D610 24.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

I am in the process of starting a photography business and had big decisions to make when it came to which brand and model I was going to go with for my 1st SLR. I like to be different than the masses so I was leaning towards Nikon over Canon. I was looking at purchasing the D600, but then read about the oil spot problems and decided to hold off. I couldn't justify buying the D800 for the money, but didn't want to throw my money away on the D600. With no good options left, I reluctantly decided that Canon was my only good option (although I definitely would have considered Pentax if they were producing an SLR at the time). Just as I was about to make the purchase, I saw that Nikon released the D610. I was ecstatic--thinking that timing is everything and that this might actually be the one for me. Positive reviews started flowing in--other than unhappy D600 owners. I will say that I sympathize with D600 owners because I would be mad as hell too after spending that kind of money. Needless to say, I don't rush out to buy something the day it hits the market. Especially, for $2k--I want to read a good sample of reviews first. Even though it's tough to support a company that left it's customers high and dry, I decided that this D610 was the camera for me and hoped that Nikon had learned it's lesson on the D600 so that a debacle like that doesn't happen again. On to the camera itself. I've owned it for about 2 months now and have to say I'm very pleased with the purchase. Pros: *** Picture Quality--has been phenomenal. It's amazing the level of detail 24 MP can provide. The RAW files are big--so I mostly work with the JPEGs. Make sure you have a big enough hard drive and fast enough computer to handle these files. I have the 27" iMac and it works seamlessly. *** 6 FPS--is plenty fast unless you are shooting extremely fast moving subjects *** Quiet shutter--is definitely quieter than regular shutter, but I wouldn't say it's close to silent *** Dual Memory Card Slots--huge feature--you can use the 2nd slot from backup or solely for video or 1st slot for RAW / 2nd slot for JPEG (what I use) *** Built-in Flash--I will mostly be using an external flash, but it's still a very nice feature to have in case you need it *** U1 and U2 modes--these are customized settings that you can manually program to be able to use with the flip of a switch--certainly a nice feature to save time when shooting events such as weddings, etc. ***Low light photography--is exceptional. Photos end up being much brighter than they are to the naked eye--it's pretty unreal how much light this image sensor can pick up. Cons: *** As others have stated, the 39 point auto focusing system is by no means terrible, but it does "hunt" at times--especially in low light. That's one of the main extras you're paying for in the D800, D4, etc. I imagine there is much faster reliable focusing on those models. Still the focus system is good enough for my purposes. I also highly recommend using Lightroom 5 as your photo editor--it's way better than iPhoto and some of the others. And do yourself a favor--to take full advantage of this camera--invest in good glass. I have the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8 and both combine with this camera for stunning detail. If you're investing this much money in a camera, don't go cheap on the glass. I also recommend buying the battery grip, if for no other reason than the camera feels much better in the hands. I can get 4 fingers on the body instead of 3 which makes me worry a lot less about my grip slipping. And lastly, I've had no oil spot sensor problems after about 2,000 pictures. I hope this review is helpful. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about this model. Cheers! UPDATE (03/2014): I've now owned the camera for 4 months and have taken over 4,000 pictures. There has been no dust/oil spot issues whatsoever. I continue to be extremely happy with the camera and am always discovering new settings/capabilities. I purchased the book, "Mastering the Nikon D610" by Darrell Young. It has really helped me understand the full functionality of the camera. The user's manual is not the easiest/most helpful reading material as you can imagine. I continue to get compliment after compliment about the quality of the images this camera produces (even from Canon owners of the 5DMIII and 6D). Once I decided on Nikon, I know I was torn deciding between the d800 and this camera. I feel confident in saying that this is the best bang for your buck in the current Nikon line. In fact, I like this camera so much that I've decided to purchase a 2nd one (being a wedding photographer--I need two full frame bodies).

I own the camera and this is not a technical review, only my opinion as a hobbyist. If you want a technical review, this forum is not the best place - go to DXO or popular photography. This is an amazing camera but the tradeoff for me is the size. As far as full frame DSLRs go this is one of the smallest but compared to the mirrorless it's hefty, as are the lenses. For that reason I'd give it 4.5 stars. I strayed to the Sony mirrorless cameras from a D80 but came back to Nikon. My Sony NEX 6 makes great photos and I'll keep it for those times I can only use a small camera but went back to Nikon for full-frame. Sony is not ready for prime time. They have only a few full frame lenses which are overpriced. The focus systems are not as good as most entry-level DSLRs, and the low-light performance is not there. No built-in flash there, not good. With the D610, I have had no oil or dust issues. Nikon has an almost limitless selection of Nikon and third party lenses. The image quality is great, even at 6400 ISO. Controls are plenty and the menu is logical and easy to learn/navigate. The camera is built solidly. I'm very pleased with this purchase. Get this camera. At $1500 it is almost a steal. I hope that Nikon will someday make a full-frame that's about the size of the D5300. When that happens I'll purchase it. Until then I am more than happy with the D610. Attached is the first photo taken with my camera - no adjustment, handheld in low light, attached to the SIGMA 35mm 1.4

