I just got my hands on a spanking new Nikon D600, the new full frame camera that’s been making headlines this past month. As many of you know, Nikon recently introduced a low cost full frame camera to the market that has most of the features that the big boys require. It was widely expected that the camera would be priced under $2,000 but just missed the mark by two hundred. For four days it was the lightest full frame DSLR in the world, but that title was rapidely taken away by Canon’s own version of a low budget full frame camera the 6D.

Now that the D600 has been released many a calling it one of the best cameras available for the professionals and enthusiasts alike. Having it in my hands proves this theory as being half right. The D600 looks a lot like a D7000 at first glance. The differences are barely noticeable but once you put them side by side you can actually see it. The D600 does indeed look as if it was inspired by the D7000 as it is built much like it material wise and has some of the hardware features that most users love about the best DX camera on the market.

The top double dial, light weight yet sturdy magnesium build, user mode 1 and 2, double sd card slots all of these are here. They addressed some of the problems that users were complaining about, mainly putting a lock on the top dial to prevent it from changing in rough situations. We also have a slightly larger screen, a better view finderand some button layout changes. We slso get some scene options which suggests that this camera is still directed for a beginner market even if its features compete with the best. When you put a D600 side by side with a D300 and a D7000 you will find out that if put in to words, the D600 looks like a lot like the son of these two powerhose DX cameras.

I feel that the D600 may not appeal to the pro consumers as their go to camera but it could work as a pretty good backup. For people who are looking to get in to the full frame market, the D600 is a pretty good camera which isn’t as bulky as most pro FX are and may be a friendlier way for them to get in to this world. If you are looking for results though, the D600 is as good as it gets, competing with the prizier cameras in every benchmark. Smart buying will lead you to buy a D600 instead of a D800 or a D4, it does just the same, in a lighter more afordable way.