Nikon D600 Officially Announced!

Whether or not this is the camera for you, the Nikon D600 (early BH preorders here) is certainly one of the most anticipated cameras of the year and, just in time for the holiday season, is sure to be in many of your hands by the new year. All the specs, the price, and opinions after the break. Scroll down for an immediate spec list.

The new D600 announcement comes at a time of high anticipation. We've all been waiting a long time, as this now marks the point of full-frame affordability for the true 'prosumer' or advanced hobbyist. Previously, such photographers had to wait for used versions of other cameras or spend more than they could afford on a camera that offers superb low-light performance and shallow depth of field, such as is the case with 35mm cameras.

Some were hoping for a dreamy $1500 price point. But I think we can all agree that $2100 fits in line perfectly. It's not a steal, but it's plenty reasonable for a massive sensor, a beautiful 24 million pixels, and full HD video with a clean HDMI out. Those are the big things, here -- all that, and it's still weather sealed. Not bad. Not bad at all (I'll likely pre-order mine soon).

Keep one thing in mind: people forget that the D700 and D3 are both a bit old, now. They're still superb cameras (I use the D3 daily). But while the price will drop, you can't deny that the D600 (and other newer cameras Nikon has since come out with) will far exceed the image quality of these cameras. So if it's top-notch quality for the best-possible price that your'e looking for, look no further...

Nikon D600 Specs:

- Price: $2,100 body only, Body + 24-85mm VR kit: $2700 (Hit or miss? Let me know below)
- 24-Megapixel, full-frame sensor
- 100-6400 ISO (expands to 25,600)
- 1080p video @ 24/25/30, 720p @ 24/25/30/60
- 5.5fps
- 39-point AF, 7 points active at f/8
- Uncompressed, clean HDMI out
- Single DUAL SD card slots
- 100% viewfinder coverage
- 1/4000 max shutter speed, 150,000 shutter cycles
- 1/200 flash sync
- Same weather sealing as the D800/D800E
- 3.2" 921,000-pixel LCD
- Built-in Flash
- Improved auto white balance
- EN-EL15 battery (Same as D7000 and D800)
- Rated to 900 shots per charge
- Wireless connection to smart phones, apps, etc. possible with WU-1b adapter
- Body weighs 760g (just over the Sony a99 weight)
- Optional MB-D14 battery grip that does not increase frame rate, but allows use of EN-EL15 battery or AAs

Pics:


Additionally, the UT-1 wireless transmitter was announced tonight. While it's supposed to let the D4, D800/D800E, and D7000 transmit to an FTP server and also help with remote control of these bodies, it's not compatible (from what I can tell) with the D600. It's even a funky shape... Wouldn't that be quite awkward on top of your DSLR?




This post will be updated with more information as it comes out tonight...

Want more info, now? Find it here.

Adam Ottke's picture

Adam works mostly across California on all things photography and art. He can be found at the best local coffee shops, at home scanning film in for hours, or out and about shooting his next assignment. Want to talk about gear? Want to work on a project together? Have an idea for Fstoppers? Get in touch! And, check out FilmObjektiv.org film rentals!

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33 Comments

Hit or miss? If I were making credit card payments on a D3x that I bought last year, I'd be a little bothered by the D800/600. As for me, I upgraded from the D300 to the D800 this summer and am loving FF so much I was considering a used D700 as a second body. Now I can get D3x resolution in a D7000-esque body. Thats a hit.

Once BH has a preorder set, I'm in for at least 2 of these!  

I would call this a hit, I really have no desire to get this camera right now, but, it is sure to help push down the price of the D700 a bit.

Too bad it didn't come in at the rumored $1500, I would have bought one day one. At $2100 I'll pass and look for a used D700. 

 agreed. Same here. They can keep it.

I think $1500 was wishful thinking with these specs. I know they would never do this but I wish they could drop the HD video capability and make a dedicated photography FF camera around at that pricepoint.

Miss. Aimed at wealthy people who don't really know too much about photography but want the immediate shiny bells and whistles. A dedicated retouch button and scene modes on a $2200 camera seems a little ridiculous. I'll take my D700 over the D600 any day. 

FX sensor in a completely amateur body for a very steep price.  

I forgot that it's September 13 somewhere in the world before it is in the US! Announced while I was sleeping and I was fearful that I missed the preorders! Did I make the cut!? I just preordered mine off of BH and Amazon. Hopefully the backorder line isn't too long! D:

 I'm really disappointed with the newbie dial as well! It's a hundred's model, not a thousand's, why would they incorporate that!? -___-'

They might of added in the "newbie" deal from the D7000 but because it this camera has U1 and U2 custom setting modes that a lot of pros were asking for in the pro line. You may be disappointed but I'm sure plenty of people would be willing to make the trade off.

