Should I sell my D610 and get a used D800?

[nerwin]

I had a look at eBay today and noticed the D800 have dropped in price a lot. For $1500 or so I can get a excellent condition with low shutter count D800..but would it even be worth it?

I don't have any issues with my D610, its been a great camera and having only owned it less than I year, I could still sell it at a good price.

I upgraded to the D610 from a D7000 and honestly, the handling is just about the same though I find the D610 better with more deeper grip. But the other thing was that the only major upgrade I got over the D7000 was a 24mp full frame sensor which I adore because I shoot a ton in low light and its made a big difference with my photography since I've owned it. So much better dynamic range, its incredible.

But Its still using the same old autofocus system which I don't have a problem with..but it does have its quirks every now and then. I held a D800 before and it fits great in my hand...much better than the D610..but is that really the only reason to sell the D610 to get a D800? I've also heard the D610 has better ISO performance than the D800.

I recently came into some money and was looking into buying a macro lens (Tamron 90 2.8 VC or Nikon 105 2.8 VR) and debating if I should keep the D610 and get the lens or sell the D610 and buy a D800? I don't know...what are your thoughts?

 

[ruifo]

Do you really need the extra Mpix? From reading you text, it doesn't look like so... If really not, I'd get the macro lens, instead. Your D610 is only 1 year old, and a very good and capable camera. You could use it for a few more years, and than upgrade for a D810 or its future replacement.

As shared before, in another thread, you have at least five great macro lenses as options:

• Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Macro 1:1
• Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF Pro D Macro 1:1
• Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G Micro 1:1
• Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro 1:1
• Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro 1:1

Any of them will do fine for macro work.

 

[goodguy]

No, dont do this upgrade, D800 AF system was always its weak spot, had issues and I heard from more then few people they didn't like it.
If you want to get a better AF system then the D610 then I advise looking for a good used D750 or D810.
D610 indeed has a slight edge in low light performance.
D800 also has huge files and for most users this is not an advantage, 24MP is more then enough, for many 36MP is an overkill.

 

[AKUK]

The early versions of the D800 suffered with the left focus issue. I think there is mention of which serial numbers are affected online somewhere. I bought mine new in the middle of May 2013 and never had any issues with the AF. Accuracy has always been spot on and the jump in performance from the D90 was huge. You've probably heard me mention my hatred of the 105mm VR on the D90 as it would take 4 seconds to go from close focus to infinity and back again. It had a tendency to hunt too. On the D800 it dropped to under a second and focus accuracy was fantastic. So much more power coming from that body!

Is it worth upgrading to from A D610? If the extra 12MP resolution is important to you for cropping in heavily or printing huge canvases or poster prints, then perhaps yes. Also, if you had persistent focus issues in low light, then again, maybe worth the jump. Otherwise, I wouldn't really bother. If the D610 has been delivering the goods for you up to now, as the old saying goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

You have a decent camera body. I think matching it with some high performance glass should be your next step.

 

[nerwin]

24MP is PLENTY for me. The files size doesn't matter to me, I got plenty of storage and high end machine to process them anyways.

My gut is saying to stick with the D610 and invest in more glass. I belong to a Nikon Discussion Group on Facebook and I'm just really surprised how many say the D610 is a piece of crap, but on here its the opposite. Makes me wonder if that group is just full of people with endless pockets of money and have actually no knowledge. LOL.

 

[astroNikon]

24MP is PLENTY for me. The files size doesn't matter to me, I got plenty of storage and high end machine to process them anyways.

My gut is saying to stick with the D610 and invest in more glass. I belong to a Nikon Discussion Group on Facebook and I'm just really surprised how many say the D610 is a piece of crap, but on here its the opposite. Makes me wonder if that group is just full of people with endless pockets of money and have actually no knowledge. LOL.

I have a d600. Even though the d600 in general (not mine though) was plagued with the oil splatter it's a very good camera. Just look at the specs, the software inside, etc. All Nikon cameras are evolution of parts of other cameras.

I wonder what their reason is that the d610 is junk ?
Mine takes greats photos. I don't use my d7000 anymore except for misc stuff and video.
Some people are never satisfied and just proclaim something as junk.

 

[AKUK]

You have to remember, whenever a new camera is released, everything older and lower specified instantly turns into a Fisher Price "My First Camera". I was horrified when the D810 came out and my D800 became a door stop!

 

[Dave442]

I would go with the macro lens and a focusing rail. I expect that Nikon discussion group would also tell you to sell the D800 as it is now junk because there is a D810.

 

[nerwin]

24MP is PLENTY for me. The files size doesn't matter to me, I got plenty of storage and high end machine to process them anyways.

My gut is saying to stick with the D610 and invest in more glass. I belong to a Nikon Discussion Group on Facebook and I'm just really surprised how many say the D610 is a piece of crap, but on here its the opposite. Makes me wonder if that group is just full of people with endless pockets of money and have actually no knowledge. LOL.

I have a d600. Even though the d600 in general (not mine though) was plagued with the oil splatter it's a very good camera. Just look at the specs, the software inside, etc. All Nikon cameras are evolution of parts of other cameras.

