Nikon 610 or Nikon D800

DaveyJ

I would love to see some posts by NR members who own and shoot both D800 and the D610. I dislike the crammed focus grids in the D610. The D610 is almost a D7100 with a bigger sensor. I feel the D7100 is the best single camera for me I have ever owned. Pretty hard these days with a son and two grandsons to get to use my D7100 and my best lens as they have practically taken them over. I am looking at both the D800 and D610 or MAYBE even just getting another D7100 with yet another "kit" lens the 18-140Nikkor which looks pretty good in the ratings. If I make the addition of the FX Nikon I have the wide covered, and the longer FX zoom I will have to use (a 70-300VR) as the 80-400VR (new one) is more than I want to invest inright now but I feel I NEED that lens ultimately and at my age I should not wait too long! But that does leave me with a whole in the middle of my FX capable lens from about 24-70 and I have always looked very carefully at adamz's posts, especially the one immediately above this post. I don't even know what a 24-120 would cost me. I have noticed msmoto's statement she would rather have the 24-70 which I have a little experience with. I do know though the 24-70 Nikkor is very expensive. Maybe hear I would get a fairly prime lens like a 24mm Nikkor or a 35 Nikkor or both?

spraynpray

If you are like me DaveyJ, you need VR more than before so for that reason I would choose the 24-120 VR over the slightly sharper (potentially) 24-70.

sevencrossing

DaveyJ there are several thread covering the 24 -70 vs the 24 - 120
in summary they both are very good lenses and with the exception of Ms moto most people are very happy with what they have got

re D610 v s D800

there are very few unhappy D800 owner's out there

re 80-400VR (new one)

there are very few unhappy 80-400VR owners (new one) out there

DaveyJ

All the ratings, advice, whatever seem to place the D800 over the D610. I did talk to guy today who did know a LOT about the whole photo thing who picked the D610 OVER the D800 based on file size and a slight preference for the camera size and layout of the D610 and as much due to Expeed 4 processor on video as anything. Without having used both on the same subject I am still undecided.

Sevencrossing's point that there are very few unhappy D800 owners and sure more D600 unhappy owners. Recently I have talked D610 details with several D600 owners and they have had NO problems BUT they would always take a D610 right now. Looking at my savings (or lack thereof) before the final choice. Another comparison that would be very interesting would be D610 and D7100 owners thoughts.

I hesitate before buying yet another D7100 this far into the D7100 cycle. Yes, some of us are the latest technology MIGHT help. I still would rather be at the right place and the right time with say a D300 than shoot average scenes with a D400 or a D800 or the like. It is the photo op of a lifetime that I seek not equipment. But it is optimum to be at that decisive moment with the BEST camera and LENS you can get your hands on and actually know how to use! I now leave NR to check on the 24-120 price, cause sure as heck I know how much the 80-400VR (New) costs!

sevencrossing

. Looking at my savings (!

a few weeks ago, in the UK, there was a very small price difference
but the price of the D800 has gone back up and there are some good deals on the D610

the D800 has a better dynamic range, if, like me, you tend to shoot into the sun, the D800 brings home the bacon

focusing should be better on the D800

but if the above are not too important, then the D600 should be fine

Down side of the D7100 and all Dx cameras is not so good High ISO performance as D610 or D800

but if high ISO is not important and you are on a tight budget, DX wins hands down

if you want the best possible quality, under challenging lighting conditions, the D800 is the camera others are judged by

Ade

a few weeks ago, in the UK, there was a very small price difference
but the price of the D800 has gone back up and there are some good deals on the D610

the D800 has a better dynamic range, if, like me, you tend to shoot into the sun, the D800 brings home the bacon ...

Looking at various test data, the D600's dynamic range seems practically identical to the D800. DxO scores both the D610 and D800 the same at 14.4 EVs.

DaveyJ

Actually I would have already bought a D610 except for the focus points being the SAME as the D7100 with a whole lot of sensor on the outside. We know why Nikon did this, But I shoot a lot of my photos using the outer most (selected) focus point. I regard center mostly focused photos as less desirable because sometimes a selected outside (top, bottom, or either side) focus gives a more dramatic near far relationship. I do use aperture priority for max depth of field a lot. I have seen the same DxO scores for the dynamic range and found that very attractive. Still the D800 looks GREAT but it is quite a bit more money. Also I better admit right here and now that the D610 camera would probably get purchased with a 24-85VR as that seems to be a corner cutter lens that might jive well with my usual tactics. I would BUY the D800 and the 24-120 lens BUT my mind is thinking I better realize that I am borrowing money to buy, which is potentially risky.....

donaldejose

DavyJ: I shoot both the D800 and the D600 with all sorts of different lenses. I find the main difference is in handling characteristics. I have a slight preference for the control layout of the D800. When shooting portraits I prefer working with the D600 for its smaller file sizes. I don't need, or even want, the increased detail a D800 provides when shooting portraits. The only time I want that increased detail would be when I think a landscape may be printed larger than poster size because the D800 may (I repeat MAY because I have not tested whether you can see it or not) provide a sharper image. Since you like the handling characteristics of the D7000 I would say you should go with a D610. If you are not afraid to clean a sensor I would say you should see if you can pick up a used D600 for about one thousand dollars.

