SLRs with full-frame sensors (24 x 36 mm) are becoming increasingly accessible and increasingly affordable. Indeed, the Nikon D600 is priced under the £2,000 mark.

Full-frame sensor (24 x 36 mm); image quality; depth of field; etc; Large; comfortable 100% viewfinder; Advanced controls; loads of customisable features; Reassuringly sturdy build; Two SD card slots

Grip handle could be bigger given the camera's weight; Dense menus; complicated for novice users; Video mode can be tricky to use (manual focusing; external mic advisable

Nikon has been rather busy over the past year, having already released the D4 and D800 in quick succession. But the company isn't taking a break just yet. The Nikon D600 aims to fill the gap between the hugely capable and professional Nikon D800 and the enthusiast-level Nikon D7000 .

Compact and light; Outstanding sensor performance; User-friendly

Autofocus sensor positioning; No aperture adjustment in video mode; Pricey; Fixed LCD screen

The D600 may sit within Nikon's 'consumer' dSLR line-up, but don't expect to bag one for a few hundred pounds -- not for a few years, anyway, and even then not brand new.

Price; Resolution; Image quality; Movie performance; Build quality

Occasional minor chromatic aberration with kit lens; Heavy when fitted with lens

Nikon's new full-frame DSLR strikes a near perfect balance between size, handling, performance and image quality.

Excellent image quality; Competitively priced for a full-frame DSLR; Excellent handling

AF points too centralised

Full-frame SLRs used to be out of reach for most amateur photographers, but that's beginning to change. The Canon EOS 6D and Nikon D600 both use full-frame sensors housed in more consumer-orientated bodies.

Buy this camera if: - You want images with a wide dynamic range. - You want relatively noise-free high ISO settings. - You're prepared to shoot and edit both JPEG and NEF.RAW images. - You need a DSLR that can produce broadcast quality video. - You have a suite of high-quality Nikkor lenses.

You want images with a wide dynamic range; You want relatively noise-free high ISO settings; You're prepared to shoot and edit both JPEG and NEF.RAW images; You need a DSLR that can produce broadcast quality video; You have a suite of high-quality Nikkor lenses; You're upgrading from a consumer

You require a tough, weather-resistant camera body, You need high continuous shooting speeds; Don't buy this camera if, You require a tough, weather-resistant camera body, You need high continuous shooting speeds

The Nikon D600 sits comfortably below the Nikon D800 in the company's line-up, although it's put here by some very obviously engineered limitations in ISO performance and autofocus.

Excellent image quality; Near-perfect compromise between ease of use and functionality; Impressively low price tag

Inferior in some ways to Canon's competing 6D; Some artificial impediments versus the D800; Minor design niggles

Nikon and Canon have recently squared off against each other in a new segment of the digital SLR camera market that they've carved out, both bringing out their cheapest, smallest, lightest, simplest full-frame DSLRs.

Excellent image quality; Near-perfect compromise between ease of use and functionality; Impressively low price tag

Inferior in some ways to Canon's competing 6D; Some artificial impediments versus the D800; Minor design niggles

With this 24 megapixel DSLR Nikon lowers the price of entry into the full frame DSLR category. With the same processing engine as the D800/D4 cameras and the same ability to record uncompressed video you get a lot of camera for the money.

Earlier this year, we fell in love with the Nikon D800 . How could you not? It's a 36.6-megapixel hulk of a professional camera. But not everyone has $3500 to spend on a camera. The Nikon D600 sounds like an ideal compromise: the camera you can still afford with many of the professional specs you...