Nikon D610 Pro Reviews

The Nikon D610 brings full frame capabilities to a larger audience, while retaining most enthusiast-friendly features. Image quality at high ISO sensitivities is very good and a wealth of customization options enables quick access to most shooting controls. The slight improvements and fixes over the D600 make it a strong competitor in this part of the market.

The only criticism we can really throw at the Nikon D610 is that it’s nothing more than a D600 with minor tweaks. That may be solely to inspire greater confidence in the company’s entry-level full-frame model, or it might just be part of the machine-like schedule to get Wi-Fi ready cameras into the market. Either way, it makes for a solid camera with lots of positives - but not a camera a happy D600 owner needs to even consider upgrading to. Over our weeks of use with the D610 we’ve been nothing but pleased. The battery life is crazy-good - a working week of shooting without recharging saw us snap 2,300 images - as are those sumptuous 24-megapixel images. The autofocus array may be a little too tight to the centre, but it’s responsive, fast and accurate in all manner of conditions. We’re nonplussed about the D610’s Wi-Fi accessory compatibility, and the minor speed bump from the new shutter mechanism is nothing more than just that: minor. But that doesn’t stop this camera being a major success and the perfect footing in the world of full-frame. It keeps the DSLR relevant and affordable in a world where the competition is on the up.

Barely different but still brilliant, this replaces the D600 as our Best Buy full-frame SLR

The Nikon D610 is a very minor update to the D600; its burst rate is slightly faster, but otherwise it's the same camera.

It wouldn't be unreasonable to be cynical about the Nikon D610, with its very minor updates hinting at what many people see as it simply being a marketing fix for the somewhat tarnished D600. While to some extent this may be true, the D610 is still a fantastic piece of kit. With the excepiton of Wi-fi connectivity that some may have liked to have seen, the specification is incredibly comprehensive, with no major gaps to deter those who are thinking of upgrading. The build quality and finish is very good, with the blend of magnesium alloy and high-impact plastic delivering a sturdy but relatively lightweight feel. In use it delivers the goods, with a sound AF system and logically laid out controls, while the full frame chip will deliver highly detailed and rich images. All-in-all then, it's a very well made, well-thought-out and high-performing DSLR that should be very tempting at the price.

Officially the Nikon D610 adds just 3 new features to the one-year-old D600 camera, none of which are going to compel D600 owners to rush out and upgrade. Unofficially, we suspect that the D610 has been rushed out to fix the "oil on the sensor" issue that plagued its predecessor, as the D610 now has a different shutter release mechanism. It's still early days, but we saw no issues during our testing, and reports elsewhere on the interweb indicate that the problem may now have been put to bed. Phew. In all other respects the new D610 is identical to the previous D600. At full resolution, the Nikon D610 captures an astonishing amount of detail - not quite as much as the D800 but still more than most people will ever need. In addition, the camera now has even better auto white balance than any previous Nikon we've tested, even in incandescent and Tungsten balanced fluorescent light, where it manages to leave just the right amount of warmth in the images for a perfectly natural look. The photos, especially those shot in NEF format, also have great dynamic range and generally low levels of noise.

The D610 is essentially the D7100 with a full-frame sensor and some more modern video capabilities. That's what you're paying all the extra bucks for. Whether it's worth it for you depends upon what you photograph. If you primarily shoot telephoto, for example, the D7100's focal-length magnifier of 1.5x means you can use a shorter -- and generally lighter -- lens to achieve the same framing. The D610 does support DX lenses and will automatically frame to APS-C, so you don't lose any of that flexibility, but if you're never going to take advantage of the wider angle of view or use fast lenses, then you're better off sticking with the cheaper D7100 and spending the extra $800 on a nicer lens. As a vastly less expensive alternative to the D800, that's a little tougher. The D800 has a broader dynamic range, better AF system and more durable build, but whether or not they're meaningful tradeoffs depend on what you photograph. As for the Canon EOS 6D versus Nikon D610 decision for people who haven't committed to a system yet or are thinking of switching, overall I think I ultimately prefer the D610. I think the highlight recovery issue is fixable -- at the very least, just by watching how you configure your exposure settings -- and the superior performance and more shooter-friendly feature set weigh in its favor. That said, either camera will deliver the quality benefits of a full-frame model at a less painful price than the higher-end siblings on both sides of the aisle.

While the Nikon D610 is an excellent camera that's capable of recording plenty of detail in images with rich tones, good exposure and pleasant colours it is considerably more expensive the Canon 6D which can be bought for around $1899/£1475. Those photographers who aren't tied to Nikon by a stash of lenses may feel tempted to invest in the Canon camera instead. It may not have the same pixel count as the D610, fewer AF points (11) and a slower maximum continuous shooting rate (4.5fps), but it's nevertheless extremely capable, produces superb images and has Wi-Fi and GPS technology built-in. Existing D600 users are liable to have worked their way through the dirty sensor problem and are unlikely to feel tempted by the D610. Those looking for their first Nikon full-frame (FX) camera, however, will find that the D610 is a great choice. While the D610 can't resolve more detail than the D7100 ($1,147/£839), thanks to its larger photosites it has greater dynamic range and a higher signal to noise ratio. This means that it produces cleaner images with greater tonal range. The FX sensor also means that depth of field can be more easily restricted to blur backgrounds (and foregrounds) and FX format lenses show their full width. These benefits don't come cheap, however - the D610 costs around $750/£636 more than the D7100.

The D610 gives improved 6fps continuous shooting and a number of advanced features make it versatile and suitable for a number of different situations, although for best results a prime lens is recommended rather than the kit lens. For example built in time-lapse video creation could save a lot of time, and the electronic level could save further time correcting images later. The camera comes with a printed manual, wide strap, and 2 year warranty further expanding the appeal of the camera, and for those looking for a "traditional" Digital SLR the Nikon D610 comes Highly Recommended.