Ricardwcg: The D800 is more camera than you (and most of us) need. A D7100 or D610 would be a better choice for you. I suggest getting a D7100 (a huge upgrade from your D5000), use your current DX lenses and practice practice practice Remember that before the D3 came out in 2008 ALL pros shot with a DX sensor and plenty of great photos were made. You don't need to go to FX until you are printing much larger then 24x36 and your client is complaining about image quality. It will be a decade, if even that soon, before you get to that point and by then new FX and DX sensors will be what you want to buy. Right now the idea of "shooting FX to be like a pro" is an illusion (or delusion?) for you. If you feel you need to go FX you won't outgrow a 24mp D600/D610 sensor for a decade, so the D800 is overkill. You really won't use all those extra megapixels which will be "thrown away" in downsizing anyway because you will be viewing the images on a computer monitor (looking at about only 2 mp) and printing too small to see them.

DaveyJ

Thanks to donalddejose for your experience and usage with the D600 and the D800. I am drifting to the D610
due to the Expeed 4 processor as much as anything and without video I will NOT buy a DSLR now ever. Why? I use the video a lot. I have asked sales people who have shot the D600 and the D610 and they said. D610 video is BETTER. Again though the D7100 is an awesome camera and our experience with that is wonderful. When I have shot a few photos with D600 and D800 I never got enough camera time to make a decision as to why I needed one. I also think Mike Gunter's post on use of cell phones by some of the big names in photography is a trend of great magnitude.

All of technology and certainly photography is in a great state of change. In fact I began one of my essays long ago with the statement that Nothing is so constant as change. The professor challenged me that I had borrowed the line from some writer but never could find it said that way. Today I pretty much could see his point that this theme is NOTHING new. So any of our ideas on art or comparative
use of cameras may hold up over time. I thank you all for your input on this post as the D610 and the D800 which to buy is one of the real current questions we have a pleasurable task of mulling. Not a bad quandary!
Ultimately I may decide to yet wait again. One thing that always drives my purchases or put them off is the photo opportunity I THINK may be upcoming or not.

MikeGunter

Hi all,

@ DaveyJ, I will, at some point get the D610. I have too many cameras already, but one can't have too many. :-)

I want the D610 because it is like the D7000/D7100. Less to learn, battery compatibility and such.

My little income comes from video. I suspect that with the increasing number of great automatic cameras of all kinds and increasing cell phones that make great photos, there will be less and less professional photographers - photography as a profession is already one of the worst professions in the news business and likely losing ground in the event industry, too.

Like DaveyJ, I wouldn't buy a camera without video capability. I was quite surprised that the Df didn't offer video, in that it was, in as much as what I think I know about digital cameras, it was subtracted from the camera, making it an odd duck.

I've been meaning to open a topic about the 5 or 10 or 15 most important 'things' a camera has to have, but try to codify that in a way that makes sense so it's not all over the place.

IMHO, little point & shoots will go the way of dinosaurs - replaced by cell phones. Even the more sophisticated P&S might go, too. If it can fit in a pocket, a phone might be attached for sending the photo.

That leaves larger sensors to market in photography, but really how much market is there?

The big income is from everything one sees via broadcast, cable, Internet, and satellite - not print. Video is likely going to be far more important than still, and audio input/output, even audio limiters would be more significant than more pixel resolution.

My best,

Mike

PB_PM

Hi all,
I want the D610 because it is like the D7000/D7100. Less to learn, battery compatibility and such.

The Nikon 1 V1, D7000, D7100, D600, D610, D800 and D800E all share the EN-EL15 battery. So knock battery compatibility off the list as a reason not to consider other options. To me, the best reason is your first point. Having cameras with the same, or almost identical button layouts, is ideal in situations where you need to swap them while shooting.

Photobug

Agree with PB_PM, having almost identical button layouts is really the best situation.

