Nikon Introduces the D610 DSLR

<p>Nikon is introducing a new FX-format DSLR, the D610, although as far as features go, it is perhaps 98%, 99% the same as the entry-level D600, introduced 13 months ago in September, 2012: http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00aofD<br>

Nikon USA has made it very clear that the D610 is the successor to the D600; i.e., the D600 will soon be officially discontinued, although some remaining stock will still be available new for a short while. Traditionally, Nikon probably would have called this a "D600S," indicating minor changes from the D600, but this time they choose to use a different model number D610.</p>

<p>The D610 has a few minor improvements from the D600:</p>

<ol>

<li>Its maximum frame rate goes up to 6 frames/sec (fps), from the D600's 5.5 fps.</li>

<li>The D610 has a new Quiet Continuous mode; it can capture in the quiet mode at 3 fps.</li>

<li>The D610 has improved white balance, which can use face recognition, blue sky detection, etc.</li>

</ol>

<p>Otherwise, the D610 is still a 24MP FX body, with the same 39-AF-point Multi-CAM 4800 AF module, including 9 cross-type AF points among the 39. It uses the same MB-D12 optional battery pack/vertical grip and the same EN-EL15 battery.</p>

<p>Nikon has made it very clear that there is a new shutter mechanism to support the new frame rate and quiet mode. To put it bluntly, there is little doubt that the D610 is introduced to separate itself from all the negative publicity from the oil/dust issue from the D600, and the original shutter mechanism seems to be the culprit. (That problem was first reported by Roger Cicala, the owner of LensRental.com: http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00axxj) While some members here got into very stubborn oil/dust issues that require multiple repairs and even shutter replacements, my personal opinion is that most D600 are ok, but there is no doubt that there is a lot of bad publicity on that model.</p>

<p>Personally, the disappointments on the D610 are:</p>

<ol>

<li>Nikon does not use the 51-point Multi-CAM 3500 AF module, which provides better AF point coverage on FX.</li>

<li>There is still no separate AF-ON button, although there is clearly plenty of room for one.</li>

</ol>

<p>Otherwise, the D610 is mostly the same camera as the D600.</p>

<ul>

<li>In the US, the D610, body only, is $1999.95, $100 lower than the introductory price for the D600 a year ago.</li>

<li>With the 24-85mm/f3.5-4.5 AF-S VR lens, the kit is $2599.95.</li>

<li>There are additional kit options with lenses such as the 28-300mm AF-S VR, memory cards, and laptop bags.</li>

</ul>

<p>For those of you who want to save some money, remaining D600 bodies are now the "old" model, and you may be able to find discounts while supply lasts. Again, I think the D600 is still a fine camera, but if you get one, please make sure to check for any dust/oil issue on the sensor. If there are problems, get it replaced quickly.</p>

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<p>Nikon Japan official news for the D610 introduction: <a href="http://nikon.com/news/2013/1008_dslr_01.htm">http://nikon.com/news/2013/1008_dslr_01.htm</a></p>

<p>so, essentially this is a do-over model at a higher price (refurb d600s were getting close to that magical $1500 full-frame price point) with a new shutter and minor improvements. nikon really should have thrown in the better AF module.</p>

<p>Holy crap. I thought for sure the rumored specs of the D610 were fake. There's no way Nikon would release a badge engineered camera, and there's no way they'd be stupid enough to release a camera with poorer specs than their "top of the line" DX camera (the D7100). Instead of taking a D7100 and dropping the D600 sensor in it, they took a D600 and changed the badge. Wow. Of note, the D7100 has: a stereo microphone and more advanced autofocus, a higher resolution LCD, a higher max shutter speed, faster flash sync speed, and 60fps 1080i video. Surely some of those changes take some effort, but Nikon's included a new shutter mechanism and still caps the max speed at 1/4000th? WTF?</p>

<p>Yes, the D600 is capable of taking fantastic photographs, that's not the problem. It's that Nikon appears to be doing as little as they can to control the fallout. The D610 offers neither innovation nor evolution. This "new" model ensures that the entry-level FX lags behind by another generation, and it just underscores how Nikon appears to be merely resting on its laurels (or attempting to). The name "D600 Refurb" sure seems to fit. Pentax announced a camera with a selective anti-aliasing filter, Canon and Fuji have on-chip PDAF. Nikon has, what? A brand new shutter mechanism that won't contaminate the sensor? *yawn*</p>

<p>For the record I've not seen any problems with oil since Nikon replaced the mirror box on my D600. On the second trip back to Nikon they proactively replaced the shutter mechanism.</p>

