Nikon D600 Digital Camera Review

The Nikon D600 digital camera comes with a 24 megapixel full frame sensor, 1080p video recording and a sleeker HD-SLR body. Matt Mira and Candace Bailey put these features to the test for its Gadget Pr0n rating.

What You Need To Know

• The Nikon D600 is smaller than most professional DSLRs but is the same size as Nikon entry level cameras, which is a huge bonus.
• Despite the smaller size, this camera has the all the buttons and controls that professionals would want.
• The mode wheel on the top locks nicely into place to make sure you don't accidentally switch modes while shooting.
• This does make it difficult to switch modes with one hand, though.
• There's an HDMI out, which is standard nowadays, and two SD card slots.
• The screen is great and the kit comes with a screen protector, which is a welcome addition.
• Overall, this Nikon is a very well constructed camera.
• The pictures looked surprisingly great, especially stacked up against cameras that cost a couple thousand dollars more.
• The quality is due to the 24 megapixel full frame sensor which is 2.3 times larger than a sensor you'd find in cheaper DSLRs.
• Because the sensor is larger, it can take in more data, which leads to amazing color reproduction and image sharpness.
• This camera really shines in low light situations.
• The price is a big deal because there's always a huge difference between cropped sensor SLRS like the Nikon D700, which cost $1,200, and the Canon 5D Mark 3, which costs around $4,000.
• The HD video quality is good but not like Canon.
• The video looks great in optimal lighting but the quality drops a lot in any other situation.
• We found the video was often distorting and a stable image was really difficult to keep.
• This camera definitely leans towards the still photographer.
• The D600 requires a learning curve to use for amateur photographers; even someone who has owned an entry level DSLR like the Canon Rebel won't be able to just use this right out of the box.
• There's no easy mode because this is a professional camera.
• That said, if you're spending a couple thousand dollars on a camera, you should probably know how to set your aperture and ISO.

Price

• $2,500 with a 25-85 kit lens

Rating

• 5 Seals of Approval out of 5.  (How do we rate gadgets?)