Is it worth to go with higher end Nikon like the 850 for the things I do?

perkedel

I currently use a D610, upgraded from D5100. I've been using my D610 for couple years, and it's been working great.
What I do with mine: I mostly do models/people photograph with strobes/speedlights. I'm not a landscape/sports shooter so I rarely to never do any other shots with it, never really need to use it in such low light situation or any situation that I need that 7 fps burst. I use 85mm prime for the portraits, and it's been working great with awesome results.

I went to Nikon site to see if they have something new that I can upgrade to. It seems that the higher end gear is made for wildlife/night sky/sports shooters. I have no need for waterproofing, gps, wifi, or high burst fps. I shoot mostly indoor, well lit and controlled. There's no rain indoor.

spraynpray

The sensor on the D610 is very good and that's the most important thing. If you upgraded to the D750 you wouldn't notice a difference given your usage. If you don't print large, you don't need more pixels with all the other difficulties they bring.

WestEndFoto

I will beg to differ on this Spraynpray. If you never print, would you settle for 12 megapixels? You may still pixel peep and you do this you will appreciate the extra resolution that they D850 brings. Also, a higher resolution file will be better future proofed. Great photos that were sharp in their day were taken with Nikon film cameras and Nikon lenses. But most people would not be happy with those lenses and results today, unless they were the sharpest (like my 28mm 2.8 AIS at f/5.6).


You may take a great image today and then decide to print it large 12 years from now.


And what other problems does the higher resolution bring? Less images per card. More processor power. Photographer shortcomings are more easily exposed. To me the solution for this is to upgrade your workflow or skills, not settle for an inferior product.

Perkedel, you listed various improvements that you don't need and that the D850 will provide. However, some of those things I don't need as well and I shoot a D850 with sharp lenses such as the 28 1.4E, 58 1.4G, 105 1.4E, 400 2.8E and 70-200 2.8E. You can never have too much resolution.

PS:
I also have the 85 1.4G and while it is a great lens, if you want really sharp you should consider the 105.

mhedges

D850 has the “Pro” style controls which I can’t say I’ve heard a whole lot of good things about.

Still it certainly seems like you can’t go wrong with one. It doesn’t sound like you would see that much difference with what you do. You may want to wait a bit more until the photokina announcements. I sure hope we get at least one new body announced.

heartyfisher

I would say you don't need to upgrade yet. The D610 is just about perfect for your use cases..

However, You may want to consider a couple of things. You have listed a bunch of stuff you dont need .. these days features that you "dont need" are included :-) you need to consider the features that you do need.
The D610 sensor is really very very good. but the new flagship camera sensor are better. You may not need the MP but the colour and dynamic range is a good upgrade for your use. I would consider a D810 if the D850 is too much of a stretch.

if you dont want/need that "pro" controls then maybe wait for the D750 upgrade which may be on the way.. and while you are waiting the D610 is really not bad at all.. just keep using it.

Pistnbroke

If 24 mp is enough stay with the 610 if its not you could go 800E or 810. Check out your lens on DXO and compare the three bodies .Check sharpness and field coverage

perkedel

The higher mp is a good point to go on the upper model. I don't print huge, mostly 12x18 which is good enough. I read the 800 series have no anti aliasing filter on the sensor which improve image quality.

I'll have to look into that 105mm lens. I've been very pleased with my D610, never a problem, images are sharp and I don't ever go more than ISO800.

About that 'pro' controls, here's the buttons that I mostly use: set to M mode and leave it there, set to Single-Point AF Mode and leave it there, shutter buttons & focus back button on body and on battery grip, wheels for aperture/shutter adjustments, WB/ISO buttons, playback/delete. That is pretty much it. I don't mess around with other modes or buttons, too many functions to remember.
When I switched from the D5100 to D610, feels nicer to grip since it's larger. Are the pro controls mostly ergonomics?

Pistnbroke

The 800 has a filter but not the 800e or 810. The pro controls are all about how it stores your settings so if you don't use U1 and U2 you wont notice.

WestEndFoto

The pro controls are also about what is accessible. For example, can you set up back button auto-focus on your D610 Perkedel?

spraynpray

You can set up the D610 to BBF if that's what you want.

Regarding disagreeing over the D850, although we all do it to some extent, pixel peeping alone is a pretty poor reason for buying an expensive body and lenses isn't it? Plus, the dynamic range of monitors is below that of the worst current Nikon DSLR so I hope he is at least printing images, even if not large.

I don't think the D610 is an inferior product just because it isn't the top product? If it is all you actually need, and it looks like it is all perkedel does need, than it is a perfectly adequate product IMHO?

@mhedges - Regarding the pro controls, memory banks ignored, the D850 iteration of controls is the best ever. I have set the camera to 'one touch' so the setting I am changing stays active without me continuing to hold the button down. That is a major like for me. The memory banks are disastrous though. I elect to throw the settings in from scratch that I want rather than struggle with them.

WestEndFoto

Pixel peeping is resolution and lots of people buy more expensive gear for just that reason. It is the reason to upgrade to medium format which particularly benefits portraiture. Even with my D850 and 400 2.8E, I still don’t see tack sharp eyelashes on a full body shot. The question is can you afford it and will you appreciate the benefit. And remember, tomorrow’s monitors will have more than enough dynamic range and resolution for today’s DSLRs. Monitor technology is advancing quickly.

