Nikon D600 previewed: the affordable full frame DSLR arrives

 

 

Signaling the dawn of the affordable full-frame digital SLR camera, the Nikon D600 features a 24.3-megapixel FX CMOS sensor, an optical viewfinder with 100% coverage, a 3.2-inch 921K-dot LCD, and dual SD card slots for US$2,100, body-only. It's true, $2,100 isn't exactly cheap, but it's more affordable than the $3,000 Nikon D800, and not much more than the long-in-the-tooth D300S, which cost about $300 less at launch. Shoot with a full-frame SLR and you learn: you really want to shoot full-frame. Is the D600 Nikon's answer for D300S shooters? Don't wait for the D400, upgrade to the D600 now?

For those who thought the D800's 36.3-megapixel sensor was overkill, the Nikon D600 hits the sweet spot. Its 24.3-megapixel sensor covers an extended ISO range from 50 to 25,600. With a pixel-pitch that's said to be similar to the Nikon D3X, we expect good quality at high ISO settings, and that's one of the primary reasons to spend a little more on a full-frame camera: greater light gathering ability.

Alongside the D600, Nikon has also received a tiny very affordable WiFi dongle for transferring images to your smartphone or tablet, and a shoe-mounted Ethernet adapter. The latter is also compatible with the D4, D800, D800E, and D7000 DSLRs, and can be used with the WT-5a wireless transmitter if you need to stay mobile.

Want to know more about Nikon's latest full-frame digital SLR, and these new accessories? Read our hands-on Nikon D600 preview now, and get the full story! (And keep checking back this evening, we'll have some night sample photos soon!)

Nikon D600

General

Camera Type Pro SLR

Manufacturer North America: D600

Dimensions 5.6 x 4.4 x 3.2 in.
(141 x 113 x 82 mm)

Weight 26.8 oz (760 g)

Planned Price $2,100

Planned Availability September 2012

Image Capture

Sensor Type Sony CMOS
Nikon FX (approx. 1.70 in. diagonal)
24.70 megapixels (total)
24.30 megapixels (effective)

Filter Type RGBG

Focal Length Multiplier 1.00

Aspect Ratio 3:2

Image Dimensions 6016 x 4016 (24.2 megapixels)
4512 x 3008 (13.6 megapixels)
3008 x 2008 (6.0 megapixels)
3936 x 2624 (10.3 megapixels)
2944 x 1968 (5.8 megapixels)
3008 x 1688 (5.1 megapixels)

Capture Speed Continuous: 5.5 frames per second

Image Preview / Review

Viewfinder Yes, SLR type; fixed eye-level pentaprism, 100% coverage, 0.70x magnification, 20.6mm eyepoint, -3 to +1 diopter

LCD 3.2 in. diagonal921,000 dots

Lens

Lens Mount Nikon F mount

Focusing System 39-point (9 cross type) TTL phase detection with 3D focus tracking via Nikon Multi-CAM 4800FX; Contrast-detect AF in Live View & Movie modes
Has AF assist lamp
Manual focus possible

Exposure

ISO Sensitivity ISO 100 - 6400, Lo-1 (ISO 50), Hi-1 (ISO 12,800), Hi-2 (ISO 25,600), Auto (adjustable)

Shutter Speed 30 - 1/4000 second

Exposure Modes Program, Aperture, Shutter, Manual

Metering Modes 2016-pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering II, Center-weighted, Spot (1.5%) centered on selected focus area

Exposure Compensation +/- 5.0EV in 1/3EV increments

White Balance Hybrid - Auto, seven manual modes can be preset with fine-tuning; color temperature setting, custom

Internal Flash Guide Number: 12
Modes: Front-curtain sync, Slow sync, Rear-curtain sync, Red-eye reduction, Red-eye reduction with slow sync; built-in flash supports wireless Commander mode
Range: Lens aperture dependent

Flash Exposure Compensation -3 to +1 EV in 1.0EV increments

Creative

Scene Modes Scene modes (portrait, landscape, child, sports, close up, night portrait, night landscape, party/indoor, beach/snow, sunset, dusk/dawn, pet portrait, candlelight, blossom, autumn colors, food, silhouette, high key, low key), HDR, Active D-Lighting

Self Timer Yes, 2/5/10/20 seconds

Time Lapse Yes

Movie Format MOV (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC video with Linear PCM audio) with audio
Max. clip length: 1,200 seconds (1920x1080) / 1,200 seconds (1280x720)

Movie Resolution / Frame Rate 1920x1080 @ 30p/25p/25p, 1280x720 @ 60p/50p/30p/25p

Storage

Recording Medium SD/MMC including SDHC, SDXC

File System Complies with Design Rule for Camera File System (DCF)

File Format RAW (NEF), 14 or 12-bit; TIFF, JPEG (EXIF 2.3)

Connectivity

Other Type-C Mini HDMI, New 10-pin Expansion Terminal, Stereo Mic Jack, Headphone Jack

Power

Battery Type Lithium-ion rechargeable or MB-D14 battery grip

Battery Form Factor Proprietary EN-EL15

Product Bundle

Software Nikon ViewNX 2 CD-ROM

Battery / Charger 1 x Proprietary EN-EL15 Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and charger

Other

Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compliant Yes

PictBridge Compliant Yes

Internal Microphone Yes

Internal Speaker Yes

Tripod Mount Yes, Metal

Remote Control Yes, Optional wired or wireless

Waterproof No

Notes 24.3MP full frame (35.9 x 24mm) CMOS sensor, EXPEED 3 processor, 5.5 fps burst mode, 150K shutter, locking mode dial, dual SD card slots, UHS-1 compliant, uncompressed Full HD 8-bit video streaming via HDMI, stereo mic jack, headphone jack.

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