My Story on the Nikon D610 is it a keeper? Find out

[vipgraphx]

This is my story on the nikon D610.

D610 is an good camera to own. However it lacks in certain areas that to me coming from a D700 feels almost like a step down other than more pixels. I was very very happy with the D700 and looked forward to using the D610. I like to shoot HDR and it is important for me to have 7-9 bracketed shots. I was really disappointed that the D610 only had 3 auto brackets. WHY?? This is a entry level semi pro FF camera as in my opinion so was the D700 compared to Nikons flag Ship D3 family. Another quibble I had was that the max shutter speed was 1/4000 instead of 1/8000. Most of the time I would not use it at this setting but when you need to its there. Once again another downgrade from the older D700. 39 point focus clumped together in the center of the frame, why could they not have made it a 51 point like the D7100 and D700? Another downgrade from the D700 FF camera.

To me these are things that bugged me. I know that there are things better in the D610 vs D700 but .2" bigger screen…big deal..Movies ok yeah thats good! lower noise so they say on paper but, honestly comparing shots from my D700 vs the D610 it was in my opinion that the D700 was just as good if not a little better. More storage slots ehhh not a big deal to someone like me. The D610 does have better dynamic range and maybe thats why they left out the 5,7 and9 brackets but the advantage of shooting that many brackets at one time especially in low light environments was second to none. If you are pulling out data from one single image than yes the D610 would be a better choice but, once again the D700 never ever suffered in that area for me.

It depends on what you shoot that would make this D610 a better option of the two. I think that coming from a D700 the better choice and better transition would be the D800/e

On another note Looking at the D7100 vs the D610 really the D7100 would be a better comparison as they are almost identical cameras other than FF vs Crop. But IQ is just about the same from my testings….one is not better than the other from my findings even low light performance or high ISO..So why not save money and get the D7100 with a more advanced focus system, wifi, faster shutter speed of 1/8000 vs 1/4000..Its a more up to date camera.

I decided to not keep the D610 for the reasons above. I would rather spend more and get the D800 with way more options or the A7/a7r by sony that offers more features as well. Since I have already tested the A7 I feel that despite the battery issue and shortage of lenses it may be the way to go for me. With the available adapters you can use just about any lens...

In no way am I saying the D610 is a horrible camera in fact it is a GREAT camera BUT, coming from a D700 it was just not quite there for me. If you are stepping into FF from Crop then this could be your dream come true.

Thanks for viewing my rant :thumbup:

 

[jaomul]

Interesting point of view. I always thought the d700 was great (never owned one though). Your reasons are all valid to you so you made the right choice

 

[CaptainNapalm]

The D610 was strategically designed to keep the other Nikon cameras in the lineup alive. If you got all you were looking for in the D600/D610, such as 51 point focus system (or focus points not cluttered on center), 1/8000 max shutter speed, more bracketing shots, etc. then the sales of the D800/D800E would substantially suffer. Nikon achieved what they wanted to achieve with the D610 even in your case, they have you ditching out more money for the D800. It's unfortunately the sad truth. As for me, I quite like what my D600 offers and to me paying the extra $1000+ for upgrade to the D800 would be pointless. I am glad I got to save 1K or more to not have the option of the extras that otherwise would make the D600 more expensive.

 

[robbins.photo]

This is my story on the nikon D610.

Ok, immediately marking off points for not using "Once upon a time". Seriously? Sheesh.

D610 is an good camera to own. However it lacks in certain areas that to me coming from a D700 feels almost like a step down other than more pixels. I was very very happy with the D700 and looked forward to using the D610. I like to shoot HDR and it is important for me to have 7-9 bracketed shots. I was really disappointed that the D610 only had 3 auto brackets. WHY?? This is a entry level semi pro FF camera as in my opinion so was the D700 compared to Nikons flag Ship D3 family. Another quibble I had was that the max shutter speed was 1/4000 instead of 1/8000. Most of the time I would not use it at this setting but when you need to its there. Once again another downgrade from the older D700. 39 point focus clumped together in the center of the frame, why could they not have made it a 51 point like the D7100 and D700? Another downgrade from the D700 FF camera.

I wonder if maybe some of these choices were made to keep it cheap enough that they could sell it at a certain price point. That would be my guess at any rate.

To me these are things that bugged me. I know that there are things better in the D610 vs D700 but .2" bigger screen…big deal..Movies ok yeah thats good! lower noise so they say on paper but, honestly comparing shots from my D700 vs the D610 it was in my opinion that the D700 was just as good if not a little better. More storage slots ehhh not a big deal to someone like me. The D610 does have better dynamic range and maybe thats why they left out the 5,7 and9 brackets but the advantage of shooting that many brackets at one time especially in low light environments was second to none. If you are pulling out data from one single image than yes the D610 would be a better choice but, once again the D700 never ever suffered in that area for me.

Or maybe they figured anyone shooting that many brackets would most likely be doing it manually anyway? Again can't really speak to that for certain, I don't use HDR myself.

 

[runnah]

D610 was designed with certain compromises to meet a price point. It's billed as an entry level full frame camera. The things you mentioned are what one would expect from such a camera. At the end of the day it's still a very good camera and would meet a vast majority of users expectations. It's all about realistic expectations.


And needing 7 bracketed exposures is a bit overkill for HDR IMO.

 

[JacaRanda]

And you did what we all should do IMO. Try it out (if you can), weigh things out, compare, touch it, smell it, play with it, and make a personal choice. Easy Peasy.