<p>Eric, calling the D610 having a "higher price" than the D600 is a major stretch. The D600 started at $2099.95 thirteen months ago, although Nikon started to discount it fairly quickly. I expect discounts on the D610, at least with the 24-85 kit. It makes little sense for the lens to add $600 to the kit.</p>

<p>It is highly unfair to compare refurb prices for the D600 vs. new price for the D610. I just spent many hours in the last 2 weeks to check a refurb 80-400 AF-S VR and finally concluded that it not acceptable at 400mm, f5.6, and I also spent a fair amount of money on shipping back and forth: <a href="/nikon-camera-forum/00c0Fc">Refurbished Nikon 80-400mm AF-S VR from Adorama </a><br />After getting burned over and over, I have gotten very skeptical on the quality from Nikon USA's refurb process.</p>

<p>As far as the AF module goes, apparently Nikon puts their 2nd-best AF module on the D600/D610 to distinguish it from the D800. That remains to be somewhat a weakness on the D610. A D610 with the Multi-CAM 3500 would have killed a lot of D800 sales.</p>

<p>Most likely, consumer/prosumer DSLRs such as the D600 are on a two-year product cycle. The D610 is really the same camera as the D600 but hopefully without the baggage from the oil/dust issue. Expect a D620 a year from now, prior to Photokina 2014, for some real changes from the D600.</p>

<p>Shun -- I wouldn't even go so far as to say the D610 has the lesser AF module to differentiate it from the D800. Compare the D610 to the D7000 and D7100. It seems to me that the D610 is, at best, a rush job. Were they not dogged by a reputation for oil contamination, I'd expect Nikon would have pulled in all the upgrades from the D7100. Would a D610 with a stereo microphone have killed D800 sales? Doubtful.</p>

<p>Alex, there should be little doubt that the D610 is a rush job, inserted into the middle of probably a two-year product cycle. That is why most of the components are the same as those on the D600.</p>

<p>During our conference call with Nikon USA a little earlier, they made it very clear that the D610 is the D600's successor. It is quite obvious that Nikon wants to get rid of the D600 and it baggages ASAP. However, IMO the D800's left AF issue was perhaps even worse, but Nikon hasn't replaced it by any D800S or D810 so far.</p>

<p>As I wrote earlier, for real changes from the D600, we need to wait another year.</p>

<p>I'm happy to see Nikon respond so well to the issues that plagued the D600, thereby shedding bad light on the icon-Nikon. I had made the point in earlier discussions that this move in precisely what it would take for me to buy this camera. It's not clear yet whether Nikon found another source builder of their shutter module, but a different shutter non the less, and thereby acknowledging the oil issue that in my view would be totally unacceptable. It's painful to hear some of the stories in this very forum regarding the oil issue, but, again its a fix! Badge, or no badge, its a fix, and I think that a 24.5 megapixel camera in such a compact envelope at this price point is going to sell the heck out of 610s. I have 8 Nikkor lenses to choose from as I make the leap to my first Digital SLR. Confidence is a good thing.</p>

<p>So the D610 is a "re-warm" of the D600 to get rid of the stigma associated with the oil/debris issue that Nikon never officially owned up to. Shortly after the introduction of the D600, Nikon admitted that the camera isn't worth the $2100 asking price by giving customers a new 24-85 lens for free (the same lens that Nikon now wants us to believe is worth $600 again). That the initial price was too high is now confirmed with the introduction of the D610 that comes in at the same price level as the D600 when it was eventually permanently discounted. And instead of taking the chance to right the wrongs of the old model, the new camera still relies on the pull of its 24MP FX sensor that is its only claim to fame - seeing that it still comes in the same compromised package (and hopefully sans oil and debris).</p>

<p>Essentially, the D610 is to the D600 what the SB910 is to the SB900 - a bug fix. And a missed opportunity.</p>

<p>We will probably never know how much the D600 fiasco hurt Nikon financially - it certainly did a lot of public relations harm. One can only wonder if it wouldn't have been a better move to recall the D600 once the oil/debris issue became obvious.</p>

<p>I'm wondering how long it will take to stock this item? What's the usual eta off of news like this?</p>

<p>The D610 will start shipping on October 18, 2013.</p>

<p>I'm wondering just <em>how badly</em> Nikon want to rid themselves of <strong>ALL</strong> D600s? Real big discounts maybe, would any sane person risk it?</p>

<p>Forget the lesser AF module and the possible oil spots, as a tethered studio MF or zoomed LV AF camera, the sensor is 99.99% as good as the D800's. The DR, Noise etc are all very similar.</p>

