Nikon camera for concerts?

I'm looking for a nikon with a few features but I'm not sure which one is the best.

* shoots in RAW
* great for concerts (I have a press badge ok so no worries about that)
* I would prefer one that is 16 pixels or higher.

Also i'm kinda looking for one thats no more than 600 bucks. I know thats a lot to ask for but its kinda what I want. I like the p520 but it doesn't shoot in RAW are there any nikons similar to the P520 that shoot in RAW and are in my budget?

DISCLAIMER: I HAVE A PRESS PASS/BADGE This isn't for pleasure or fun its for a site. And I picked nikon because thats a personal preference.

Personally id use a fujifilm finepix, they are brilliant for this thing, just research 'fujifilm finepix' there are obviously lots of different sorts, but they all work brilliantly

Virtually any Nikon DSLR that isn't from the early 2000s will shoot in RAW. How great the camera is for concerts will depend more on the lens and the lighting of the concert than the camera, although getting one that performs well at high ISO settings would be desirable. Any digital camera currently on the market offers resolution of more than 16 pixels. I'll assume you actually mean megapixels, in which case, the only cameras that fit your budget and requirements in Nikon's current DSLR line are:

D5100 (16 megapixels)
D3200 (24 megapixels)

The D5100 is definitely a better choice for concert photography. Unfortunately, if you spend all your money on it, you will be left without a lens that is capable of taking decent photos at a badly-lit concert, even if you max out your camera's ISO. The D5100 isn't considered particularly great for low-light photography, but it's the best you'll get for $600.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend the D3200 for this. 24 megapixels sounds really awesome, because that's what it's supposed to do: sound really awesome and attract uneducated customers. Unfortunately, packing that many pixels onto a crop-frame sensor like the one in the D3200 makes the lowlight performance suffer.

I don't know how good of a setup you can expect to buy with that kind of a budget. The lens you use will likely end up costing more than the camera anyway.

See if you can get whoever you're shooting for to pay for some of your gear, and look at a D7000 or D7100. Both of those cameras are in a higher bracket and will do MUCH better in low light.

For a RAW format camera the budget is really low.
For concerts the light is really not optimum, so you will need a good wide lens 1:2 or.1:4
But of course those things are out of your budget.
To stay in your budget i will check craigslist for used equipment.
Another option of mine will be Canon G15-i know you are a nikon guy, but i give you my honest opinion being a canon user for 10 years. And it shoots RAW also along with a improved low light performance lens
Hope this help

I would not suggest a DSLR, because your budget allows only for an entry level body. You could barely add a memory card and spare body - let alone a lens.

For your budget and considering that you will be able to get fairly close, I'd suggest you look at the Nikon P7700.It does shoot RAW. It has "VR," or vibration reduction. It has a better (larger) sensor than the P520.It has a much faster lens. It's "only" 12MP, but that should be adequate.

Buy an extra battery and buy 2-3 memory cards, 8-16 GB each. You might end up shooting video for a song or two.

If you want a DSLR for concert work, the cheapest DECENT body would be the D7000 and you could use a 17-55 f/2.8 lens plus a 70-200 f/4.0 lens. This rig is about $3, 000 over your budget, though.