 They could have added the U1 and U2 custom setting modes in the S CL CH Q Timer M dial and kept the top QUAL WB BKT and ISO buttons. Would have been perfect.

or they could have kept the MODE button that they eliminated next to the trigger so you can toggle from M A S P U1 U2. would have been more intuitive that way.

1/4000 max shutter speed < why? 

- frame rate of just 5.5 (does not increase with the battery grip - WHY?
- just 1/4000 max shutter speed, 150,000 shutter cycles - COME ON, THATS STUPID!!!- just 1/200 flash sync - BORING!!!

24 MP is pretty cool, but the features mentioned above are really disappointing for me. I really expected more from Nikon.

Why? Because otherwise no one would get the D800

Dear Fstoppers, your site has been acknowledge using malware again, isn't weired that you got this 3rd time ?

 I wonder if that is not coordinated by someone that wish to block FStoppers every time there is a big camera announcement?  This way, when people swamp the internet for interformation, they cannot get to FStoppers and thus some competitors of FStoppers get more traffic.  Over time, FStoppers slowly loose more visitors.  Just a theory.

That is some theory. The reality is it has more to do with google blacklisting us and then it taking forever to get that lifted. The sites security is our number one priority, and our biggest headache at the moment

SD card slot?! Seriously?! Movie Record Button in exactly the place where the MODE button used to be so I'm sure to unintentionally press it? Rotating dial with amateur modes nobody who buys a > $2000 camera would ever use?! Potentially with full rotation without stops and viewfinder indicators like on the amateur models so it becomes unusable in the dark? Small body so it gets tedious to hold with a telephoto lens all day and hard to stabilize with long shutter speeds? A RETOUCH button?! WTF?

Great camera, but the ergonomics are completely off. No thanks.

I may just sell my 7D and lenses and switch instead of wait for the fall to see if canon will follow suit (lord knows I've waited long enough). 

WTF Nikon? A quick retouch button? Who the fu<k shoots jpeg in a full frame 2100 dolla camera? 

What I see is... A 5D III for 1/3rd less.  Brilliant camera.  Full frame, 24mp, all for $2k?  If only I had room in my ever-shrinking camera bag!

guys in the US must be laughing at us, £2000 ??????? hello!!! if i have to pay $2100 i would buy right now.

Well...don't you guys do have a 20% VAT included in that? Take that into account, add our 0-10%, and it's not that bad...

that is still £500 more than you pay isn't it? or am i bad at maths? £1=$1.5/1.6..........

I'm not laughing, I actually feel sorry for you guys. It's crazy how much more you have to pay for the same thing! :/

 what would you have to pay if someone mailed you one as a gift, from the USA?

Mixed. I have just enough complaints about the D7000 body (size, controls, usability) that I'd be hesitant to get a D600. Love some of the specs (24MP seems perfect, wireless adapter with remote control via phone seems pretty cool, 720p60), but not others (39 AF points, mostly in the center, 1/200 sync speed). I could see it as a replacement for my D7000, but I still find myself gravitating towards my D300 if I'm not shooting video.

As for the dial: The U1 and U2 functions are brilliant, and I can't for the life of me figure out why Nikon doesn't incorporate these into pro bodies -- after all, they're features a pro would be more likely to use. But a retouch button? Really? To have in-camera retouching at all seems silly, but to waste an entire button on it?

Overall, though, it seems like a camera built for it's intended market. I just don't think I'm a part of it. If Nikon would just release a D800lite (24MP), I think I'd be willing to pull out the credit card. . . .

I know what you mean! I love my D800 but I hate that it's 36mp files are all around 70MB each!! I wish it were 24mp or even 18! Then I'd buy additional D800s instead of search for an alternative with similar specs but with a smaller megapixel count! *sigh*

A miss by a mile. Lower shutter speed, lower flash sync speed (really? wtf? why?), sync jack is missing. I don't do video and don't care about it at all.

Going to get D800 later this year or early next year for portraits and landscapes.

wow, i miss the old nikon campaigns made by chase jarvis... ;-)

Too many compromises for a 2000 euros camera (Italy). It's great to have a cheap ff camera, but this is not cheap. It looks like they put a FF sensor in a crap camera.
This camera have nothing interesting to me, especially no better iso performance than some 3/4 yo models.

Nothing about the synchro FP ?