When I was younger I would have agreed with MikeGunter....I have too many cameras already, but one can't have too many. )

I am older now and I have one DSLR and my wife shoots a D90 which can be a backup or if I need two lens for quick shooting. I used the money from selling those other bodies to buy really good glass.

ChasCS

I've been thinking of bringing several of my old cameras out of the darkness and perhaps clearing a space on my bookshelf & line them up. Like old war trophies from days gone bye...
Yes, many of us have more cameras than we need. But we prize them beauties!
Ah yes, and like the great pictures they took, for their time, great memories were born from them.

But we have to move on, and perhaps so should some of those old memories, and this is how we make room for new cameras and lenses. Create new memories too. Hahaha if wishes were fishes, our fishing reels would be forever warm.

I wonder how many large megapixels, will be in the next offerings from our friends in Japan??
Would 50 be enough, no/r too many?? Double the D800 36.3 maybe? At what cost, when does the price become too heavy to bear? How much wouldn't you spend on the next best and shiniest...

College kids sometimes have more money than common "cents", want the biggest camera they can buy.
Not thinking about the bigger picture, or reality of tomorrow.

Never the less: The updated computer with heavy memory needed to process these humongous files to pics.
Or the average cost of those large files to actually print them off. Posters are cheap, if you print ten thousand and sell them all for even a small profit.

Owning this awesome Nikon D800, comes with a price!! And the pricey peripherals are numerous.
I'm 'fairly certain' my new HP ENVY PHOENIX, running Windows 8.1, will be righteous.

From their website;
From heavy gaming to creative multitasking, the HP ENVY Phoenix h9 PC can handle your most demanding tasks. The overclockable Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM deliver incredible speed and performance, while the 2TB hard drive offers tons of storage space. With a dedicated graphics card, Beats Audio and a Blu-ray player, this PC is a serious entertainment unit.

3rd generation 3.50GHz Intel Core i7-3770K processor 64 bit performance, and 16GB DDR3 RAM: Blaze through resource-heavy gaming, video editing and other power-hungry tasks with the ability to overclock the processor
2TB 7200RPM serial ATA hard drive: Enjoy plenty of room for all your files and multimedia stores up to 358,000 photos, 128GB solid-state drive, AMD Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition graphics card with 2GB GDDR3 dedicated graphics,
AMD Eyefinity Technology, Dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0: Connect to your home network and Bluetooth-enabled devices VGA (via dongle), DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort capabilities, support for Blu-Ray, Microsoft
USB 3.0 ports: Enjoy blazing-fast transfer speeds with your USB 3.0 devices
SuperMulti Blu-ray player: Watch Blu-rays and DVDs, play CDs, and record content onto discs
High-definition Beats Audio with up to 7.1 surround sound capabilities: Hear immersive audio, especially when connected to external speakers (sold separately)
Liquid cooling system: Heat is quietly and efficiently drawn away from the processors to maximize performance and prevent heat overload
HP Multi-Display Capable technology: Connect up to three monitors for some serious multitasking or immersive gaming
HP Connected Music: Browse tunes, listen to internet radio, download music and more
HP Connected Photo: Sync photos across your PC, smartphone and tablet; edit them; and share them
Windows 8 operating system: Enjoy a host of reimagined features, including a personalized start screen, Live Tiles and more

Adobe Photshop Elements and Adobe Premiere Elements, powerful automated tools, motion graphics, professional effects... I can unleash my creativity right out of the box!! Yippee

I enjoy RealFlight 6.5 on it as well. It brings the model RC helicopters to life.
Using a 4.87 meter M850 DFO Hiigh Resolution Digital Fiber Optic Cable run to my stereo, sounds incredible...

donaldejose

ChasCS: I lust after your computer! Someday I will upgrade. Now I am using an HP with AMD 6 core processor, 10GB ram and 1.5 TB hard drive. It works fine when I am post processing just one D800 file at a time. I am sure it would be able to handle a D4x 48-50 mp sensor which I think we will see appear in 2014.

ChasCS

It's a great piece of hardware, jam packed with software. Smile
Yes, having a new and powerful computer, will make my photo editing and post production much easier, and therefor more fun . Now I need a wide format printer... And a bigger room to play in too. Hahaha

Your computer sounds as though it has plenty of processing power, perhaps adding an external hard drive would benefit your current demands?
I will be satisfied for some time to come, with this current setup, sans a great printer...
Not that excited yet, about recently upgrading from Windows 8~8.1. We'll see.

