Dusted off and updated: Nikon D610 review

The D600 got people hypersensitive about spots on their sensors, but the D610 does not, statistically speaking, have an oil spot problem. (I say "statistically" because camera sensors get spots on them all the time.)

Camera sensors also have bad pixels (and get more over time). Here's a link to someone complaining about spots on their 5D3's sensor: http://photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00bc9z

Check the replies — all cameras have spots on their sensors.

Hmmmm, I did not noticed the (publication) date. Fair enough . . . but why publish something that is outdated?

The D610 as announced in Oct 2013, and then reviewed by Dpreview in March 2014, five months later.

By Dpreview standards, five months is considered a "speedy review" and is considerably more timely than most of the reviews they do. So it really wasn't old news when it was first published.

Perhaps you found this article in the "latest news section" of this website, in which case you would be correct. This is very old news and shouldn't be a featured story.

It's also significantly cheaper than the D750, especially if you're living in a third world nation, where the extra $500 can make a lot of difference. The D610 also has a silent shutter which its bigger brother lacks, and that's very useful when you're shooting stage performances. So the D610 does have its target market.

The point is, the D610 is older than the D750, and there's little to be gained by comparing both and then repeatedly pointing out that it's inferior. If you wanted to see that, it's already in the D750's review. The D610 should be judged on its own merit, not against something significantly more expensive.

Yes, I have a mirrorless, but that's not my workhorse. The AF system isn't reliable enough compared with a DSLR. I use a DSLR for work, and unfortunately the shutter noise is really audible in quiet shows, like a theater play.

I briefly had the Canon 100D, which has a silent shutter option, and even its default shutter is a lot quieter than older Canon models, so while not always necessary, I benefit directly from such a feature.

You wanted to know why someone would buy the D610 over the D750. I gave you my answers. Even if I had a bigger budget, I would still get the D610 instead if I was shopping for a full frame, as the surplus money can go towards a better lens.

Where in any of my replies did I tell you what to do with your purchase decisions? You asked, and I answered. If you just want a confirmation bias for the D750, then don't post in the D610 forums and get all upset when someone points out its merits.

Hugo808 - I never own D40x so I will not comment on that. The rest of your comment seem to suggest of your not being aware of the choice of metering. If your camera is the D90 and you are contemplating on moving up to the D750, you will find a highly delightful camera. If you decide to switch, please take time to learn whatever new camera you get to get the best results.

Sigh. The point isn't about me not learning how cameras work but the fact that Nikon can't consistently make a light meter that reads the same way.

Is it possible that you have defective Nikon cameras? Having metering problem with D40 and D90 is too much to be coincidence. If so, then the problem would be Nikon's failure on QA.

If I were you, I'll switch to Canon, Pentax, Sigma, Leica, Samsung or any other manufacturer. Good luck.

It's not my perception. It is an acknowledged problem. This from the DRP review of the D750:

"The one issue that we had related to image quality - which was touched upon on the Shooting Experience page - is the D750's tendency to overexpose by about a third of a stop. That's not a lot, but overexposure is still not desirable, as you'll never get those highlights best. In our time with the D750 we usually kept the exposure compensation down -1/3EV. One other feature offered by the D750 is to 'bias' the metering in 1/6EV increments. In other words, you can set up the camera so when 0EV is display, it's taking the bias into account."

This sounds better than some of them that only overexpose in high contrast situations so you have to change the bias back and forth.

Why still buy Nikon? Because half the time they get it right and I've got a bagful of lenses and flashguns.

Nikon D610 or Canon 6D

Strange... at iso100 RAW, the cards down left look sharper with the D600 than the 6D on my 4K screen...

I know how you feel, Bob. I was midway through a photoshoot when Nikon officially discontinued the D7000. My camera instantly went from a working photographic device to a completely useless lump of plastic, mag-alloy, and silicon. I had to tell the model to go home because I had to upgrade to a new camera.

Damn you, Nikon!

You mean this battery I found on their website?
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Batteries/EN-EL3e-Rechargeable-Li-ion-Battery.html
They also seem to be widely available on Amazon and ebay...

NIKON D80 Replacement battery, $17

@BobFoster - My niece has a D80 and she is still very happy using it. Incidentally, I am still using my D90 which has the same battery as the D80. Be careful buying not genuine Nikon Batteries. Some will not work because of the lack of coding chip.

