Nikon D610: Performance

Conclusion

If you are interested in full-frame shooting and are looking for a camera that delivers amazing dynamic range, excellent image quality, and full feature set with great performance for both still images and video, all for around $2000, then look no further… this is your camera.  

I will focus here on the main reason this camera exists:  the D600’s issue with dust and oil spots from the shutter. The main question I had from the time this camera was introduced was, “Will it fix the oil and dust issue?” Using the camera’s time lapse feature, I took several thousand shots right away to see if there was oil and /or excess dust accumulation, and there was not. After a couple weeks of heavy shooting, the sensor was still pretty clean. DSLRs in general are prone to dust collecting on the sensor, but I did not notice anything excessive or beyond normal with this camera. So, I feel that the new shutter mechanism fixes the problem with the D600. I have no way to know anything behind the scenes at Nikon, but honestly, after shooting with the camera for several weeks, I think that the D610 is simply a Nikon D600 with a new shutter and a different white balance. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to purchase a full frame camera. For those of you with D600 issues, contact Nikon to get your camera serviced ASAP. Most current repairs include a new shutter mechanism, firmware update and an extensive sensor cleaning.

Pros: 

• Excellent Image Quality
• Amazing Dynamic Range
• High quality performance
• Full range of features
• Dual SD card slots
• Shutter fix is an improvement over the D600
• full frame, weather sealed camera with loads of features for the price

Cons:

• Small AF coverage compared to some other full-frame DSLRs
• Wifi not included, purchase as optional accessory
• AF struggles a bit in very low light, gets there but is slow
• 1/200 sync speed for flash, 1/4000 top shutter speed (same as D600)