Scuderia1

for fraction of this you can get d7100 + N80-400 + TC1.4 and you will have a 24Mpx w/o AA, pretty good AF, and 840mm / f8 and trust me that's the best bunk for $$$ one can get to shoot both animals and airplanes. spend additional 1-2k on trips, safaris and you will be blown away with the results. moreover, you will still have enough Mpx to print wall size images.

If you are thinking about buying the 80-400mm, try it first. I just got back from a trip to Austin, TX and shot Formula 1 cars for several hours. I used a D800 and switched between a 300mm f/4+tc1.4 and the 80-400 (with and without a tc1.4). at 400mm with a tc1.4 (560mm), i could maybe get 1 out of 10 to 1 out of 15 images to have what I would deem "acceptable" sharpness. That's after lowering ISO, turning off VR and cranking the shutter speed in perfect daylight with my camera mounted on a monopod. That combo would be unworkable in lower light, especially with a Dx camera. And personally, I thought the IQ was more impressive with the 300mm f/4+tc1.4 than 400mm on the 80-400mm.

The point of this post is something I Haven't seen mentioned above yet: rent a lens and try it out if you are planning on spending $1k+ on it. Whatever works best for YOU is the best way to spend your money.

EDIT: Another idea that worked well for me is extensive research. Someone mentioned the website photographylife.com above. The author of that webpage has an extensive list of lens comparisons and does a great job of identifying ideal uses for the lenses. Try it out

sevencrossing

If you are thinking about buying the 80-400mm,

I am at a total loss what this has got to do with the D800 vs D610

but I would not recommend this or ANY zoom with a D800 and a TC
IMHO you are going to be better off cropping

cemok

Dear Friends,

I used 2 D800 cameras, sold them out and bought D610 today.
I sold the first D800 because of its very high metallic shutter sound. Please see the subject which I opened at this forum below;

http://forum.nikonrumors.com/discussion/634/d800-weired-shutter-sound-like-a-metal-sound#Item_15

The second I had is free of this disturbing sound, but this time I wasn't satisfied with the focusing, the first one focuses better. Therefore I lost my belief to D800 and sell the second one too.

Now, I bought a D610 and first thing I can say is, it focuses clearly faster when in (S) mode. I will see and inform you more with using it later.

Best regards,

Cemok.

spraynpray

@cemok: In the other thread you said they changed the one with the noisy shutter for a new one which sounded normal - I don't understand why you said you still had the problem and so sold the camera? Why didn't you send them for warranty service?

cemok

I am in Turkiye, and bought the first d800 from Austria. It is very hard to send it to Austria and take it back because of the very tight customs in Turkiye. For the second one I sent it to warranty but nothing changed. That is the reason I lost my belief to D800. I was shooting since 2006 and capable of understanding if there is a problem about the focusing.

donaldejose

The D610 is getting great reviews (as has the D800). The main difference seems to be price, which control layout you prefer or are used to and whether or not having the AF spots not covering as large an area is important to you. The difference between 24mp and 36mp is not of practical significance in almost all situations. The biggest irritation for me is those crowed AF focus points. Too bad Nikon didn't change that with the D610. But, of course, we did once have only one split image focus point in the middle and the earlier AF modules had only 3 AF points. I like to compose and then focus rather than compose, focus and then recompose holding down the AF-L button. Thus, I would like AF points covering an even larger area than covered on the D800 or D4.

DaveyJ

Of course donaldejose is right about the D610 focus grids. I would ALREADY own this camera if it were not for that. I hear VERY few complaints about the D800 or D800E. I would myself get a D610 over the now lower priced D600 just for the peace of mind factor. Nikon should have had a better program to address D600 problems.

Photobug

Of course donaldejose is right about the D610 focus grids. I would ALREADY own this camera if it were not for that. I hear VERY few complaints about the D800 or D800E. I would myself get a D610 over the now lower priced D600 just for the peace of mind factor. Nikon should have had a better program to address D600 problems.

Yes sir, pay the extra money for the D610 over the D600. I am slightly conservative and it's the only way to go even knowing that the D610 will drop $50 by May and $100 by this time next year.

I have a meeting with the Nikon Sales representative for this area on Friday to look at the Df and several lens and plan to ask him about the D600 issue and to see if he has a percentage number on how many bad units are involved. The big question of course will be why no upgrade for those D600 users.

donaldejose

No upgrade for those D600 users with a dust problem? I think a few have complained long enough to get a refund with which they can buy a D610.

cemok

The worst part of D610 is you cannot change the aperture during video shooting.
If you want to do it, you have to stop video recording and exit live view, change the aperture and start shooting again! If I know this problem, I will think twice before buying D610! NIKON FIX IT!!!
Do you think that it will be fixed with a firmware update?