Is the Nikon D600 Still Worth It in 2026? Why Cheap Gear Still Takes Great Photos

Short answer: Yes. The Nikon D600 from 2012 has a 24.3 megapixel full frame sensor that scored 94 points at DXOMARK, and today it sells used for around 200 to 350 dollars. Paired with an affordable 70 to 300mm zoom, it's still one of the best budget full frame cameras you can buy. Light, timing and patience matter far more than new gear.

I still use a D600. That's probably enough to tell you where I stand. It's from 2012, and most of the time there's a 70 to 300mm zoom on it that you can find second hand for not much money at all. After years with this kit I'm fairly convinced the camera is rarely what stands between someone and a good photo, whatever the camera ads and review channels say.

The D600, a camera with a bad reputation

The Nikon D600 got a bad reputation for oil spots on its sensor, but its image quality was among the best of its time and still holds up today.

The Nikon D600 came out in September 2012 at 2,099 dollars for the body, with a 24.3 megapixel full frame sensor, 5.5 frames per second and a weight of about 760 grams. Used, it now goes for roughly 200 to 350 dollars at MPB. It's also the camera that became known for collecting oil and dust spots on the sensor, which is a big part of why Nikon replaced it with the D610 only a year later.

What gets forgotten in that story is the sensor itself. When DXOMARK tested it, it scored 94 points and 14.2 stops of dynamic range, which at the time put it third among all the cameras they had measured, ahead of the Nikon D3X and the Canon 5D Mark II, both of which cost a lot more. A sensor doesn't get worse with age, so those numbers still hold today.

The 70 to 300mm zoom

A cheap Nikon 70 to 300mm VR zoom is enough for detailed wildlife and architecture shots, because what it really gives you is distance.

The lens is a Nikon 70 to 300mm VR from 2008, a consumer zoom that Photography Life still describes as a surprisingly good consumer lens for the price, and an excellent one in terms of performance, value and weight. It gets a bit soft at 300mm and the autofocus can be slow when the light drops, but what it gives you is distance, the chance to stand back, not be noticed and pull a detail out of a bigger scene.

Parrot is a good example, a red, blue and yellow parrot looking out of a dark nest hole. With a short lens I would have had to get so close that the bird would most likely have gone back inside, while with the zoom I could keep my distance and wait for it to look out.

The same goes for Vintage Wheel, a close up of the old steel structure of the Wiener Riesenrad. Most photos of that Ferris wheel show the whole thing from roughly the same spot, and a long lens let me skip that view and go for the rivets, beams and mechanics instead. A newer body with more megapixels would have given me the same picture, just as a bigger file.

And Nightline, a tram between houses under a tangle of power lines in golden sunset light, came together because of the light and because a tram happened to come through at the right moment.

Buying less, shooting more

New gear rarely makes better photos: seeing, light and timing matter more than the camera.

Photographer Chase Jarvis built a whole book around this in 2009, The Best Camera Is the One That's With You, shot on an early iPhone, and his point was that seeing is the actual skill, whatever you happen to be holding. Photographers even have a name for the opposite habit, gear acquisition syndrome or GAS, and both Fstoppers and Digital Photo Mentor have good pieces on that urge to keep buying, and why it so rarely improves the photos.

If you're starting out in 2026, my advice would be to buy a good used full frame body like the D600 or D610, add a decent zoom, and spend the rest on getting to places and learning how light changes over a day. I'd only upgrade once the camera actually stops you from getting a shot you want.

All the photos in the CozyPhoto4u webshop are taken with a real camera in places I've been, and none of them needed the newest gear. If you're shooting with old equipment too, I'd be curious what you use.

Last updated: October 2026

Read next: How to Tell If a Photo Is AI: 7 Signs With Real Examples and Modern Vienna Architecture: The Buildings Most Tourists Skip.

About the author

Soma is the photographer behind CozyPhoto4u, capturing Vienna architecture, city nights and nature with a real camera. Every photo in the shop is Soma's own work, never AI generated, and available as a canvas or framed print.

Frequently asked questions

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Is the Nikon D600 still a good camera?

For photos, yes. Its 24.3 megapixel full frame sensor still produces excellent images, and used bodies are cheap. The limits are elsewhere: autofocus is slower than on modern cameras, video is basic, and early units were known for oil spots on the sensor, so ask the seller whether the sensor was cleaned or the shutter replaced.

Is the Nikon D600 a professional camera?

Not officially. Nikon launched it as its most affordable full frame camera for enthusiasts, below pro bodies like the D800 and D4. The image quality is professional level, though, and many working photographers used it as a second body.

Are DSLRs still worth it in 2026?

Used ones are, if you mostly photograph still subjects like landscapes, cities and architecture. Nikon and Canon now focus on mirrorless cameras, which keeps used DSLR bodies and lenses cheap. If you shoot fast action, need eye detection autofocus or care about video, a mirrorless camera is the better choice.

Which Nikon camera is the best to buy in 2026?

It depends on your budget. On a tight budget, a used D600, D610 or D750 gives you full frame quality for little money. If you want a new camera, the Z5 II is Nikon's affordable full frame mirrorless option, the Z50 II is a smaller APS-C body, and the Z6III or Zf suit people who want more speed or a retro design. Older F mount lenses also work on Z cameras with Nikon's FTZ adapter.