Gary Goldberg checks out the Nikon D600 + kit lens

I recently got the chance to take out the Nikon D600 with the AF-S 24-85mm VR II kit lens and thought I’d give my casual first-impressions.

First off I’m a Nikon D7000 owner and, with the D600, I felt like I was using the exact same camera. It does feel just slightly bigger, which is actually better for me, so it’s a great fit. So, for D7000 fans, not only will the D600 feel just like what you’re used to – you also get the added bonus of the D600’s fantastic new full-frame viewfinder.

So what about the kit lens?  I have to say that this lens blew my mind – for real.  I shot it wide open. I shot it at F8, which is normally the sweet spot on a good zoom lens. And I shot it with VR enabled. This lens is sharp-as-a-tack. The edge sharpness is fantastic and, for the price, it just can’t be beat.

Here are a few of the sample shots taken with the D600 and the AF-S 24-85mm VR II kit lens:

Full-frame at F8


100% crop of the image above, at F-8


The same 2 images shot wide-open at F-3.5