 

[vipgraphx]

The D610 was strategically designed to keep the other Nikon cameras in the lineup alive. If you got all you were looking for in the D600/D610, such as 51 point focus system (or focus points not cluttered on center), 1/8000 max shutter speed, more bracketing shots, etc. then the sales of the D800/D800E would substantially suffer. Nikon achieved what they wanted to achieve with the D610 even in your case, they have you ditching out more money for the D800. It's unfortunately the sad truth. As for me, I quite like what my D600 offers and to me paying the extra $1000+ for upgrade to the D800 would be pointless. I am glad I got to save 1K or more to not have the option of the extras that otherwise would make the D600 more expensive.

You have an interesting point however in my thoughts when he D700 was new the D3 was out which made the D700 nikons entry level FF camera which included those features..Maybe I am mistaken and the D700 was never an entry level FF but more a PRO FF camera in which case would say it all and to your point you would be correct.

D610 was designed with certain compromises to meet a price point. It's billed as an entry level full frame camera. The things you mentioned are what one would expect from such a camera. At the end of the day it's still a very good camera and would meet a vast majority of users expectations. It's all about realistic expectations.


And needing 7 bracketed exposures is a bit overkill for HDR IMO.

Yes the D610 is a great camera and I do agree would meet many user expectations.

Have you ever tried shooting 3 bracketed shots in the low light and processed them? it creates a lot of noise and film grain. You need to have more exposures to get a much cleaner outcome.

Example..

In order to not have blown out lights (on the wall) and window lighting it was a must to have more exposures. Then it was needed to mask in those original exposures back into the HDR file to correct the lighting. If I only did three I would not have been able to produce a shot like this…this was 9 exposures..


St_Phillips_Church by VIPGraphX, on Flickr

Here is another example…look at the stain glass windows. ITs very hard to pull out detail with only three exposures, usually a window like this would be blown out. This
is 7 exposures


St. Augustine cropped by VIPGraphX, on Flickr

 

[CaptainNapalm]

Things are a bit different now than they were when the D700 was released almost 6 years ago. Also, I see the D700 being replaced by the D800, not the D610, afterall the D700 was priced at around $2,999 when it was released which is on par with the D800 price point, not the D600/610.

 

[vipgraphx]

This is my story on the nikon D610.

Or maybe they figured anyone shooting that many brackets would most likely be doing it manually anyway? Again can't really speak to that for certain, I don't use HDR myself.

not really because it is offered in the D700 and D800 and I believe D3 family.

Its not a problem doing it manually but when you do not have to it makes it so much easier. I set the camera to what ever I need and then set it up and it clicks away automatically so I don't have to touch the camera. sometimes adjusting manually will change focus spot or make it not align as well. Not all the time but the less you have to touch the camera the better.

 

[vipgraphx]

Things are a bit different now than they were when the D700 was released almost 6 years ago. Also, I see the D700 being replaced by the D800, not the D610, afterall the D700 was priced at around $2,999 when it was released which is on par with the D800 price point, not the D600/610.

Yes that is what I am thinking as well. Thus why I said "I think that coming from a D700 the better choice and better transition would be the D800/e"

 

[Derrel]

So, you're comparing a $2,999 camera from five years ago with a $1,999 camera from last year...in other words, you expected a three thousand dollar camera for two thousand dollars? ;-) I mean, because for three grand today, you get what is arguably the finest d-slr on the market in the D800.

 

[vipgraphx]

So, you're comparing a $2,999 camera from five years ago with a $1,999 camera from last year...in other words, you expected a three thousand dollar camera for two thousand dollars? ;-) I mean, because for three grand today, you get what is arguably the finest d-slr on the market in the D800.

That's what I was hoping for 😆

But after using it and thinking about it I realized that the d610 was more of an entry level camera where the d700 was not so much and entry level ff and more of a pro grade camera.

Wishfull thinking 😎

 

[goodguy]

I think what we have here is high expectations from a camera that was never meant or designed to what you were expecting it to be.

The D610 is the best camera to date (in my eyes) in the segment it was designed to capture.
Expecting it to be something its not is a perfect recipe for disappointment.

I wish you luck with what ever camera you are going to buy but do your homework well so you will know this time what you are getting!

 

[Derrel]

So, you're comparing a $2,999 camera from five years ago with a $1,999 camera from last year...in other words, you expected a three thousand dollar camera for two thousand dollars? ;-) I mean, because for three grand today, you get what is arguably the finest d-slr on the market in the D800.

That's what I was hoping for 

But after using it and thinking about it I realized that the d610 was more of an entry level camera where the d700 was not so much and entry level ff and more of a pro grade camera.

Wishfull thinking 

Yeah...I know what you mean vip...the D610 is basically built on a consumer-level body. For me, the issue is the eyepiece and viewfinder system in the D600/D610...I cannot see the edges of the viewfinder image while wearing my glasses...the same thing with the D7000/D7100, which is the chassis for the D600/D610...

The extra $1,000 in price for the D700 bought the user a higher grade of body. It would have been SWEET if Nikon would have provided the same grade of foundation for a thousand dollars less, but instead, they offers Nikon users a MAJOR upward move, at the SAME price, for the D800, and reduced the entry price to FF Nikon from $3k to around $2k.

 

[robbins.photo]

And you did what we all should do IMO. Try it out (if you can), weigh things out, compare, touch it, smell it, play with it, and make a personal choice. Easy Peasy.

Well the smell it thing hasn't really worked out all that well for me personally in the past. I can't think of a single time when someone said, here, smell this, that I was happy with the end result.. lol.