sevencrossing said:
price difference of 600 vs 7000 is a few hundred $

Actually that is $1,000. That is a big difference to most.

2kCougar said:
Thanks for the replies. It seems like either way would work. I had considered moving to a m4/3. There doesn't seem to be an overwhelming reason to move to the 600 and very good reasons to go with the 7k (or its replacement).

Considering you have been using a D80 for this long, there is a whole slew of of cameras that have moved way past what it can do. I think the Nikon V1 pumps out better shots than the D80 does.

If I may ask, why a DSLR? You haven't really said why you want or believe you need one and what you are hoping to achieve with it. There is No right or wrong, but considering the two you are looking at, I can make a difference. It could be you could get just as good shots with something other than a DSLR. Or maybe a D600 is what you really need. All depends what you want to do with it.

I think having the good lenes is the big plus. I've seen some awesome pictures posted in the PAD that were shot with a D5100.

Thanks for the replies. It seems like either way would work. I had considered moving to a m4/3. There doesn't seem to be an overwhelming reason to move to the 600 and very good reasons to go with the 7k (or its replacement).

sevencrossing said:
price difference of 600 vs 7000 is a few hundred $
price difference Porch vs Subaru tens of thousdands $

Yes, plus FX being a 'replacement' for a DX? You are not comparing eggs with eggs really.

msmoto said:
@ severn crossing D600 replaces D7000...in a humours mode...this is like when I replaced my Subaru Forester with a Cayenne Turbo...LOL

price difference of 600 vs 7000 is a few hundred $
price difference Porch vs Subaru tens of thousdands $

@ sevencrossing D600 replaces D7000...in a humours mode...this is like when I replaced my Subaru Forester with a Cayenne Turbo...LOL

Quite a good review of the D600 at Mansurovs Photography

a good comparison of D600 v D7000 the D600 wins on all counts

TaoTeJared said:

If you are not in a hurry, you may want to wait after the holidays (if you can) as the D7000 will be due for a refresh.

There a tiny minority of who us who believed; the D600 IS the replacement for the D7000

@ 2kCougar....What TTJ is saying about waiting makes a lot of sense. As the refresh on the D7000 comes along... the price on the D7000 drops...and it will get great photos.... Unless one really has a need to get large photos, going to FX may not be the best move. Instead, a good DX body and shooting the image you want i.e., crop in camera, will get the job done.

So, get the kids what they need, then after Nikon has finally come through with the DX upgrades, decide on a new body. In other words join a large group who are waiting for the new DX bodies to come along...

IMO kid comes first, Camera comes second, Great shots of the two together comes third.

You will be blown away with the D7k coming from a D80. I had one years ago and the shots don't even compare. A D600 really would knock your socks off.

If you are not in a hurry, you may want to wait after the holidays (if you can) as the D7000 will be due for a refresh.

Just a thought, What are your subjects normally? It could be worth selling everything and getting a smaller m4/3 or Sony mirrorless that you may be willing to take along to more places.

You can't take very good pictures with a playset...who needs one of those? ;-)

On a serious note...you have a decent set of lenses to transition to FX. Do you need it...well you shoot indoor mostly so I don't know what you are cropping. You also have a 300 mm lens so again not sure about the cropping even if you are outside. Lastly about cropping...if you get a D600 you are going to be cropping a whole lot more if you are already cropping because you aren't getting the reach. I think even with the D7000 you will see a world of difference in ISO and resolution. The extra MP of the D7000 over your D80 will allow you to crop some if you need. Focus should be better with the 39 point AF and newer system.

All that being said the D600 is new and apparently performs pretty well. If you have the funds it would be an obvious choice. Another reason I would pick the D600 over the D7000 is it is due to be replaced any time now.

I've narrowed down my choices to the D7k or D600 b/c I need in-body motor and commander mode for off-body flashes. This rules out the D3xxx and D5100. I can bypass the lack of commander mode with a SU-800 or keep my sb-800 on the body and only use the sb-600 off camera. I also would miss the top lcd panel that my D80 has.

2kCougar said:
I need better resolution to crop my photos.

This is a very good reason to move up to Fx

Dx is fine if you fill the frame and do not need to crop

The only disadvantage of Fx is cost

Crop a Fx shot to Dx and you will get the same "reach". the big advantage, assuming you crop in post, is you have more latitude in the crop

I don't have any of the camera's you mention, but looking at the DXO measurements, going from the D800 to the D7000 will double the low light sensitivity score, and going from the D7000 to the D600 will again more than double the low light sensitivity score. I would expect a move to the D7000 would improve your resolution a fair bit, while a move to the D600 would improve it a lot. Remember that the DX format is already "cropped", and if you go to the FX, you will lose that extra reach.

I'm sure others on the forum who use these cameras will be able to give you better insight.

Welcome to the forum !!

If all you're trying to achieve is greater resolution and low light performance than a D80, this isn't really a reason to go FX, as you can get better resolution and low light performance from any camera in Nikon's current line-up, including the D3100 and D3200.

It very much depends on what other requirements you have - you've already picked out the D7000 so unless there's a reason why you've already dismissed it as an option, if all you're looking at is sensor performance, save yourself a heap more money and get a D5100 instead, which has the same sensor as the D7000.

My D80 needs to be replaced. The reasons for this is: the focusing is unreliable, I need to be able to shoot in higher ISO, I need better resolution to crop my photos. I mainly shoot indoors. My lenses consist of 35mm 1.8 (I know, it's DX), 50mm 1.8, 28-75mm 2.8, 70-300mm VR.

So, will the D7000 fill my needs (and allow me to put the additional $1k towards a playset for my son), or do I need the D600 for what I'm trying to achieve? Thanks!