close up photo of a pink flamingo's feathers Mike Corrado
Mike Corrado photo of a pink flamingo splashing water Mike Corrado

The new D600 has a straightforward story to tell: here’s a sophisticated, full-frame HD-SLR that puts advanced pro features and capabilities within everyone’s reach. Its incredible versatility is likely to make it a favorite of professional shooters as well as advanced enthusiasts.

Smaller and lighter than any FX-format camera Nikon’s ever introduced, at 24.3 megapixels the D600 offers the highest resolution of any HD-SLR in the Nikon lineup, save the D800.

One of the things that makes the D600 so appealing is the fact that it extends to enthusiasts much of the creative image-making potential and powerful signature features that professionals have found in the D800 and D4, including the same EXPEED 3 image-processing engine; full-time AF while recording Full HD 1080p video; a headphone jack for monitoring live video sound; and a dedicated picture control button that makes for quick and easy access to the picture controls menu.

A really cool way to appreciate what picture controls can do for your D600 images is to access them while you’re in Live View mode. You’ll see the picture controls menu on the Live View screen and you can instantly preview the effect of the control you choose to use. For those “I wonder what this will look like” moments, you’ll see the results in real time.

The D600 also provides two-shot HDR capability for High Dynamic Range images. You can take two photos at either 1, 2 or 3 EV steps difference to capture the shadow and highlight details and tones in a scene of wide dynamic range. HDR is a feature that photo enthusiasts have come to appreciate and even rely on for standout images in tough lighting situations, not to mention HDR imaging’s ability to create interpretive graphic images beyond literal representations of a scene.

Other features include full exposure control through aperture- and shutter priority, full manual and program exposure choices, plus scene modes for quickly setting the camera to capture specific situations and scenes. Also offered are two user controls that will make preset image-making preferences available at the touch of a button.

If you have DX NIKKOR lenses, they’re fully compatible with the D600, as the camera will automatically detect them and set DX crop mode. The D600 also has the D4 and D800’s f/8 focusing capability when using long telephoto lenses with Nikon teleconverters. Check out Lindsay Silverman’s Hands On column in this issue for details on what that can mean for your photography.

This is a camera that a lot of people have been waiting for, and with all those holiday photo opportunities just around the corner, you’ll want to check the D600 out right away.

D600 Features

  • Nikon’s smallest, lightest full-frame FX-format HD-SLR.

  • 24.3 megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor for superior resolution and sharpness.

  • Ultra-fast EXPEED 3 image processing for high-speed performance and accuracy.

  • ISO 100 to 6400, expandable from 50 to 25,600.

  • Scene Recognition system with 3D Color Matrix metering II with high-performance 2,016-pixel RGB sensor.

  • 39-point AF system with nine cross-type sensors and seven center points; contrast-detect AF for full-time AF during Live View shooting.

  • 5.5-fps continuous shooting; 0.13-second power-up; minimal shutter release lag (0.052 second).

  • Cinema-quality Full HD 1080p video recording with selectable frame rates, manual exposure control, full-time AF with face priority and subject tracking; dedicated stereo microphone and headphone inputs.

  • Optional WU-1b wireless adapter for transfer of photos to a smartphone, tablet or compatible Wi-Fi enabled device for uploading to the web or transmitting via e-mail.