I wonder what their reason is that the d610 is junk ?
Mine takes greats photos. I don't use my d7000 anymore except for misc stuff and video.
Some people are never satisfied and just proclaim something as junk.

It seems like it ALWAYS comes down to the AF system.

 

[nerwin]

I would go with the macro lens and a focusing rail. I expect that Nikon discussion group would also tell you to sell the D800 as it is now junk because there is a D810.

Probably. A while ago, someone was looking for a lens around $600 and someone told them to get the 24-70 2.8 or 70-200 2.8..yeah because thats like $600.

 

[astroNikon]

I don't have a problem with my AF system and I do sports with it.
Though, the 39 points I think are clustered too closely
but then the d750's 51pts are clustered super close too.
I prefer the frame coverage like the d700 .. but I think as the MPs condense the individual sensors the coverage shrank , though haven't compared to other bodies.

 

[astroNikon]

I would go with the macro lens and a focusing rail. I expect that Nikon discussion group would also tell you to sell the D800 as it is now junk because there is a D810.

Probably. A while ago, someone was looking for a lens around $600 and someone told them to get the 24-70 2.8 or 70-200 2.8..yeah because thats like $600.

Other forums I'm on do the same thing.
OP has $xx budget
reply is $xx budget x3 or more .. just because it's better

 

[goodguy]

24MP is PLENTY for me. The files size doesn't matter to me, I got plenty of storage and high end machine to process them anyways.

My gut is saying to stick with the D610 and invest in more glass. I belong to a Nikon Discussion Group on Facebook and I'm just really surprised how many say the D610 is a piece of crap, but on here its the opposite. Makes me wonder if that group is just full of people with endless pockets of money and have actually no knowledge. LOL.

Looking at the lenses you have in your signature I think you will do better if you will get better faster glass.
I got to compare my Tami 70-200mm 2.8 with Nikon 70-300mm and sharpness is just big between these 2 lenses.
Also I used to own Nikon 24-85mm VR and it was a great lens but the Nikon 24-70mm 2.8 which replaced it really helped me a lot to keep ISO lower and thus get much cleaner photos.
Faster better glass will do much more good for your overall photos then moving to the D800
D610 is an outstanding camera, with good glass its going to give you amazing results!!!
Keep the D610

 

[AKUK]

People always find fault with a camera in some way and end up p*ssing and moan about it (usually when they don't actually own or use it). I can remember people trashing the idea of the D800 because it didn't have a particularly fast frame rate - despite the fact it wasn't designed for sports and fast paced action where you need a bit of spraying and praying. That's what the D4 was for. Some folks just didn't seem to grasp what Nikon had done and what the D800 was all about. They were basically just really annoyed they had to drop some serious dime on the D4 to get a fast FPS.

Yes, higher end cameras have more accurate AF systems but, if you're shooting landscapes, architecture, still life, macro or posed portraiture, it really makes little difference. If your subjects aren't moving, you have sufficient time to focus upon them. Given good light and a subject with a bit of contrast, even entry level cameras are highly capable of shooting more challenging subjects.

I still own a few manual focus lenses because of their attributes (and I can't afford their modern AF counterparts lol) and use them where appropriate. Some people write off the D600/D610 because of the abilities of the D750/D8xx/D4, which is ridiculous. Most focus issues are down to a multitude of user errors than anything else. Sure, when you absolutely require the best money can buy, because your job depends upon it, it makes sense to safeguard your career and reputation with the highest performing equipment. On the whole though, people get way, way, way too caught up on specifications and performance charts and the science of marketing deliberately makes your previous gear seem obsolete.

Your D610 is working for you and that's all that matters. Ignore what other people are saying about it. Be your own judge, not the gear heads with GAS, who waffle more about photography than actually taking sodding photos!

 

[nerwin]

24MP is PLENTY for me. The files size doesn't matter to me, I got plenty of storage and high end machine to process them anyways.

My gut is saying to stick with the D610 and invest in more glass. I belong to a Nikon Discussion Group on Facebook and I'm just really surprised how many say the D610 is a piece of crap, but on here its the opposite. Makes me wonder if that group is just full of people with endless pockets of money and have actually no knowledge. LOL.

Looking at the lenses you have in your signature I think you will do better if you will get better faster glass.
I got to compare my Tami 70-200mm 2.8 with Nikon 70-300mm and sharpness is just big between these 2 lenses.
Also I used to own Nikon 24-85mm VR and it was a great lens but the Nikon 24-70mm 2.8 which replaced it really helped me a lot to keep ISO lower and thus get much cleaner photos.
Faster better glass will do much more good for your overall photos then moving to the D800
D610 is an outstanding camera, with good glass its going to give you amazing results!!!
Keep the D610

The 24-70 2.8 is a nice lens yes, but I don't care for the weight and size of it. It just isn't what I want or need. I just prefer using prime lenses. But for me to be able to afford those lenses, I hope I get in a car wreck and get injured and just hope its some rich guy's fault. LOL But, I'm happy with what I have currently. Just want a macro lens to have some fun with.