Whyamihere - I am surprise! Why would your D7000 ceased to function the moment Nikon announced the D7100? Did you dropped the camera on the floor? I have two friends who make their living as a photographer. While they now mostly use D800, they also still use their D7000.

Any DSLR will accrue dust after time, especially early on in it's life, and will require cleaning. Four months is about average. And anyway, the issue with the 610 was with oil spots during manufacture.

I've been using my Canon 7D for two years now and haven't needed to clean the sensor yet. And no, there aren't dust spots in my images.

Nikon replace my D600 with a new D160 but after I took about 650 shots, then the dust problems are coming up again even I have not change the len. Since the D610 is airtight and there should not have any dust going into the camera, therefore I can conclude that there is a design probelm or manufacturing problem for the D610. I have a D80 for almost 5 years and I don't have any dust problem in my camera.

I totally agree with you. I just have come to DPReview for the last time. I can't trust you or your reviews. Thanks for not protecting the consumer over a problem as widespread as sand on the beach.

2 edits in under 2 minutes, tssk tssk.

similar to D Gold, but a little different, either camera will do what you're looking for but the lenses contribute massively - especially in low light. i got the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G AF-S Nikkor Lens (for easy searching) and it shoots quickly in near darkness and the images look like they were shot in a sunny room (with auto ISO capped at 6400).

that said, i'd go for whichever one you have lenses for and if you have no lenses, go with the best deal you can find and put the money towards a good lens.

Just picked up the D610 got the 24-85 and 70-300 Loving it! Looked at the Canon 6d but liked the Nikon lens better! No Regrets! Loving the 610 and FULL FRAME! JMO

EDIT

Shot RAW, the D610 has way more DR than shown in the tests here. It's Sony sensor exceeds film DR.

I used to shoot a lot of HDR only for the dynamic range, but since getting this camera, that workflow has been abandoned as as a waste of time.

D7100 is great, but at ISO 100, only other FF cameras challenge the D610 for DR.

Which is a bit funny in a way.. All 35mm film cameras, mounted with the same lens, would produce identical results with same exposure settings. Back then, it was about features and build quality, not about differentiated image quality.

Other than Dust sensor issue, D610 has more problems than D600, Blurry Viewfinder for example. Per internet/users

We will wait and see D620...

Strange, no reports of blurry viewfinder on the forum.

Mike, did you adjust the diopter?

The blurry viewfinder is probably due to those folks not adjusting the viewfinder diopter adjustment. You know people .... thats why Apple always ask you to check if your power socket is connected when you tell them your pc couldn't boot up. Also, we see more 'amateurs' using high end cameras that some pros don't even use. Beats me if they could fully comprehend the functionality of the D610.

@sandy b: DPR's article mentions both the D600 and D610. The news item I posted mentions both the D600 and D610. I can point you to a reading comprehension course if you are having trouble finding one. :-)

This seems like an appropriate place for your post as far as I am concerned…

Nikon's handling of the D600 debacle in the U.S. has been terrible. I've been a loyal Nikon customer since 1981 and its recent problems with some of its rather pricey cameras have made me gun-shy about purchasing a new DSLR.

I fail to see how a D610 review comment section is appropriate for some lingering news about the long known dust issues with the D600 (which is already mentioned in this review, FWIW).

I think that it is appropriate because the D610 is Nikon's rather feeble attempt to address a major problem with the D600. What should have been a major recall of a defective DSLR morphed into the introduction of a new camera model… and there are apparently online reports that the D610 suffers from the same sensor issues that plague the D600.

The Chinese government is getting involved because Nikon simply refuses to do the right thing for its loyal customers. It's amazing that a barely functional government does more to protect its citizen-consumers than the "exceptional" good ol' USA...

Remarkable that you imagine that a government that denies consumers even the right to vote actually cares deeply about consumer protection. CCTV, the official broadcaster of the Party, pumps out a constant stream of stories about the endless indignities suffered by the poor Chinese people at the hands of arrogant, evil foreigners, especially Japanese and Americans, and how the Party is standing up for them. This, "they treat Americans with respect but treat us Chinese like dogs" narrative was being trumpeted by CCTV regarding Apple last year and Google, Microsoft, US and Japanese car companies, etc., before that.

So now CCTV says Japanese Nikon treats Americans with respect but treats Chinese like dogs and you applaud the Chinese government for how much more they care about their non-voting consumers than that "exceptional good ol' USA". Amazing.

Nikon did the wrong thing IMO, but nothing CCTV says sheds any light on it. They're not actually talking about consumers or cameras.