Nikon D610 Review
24.3MP FX-Format CMOS Sensor
EXPEED 3 Image Processor
Continuous Shooting up to 6 fps
Multi-CAM 4800 AF Sensor with 39 Points
First came the D3 and the people rejoiced. Nikon had made a
full frame camera that handled digital noise better than any camera before it.
Then came the D700, and the people added a grip and rejoiced... It seems a long
time since the D3 was released and by looking at a time line you can see the
awesome cameras and new features that have launched with each model upgrade,
and I am not just talking Nikon. Each brand has contributed to the amazing
cameras we use today. Nikon currently has 5 full frame models, although one
might as well be obsolete in my honest opinion. We have the D3x, D4s, D800,
D610, and the Df.
One of the defining things about a company is one that listens to it's customers. When we scream for features and functions, you might think a company would listen to those using their gear. For years we heard people asking for the upgrade to the D700. Not because there was anything wrong with it but just a refresh so to speak. People loved the handling, the pro body, image quality, and the speed. We got the D800, and the people said "wait, what?" 36mp, pro body, video, mmm so hot. Then we learned about the 4 frames per second and sports and wildlife shooters did not rejoice. Then came the D600 and we all know the fiery inferno of web rants and slippery slopes that caused. So Nikon said hey, let's make a few adjustments and rush the replacement called the D610. Wildlife and sports shooters not under contract with Sports Illustrated and National Geographic still felt left out in the cold, and still do at least to some extent but lets not get to far ahead because this is a hands on look at the D610.
But the D800 has 36Mp! Sure the D800 has crazy pixels but
along with the 3k price tag you also may need to update your computer system to
handle the huge files. My 24Mp files slow my computer just a little but not so
bad as to need to upgrade computers, I just make sure my storage redundancy is
on par with industry norms. While we are on the subject, one of the amazing
things about the D800 is the color depth over its big brother the D4. Well
guess what, the D610 also had pretty amazing color depth that tops the D4 for
less than 1/3 of the cost. Performance wise, what the D4 has over the D610 is
noise handling and SPEED and what the D800 has over the D610 is color depth and
bracketing. All of that said there is one very important part of the camera
that both of the top cameras spank the D610 in and that is Auto Focus. Both the
D4s and the D800 sport the speedy 51 point AF while the D610 has the same AF as
the crop model D7000. I personally have gotten used to the AF but I know that
this is a major point for many photographers. I use center spot on nearly all
wildlife close up shots and with portraits and landscapes I am able to
reposition or manual focus. Not really the game changer than many tend to weigh
in on it. I also do not use the shutter button as my focus button either. I
have gone into the menu and changed that function to be controlled by the AF
button. Try it for a week, you may not go back.
So I have outlined some specs and uses above but I want to
also touch on what I like and dislike about the camera. First I do wish it was
a frame of 2 faster for wildlife. I also wish it had the same bracketing as the
"pro" models, and of course the 51pt AF would be easier to work with.
Over all I like the camera, especially after using the Nikon Df a few weeks
ago. The color depth I get out of the camera is amazing and the low light
ability is by far the best I have used short of the Df
who shares the same
sensor as the D4. Would I recommend the Nikon D610 to other photographers? Absolutely! It is my opinion that when it comes to performance it has a superb
mix of it's two big brothers while keeping price and size down. It is not
perfect but it is the best camera under $2000 on the market.
Nikon
D4
|
Nikon
D610
|
Nikon
D800
|
|
Megapixels
|
16Mp
|
24Mp
|
36Mp
|
Max Shutter Speed
|
1/8000
|
1/4000
|
1/8000
|
Bracketing
|
5+/-
|
3+/-
|
5+/-
|
Frames per second
|
11
|
6
|
4
|
Autofocus
|
51 point
|
39 point
|
51 point
|
Price (MSRP)
|
$6499
|
$1999
|
$2999
|
Weight (lbs)
|
2.98lbs
|
1.87lbs
|
2.20lbs
|
