Nikon D600 Review

 Nikon D600 Review  video transcript:

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This is the Nikon D600, one of the most hotly anticipated cameras of 2012.

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Following on from the release of the D800 and D800E at the beginning of the year, the

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D600 joins Nikon's full frame camera line-up as the entry-level full frame body, and it’s

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aimed directly at the enthusiast photographer.

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It’s considerably smaller and lighter than Nikon’s other FX format bodies and is closer

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to the DX format D7000 in size.

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The D600 feels solid enough and has a decent, textured grip that is just deep enough to

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give good purchase. For the most part the flaps that cover the ports seem pretty tough,

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however the rubber seal coving the base connector seems a little loose and a prime candidate

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for being lost.

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Controls follow the familiar Nikon layout with both the mode and drive dial featuring

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locking buttons to avoid accidental movement. On the back of the camera is a small control

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pad and a switch to swap between stills or video live view mode, while on top is the

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video activation button. Surprisingly Nikon has managed to cram an extra button onto the

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left hand side extending the usual four to five and giving quick access to sensitivity

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values, a welcome addition.

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Inside the camera is a new 24.3 million pixel FX format CMOS sensor, and the same Expeed

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3 processing engine as that found in both D800s and the D4. This combination allows

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a continuous shooting rate is 5.5fp, 1.5 more than the D800 but not quite up to the 11fps

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achieved by the D4.

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Sensitivity follows that of the D800, with a native range that spans from ISO 100-6400,

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with the expansion settings enabled this increases to ISO 50 to 25,600.

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Our lab tests reveal that the D600 can stand its ground against the D800 when it comes

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to both noise and dynamic range, especially at higher sensitivities. This improved low

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light performance should appeal to travel photographers who can find themselves shooting

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in all manor of conditions and lighting.

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Backing up its appeal to photographers on the move is the weight, coming in at just

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850g with the battery and an SD card. Couple the D600 with a 24-85mm lens and you have

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a good versatile light weight kit that can be easily transported.

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Of course if you’re out and about your kit will inevitably get a few knocks as well as

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being exposed to a variety of weather conditions, so to that end to help protect the inner workings,

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the D600 has magnesium alloy top and back sections and a selection of weather proofing

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seals to keep dust and water at bay.

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The autofocus system is as always a big consideration, and in total the D600 has 39 AF points with

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9 cross type at the centre of the frame.

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In a move to attract keen wildlife photographers who may need to use a teleconverter to extend

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the range of their lenses, the D600's AF system is capable of functioning at f/8, with the

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central 7 AF points remaining operational at this aperture.

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This compares with a more standard operational aperture of f/5.6 on most cameras. In normal

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use this is fine, but when a teleconverter is attached the maximum aperture of the lens

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is reduced outside of the AF operation limits, rendering the AF useless. So the D600 has

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a big plus point for both wildlife and sport.

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And of course it's possible to record 1080p full HD movies at 24, 25 or 30 frames per

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second, and like the D800, the D600 features audio in and out ports, so you can monitor

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the sound and adjust the levels manually. For many videographers, the D600’s headphone

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port could be the deciding factor between it and Canon EOS 6D.

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The 3.2-inch 921,000 dot LCD is clear and bright and can be easily viewed from most

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angles, however, it suffers from the usual reflection issues in bright conditions.

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Image storage is in the form of two SD slots on the side here. As with other Nikon dual-slot

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SLRs these can be configured to act as overflow, backup or to split the images so that JPEGs

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go on one card and raw on the other. Due to the size requirements of the camera, the SD

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card format has been selected over the CF or XQD, so it will be interesting to see how

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hot the camera gets when shooting video, we'll update you if we find any issues.

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One of the big features of the Canon EOS 6D is the inclusion of WiFi and GPS technology,

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unfortunately as with other Nikon bodies an Adapter, the WU-1b, has to be used to enable

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a Wireless connection and a further accessory the GP-1 is required for GPS.

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The wireless adapter is new, and a different model to the one recently released for the

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D3200, but it features the same limited usability, enabling you to just see the live view image

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remotely, take pictures and download images to your android device, an OS version app

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will be following soon.

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It might be a feature that most full frame aficionados would sniff at, but the D600 features

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a pop-up flash, this has a decent reach above the camera and is rated at 12 meters at ISO

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100 the same as the one on the D800. This is enough to create a bit of fill in lighting

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when needed and is of course compatible with Nikons creative lighting systems.

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The D600 will be available now and has a suggested retail price £1955.99 in the Uk and $2099

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in the US.

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For more information about the D600 look out for our review on Techradar.com

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For more information about the D600 look out for our review in this months issue

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For more information about the D600 look out for our review in this weeks magazine.