What should the D6 have had?

kyoshinikon

I don't see a thread here on the D6.

Was one deleted? I haven't been on here in ages.

What should the camera have had and what could it possibly fix with firmware?


I'm pretty happy with the specs I see although I wish it had 20fps in Liveview and a 24-26mpx sensor. Comparing it to the 1Dx mk3 everybody is raving about and there are only a few things the 1Dx mk3 has that the D6 doesn't (20fps liveview, 16fps shutter, 5.5k raw, and 120fps HD.)

I still plan to purchase one by the end of this year. The workflow is the weakest spot of any pro gear setup and it sounds like they addressed a lot of it.

mhedges

I think it should have had PDAF and mirrorless like live view performance similar to the D780. Nikon claims they surveyed the market and D5 users said they didn't really need it.

donaldejose

"After testing it out, Matthias told us: “This is a huge step forward. I don’t know how they did it, and I’m impressed. Out there in the field, it’s really working. I was shooting half a dozen different sports, and whatever I shot, the autofocus showed a massive improvement. And in Group Area AF there’s a wider range of groups you can select, so you can customise them much better. Plus there’s another big step forward in 3D tracking, together with face recognition.”

"When asked about the most noticeable improvements in the D6, for Matthias there was one clear winner: “It’s the image quality of the JPEGs straight out of the camera. There’s a new image processing engine, even though it’s the same sensor. Especially in the JPEGs there is another step forward around noise reduction, sharpness, brilliance of the frames, and quality. That is an impressive one. So just picking up the camera, shooting something with it and getting a JPEG on your laptop with exceptional image quality is impressive.”

https://blog.nikoneurope.com/en_gb/2020/02/testing-the-nikon-d6-with-matthias-hangst/?fbclid=IwAR0TkqFGcZEEIhRRPU3gxEWBII0ef7hx-TtPKSQGY1upuTuw0KYYUhIQ6DY

Pistnbroke

Strange donaldejose that you did not comment on the review. I note it comes from nikoneurope so its a promotional review. I hope its all true . I did see one sensible comment that the D series gets a full revamp every 8 years not 4 so maybe its a D5s.
If the processor is giving improved JPEGs then that bodes well for the Z8
Not a camera for me so I personally will never know ...ignorance is bliss as they say.

donaldejose

Yes, it is a promo review from Nikon Europe. The point of the review, and maybe the point of the D6 when third party reviews are out, is that improvements in AF and jpeg and transfer speed out of camera add up to a significant improvement for the working sports or photojournalist who needs to shoot jpeg and send images to the boss asap. Maybe, maybe not. Same sensor, same ISO range, etc so lots of sameness on the spec sheet making for the possibility that it is not much of an improvement over the D5 for "regular" shooting. Unless you really need what these improvements do offer you may be better off with a used D5 at about half the price. I know I don't need these improvements so I would be better off with a used D5. But I won't buy that either. I would rather spend my money buying into the future which is the Nikon mirrorless system.

DenverShooter

I have a D6 on NPS priority order. I will see one at the Nikon booth at the NAB Show next month. Already have a buyer lined up for my D4.

donaldejose

DenverShooter: Give us a review when you receive your D6. Apparently it uses the same sensor as the D5 so the question will be: Why not just get a used D5 for less money? The answer has to be in other advances the D6 provides.

spraynpray

I had a review come up on my phone the other day which I glanced and the guy was saying it should have been called a D5s because it was such a small incremental change. He focused on it being lighter and didn't say much about AFor processing.

I stopped reading when I learned he had nothing positive to say and was a Canon user.

mhedges

Yeah my whining about the lack of OSPDAF notwithstanding I think those complaints are off base. Look at the history of the D# line and its clear this update is well in line with the rest. Introducing a new AF module is a pretty big deal.

NSXTypeR

As much as I could armchair quarterback the D6, I'll never need one. The most expensive camera I foresee myself ever getting would be the D500 or D850, and even then that's overkill.

If anything, maybe in body image stabilization?

spraynpray

24Mp would have suited me.

donaldejose

It seems to me that it should have used a newer sensor. Using the same sensor as the D5 from 4 years ago is a bummer. Perhaps there will be a D6s in two years with a different sensor like there was with the D3 and the D3s.

DenverShooter

The NAB Show was canceled so I won't be seeing one there and Nikon is now looking at May for delivery. My dealer has more than 4 dozen on order..

Capt_Spaulding

48+ D6s? Wow. What percentage are presales?

DenverShooter

Just received notification that my D6 will ship May 21st to the 30th.

Photobug

donaldejose said:

It seems to me that it should have used a newer sensor. Using the same sensor as the D5 from 4 years ago is a bummer. Perhaps there will be a D6s in two years with a different sensor like there was with the D3 and the D3s.

