Entry level + full-frame = Nikon D600. Let's see what it's got.

• 24.3 megapixel FX full-frame CMOS sensor
• 5.5 frames per second continuous shooting
• ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 25,600)
• 3.2" TFT LCD
• Dual SD card slots

Full-frame? What does that mean, you ask? Simply put, a full-frame sensor is the same size as a 35 mm (36×24 mm) film negative. A larger sensor means larger images with greater resolution, even when blown up to large print sizes.

Before we go any further, we'd like to give a big thanks to Chipworks for helping us with the teardown, and for providing the awesome sensor images you'll see below.

Before we take a look inside the D600, let's take a look at its port side, aptly located on the port side of the camera.

• Headphone jack
• Stereo microphone Input
• Hi-speed USB
• HDMI output: Type C mini-pin HDMI connector
• GP-1 GPS unit input

Starboard, ho! Unlike the D800 and the D4, which feature CompactFlash and XQD card slots, respectively, the D600 sports dual SD card slots.

• Even though SD cards are not as fast as CompactFlash or XQD modules, they are significantly smaller and lighter, allowing Nikon's engineers to keep the D600's exterior dimensions in check.

Oooh là là! The exposure mode selection dial atop the D600 has a lock button in its center. Say 'so long' to accidental dial turns!

If you're used to wielding a Nikon D7000, holding a D600 may start to feel like déjà vu. Let's compare the two and see how similar they really are.

Even without the different exterior markings, distinguishing the D600 from the D7000 is pretty easy once the body cap is removed, exposing the comparatively gigantic viewfinder mirror.

A shot of the camera controls reveals very similar button counts, button locations, and button functions.

The D600 seems to have a slight size advantage, but how slight is "slight?"

Check out this shot of what appears to be the D7000 by itself. Look closer, though, and you will notice that the D600 hides quite nicely behind the similarly sized D7000. Apparently "slight" really is slight!

Do not get the two cameras confused, though. They may look simlar on the outside, but the full-frame sensor in the D600 will certainly raise the bar as far as photo quality goes.

"Safety first!" That's our motto!

Before we pull this bad boy apart, we remove the battery and battery cover from the device.

Yay! Instructional pictures! In true Ikea fashion, Nikon includes a helpful battery installation graphic.

Nikon claims that the 7.0V-1900mAh-14Wh Lithium-ion battery can take 900 shots per charge, an understandable downgrade from the 1,050 of the D7000, most likely due to the improved internals.

It seems that Nikon likes to wait a while to design new batteries. When the D90 debuted in 2008, it used the same battery as its predecessor, the D80. Likewise, the D600 uses the same battery as the D7000.

Our teardown experts are getting antsy; they want to open this puppy up!

There are multiple hidden screws throughout the body of the D600.

Off come the viewfinder eye cup and battery grip cover, and we're ready to get inside.

Several Phillips screws hold the bottom cover in place.

Poof! Like magic, the screws are released and we gain our first glimpse of the D600's insides.

The only goodie on the underside of the bottom case is the battery release mechanism. If—for whatever reason—yours fails, it can be replaced pretty easily.