We haven't had long with the D600 but it's hard not to be impressed. There are two ways of looking at the new model as it sits within Nikon's current lineup - as a beefed-up D7000, or as a slimmed-down D800. Both are equally valid. The D600 offers a highly compelling entry into full-frame for D7000 owners (not to mention D300/S owners...) but it also offers an awful lot of DNA from the D800 at a considerably lower price, making it attractive to people who were holding out for a D800 price-drop or just want a cheaper FX-format second body alongside a D800 or D4.
Nikon should be commended for not skimping on features in order to keep the D600's costs down or protect sales of more expensive models. We've seen all of this spec before, but the cameras we've seen it in have been impressive products. The D600 might have 12 fewer AF points than the D800, but it offers the same AF system as the D7000, which we know performs really well. Its sensor has 12 million fewer pixels than the D800, but it still beats or rivals anything else out there in terms of pixel count, and we have no reason to expect image quality to be a weak point.
As far as handling is concerned, the D600 is extremely similar to the D7000, with the addition of a redesigned live view switch. As such, anyone used to shooting with that model (or a D800, and to a lesser extent the D4) will find everything pretty easy to find. The D600 is a bigger camera than the D7000, but not by much. Compared to the D800, the D600 is noticeably lighter, which will make a difference during a long day's shooting. In theory, the D600 will stand up to the same sort of abuse from wind and weather as the D800, too.
