Nikon D610

NIKON D610: full review

A review on Nikon D610 cannot start but with the curiosity underlying the name of the model itself, a remodeling of Nikon D600, launched just the year before. Why launching an identical model after only one year? One flaw, and what a flaw! The sensor of Nikon D600 had oil and dust stains, produced by the malfunctioning shooting mechanism. For this reason, they had to launch a “new” model, la Nikon D610.

Dating back to 2013, Nikon D610 is actually a slightly improved version of the already good D600. The new shutter brought to 6 frames per second (3 silent fps) the burst mode (instead of 5.5). Besides, a better white balance has given much more realistic colors.

Not exactly revolutionary, Nikon D610 is only a necessary revision of a model launched on the market with a pretty clamorous flaw. Let’s see its features, starting from the look.

Design of the camera body

Compared to a similar model – Nikon D810, 146mmx123mmx81.5mm, 1 kg – with its 850 grams, Nikon D610 is relatively light. In terms of size, it places itself between Nikon D7000 and the full frame Nikon D800.

The building quality of Nikon D610 is clear as soon as you hold it. Also thanks to tropicalization, which makes the camera resistant to dust and to the most extreme weather conditions, and to a very pleasant grip. The top and back portions are made of magnesium alloy, the rest is plastic.

From an ergonomic point of view, Nikon D610 strikes the right balance between the already quoted D7000 and D800: the camera body is not so small as a mirrorless but it’s still bearable, also during long workflows. The commands are reachable without fingers contortions.

In the top part of Nikon D610, on the left, there’s a ring (with lockable mechanism) for exposure and shooting mode. On the grip there’s the on/off button, the video recording button and the shutter button. Right behind, you’ll find the button for exposure compensation.

Seen from the back, Nikon D610 has a big 3.2 inches LCD display, with 921k dots and automatic brightness control. Under direct sunlight, sadly, it’s not excellent, but in normal conditions – also in external – it performs well. Of course, such a problem penalizes live view. On the left of the screen, there are buttons that directly modify some parameters, without going to the main settings. On the right of the screen, there’s a multi-selection button for menu, and to select the AF points and the lock of focus selection.

Nikon D610: technical features

The 24.3 MP full frame CMOS sensor, together with Expeed 3 processor, guarantees detailed pictures with very small digital noise. ISO range is 100-6400, expandable up to 50-25,600. Personally, I’ve shot beyond 6,400 and I had no big troubles with noise. Autofocus is based on contrast and phase detection, on 39 points (like Nikon D7000) with 9 cross-shaped points next to the center.

The burst mode of Nikon D610 is 6 frames per second, a good system for all kind of photos, except maybe for scenes with a lot of movement, like sports photos. The viewfinder covers the whole image, with 0,7x zoom. The camera also has a HDR system for wide color range in very bright areas or, on the contrary, poorly exposed.

Videos with Nikon D610 can be recorded in Full HD (1080p) with good quality and very natural colors. Unfortunately, for videos, only contrast AF is available, which is less rapid than the phase detection system. The mono microphone of Nikon D610 leaves much to be desired, but luckily you can insert an external mic to fix such a low quality performance.

The integrated flash is much better, with a pop up system based on infrareds that recognizes the master flash from the secondary ones. The result is a smart and creative lighting, for customizable effects.

Also the lithium battery is excellent, which allows 900 shots using the LCD display and approximately 3000 using just the viewfinder!

Taking pictures with Nikon D610

When it was launched in 2013, Nikon D610 was considered as a relatively light camera compared to its closest rivals, one above all Nikon D800. Now, since 8hg are not considered as a lightweight anymore – especially after the launch of mirrorless cameras – Nikon D610 has lost one of its most important skills. Yet it cannot be said that it’s not a reflex suitable for small hands and size.

Nikon D610 still has a strong feature that hasn’t been erased by time: its versatility. Good for wedding photo features, portraits, but also landscapes and still life, it’s not excellent for photos with moving subjects. But all things considered, Nikon D610 is a very versatile camera and it also has many interesting scene modes, such as: “landscape” (also at night), “children”, “macro”, “portrait” (also at night), “sunset”, “parties/interiors” and “sports”.

My opinion on D610

Six years after its launch, I think Nikon D610 is a good reflex that can meet the expectation of ambitious amateurs or semi-professionals. It’s natural that, in 2019, it has weaknesses that weren’t so striking back in the day, like the limited burst mode and the slowness with action photos.

It still remains, though, a well-produced, solid and manageable camera. And it’s not even that heavy despite its ripe old age.

The usability is still as friendly as it was in 2013: the buttons are easily reachable, the main settings – AF, shutter and exposure – are easily customizable. Nothing to say, then. Even if it’s not cutting-edge, Nikon D610 remains on the market with dignity for more than one reason.