I don't usually write product reviews, but I feel like there are a lot of people who may need a little encouragement before deciding to purchase this camera. Reading through this product page can certainly drive one crazy trying to filter through actual reviews and the bitter remarks about D600s and sensor debris. I owned a D600 and it did have problems with oil spots on the sensor. I understand that not all D600s have this problem, but mine did, even after it was refurbished by Nikon. For those of you who have a D600 with no problems, you lucked out and have no reason to upgrade to the D610. For those who DID have problems with a D600 and are feeling apprehensive, come on over to the D610. I'm happy with mine. And finally, for those who have not owned either camera and are wondering if it is a camera worthy of purchase, maybe you're considering going from DX to FX, I highly recommend it. I also own a D7000, which I love, but I wanted to make the jump to an FX body. The D600 was the natural choice for me with its "affordable" price and overall fantastic performance. Oil issues aside, I really liked the D600. And since the D610 is virtually identical in specifications I know it will perform amazingly. I do a lot of long exposure photographs of stars out in the desert. The low-light capabilities of this camera have been nothing short of impressive. The amount of noise in the images at higher ISOs (1600 and 3200) has been dramatically reduced from the shots I was taking with the D7000. My other focus is wildlife photography, for which I will still primarily use my D7000, but the D610's 6fps burst rate is a really nice feature in case some Bar-Tailed Godwit(rare bird) flies by while I'm taking some seascape shots. The Nikon D610 is a great camera that I highly recommend. I hope this information is helpful. Happy shooting!

I purchased this camera to get into the FX format. My current camera is the D7000 (that I love too). My previous camera was the Nikon D80. Before that I owned various Nikon film cameras, that I no longer use. I sympathize with those that purchased the D600, and I am just as pissed off about Nikon's lack of customer loyalty by not providing a remedy for the D600 fiasco. My recommendation to those that still have the Nikon warranty and their state laws allow it, to claim 'lemon' law for the camera after the 3 sensor cleaning attempts from the Nikon customer service and the re-occurrence of the spot issue after the cleaning has been performed. I tested my D610 for the sensor spots by shooting at F22 as soon as it came out of the box. My camera does NOT have the issue. The sensor appears to be squeaky clean - first out of the box, and then after the many test shots. I was considering the Canon 5D Mark III because of the D600 fiasco. Since I am a long-time (decades) Nikon camera user, I have a collection of lenses and that tipped the scale for me towards the Nkon D610 given the multiple reviews that informed me that this camera does not seem to suffer from the sensor spots issues. I also considered the Sony A7 (and A7R), as well as the Nikon D800. Sony was ruled out for the same reason as the Canon. Although, I was intrigued by the smaller form factor in a full frame package. However, the current lack of body-specific lenses for the A7 was another reason I wound up eliminating the Sony. Since the lenses that fit the body currently were not designed to be physically smaller to match the body size. The D800 was too much camera for my needs and was too slow for my most frequent use cases - sports/action photograhy. I did not want to deal with the size of the files coming from the D800 (I typically shoot RAW to be able to post-process). I also considered getting the D7100. If I did not own the D7000 already, I would probably have settled for that. However great the D7100 features are, that camera is not significantly different from the D7000 for my needs, tipping the scale towards the D610 (since I wanted a full frame camera in the first place). The D610, for me, represents the best value for my purposes. Part of me wishes that I could have the budget to invest into the Canon lens market and purchased the 5D M3 just to keep solidarity with the D600 customers who have been treated very unfairly by Nikon. Unfortunately, at this time I can not. Given the opportunity in the future, I will likely move away from Nikon. For that reason, I took away one star from an otherwise great camera.

