Nikon D6 FX-Format Digital SLR Camera Body

The D6 is definitely the best flagship I’ve ever used and I’ve had them all starting with the D1H in 2001. However I have to admit I did return my D6 and bought a second D5 and 70-200mm f/2.8E VR FL. I tested my D5 and D6 side by side for about four or five days/shoots. I’m a photojournalist and therefore I absolutely love these flagship Nikon bodies, always have always will. The D6 definitely does have better AF over the D5. However it’s not enough to justify the cost difference and for me that was $2900! Or money is no object than get a D6 or two. I would certainly buy two if I could afford it!

The D6 is about 15% or so better AF wise over the D5, but the D5 already gets about 95% of images in focus. So that makes the D6 only marginally better, but for some that improvement is worth the cost! I already have and use a WT-5a and WT-6a on my two D5 bodies for WiFi transmitting and they work very well even at long distances. The D6 adds this in camera, but only at close range so that upgrade or feature did nothing for me. So to move on I would say the only thing I’m going to miss about the D6 is the better customization options. From AF to button assignments and Memory Recall Shooting. I don’t think there’s anything I can’t do on my D5 bodies, but I did noticed the D6 improved upon customization.

I found no improvement in high ISO performance over the D5, other maybe slightly better color retention at high ISO. The two share a sensor and the D6 only improves in White Balance. The natural light Auto mode is superior to the D5 Auto setting. However image quality is only very slightly improved over the D5. So that leaves 14fps, yes that’s obviously a big deal to many people and a major upgrade or possible reason to upgrade. Having two additional options for action images can make or break “the winning image!” That perfect moment of a bird in flight or football player catching the winning touchdown pass! I’ll admit that’s one thing I’ll miss, but honestly 12fps is perfect for me. The only other notable upgrades are GPS, longer battery life and touch screen menus! At the end of the day none of the upgrades were worth $2900 to me, I got an open box D5 USA warranty for $4299! That enabled me to upgrade my 70-200mm lens and 24-70mm to the E-type VR and FL lenses. In my opinion better glass is always more important than w slight upgrade in camera. So again get the D6 if you can afford it or have a lot of disposable income or if you find the slight upgrades to be worthy of the price difference. Most people will be better served with a low mileage D5 and a new lens or two. Someday I’ll definitely own a D6 or two…when the time comes or money comes haha. It’s a fabulous camera, but for now and into the next year or two I’m very satisfied with my D5 bodies!

I am completely blown away by the AF performance though I’m bit disappointed with the color reproduction in compared to my D850 image colors. However the AF keeps up with moving subject at full 14 fps burst rate. On a side note, I did not buy it here, instead got it from B&H who offered a cash back amount equivalent to sales tax amount charged by my state. I did ask AMZN customer service if they would match the same discount for prime member. They gave me a straight ‘No’. So far retail stores around the US had been trying to match AMZN price but now there are lots of places you can get it cheaper and with better after sale service.