It is safe to say it is one of the most affordable full-frame cameras on the market. Yet, no matter what good the camera body is, it can be improved with the right set of lenses. And what lenses to choose for D600?

Find out in the article!

Best Prime Lens for Portraits

One of my most important criteria in choosing a prime lens is versatility. Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4G offers just that.

In terms of f-stop, it is an f/1.4 lens, making it an excellent choice for low-light situations. With this lens, I loved that it allowed me to reproduce realistic colors similar to what my bare eyes see.

Also, I must praise color consistency, no matter the lighting, so this works well indoors as it does outdoors. I took high-quality, bright, sharp, beautiful, and silky bokeh pictures.

However:

I took some photos outdoors, and I can’t help but think this lens does require a polarized lens cover, even with the lens hood. It is because of the flare that can sometimes be noticed if the lighting is too strong or direct.

With this being an affordable lens, the polarized cover isn’t too much of an investment. The construction of this Nikon lens is also fantastic since it is weather sealed, so you won’t have any trouble using it in the rain.

It is made out of metal and quality plastic, and an additional plus is that it is pretty light.

Nikon AF-S 14-24 mm f/2.8G is a fantastic venerable ultra lens for the D600 camera. This lens is my number one choice for low-light natural scenes, much of a night sky.

It allowed me to capture star trails and Milky Way. What I love about this lens is the sharpness of image corners, even at f/2.8.

With this lens, I had a lot of fun shooting night photos, and to be honest, the 14-28 mm f/2.8 is a standard for this type of photography. Color distribution and contrast are excellent, with natural-looking colors and no chromatic aberrations.

Autofocus is very fast and almost silent. I had difficulty telling if it was working, which is praise for any autofocus mechanism. In terms of manual focus, it is extraordinary as well.

The focus ring turns smoothly. That gets you to achieve the focus point you need precisely. Equally important is that the focus stays in the same place if you decide to recompose.

The materials used for this lens are rock solid, which is essential, considering it is a wide-angle lens intended to be used outdoors.

Nikon AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G is my ideal first choice for the prime lens in shooting portraits. It focuses better than the 24-27mm lenses I used before, and the images I got were very crispy.

I did a portrait shooting session outdoors with a 200-300 mm range and got terrific results. However, I noticed more minor distortions at the lower end of the zoom range, but it only happened in ultimately low-light conditions. At full zoom, the lens extends much longer than I anticipated, resulting in clear images.

Image stabilization provided f/3.5 stops of blur-free shots when I was shooting handheld. It meant dramatically sharper images and a great 4K video. This is an excellent lens with versatile zoom suited for outdoor use.

I can object to the size and weight of the lens, but other than that, I didn’t find other drawbacks.

One of my all-time favorite lenses is a telephoto Nikon 70-200mm f/4G. It provides unbelievable performance of the VR gyro and five stops of image stabilization. It is an excellent telephoto lens with edge sharpness comparable with that taken f/2.8, though it outperformed that lens at most f-stops.

Corner sharpness differs depending on the aperture you use, but you won’t even tell the difference in many cases. At f/4, there is a slight softness in the corners, but not something that can cause significant issues.

There’s a little bit of pincushion and some barrel distortion in places you would expect in terms of distortion. However, it is essential to notice this lens has far less distortion than many other zooms in the market.

I found VR helpful and productive in low-light conditions when I could not raise ISO without compromising the photo quality. It can also help to mitigate motion bluer and slower shutter speeds. The image quality is exceptional, with high contrast and color distribution.

I picked out all Nikon lenses in this list, and I did it for a good reason. Nikon AF-S 40mm f/2.8G is my perfect choice for macro photography.

It gets me a 1:1 aspect at a distance of about 6 inches. The lens does a superb job at the f/2.8 stop, though I suggest using a flash ring to avoid unwanted shadows.

This lens’s angle is 38 degrees and 50 feet, with a minimum focus distance of 0,53 feet. It is an excellent lens for the price. The images it produces are nice and sharp. It comes with quick autofocus, DX format, and a good depth of field.

I didn’t notice barrel distortions during the testing, and all of the pictures I got were crisp and clear. I mostly used it for photographing plants and insects; it consistently produced excellent results, much better than other lenses I tested in this range, even compared to different zoom lenses.

I will point out that it is a 40 mm lens to work both as a macro lens and a lens for general photography.

However, notice it is a 40 mm lens, so sometimes you will have to get closer to your object than you want to. But it is a small price to pay for such a good and affordable lens.

Maximizing Your Nikon D600’s Potential: Practical Advice for Beginners

The Nikon D600 is a formidable tool in your photography arsenal, but like any instrument, its performance hinges on how you use it. Here are practical tips to get the most out of your Nikon D600:

• Understand Lens Specifications: Before choosing a lens, familiarize yourself with terms like aperture, focal length, and image stabilization. An aperture like f/2.8 allows more light, which is great for low-light situations. Focal length affects the field of view; wider angles (smaller numbers) capture more of the scene, while higher numbers bring distant subjects closer.

• Experiment with Prime Lenses: While zoom lenses offer versatility, prime lenses (fixed focal length) often provide superior sharpness and lower light capabilities. Don’t shy away from using them to see the difference in image quality.

• Leverage Built-in Features: The D600 comes with 39 autofocus points. Make sure to use them by selecting the appropriate focus mode (single-point, dynamic-area, or auto-area AF) based on your subject and scene.

• Invest in Quality Filters: UV filters can protect your lens, whereas polarizing filters can enhance sky contrast and reduce reflections. ND filters allow for longer exposures in bright light, opening up creative possibilities.

• Regularly Update Firmware: Keep your camera’s firmware up-to-date to ensure it operates efficiently and with the latest improvements and bug fixes.

• Attend to Maintenance: Regularly clean your camera sensor and lenses. Dust and smudges can significantly affect your image quality.

• Study the Manual: The Nikon D600’s manual is a treasure trove of insights. It can teach you tricks specific to your camera that you might not discover on your own.

• Practice with Different Settings: Don’t rely solely on the auto mode. Practice shooting in manual or semi-manual modes (aperture priority or shutter priority) to gain more control over the final image.

• Explore the ISO Range: The D600 has a native ISO range of 100-6400. Test out the full ISO range to understand its impact on image noise and quality.

• Shoot in RAW: To maximize post-processing flexibility, shoot in RAW. This file format captures all image data recorded by the sensor, allowing you to make more adjustments later.

By implementing these tips, you’ll be on your way to capturing stunning images that fully utilize the capabilities of your Nikon D600. Remember, the best way to improve is to practice regularly and critically evaluate your work. Happy shooting!

Best lenses for Nikon D600 – Verdict

There it goes, my list of the five best lenses for the Nikon D600. I love this camera, and as a manufacturer, Nikon produced the best lenses for the particular model.

So it is the main reason all five tested lenses belong to Nikon. I’m sure you will have lots of fun shooting with them, and always feel free to share your photos!

MReadsimilar guides, such as the Nikon D850 lenses and lenses for the Nikon D500 tutorial.

If this guide helped you make the right decision feel free to share it with your friends.

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