That said , the D610 is a fine camera.

Pistnbroke

You should also consider how may shutter actuations it has .I find over 30,000 they are difficult to sell so maybe not worth selling . If its over 80,000 you might as well run it till it stops

perkedel

I do not use U1/U2 on my D610 as it's not very useful to me, I don't usually get the same reading between poses/light position.
I can see where the setting back button autofocus can be useful for some for quick focus on moving object. I only ever use AF-S and Single-point AF on my D610.

I don't really pixel peeping; if it looks great, that's awesome, I may just print it and give some images to the models.
These are the typical shots I do, and with combination of strobes and SB910 & SB700, the D610 produces wonderful images!
NSFW thumbnail

Sounds like I'll just wait until Nikon comes up with something that would be useful to me.

BVS

WestEndFoto said:

Pixel peeping is resolution and lots of people buy more expensive gear for just that reason. It is the reason to upgrade to medium format which particularly benefits portraiture. Even with my D850 and 400 2.8E, I still don’t see tack sharp eyelashes on a full body shot...

Wow, how far away do you have to be to get a full body shot of an adult with a 400mm!?

spraynpray

Well, I'd say you don't need to upgrade your camera. IMHO the sweet spot for all but commercial photographers is 24Mp. I have had no resolution problems with prints from 16Mp DX, 24Mp DX, 24Mp FX or 46Mp FX.

If you do upgrade, be prepared for buyer's remorse!

NSXTypeR

I think if you have the money and the equipment (computers, laptop, backup, lenses), sure, why not? Treat yourself.

If money is tight, then probably not.

Vipmediastar_JZ

Upgrade. Order today and you will have it within a month or two. base iso with strobes will be killer.

WestEndFoto

"Killer" is definitely an upgrade from "great". I really like the ability to shoot ISO 64.

PB_PM

Betelgeuse said:

Based on your thumbnail link, I'd say you need WAY WAY WAY more resolution. I need a magnifying glass to ogle the babes!

Seriously though, you answered your own question with " I've been using my D610 for couple years, and it's been working great."

Yup, as the old saying goes, if it an't broke don't fix it.

NSXTypeR

PB_PM said:

Yup, as the old saying goes, if it an't broke don't fix it.

Personally, if I had the D610 I wouldn't upgrade, but it seems like you do this as a job so it would make financial sense to upgrade.

vtc2002

Reading your original post, especially the last paragraph, I personally see no reason why you should upgrade (in particular to the D850). The things you have listed in that paragraph in addition to the other features that the D850 has that you will not use would be a waste of money. If you have a more compelling reason to upgrade that you haven't mentioned, I would keep using what is working for you now. With Nikon on the verge of releasing a mirrorless camera that make have features and functionality that could be a better fit for your photography, would be another reason to sit tight for awhile.

@WestEndFoto said
"You may still pixel peep and you do this you will appreciate the extra resolution that they D850 brings. Also, a higher resolution file will be better future proofed. Great photos that were sharp in their day were taken with Nikon film cameras and Nikon lenses."
I agree that the higher resolution file may provide some degree of future proofing but high resolution does not make a great photo. For example, one of Ansel Adams favorite photos was of George Orville and Georgia O'keeffe tat he took in 1937 with a Zeiss Contax 35mm camera and it is being sold today and regarded as a iconic image. There are countless other examples. I some photos that I have thought that I wish I had taken with a higher resolution camera but I also wonder if the higher resolution would take away from the image. Maybe it would or it wouldn't, regardless I still like the images. One of my favorite Ansel Adams quotes is " There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept." The camera manufacturers have been very successful in marketing the high resolution cameras and it seems the art of photography has been pushed aside.

WestEndFoto

Just for the record, I think that high resolution does not make a great photo. However, high resolution may make a photo, regardless of its initial level of “greatness”, better.

vtc2002

@WestEndFoto My intent was not to imply that you think high resolution makes a great photo but that good or great photos are a combination of a variety of factors and I know you know that. High resolution and sharpness are often used interchangeably and confused as being the same and camera companies are contributing to this as well. To me great images are the ones that retain their strength, impact and appeal over the years, regardless of the equipment used or the number of times the image has been viewed.

spraynpray

...And often has little to do with their sharpness actually. I have a portrait of my wife and I from the 1980's and by modern standards it is far from sharp, but it is a great portrait.

But there are times of course when only super-sharp will do!

WestEndFoto

Thanks VTC2002. I also think that an iconic image does not need sharpness to “keep its legs”.

However, I find that many “run of the mill” images taken a generation or two ago that were strong in their time would have greater strength today if they were sharper. In other words, “They have not kept their legs.”

I find many portraits taken with view cameras, say in the 30s, very inspiring. Part of the reason is often their sharpness, which is beyond 35mm digital today. It is one reason that investing in medium format for me is simply a matter of time.

I do appreciate that I demand more than I would recommend most people demand.

Pistnbroke

Litchfield always attacked the front element of his lenses with steel wool to get the look just right.…...