First; Kudos to Amazon for prompt and reliable service. Now, let's talk Nikon! I have been a Nikon shooter for over 40 years. I guess I haven't found a compelling reason to use anything else. If you are thinking of making the transition to an FX (full frame) camera, you might want to have a look at the new Nikon D610! I have been shooting with DX cameras and hadn't made the leap to FX due, entirely, to their price tags! But, as with all things digital, the prices will eventually come down. I decided on buying the FX format D610 camera because of 1) price and 2) similarity to equipment I already use. Allow me to explain. When the D7100 was released for sale back in March 2013, I pre-ordered one to backup my D300s. The D7100 turned out to be my primary camera and the D300s became my backup! When Nikon announced the D610 I discovered that it uses the same battery as the D7100. And that the controls are nearly identical to the D7100. That's what did it for me! I already owned 2 FX lenses which I've been using on my DX cameras, so the upgrade was less painful. FX lenses are expensive and the ones I already had were perfect for the D610 and the type of photos I make. Having said that, my DX lenses will work well on the D610 - which gives me the option of an auto-crop function (1.5X factor) to accommodate DX lenses. The controls are in the same location as the D7100 which made for a short learning curve on the D610. I have just started making photos with the 610 and so far, I am very happy with the results. The overall pixel dimensions are only slightly larger than the 7100 - 4016 X 6016, where the 7100 is 4000 X 6000. The real difference is the FX format is that the pixels are larger on the larger FX sensor and the file sizes are about 8 mb larger. That doesn't sound like much until you need to apply a major crop to an image - in that case, I'll take all the pixels I can get. The D610 is a speed demon! 6 high resolution RAW frames per second! A word of caution tho on FPS ratings. You need to be using an extreme SDHC card with a write speed of 94 mb/sec or faster. Not all UHS-1 rated cards are equal. You'll find them rated as UHSC-1, Class 10 with speeds ranging from 45 mb/sec to 95 mb/sec. The higher the card speed, the faster you can shoot! Amazon sells some Sony 16gb SDHC card, twin packs (2 cards) for around $35. (see my review on these cards posted elsewhere) I'll be updating this review as I make more photographs with this amazing camera. I decided to give my first impressions if it'd help someone who is debating on going to the FX format. Go for it! ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MAY 2014 UPDATE on my D610...I have made just over 5000 images since I bought the camera 6 months ago. Guess what? I LOVE THIS CAMERA and, NO, there aren't any sensor spots which plagued the D600. Nikon solved this problem by redesigning the shutter in the D610. It's my understanding that Nikon will replace the shutter in your D600 at no charge and you'll find info on that at the NikonUSA web site. Now, back to the D610...IMHO, this is the best bang for the buck! As I mentioned in my earlier review, the D610 and the D7100 are very similar in form and function, with a couple of minor diffs. The ISO on the D610 will go down to 25 ISO and the D7100 has a minimum ISO rating of 100. Not a problem. The ISO settings button on the D610 is located one button lower than the D7100. I have recently decided to shoot using the Auto ISO setting and it works very well. The image quality is what I've grown to expect from Nikon - superb! In fact, I purchased the new Nikkor 105 f-2.8 Micro lens, which I can use on both bodies. It's the first Nikkor Micro that has VR (vibration reduction) and when I mount it on the D7100 it becomes a 157 mm f-2.8 which is great for shooting things that can do you harm and the additional distance can get you out of the way of the available light. The D610 is great camera! If you don't have a few extra thousand $ to spend on the D4s or the D800e, this is a no-brainer for getting into an FX camera.