<p>If it goes the way of the V1 discounts, I might be interested.</p>

<p>Shun, I agree that the next revision will likely contain more significant changes. The approach that Nikon's taken smacks of utter disrespect for their customers for two reasons:</p>

<p>1.) Instead of trying to right a wrong, and make D600 owners whole they've completely abandoned D600 owners and sped up its obsolescence. Likewise, they've locked the D610 owners into a similarly rapid cycle of obsolescence. Either that, or they've committed to keeping their entry-level FX body a generation behind the competition.</p>

<p>2.) Yes, this camera is a rush job, but it's also a swing and a miss. The one feature people are hoping for (mirror/shutter assemblies that won't contaminate the sensor) is the one feature Nikon won't talk about. Then there's the matter of the low hanging fruit. Again, the one feature Nikon wants potential customers to focus on (the shutter) is the one piece that really ought to have been improved. Yet it's got the same flash sync speed and same maximum speed. At best this merely cements the D610's place in the lineup below that of the D7100. At worst, it's a tacit admission that the shutter assembly probably wasn't changed from the later D600s -- which might scare off potential customers.</p>

<p>I'm hesitant to chalk this up to cultural differences as other Japanese (photo) companies have taken a much more customer friendly approach. Canon recalled many of their 1D3 and 1DX bodies over autofocus issues. Nikon left its D4/D800 customers flapping in the wind. Fuji's released a couple of firmware updates with significant improvements and customer driven new features for their X series bodies. Nikon's decided to release a new model and abandon the D600 instead of offering firmware updates.</p>

<p>As for me, I've learned my lesson. The D600 was my first, and last, purchase of a new (not used) Nikon product. At least with a refurb, I'm only going to be out maybe $60-$80 for shipping it back to Nikon. Or with a competitor's product I hopefully wouldn't be dealing with such a tone deaf company in the first place.</p>

<p>Mike -- yes, I'd risk $200 on a D600. Considering that Nikon's LA repair center was fairly proactive about replacing bits I'd probably risk getting a fire sale priced D600. Given how similar the D600/610 are, I wonder if Nikon's just going to recall the existing stock, slap a new label and knob on them and ship them out as brand spanking new D610s.</p>

<p>I'm not disappointed. I have always felt that the D600 was a marginal camera at best. Even absent the oil issue it just didn't have the features that it ought to have. And the autofocus problem is a real big deal which Nikon still hasn't fixed.</p>

<p>This looks like they did exactly the minimum they could do to legitimately rebadge the D600 without retooling their whole production line. </p>

<p>Some people comment that they believe that this full frame camera ought to have the same features as the D7100. I agree to some extent. At its price point there is no excuse for a camera as limited as the D600. I do not believe however that full frame is a "superior format" therefor all full frame cameras must equal or exceed DX in features. <br>

I look forward to a major upgrade in the D600 price range. This is sure not it. If they did make a full frame camera with all of the features of the D7100 they would seriously challenge the D800. I don't see an upside for them to do that at this time. <br>

So OK Nikon. You have admitted you have a problem and taken the minimum stand required to fix it. Yawn. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>2nd hand selling prices here in the UK (ebay) for <strong>used</strong> D600s are between £825 and £1200, at today's £:$, that's about $1320 to $1920 <strong>body only</strong>.</p>

<p>If they fire-sale to under 1\2 that, say £375 - £400, $600 - $640, I'd get one....</p>

<p>...But I don't think it'll be that low...:-(</p>

<p>Does the D600/D610's AF module go down to f8?</p>

A lot of folks here seem to be whining about Nikon's missed opportunity, saying that the D610 is lagging behind the

competition. Well when you consider that the only othe FF body at this price point is the Canon 6D, where is it lagging?

If you want the features of a D7100, buy it. Too bad about that fast 16/f1.4 DX lens you don't have. Nikon had a problem

with the shutter assemblies, they may have fixed it. They re-badged the body with a new number. They are not the only

company in this world that does this.

<p>Hhmm.<br>

I don't know about this one. It all seems pretty shady. I've been considering another purchase for some months now, yo-yoing between the 7100 and 600. Every time I think the 600 would be good that damn AF module rears its head. Every time I think of the 7100 the non-existent D400 rears its head! I know the 7100 would be a significant upgrade from my 5100, I know it seems to be getting made properly, I know it's the best APS-C out there, but I just don't really <em>want</em> one. Literally today I decided I should do the sensible thing and just get a 7100 at the end of the month. I know some of the membership on PN have been bearing with Nikon, whilst feeling left behind and this move has pulled me up short, almost like a little portent to stop me from buying. This is a weazly little move which does not make me feel happy about giving this company 7,500 RMB of my money.</p>

