Is The Nikon D6 Any Good In The Studio?

As most of you know (if you are familiar with Nikon’s current DSLR line up), the D850 is the darling of the studio. It’s high resolution sensor (45.7mp) with a base ISO starting at 64 (up to ISO 25,600) gives it a leg up in studio settings. Whether shooting food, portraiture, fashion, or anything where the setting is in a well controlled environment, the D850 is king. Contrast that with the D6, Nikon’s most powerful DSLR - ever. (sorry, I borrowed the “ever” part from the latest Z9 ad campaign.) With it’s 14 frames per second, ISO range up to 102,400 (starting at ISO 100) and top of the line auto focus system, can the D6 be tamed for studio work? Let’s find out.

First, let’s take a look at my setup as shown below.

My studio setup with the Nikon D6

The two main lights consist of an umbrella with each having a Nikon SB5000 wireless speedlight flash unit set to channel A on the left and B on the right coupled with a Bolt battery pack to provide for a quick refresh of the lights (allowing us to employ flow posing during the session which the model was very well versed in).

The other ancillary lights consist of 2 more SB5000s. The SB5000 on channel D on the ground served as supplemental fill light (bouncing off of the reflector) that helped fill in on the lower part of the model’s body. The SB5000 on channel C served (on the right side of the photo) as a highlight or kicker light for the side of the face and hair.

As for my camera settings, my typical studio settings consist of (always manual mode when shooting in studios) a shutter speed anywhere between 125th to 250th of a second, ISO 100 and an aperture range between f/4 to f/5.6.

One thing I wanted to try was the D6s face detection abilities. Yes, the D6 has human face detection auto focus options! In the D6 menu, anywhere where it said anything about face detection or metering , I turned it on. I also put it into continuous 3d focus mode to give it complete freedom to find the model’s face. Below is an example of what the auto focus points look like in face detection autofocus mode:

Using the Nikon D6 face detection auto focus mode

Although the D6 usually had no problem finding the face, one thing that becomes apparent is the lack of precision compared to the latest Z series cameras where the focus point can be narrowed down to just one eye. Not so with the D6. In fairness, the D6 menus say face detection, not eye detection. I admit that I have to experiment more with this feature. For example, if I turned on single point autofocus, would it detect and focus on a single eye? I’m not sure but more testing should reveal what the D6 is capable of in terms of eye autofocus. I soon resorted back to single point autofocus for the rest of the photo shoot since I didn’t want to risk any focus issues for the rest of the session. OK, let’s continue on with a few of the resulting Nikon D6 studio images. All images were lightly edited in the latest version of Lightroom.

This one utilizes the kicker light on channel C. Nikon D6, 1/125 sec at f/5.6 with the Nikkor 24-120 f/4 lens, ISO 100.

For more of the static poses (above), I was able to use the hair light for the side of the face and hair. As the studio layout photo shows above, the speedlight had a snoot on it but still the light that comes out is still fairly wide considering the small diameter of the hole the light is emitting from. I think the next time, I will move the light closer to the subject to help narrow the beam of light.

You can see in this one the 2 main umbrella lights reflecting in the sunglasses. Nikon D6, 1/125 sec at f/5.6 with the Nikkor 24-120 f/4 lens, ISO 100.

Nikon D6, 1/125 sec at f/5.6 with the Nikkor 24-120 f/4 lens, ISO 100.

Again, I was able to use the snooted speedlight for this one. Nikon D6, 1/125 sec at f/5.6 with the Nikkor 24-120 f/4 lens, ISO 100.

Nikon D6, 1/125 sec at f/5.6 with the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 lens, ISO 100.

Nikon D6, 1/125 sec at f/5.6 with the Nikkor 24-120 f/4 lens, ISO 100.

Nikon D6, 1/125 sec at f/5.6 with the Nikkor 24-120 f/4 lens, ISO 100.

A couple of notes about the resulting photos. I didn’t have another light for the background to turn the white backdrop to a true white. That has since been remedied with the purchase of another Nikon SB5000 speedlight. Also, the camera used in the photos is an old Nikon FE2 I purchased from KEH awhile back.

So, what’s my overall assessment of the D6 as a studio camera? I thought the D6 did a great job. The autofocus was spot on in this dark studio, even when auto face detection was used, those photos were tack sharp. So, which do I prefer for studio work, the D6 or the D850? I think it’s a tossup. In my opinion and to be honest, if I didn’t know what camera took the photos, I wouldn’t be able to tell if these were shot with the D850 or the D6. I have another studio session next week where I will be using the D850 and will compare that experience with that of the D6.

Let me know if the comments below your thoughts about the D6 vs the D850 in the studio and which you prefer.