the left of each menu in figure 1.7.

As you scroll up or down in the selector bar, you’ll see each menu appear on the Monitor, with its icon highlighted in yellow on the left side of the screen, and the menu on the right. The name of the menu you are currently using will be displayed at the top of the screen.

The order of the six menus in the D600 is as follows (figure 1.7):

• Playback Menu

• Shooting Menu

• Custom Setting Menu

• Setup Menu

• Retouch Menu

• My Menu or Recent Settings

Figure 1.7 – Six primary camera menus

Notice that My Menu can be toggled with an alternate menu called Recent Settings. These two menus can’t be active at the same time. My Menu is much more functional for most people, so it is shown in figure 1.7. The chapter titled My Menu and Recent Settings covers both of these options in detail so you can choose which one you want to appear most of the time on your camera. My Menu allows you to add the most-used menu items from any of the other menus to your own personal menu, and Recent Settings shows you the last 20 menu items you’ve changed.

Camera Functions for Initial Configuration

The following is a list of functions that you may want to configure before you take many pictures. These set up the basic parameters for camera usage. Each function is covered in great detail on the page number shown, so I did not repeat the information in this chapter. Please turn to the indicated page and fully configure the function, then return here and move on to the next function. When you are done, your camera will be ready for use.

Setup Menu

• Format memory card – Page 253

• Monitor brightness – Page 258

• Auto image rotation – Page 275

• Copyright information – Page 277

Shooting Menu

• Role played by card in Slot 2 – Page 65

• Image quality – Page 67

• Image size – Page 75

• JPEG compression – Page 81

• NEF (RAW) recording – Page 83

• White balance – Page 87

• Set Picture Control – Page 90

• Color space – Page 109

• Active D-Lighting – Page 112

• Vignette control – Page 119

• Long exposure NR – Page 121

• High ISO NR – Page 124

• ISO sensitivity settings – Page 126

• Movie settings – Page 146

Playback Menu

• Playback folder – Page 25

• Playback display options – Page 30

• Image review – Page 43

• Rotate tall – Page 45

Custom Setting Menu

• a1 AF-C priority selection – Page 157