<p>I think it's good that Nikon introduced a new model with hopefully the shutter/oil issue fixed. It is unfortunate that such issues arise in the first place but I know a few D600 users who don't seem to have the oil issue to the point that they'd have noticed it. A full recall of (a million?) cameras seems unwarranted for - but Nikon should be able to fix the cameras that come into service (with new shutter units if necessary) - it's their responsibility.</p>

<p><em>And the autofocus problem is a real big deal which Nikon still hasn't fixed.</em></p>

<p>Are you talking about the D800 (and D4?) "left AF point" issue? In what sense is it not "fixed" yet? I know several people with D4's and D800's personally and none of them had this issue. From what I understand, fixing the issue requires a complex process (including measurement and calibration hardware and software) and in the beginning Nikon authorized service centres didn't have the know-how or equipment to properly do it. Then the procedures for the fix were developed and service personnel trained to do it. The chatter on that seems to have died down so I can only think that most users' cameras work fine and most of the rest have been fixed by service. My D800 was recently AF adjusted (it didn't have the left AF issue but it took an impact and the AF was backfocusing after that relative to what it was before) and it works better than new now (smaller fine tune settings required across the board) so Nikon service seems to be doing what it's supposed to i.e. fix issues and not introduce new ones. </p>

<p>With respect to the D610 getting the AF system from the D4/D800, I agree it would be nice but then it's price would be the same as that of the D800. The D610 caters to a buyer who puts a high priority on full frame, compactness, good viewfinder, and excellent image quality, but not necessarily excellent off center AF performance. The Canon 5D Mk II showed that there is a substantial market for this kind of camera (high image quality but weaker than top of the line AF). So what is Nikon to do, just persist in making more expensive cameras? What does a landscape photographer, for example, need a Multi-CAM 3500 module for? They'd use live view to focus most of the time anyway, if they care about detail. Nikon has introduced many new high quality moderately priced FX lenses such as 28/1.8, 50/1.8, 85/1.8 AF-S, 70-200/4 AF-Swhich would seem to mate well with the budget of a D610 buyer, and the compactness of the four lenses mentioned (as well as a few other lenses introduced earlier) seem well matched to the body size of the D610. In going for lighter weight and compactness, some aspects of the body were compromised relative to the D800. I am sure that putting a Multi-CAM 3500 into the camera would substantially increase its cost (if nothing else, the work required to calibrate it) and cause a redesign of the area around the mirror box that contains the AF module. At this point Nikon probably can't put it in an FX camera at a $2000 price point due to the cost of the other parts of the camera and the AF module together. If you want Multi-CAM 3500 in an FX camera, you have the D800/D800E/D4 and second hand D3s/D700/D3X/D3 to choose from. It's not like there is a lack of options really. Sometimes it seems that Nikon must cater to every single photographers' specific feature list individually. Custom cameras - with Ashton Martin prices?</p>

<p>Even though 24MP 6fps would fit my needs better than 36MP 4fps, and would prefer the D610's higher eyepoint to the very short eyepoint of the D800 I still use the D800 and it has worked out fine for me. Rather continue to complain, I have adjusted, it's as simple as that. Ideally I would take the 24MP 6fps in an D4 body but they don't make them that way. Big deal. I work with what is available to me, and have discovered that even though 36MP is ridiculous overkill for many things it does facilitate action photography in a different way than high fps; it lets you frame more freely and photograph an approaching subject from an earlier point. I was just photographing landing aircraft with the D800 and 80-400 AF-S on Friday and I was very happy how well the images that I captured at 600mm to 800mm field of view (focal length of the lens was 400mm) printed. Yet earlier images as the aircraft crossed overhead I was filling the frame at 80mm. So I used the 5x range of the zoom lens, and got a 2X bonus by taking advantage of the high pixel count of the camera. Similarly I have shot figure skating with the D800 and 200/2 and up to a crop of 2X I'm getting still very good results that print well enough for my uses and with the lens I can cover a good part of the ice, whereas if I were using a 12MP or 16MP camera I couldn't do that, the image quality at further distances would be compromised more than it is with the D800. What you lose in one area you gain in another. </p>

<p>And here I thought it was just Pentax that re-released the same camera with one "new" feature and called it a "Mark II" or somesuch. :)</p>

Settle down guys. It's only a year into the product cycle. This is just an excuse to change the model number so that the

camera can be mentioned in public without reference to sensor spots. With a few nominal features for cover. Why are you

expecting more?

I wonder if Nikon will begin replacing problem shutter mechanisms on returned D600s with the new and improved D610 shutters. If it's the same camera, the new

shutter mechanism should fit.

