39 vs 51 Auto Focus Points?

The only differences in the d600 and the d800 Nikon Cameras I care about are these. If these were the same (either low or high), I'd pick the d600 for the price tag. It's a 1, 000 dollar difference btwn the two (as of right now), otherwise.

To me… Both sound amazing. I have the first d5100 that came with 9 Autofocus points. Not even the ones with 11 (that they all come with now). *rolls eyes*, so 39 seems amazing and 51 sounds overwhelming. I figure though… If I'm going to shell over over 2k for a camera… And 51 points is Way better… I'll dish out the dough for it later. I'd be happy with either: P

I have a 51 point AF system on my D300. Guess what? I only ever use single (centre) point AF.

For 99% of use cases, 51 will be exactly the same as 39.

My first DSLR had 9 points. Occasionally I would need to temporarily recompose to make sure one of the points was on the main subject, but 9 was perfectly workable. With 39 there's pretty much going to be a point everywhere.

Completely agree with Deep Blue 2. I have the same camera, a D300. Mine has two settings- 51 points or 11. When I got my camera, I set it to 11 points, and it's been there ever since. With 51 little boxes imposed in the viewfinder, I find it too crowded and clustered for my liking.

Honestly, when you are composing your image, 9 times out of 10, AF points mean nothing, unless you don't know anything about your camera.AF points allow you to focus on an object in the viewfinder- rather than have 51 possible points, I use 11, and set my AF mode to AF-S, or single-servo. Then, I'll select the center point, pan my camera to focus on my subject, keep the shutter release half-depressed, then I compose my image and press the shutter fully. It takes about the same time- I find this more convenient than thumbing your dial fifteen or twenty times to get the AF point that you want.

My first DSLR was a D60, with three AF points. Pretty funny when you think about it, as I never felt limited by only 3 AF points. If the two cameras (D600 vs D800) are otherwise identical, opt for the cheaper, spend that extra $1000 on a good lens or two.