Makes you wonder if there is no improvement possible on this sensor without spending huge bucks. In my opinion, digital cameras have reached the point that improvements are going to be "small" or incremental rather than the large improvements we saw early between D100 and D200 and D300.

mhedges

Photobug said:

donaldejose said:

It seems to me that it should have used a newer sensor. Using the same sensor as the D5 from 4 years ago is a bummer. Perhaps there will be a D6s in two years with a different sensor like there was with the D3 and the D3s.

Makes you wonder if there is no improvement possible on this sensor without spending huge bucks. In my opinion, digital cameras have reached the point that improvements are going to be "small" or incremental rather than the large improvements we saw early between D100 and D200 and D300.

In terms of ultimate image quality I agree. I do think there are possible significant gains in workflow, reduced need for post, etc. And faster sensor read speeds (more of a benefit for mirrorless).

donaldejose

Interesting comment in the main blog about base ISO. It seems the camera may have been "tuned" for good image quality at ISO 1600. This may be a good idea for a sports, photojournalism, wildlife action body. The ability to shoot at mid range ISO's with good image quality can be more important in such a camera than shooting landscapes or studio portrait work at base ISO. Serious photographers will be using the D800, D810, and D850 or Z7 bodies for that work anyway. I like the idea of tuning a serious action stopping camera for good image quality at ISO 1600. This is the statement in the main blog D6 review that I am referring to. "low ISO dynamic that remains low, as for the D5 and the D3s, according to a well-established concept that wants this machine to start from ISO 1600 in practice to explore sidereal sensitivities"

Photobug

mhedges said:

Photobug said:

donaldejose said:

It seems to me that it should have used a newer sensor. Using the same sensor as the D5 from 4 years ago is a bummer. Perhaps there will be a D6s in two years with a different sensor like there was with the D3 and the D3s.

Makes you wonder if there is no improvement possible on this sensor without spending huge bucks. In my opinion, digital cameras have reached the point that improvements are going to be "small" or incremental rather than the large improvements we saw early between D100 and D200 and D300.

In terms of ultimate image quality I agree. I do think there are possible significant gains in workflow, reduced need for post, etc. And faster sensor read speeds (more of a benefit for mirrorless).

Agree, there are improvements in work flow that in the long run are a time saver for the user.

WestEndFoto

donaldejose said:

Interesting comment in the main blog about base ISO. It seems the camera may have been "tuned" for good image quality at ISO 1600. This may be a good idea for a sports, photojournalism, wildlife action body. The ability to shoot at mid range ISO's with good image quality can be more important in such a camera than shooting landscapes or studio portrait work at base ISO. Serious photographers will be using the D800, D810, and D850 or Z7 bodies for that work anyway. I like the idea of tuning a serious action stopping camera for good image quality at ISO 1600. This is the statement in the main blog D6 review that I am referring to. "low ISO dynamic that remains low, as for the D5 and the D3s, according to a well-established concept that wants this machine to start from ISO 1600 in practice to explore sidereal sensitivities"

Agreed. Landscape photographers are not going to be pleased because it is only 20mp, so why bother trying.

And only a pixel peeper will have a complaint in any event.

PB_PM

The D4/5/6 were never made to be general purpose, jack of all trades cameras, they are for the very people they are set up for, pro sports, pro wildlife, and news photographers. For anyone else the price tag for what you get is crazy, there are far better cameras for landscape and still life shooting in that price bracket.

donaldejose

Yes, Nikon's primo landscape and studio body should be the one with 60 megapixels and the great Z lenses. Hopefully, that will be the Z8 and will be released this fall. Right now it is the Z7 with the Z prime lenses. Different bodies for different uses. It is interesting to see that Taylor Jackson has chosen the D780 at his main wedding body.

PB_PM

If someone is looking to spend D6 money, on a landscape camera, medium format, even used, is a far better option than Z-mount stuff. Just saying.

WestEndFoto

PB_PM said:

If someone is looking to spend D6 money, on a landscape camera, medium format, even used, is a far better option than Z-mount stuff. Just saying.

Yes, the ergonomic and other issues of the "cropped medium format options" would be tolerable if I was only shooting landscapes.

That would be "used" however. And that would also be cropped medium format, not full frame medium format.

spraynpray

I am not surprised by the choice of the D780 @donaldejose, 24mp is plenty for the job and the D750 was an excellent body (I think the sweet spot in the range) so the D780 should be even better. My D850 sucks in low light by comparison.

PB_PM

WestEndFoto said:

PB_PM said:

If someone is looking to spend D6 money, on a landscape camera, medium format, even used, is a far better option than Z-mount stuff. Just saying.

Yes, the ergonomic and other issues of the "cropped medium format options" would be tolerable if I was only shooting landscapes.

That would be "used" however. And that would also be cropped medium format, not full frame medium format.

I would rather get a used full sized medium format than a new cropped one, if it were my money, but that's just me. I don't care if something is new, I don't feel the need to keep up with the Jones.