<p>It is actually a very common practice for Nikon to introduce a new model to replace an old one that has a major known issue and/or a lot of bad plublicity. For example, they replaced the D70 by the D70S barely after a year because of D70 BGLOD, which was apparently a circuit board issue. Towards the latter part of the D70's product cycle, Nikon was already using improved, problem-free circuit boards on the D70, but the stigma remained so that they introduced the D70S instead. There are three minor differences between the D70 and D70S, very similar to the situation between the D600 and D610.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I'm hesitant to chalk this up to cultural differences as other Japanese (photo) companies have taken a much more customer friendly approach. Canon recalled many of their 1D3 and 1DX bodies over autofocus issues. Nikon left its D4/D800 customers flapping in the wind. Fuji's released a couple of firmware updates with significant improvements and customer driven new features for their X series bodies. Nikon's decided to release a new model and abandon the D600 instead of offering firmware updates.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Alex, those are highly unfair comments:</p>

<ol>

<li>For the D70 BGLOD problem I mentioned above, Nikon had a service advisory and they would fix all D70 with that particular problem past the one-year warranty period. Essentially Nikon would fix D70 with problems forever, provided that they still have parts available: <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/news/2005/9/28/nikonadvisory">http://www.dpreview.com/news/2005/9/28/nikonadvisory</a></li>

<li>Practically all early D5000 were recalled: <a href="/nikon-camera-forum/00U1LR">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00U1LR</a></li>

<li>A large batch of EN-EL15 batteries was recalled last year: <a href="/nikon-camera-forum/00aJHo">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00aJHo</a> At the time I had a loaner D800 from Nikon USA, and its battery was among the recall list. Even though I promised not to use that battery since I had older ones from my D7000, they wanted that battery back immediately.</li>

</ol>

<p>As Roger Cicala suggested in his original article that started all the discussion on the D600 oil/dust issue, the problem seems to be the design on the D600's shutter, which leaves a larger gap. That is why some D600 that are returned for repair got a shutter replacment, and the D610 has a different shutter now. That is a hardware issue that is not fixable via firmware upgrade. Otherwise, Nikon would have done that a long time ago.</p>

<p>But IMO, while some D600 indeed has that issue, it is greatly exaggerated over the internet. Plenty of people have no problems with their D600, such as "our own" Matt Laur. I, for one, would not hesitate to buy a new D600, but I would immediately check for any dust/oil issue.</p>

<p>However, my personal experience with Nikon USA refurbished lenses is terrible. Three out of three that I have experience with had to be returned. (Two of those I bought myself, one from B&H and one from Adorama.) I may give refurb one more try some time in the future, but I am highly skeptical about refurb lenses.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>With respect to the D610 getting the AF system from the D4/D800, I agree it would be nice but then it's price would be the same as that of the D800.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Ilkka, I think that overstates the case quite a bit. Consider the D5200, which has the DX version of the Multi-CAM 4800 AF system used in the D600/610, vs the D7100, which has the DX version of the Multi-CAM 3500 used in the D800. The difference in list price between the D5200 and D7100 is $400. Considering the other differences between those two bodies, I can't help but think that the difference in price attributable to the AF system is pretty small -- much smaller, at any rate, than the price difference between the D600 and D800. While the FX versions may impact that price difference a bit, I don't see why there would be a large change.</p>

<p>That said, it seems clear to me that Nikon's approach is to determine a target price point, then design a camera that meets that price point using the best mix of current technologies. Since they aren't designing cameras specifically for me (wouldn't that be nice!), the mix they choose is not always the one I would have chosen. While I would like to have a low-cost FX camera to replace/supplement my aging D3, my main use is action shooting, so the AF is more important to me than it would be for someone who is primarily a landscape shooter, as in your example.</p>

<p>Like you, though, I'm satisfied that the products I do have (D3, D7100) will let me get shots. When an FX body comes along that better meets my needs and is at a price that makes sense for me, I'll get it. In the mean time, I suspect the people who get a D610 will find it quite capable.</p>

<p>It's not a big deal nor a feature I would often (ever?) use, but I've wondered in the past why it wasn't possible on bodies with a "quiet" mode to shoot in that mode continuously. In this case, though, I'm imagining a conversation between marketing and engineering in which the marketing guys are saying, "we need at least one more new feature if we're going to call this a new product." I guess if this mode never shows up on other bodies, we'll know that's all it was!</p>

 

<p>I love reading these comments. Half the people say Nikon is disrespecting their customers and half say they are respecting their customers by releasing this model. </p>

<p>When I saw this post, before I clicked on it I thought to myself, new or same focus module? Its the same, so basically the same camera.</p>