Nikon D600 Comparison Review

The Nikon D600 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in September 2012 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 24.2 megapixel.

Is the Nikon D600 a good camera? The D600 has a Camera Elo of 1895. This rating puts the D600 among the top 40 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the D600 ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Nikon D600 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Nikon D600 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Nikon D600	141 mm	113 mm	82 mm	850 g	900	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 2 099	ebay.com
2.		Canon 6D	145 mm	111 mm	71 mm	770 g	1090	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 2 099	ebay.com
3.		Nikon D500	147 mm	115 mm	81 mm	860 g	1240	Y	Jan 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D610	141 mm	113 mm	82 mm	850 g	900	Y	Oct 2013	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Nikon D750	141 mm	113 mm	78 mm	750 g	1230	Y	Sep 2014	US$ 2 299	ebay.com
6.		Nikon D780	144 mm	116 mm	76 mm	840 g	2260	Y	Jan 2020	US$ 2 299	amazon.com
7.		Nikon D800	146 mm	123 mm	82 mm	1000 g	900	Y	Feb 2012	US$ 2 999	ebay.com
8.		Nikon D800E	146 mm	123 mm	82 mm	1000 g	900	Y	Feb 2012	US$ 3 299	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D7100	136 mm	107 mm	76 mm	765 g	950	Y	Feb 2013	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D7500	136 mm	104 mm	73 mm	720 g	950	Y	Apr 2017	US$ 1 299	amazon.com
11.		Nikon Df	144 mm	110 mm	67 mm	760 g	1400	Y	Nov 2013	US$ 2 749	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Nikon D600 was launched in the US market at a price of $2,099. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check D600 offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Nikon D600 features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Nikon D600 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Nikon D600	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/30p	25.1	14.2	2980	94
2.		Canon 6D	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.8	12.1	2340	82
3.		Nikon D500	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.0	14.0	1324	83
4.		Nikon D610	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/30p	25.1	14.4	2925	94
5.		Nikon D750	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/60p	24.8	14.5	2956	93
6.		Nikon D780	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/30p	25.3	14.3	2877	95
7.		Nikon D800	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/30p	25.3	14.4	2853	95
8.		Nikon D800E	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/30p	25.6	14.3	2979	96
9.		Nikon D7100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.2	13.7	1256	83
10.		Nikon D7500	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.3	14.0	1483	86
11.		Nikon Df	Full Frame	16.2	4928	3280	none	24.6	13.1	3279	89
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The D600 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the D600 can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the D600 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Nikon D600 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Nikon D600	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.5/s	Y	n
2.		Canon 6D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/4000s	4.5/s	n	n
3.		Nikon D500	optical	Y	3.2 / 2359	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	n
4.		Nikon D610	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
5.		Nikon D750	optical	Y	3.2 / 1229	tilting	n	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
6.		Nikon D780	optical	Y	3.2 / 2359	tilting	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	n
7.		Nikon D800	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	4.0/s	Y	n
8.		Nikon D800E	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	4.0/s	Y	n
9.		Nikon D7100	optical	Y	3.2 / 1229	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.0/s	Y	n
10.		Nikon D7500	optical	Y	3.2 / 922	tilting	Y	1/8000s	8.0/s	Y	n
11.		Nikon Df	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.5/s	n	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the D600 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Nikon D600 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Nikon D600	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 6D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
3.		Nikon D500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	Y	Y
4.		Nikon D610	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Nikon D750	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Nikon D780	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.1	Y	-	Y
7.		Nikon D800	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
8.		Nikon D800E	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
9.		Nikon D7100	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Nikon D7500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	-	Y
11.		Nikon Df	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the D600 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the D600 can be found in the free online Nikon D600 Manual or on the Nikon support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the D600. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Nikon D600	4/5	+ +	..	87/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 2 099	ebay.com
2.		Canon 6D	5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 2 099	ebay.com
3.		Nikon D500	5/5	+ +	4.7/5	91/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D610	4/5	+ +	..	87/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2013	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Nikon D750	5/5	+ +	4/5	90/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	US$ 2 299	ebay.com
6.		Nikon D780	5/5	..	5/5	87/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2020	US$ 2 299	amazon.com
7.		Nikon D800	5/5	+ +	..	82/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2012	US$ 2 999	ebay.com
8.		Nikon D800E	..	..	..	84/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2012	US$ 3 299	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D7100	5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2013	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D7500	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	86/100	5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2017	US$ 1 299	amazon.com
11.		Nikon Df	4/5	..	..	81/100	4/5	4/5	Nov 2013	US$ 2 749	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check D600 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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