Started off taking pictures about four years ago, in that time I've had a Canon 60d, 70d, 5DIII, very briefly a 1DX, and then I moved to Nikon with a D3, a D4 and now the Nikon D610, I also experimented with the sony A6000 which I think is a great camera by the way but for me it was just to small and fragile. My most recent camera was a Nikon D3 which is probably why the sony a6000 felt like a toy. I sold my D3 as I felt it was just too big and getting a bit long in the tooth, slow focus, low megapixels. I was on a trip to St Louis I felt kind of awkward walking around with that monster but at least I felt safe as I could probably withstand an assault by defending myself with my D3. Ok so I sold the D3 tried mirrorless but decided they just weren't sturdy enough for me yet, plus their lenses cost a ton. So I wound up buying the Nikon D610, first thing I noticed was the uncomfortable ergonomics of the camera, the buttons are crammed in together and I can feel the top of the grip bearing down into my hand. Second thing I noticed is that the metering is not as good as it was on my D3 I pointed the D610 straight at a light and the picture was dim on my D3 it exposed correctly. Third the D610 has a pop up flash, which novices will tell you that they won't buy a camera that doesn't have a flash and thats how I felt when I first started shooting with my Canon 70d but after shooting with the Nikon D3 I learned that Camera that have a pop-up flash tend to either overexpose or underexpose and screw up the metering, my 70d did fine as long as I kept it in auto, with my D3 I always shot in Program auto with center weighted metering I tried every metering setting available on the D610 and the metering is still not exposing correctly when shooting in a difficult lighting situation. I took a few test shots inside and out and the images look comparable to other camera I have used, so needless to say since I don't make my living with my camera I will be keeping the D610 for now as I paid under $900 for it. Also another thing about the D610 is the information in the viewfinder is not very bright and not as sharp as what I was used to in my Nikon D3, some of these things my seem trivial but when you enjoy taking pictures, its not about just capturing beautiful images it's also about the user experience, the sound the shutter makes, how bright the viewfinder is, and what you see when is the information bright and easy to read is it amber as the D610 or is it a pleasant soft green color as in the D7200, D810 and the new D500. At the end of the day I don't feel like the D610 is a true shooter's camera, ergonomics are not great buttons are cramped and you will often need two hands to change settings, metering is unreliable, focus is not snappy, info in viewfinder is not as bright or sharp as I would like. The price of the D610 is what initially brought me in about the same price as a good used D3 but with video and twice the MP at 24, you can get a D4 for about $2200 on a popular auction site but it is not enough of an improvement over the D3 to justify the price tag, autofocus is snappy on the D4 but a measly 4 extra megapixels and buttons that light up on the rear of the camera are just not enough for that price, plus the D4 feels cheap in comparison to the D3, it really does. You have the D750 which many people swear by but I owned one and it was ok but not groundbreaking, the D810 is a really sweet camera but the frame rate is slow and you will need a 64gb memory card and a huge hard drive to feed that megapixel monster. So that leaves the nikon D700 only 12 megapixels and a super loud shutter, the D600 dust and oil problems, the D800 autofocus problem and oil. I tossed around the idea of a D800e but couldn't find one reasonably priced, so I can't attest to its performance or handling. So for now I will hold on to the D610, I ordered a grip to see if that will improve ergonomics, I'm not worried as Nikon hold thier value very well should I decide to sell it later, it will be no problem. Oh if you noticed I didn't mention any crop sensor camera's its because crops just can't compete color wise to full-frames they just can't, I'm not a professional who can afford to own two camera, if i could I would have a crop camera for the extra reach, but since I can only afford to have one camera it must be a full frame as i feel handicapped if I only have a crop as I shoot in museums, and tall buildings and wide scenes which are better served with a wide zoom with a decent reach. I hoped this review helps someone to make an informed decision and feel free to leave comments, p.s the 1DX is out there and prices are starting to drop but not enough plus the Nikon's professional bodies look appealing and interesting and Canon's pro bodies look boring and stuffy, remember its the total experience for me not just the shot.

10/2/2014 I am editing this review again because a new body came out which is the D750. 24mp, .5 FPS faster, expeed 4 processor, and 51pt autofocus. Image quality is practically identical, though I do think they improved dynamic range a smidge. The big difference is the autofocus. It has more sensors and can autofocus with much better results in lower light, and they AF points aren't as clustered. If you have the extra $600 then go with that body. If not, the D610 is a great camera body and very budget friendly. I'm not worried a bit and will be shooting the D610 camera for at least two more years. I will probably pick up a D750 or a D810 when the price drops and continue using my D610 as a second body (I shoot primes and have to change lenses a lot, two bodies is way easier), but that will be next summer more than likely. Other than that, more than happy with my purchase of the D610 still. No dust spots either... 9/10/2014 Two weeks in and I have more experience with this camera body. I am still very happy with this purchase. I haven't noticed any oil spots, dust spots, etc. The menu options for personalizing the controls are pretty standard for Nikon. For me it is always AE/AF button Focus Lock Only, and Front Fn button Virtual Horizon. I do like the options for reversing the EV meters, etc. Part of me wishes that there was a no compression option for NEFs like the D700, but then again the NEF compressed lossless files are still pretty huge. 30 images can easily take 1.5 gb. Autofocus works very well and is dead on with my 24mm f/1.4G and 105mm f/2.8G Micro. I will say that I find myself using the focus lock button quite a bit to focus, lock focus, and recompose. I would do that with my D700, but not nearly as much as I do with my D610. The reasoning is the clustering of the AF Points. It isn't a deal killer for me, but it is slightly annoying. A large part of my compositions are not center framed, it may not be an issue for you. Nothing seems loose or flimsy after hanging from my shoulder strap and getting good use. I am very happy with this purchase and recommend others purchasing it. I have had some issues with CS6 and this body. I am not be fully updated since I'm in Alaska right now with horrendous internet, but I tried to update. Not big issues, just some lens correction deals. 8/28/2014 I've only had this body for one day. It was received in great packaging, new, and unopened from Amazon. I have spent a good amount of time playing with it. I previously owned a D90 and a D700. Both were great, but I can tell that this 610 is in a new level. The processing seems much faster, the shutter is nice and smooth (not like the ka-KLUNK of the D700), controls are well laid out and easy to get used to if you have experience with other Nikon DSLRs, in fact they are close to the D700. Screen is big and vibrant. Isn't too heavy or too light. Viewfinder is nice and bright. Images look incredible. Larger files aren't bogging down my computer or anything. I am pretty confident that this body is going to last me a long time. Everything seems right on it. Images look great. I was considering picking up a D800 instead, but now I'm glad the extra money is in my checking account. I went from the D90 to the D700 and the jump to full frame was a really noticeable difference to me. Now going from the D700 to the D610, I feel very much the same. Just a huge difference in image quality. Also, if you are worried about oil spots, don't worry. If you spend 90% of your time shooting the sky at f/16 then you either have an interesting job or way too much time on your hands. I am very confident that this issue has been resolved with the release of the D610, and I believe that later production D600s also had the issue resolved.

