Nikon B600 Review

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B600 Overview
Specifications
Prices

Basic Specifications
Full model name:	Nikon Coolpix B600
Resolution:	16.10 Megapixels
Sensor size:	1/2.3 inch (6.2mm x 4.6mm)
Lens:	60.00x zoom (24-1,440mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	No / LCD
Native ISO:	125 - 6400
Extended ISO:	125 - 6400
Shutter:	1/1600 - 1 sec
Max Aperture:	3.3
Dimensions:	4.8 x 3.2 x 3.9 in. (122 x 82 x 99 mm)
Weight:	17.6 oz (500 g) includes batteries
Availability:	03/2019
Manufacturer:	Nikon
Full specs:	Nikon B600 specifications

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Nikon B600 (Black)

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16.10 Megapixels	60.00x zoom	1/2.3 inch size sensor

Nikon B600 Preview

by Zig Weidelich
Posted: 02/27/2019

The Nikon Coolpix B600 is like a cross between two of its recent superzoom siblings, borrowing the longer lens from the B700 but packaging it in a smaller, less expensive body with no EVF like the B500, while being priced somewhere in between.

Like its big brother, the B700, the Coolpix B600 features a 60x zoom lens instead of the 40x zoom on the B500. The fixed 4.3-258mm zoom lens provides a 35mm-equivalent field of view of 24-1440mm, a max aperture range of f/3.3-6.5, and its construction consists of 16 elements in 11 groups, with four ED lens elements and one super ED element. And for macro fans, the lens can focus as close as 1cm (0.4 in.) at wide angle in Macro mode. The B600 also includes lens-shift Vibration Reduction (optical image stabilization) that is rated for 3.0 stops of correction for both stills and video capture (4-axis Hybrid lens-shift plus electronic VR is available when recording videos). The B600 also offers up to 4x digital zoom, as well as 2x Dynamic Fine Zoom which helps preserve fine detail better than traditional digital zoom.

Unlike the B700 but like the B500, this lens is paired with a 16-megapixel 1/2.3" BSI CMOS sensor in the B600, instead of a 20.2-megapixel sensor used by its bigger sibling. But don't fret, the difference in usable resolution between 20 and 16 megapixels is likely very minor, and the larger pixels in the B600's sensor should perform slightly better in low light. We'll have to see once we test it in the lab.

Like the B500, the Nikon B600 does not include an eye-level electronic viewfinder. However its 3-inch TFT LCD monitor is now fixed, while the B500's could tilt. The screen's resolution remains the same, at about 921K-dots. Frame coverage is specified at 99% for both capture and playback modes. The back of the camera appears very similar to the B500 except of course without the tilting LCD. Control layout is similar as well, but the B600 doesn't appear to have the flash charge LED above the LCD that the B500 did.

Like the B500, the Nikon B600's ISO sensitivity ranges from 125-1600 in all modes, although ISOs 3200 and 6400 are available exclusively in Auto mode. Also like the B500, the B600 does not offer Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual exposure modes. Instead, it relies on newbie-friendly auto exposure with up to +/- 2EV of exposure compensation, plus 19 scene modes such as: Smart Portrait, Backlighting, Beach, Bird Watching, Close-up, Dusk/Dawn, Easy Panorama, Fireworks Show, Food, Landscape, Moon, Multiple Exposure Lighten, Night Landscape, Night Portrait, Party/Indoor, Pet Portrait, Snow, Sports and Sunset. RAW capture is not supported.

The B600 also features a built-in flash, but no hot shoe. When using Auto ISO, the Nikon B600's built-in flash has a range of up to 22 feet (6.8 meters) at wide angle, and 11 feet (3.5 meters) at full telephoto.

Again, like the B500, the B600 can record Full HD (1920 x 1080) video at up to 30p or 60i and 720p and VGA video at 30 fps, with stereo sound. High speed video can be recorded at up to 120 fps, but the resolution is 640 x 480.

The fastest available shutter speed when using the Coolpix B600 in most shooting modes is 1/1600s, although 1/4000s is available when using the continuous high-speed shooting mode. The slowest available shutter speed during normal shooting is one second, but up to 25 seconds is possible when using the Star Trails option in the Multiple Exposure Lighten scene mode.

When shooting in Continuous High mode, Nikon claims that the B600 will be able to capture 7 full-resolution images at up to 7.7 fps. There are Continuous H 60 and Continuous H 120 modes that shoot at 60 and 120 fps respectively, but at unspecified lower resolutions. The B600 also offers a pre-shooting cache mode which will save images from just before you press the shutter, though we don't have details such as the number of images yet.

Like the B500, the B600 includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity that makes sharing easy when using the Nikon SnapBridge app and a compatible mobile device. Photographers can also geotag images as well as operate the B600 remotely using the SnapBridge app. Support for Nikon's ML-L7 Bluetooth Remote Control is also provided, however unlike the B500, the B600 does not include NFC (Near Field Communication) support.

Wired connectivity includes USB 2.0 High Speed data and Type-D Micro HDMI for high-def video. Images and movies are stored on SD, SDHC, or SDXC memory cards, and the B600 includes 83MB of internal flash memory available for storage.

Unlike the B500 which used four AA batteries for power, the B600 now uses a Nikon EN-EL12 lithium-ion battery pack, which can be recharged in-camera via the USB port. CIPA battery life is rated at 280 shots per charge.

Nikon B600 price and availability

The Nikon Coolpix B600 will be available from March 2019 in the U.S. for a suggested retail price of about US$330, which is roughly a $30 premium over the B500. And unlike the B500 which was available in black or red, the B600 comes in black only.