Body Elements

The D600's viewfinder offers 100% coverage and 0.7x magnification, offering the same viewing experience as the considerably more expensive D800 and D4. Viewfinder accessories for those cameras won't fit though - the D600's finder is framed with a rectangular eyecup, like the D7000 and D300S.

There's a diopter adjustment wheel at upper-right for wearers of glasses.
The D600 has a built-in flash which is released using this mechanical button. The flash has a guide number of 12 meters at ISO 100 and it can also act as a wireless 'commander' for up to two groups of Nikon Speedlight flashguns.

The 'BKT' button sets exposure bracketing. You can shoot up to 3 frames covering +/-6EV.
The D600 has a video capture mode, and just like the D800, it offers a direct movie shooting button for quick and easy movie capture once you're in video live view mode.
The D600's exposure mode dial gives access to the camera's exposure modes, including PSAM, Auto, and two programmable 'User' positions for quick switching between sets of shooting parameters. At the base of this dial is the drive mode dial, where you'll find the continuous and quiet release modes, self-timer and mirror lock-up.

Both dials have locks to prevent accidental rotation.
The D600 inherits Nikon's simpler 'new style' combined AF/MF switch and AF mode control. This switch has two positions - MF and AF, with AF mode and AF Area mode options selected by pressing in the button at its hub and rotating the D600's control dials.
The two buttons on the front of the camera (The lower one shown here) can be assigned a wide range of different duties, including depth-of-field preview and engaging an on-screen/in-viewfinder electronic horizon.

Unlike the D800, these buttons cannot be used to control aperture during video shooting. If you're shooting with the D600, you must set the aperture prior to commencing recording.
Easy to miss, this tiny screw is the business end of an in-camera AF motor which drives the autofocus in non-AF-S lenses. This makes the D600 significantly more compatible with Nikon and third-party legacy optics than DSLRs further down Nikon's lineup.
The D600's live view control is exactly the same as it is on the D800, and comprises a live view activation button with a collar-type switch to move between still and movie live view modes. In movie mode the view on the LCD is cropped to preview the field of view captured during video shooting.
The D600 has two IR windows, one on the front of the camera (shown here) and one on the rear, which allow it to be triggered by Nikon's inexpensive ML-L3 wireless trigger.
On the side of the camera you'll find its various sockets. A USB 2.0 socket shares space with an HDMI out socket, a microphone socket, and a headphone jack for monitoring audio in movie mode.

In a small but welcome change compared to earlier Nikon DSLRs, the rubber door that covers these ports is hinged, and will stay open until closed.
The D600 has twin memory card bays accommodating two SD cards, with provision for simultaneous recording, as well as options for overflow or separate JPEG/Raw or still/video storage.