Maybe some of you already saw some reviews about the oil issues that are repeated from d600, well if they have it should be different problem as the issue was solved on this model, my Camera works perfectly it's better than I thought it will be, seems almost as a professional model, and even is the lowest model in FX have many great functionality from the highest model in same FX. I make a big benchmarking analysis to buy this model here are some of the main reason i bought it: Pro's a. cheap full frame camera b. 24 megapixels, you can print in large format with smaller mp camera size but this help you a lot to make crops in the picture c. FX lenses have superior quality and more lense diversity d. time lapse function included (d7100 does not) e. as all Nikon models there are very intuitive, I liked to read the manual before but if you are the ones you don’t the camera has very easy access to main functions , even if you’re not a professional you will find all buttons and functions very easy to use vs a Canon where some important functions or menu are very hard to reach cons a. 1/4000 max speed, the d7100 has 1/8000 but even the d750 (camera of the year cost: 3K USD) has also 1/4000 as max speed so maybe there are a few situations you need that speed (this is the main reason these cameras is not recommended for sports photographers) b. less focus points than other dx models (d7100 integrates the same focus point than a professional camera) so if you want to change your old dx model for a new fx model this is the best option I got.

I was sent out a camera that was supposed to be in very good quality and it wasn't even in a good quality standard. I am not best pleased. Not a great service at all if I am paying nearly 5 hundred a 50 pound for a poor quality camera

O desempenho de ISO dela é maravilhoso, podendo fazer fotos em alta qualidade até ISO 2000. Velocidade ótima de 6fps que faz muita diferença e tem um clique bem suave. Pra quem está acostumado com crop ela é bem pesada, dependendo da lente fica mais ainda. O único defeito dela é a distribuição dos pontos de foco. O frame é imenso mas todos os pontos ficam concentrados na área central da imagem. Fiz uma boa opção e recomendo!

Excelente cámara. Amazon la rebajó de precio por 1 día en 18,200 pesos, al darle comprar el producto estaba agotado pero me prometieron enviarlo tan pronto estuviera disponible, y así fue además que me respetaron el precio. Súper compra! El producto llegó en perfecto estado , la cámara viene con un protector para la pantalla de buena calidad ( en la descripción no menciona que lo incluya). Respecto a la calidad de las fotos el rango dinámico y calidad son exelentes. Tal vez el único detalle sería que el sistema de enfoque en condiciones de poca luz no es tan rápido como los modelos d810 o la d750 pero tampoco nada por lo que alarmarse. Eso si los puntos de enfoque de esta cámara están distribuidos al centro así que si lo tuyo son tomás de acción como deportes etc creo no sería la cámara indicada para ti.

8 months later, focusing issues are prevalent.

Excelente cámara en todos los aspectos. En cuestiones de calidad de imagen, tanto en foto como video, no le pide nada a cámaras de gama alta. El costo/beneficio es excelente. Bastante rápida y con bastantes funciones que la hacen apta para cualquier tipo de fotografía o video. Aguanta un ISO muy decente que con lentes luminosos no existe necesidad de elevar. Una cámara perfecta si requieres de un equipo Full Frame de bajo costo y alto rendimiento. El empaque fue ideal, vino muy bien protegido, la caja del equipo estaba intacta y bien sellada.