Nikon D700 or D610?

c22w1

c22w1

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Chris
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I've got the itch for a full frame body and have it down to 2 bodies, Nikon D700 or D610.
The D700 would obviously have to be second hand now (buying second hand has never bothered me) and I would be looking for a low shutter count.
The D610 I would probably buy new from Panamoz with not too much difference in price between them both.
Question is has anyone used both bodies and which would you recommend and why?
Both have pros and cons.
I currently have a D7000 and a couple of FX lenses, I would be looking to add to this in the future.
I will be keeping the D7000 by the way, it's been a great companion and I can't bear to part with it.
 
I've owned both and currently have the D610 which I bought as it was lighter in weight (I tend to take my camera up mountains and stuff so saving some weight is always welcome).

There are some things I miss from the D700, the focus and metering mode selector switches are top of that list (the D800 doesn't have them either), the inbuilt eyepiece cover and the fact that the D610 has a plastic eyepiece so when you look through it with polarised glasses you can't see anything from the rainbow effect.

The things that I like are that it is lighter, has dual card slots and the real clincher is the sensor which is simply amazing.

The smaller AF area doesn't actually bother me which I thought it would and the AF is perfectly good. There are some other nifty features such as exposure delay mode which is fantastic if you're into Landscape photography - combined with timer delay it eliminates the need for a remote release (although you might still want one for other reasons).

If you currently have a D7000 then I would definitely recommend the D610 as the controls and feel will be exactly the same - I think some of my irks are from lack of familiarity with the new body.
 
If you back button focus the D610 is terrible. I would still take a D700 (I did) over the D610.
 
I went with the D700 in March faced with the D700/D610 choice. That faced with the same decision now I'd probably wait a bit longer and try stretch for a D810.
 
The23rdman said:
If you back button focus the D610 is terrible. I would still take a D700 (I did) over the D610.
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Just curious as to why? I use bb focus on my d600 and quite happy with it.
 
The23rdman said:
I'm also left eye dominant so that has a bearing.
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Me too but I don't BBF, I also have pretty small hands so the D610 is fine with me.

Don't get me wrong, there are times when I really miss the D700 but the more I get used to the D610 the fewer times it happens.
 
Nawty said:
Me too but I don't BBF, I also have pretty small hands so the D610 is fine with me.

Don't get me wrong, there are times when I really miss the D700 but the more I get used to the D610 the fewer times it happens.
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If you don't BBF it's fine. Buffer is still not great though.
 
Before people start recommending their own personal favourites, surely its important to know the intended subjects. Landscapes may well benefit from the better sensor of the d610, whilst action would benefit from some of the d700's features, af, handling for example
 
No, buffer is pretty naff and SD cards aren't the quickest but that doesn't matter to me.

If I had to have a camera that would get me the shot because my livelihood depended on it I would have a D700 but fortunately (or not) I don't so I can have the D610 for its lovely sensor.
 
Have owned both and both are difficult to fault. D610 advantages are newer sensor so better image quality and much smaller/lighter, D700 advantages are the "pro" body style & controls (D610 is a consumer body like the D7100) and I think I prefer the "traditional" round viewfinder of the D700 as it's more like a Nikon Film SLR.
 
Something else to consider is that you've said you'll keep the D7000.

In all honesty, if you get the D610 then there is no point at all in keeping it unless you really need a second body. It really is just a D7000 with a better sensor and the 10mp crop mode isn't really that much less than the D7000.

Sooo, that could point you towards the D700 as that is different enough to the D7000 to justify (maybe) having the two cameras. Alternatively it could be that you could sell the D7000 to fund the D610.

As most people who have weighed the choice between the cameras have found, it isn't an easy decision!
 
Thank you for all the fast replies. I do BBF and at the moment my main subject is wildlife but I am also now getting into landscapes which I am starting to enjoy so my my subject matter is quite diverse.
Is BBF more fiddly or harder to do on the D610 than with the D7000?
Image quality is definately well up there as one of my preferences but so is usability.
Infortunately there are no camera shops close to me now so trying before I buy is not so much of an option as it used to be. Plus even if there was its unlikely there would be a D700 in the shop for comparison.
 
c22w1 said:
...
The D610 I would probably buy new from Panamoz with not too much difference in price between them both....
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£1020 compared with £1399 from pretty much all of the main UK stockists like Wex, Clifton etc - is there a catch? Now the £120 cashback deal has finished it means a possible £379 saving!
 
boliston said:
£1020 compared with £1399 from pretty much all of the main UK stockists like Wex, Clifton etc - is there a catch? Now the £120 cashback deal has finished it means a possible £379 saving!
Click to expand...
Only catch is its a grey import meaning the warranty is with panamoz not nikon, which is no biggy unless panamoz goes belly up then you have no warranty.
 
D610 has the exact same settings to D7K so you dont have any learning curves there nor any issues with your BBF as you are used to the way it operates.

Further more D610 is basically the same in every respect to the D7K in terms of weight and size. A massive advantage there in my books as we are all creatures of habits. Another thing to consider even tho the D610 is made of lesser plastic body but the grade of it doesn't feel anything inferior. It is an expensive camera which Nikon tried to squeeze as many features in as possible while trying to target the market. So they have engineered these things to last. D40, D60, D70 et all still out there still working and working fine after many years.

Some comments regarding the build quality of D610 is just snobbery really.

Now the real mustard is D700 has a much older sensor and processor. Where the D610 has the latest and better in those respect.

Regarding the AF mech between D700 and D610, all you got to ask is does your D7k give you any problems. If not then I shalln't think that will give you any problems. d610's AF system is far more superior to D7k you will certainly notice the difference.

Lastly the issue of having dual slots of SD card makes sense to me instead of 1 CF and 1 SD as in the case of D700.

Basically those were my considerations and I decided to go with D610. And I am loving it. The IQ is significantly noticeable when compared with D7k although I can't compare with D700 as I do not have it.

Hopefully this has helped u
 
As landscape is part of this equation, I'd be tempted by the D610. 12MP is just a bit on the low side for landscape IMO when using such a small format.

You always get build quality as a subject when you compare pro and non-pro cameras. Ask yourselves this... when have you actually NEEDED pro build quality? Most people I know who bang on about it spend more time cleaning their gear than using it, and would go into an absolute panic if someone so much as lightly knocked their camera when they walked past. They'd also fit pointless/ image degrading filters to their lenses to prevent DIRT getting on them etc... They, and I am willing to bet... 95% of people in this forum don't need pro build either. It's just camera snobbery. I had a D7000 for years and used it on as many pro jobs as I did any other camera.

Dual SD slots is another big 610 plus. The D700 has no means of image back up if you're taking important images far away from home.

As great as the D700 is, if image quality is the main goal, and you don't need the build quality, then the D610 has some attractive features.

  • It's faster shooting continuously - useful for fast action/wildlife.
  • Lower native ISO for landscapes is a massive plus.
  • Wider dynamic range at lower ISOs a massive plus for landscape
  • It has video (up to you if that's useful or not)
  • Vastly superior sensor and image quality

These are things he will ACTUALLY NOTICE in image quality.

Not sure what advantage the D700 would give for the OP. I know personally I always find the lack of a PC flash sync socket a pain in the ass, but it sounds like the OP wouldn't. That's all I can think of really. The AF may be better, but in reality, is he feeling limited by the D7000 already? If not, then he certainly won't with the D610. Oh. weather sealing will be better on pro cameras.... but you can mitigate for that by taking an umbrella :)

That leaves the fact that it's a pro camera. Is it THAT important that, as amateurs, you need a pro camera that you'd choose a 12MP, 7 year old camera over one that would have serious advantages for the OP?

I'd argue that most professionals don't really need a pro camera, let alone amateurs.
 
Pookeyhead said:
As landscape is part of this equation, I'd be tempted by the D610. 12MP is just a bit on the low side for landscape IMO when using such a small format.

You always get build quality as a subject when you compare pro and non-pro cameras. Ask yourselves this... when have you actually NEEDED pro build quality? Most people I know who bang on about it spend more time cleaning their gear than using it, and would go into an absolute panic if someone so much as lightly knocked their camera when they walked past. They'd also fit pointless/ image degrading filters to their lenses to prevent DIRT getting on them etc... They, and I am willing to bet... 95% of people in this forum don't need pro build either. It's just camera snobbery. I had a D7000 for years and used it on as many pro jobs as I did any other camera.

Dual SD slots is another big 610 plus. The D700 has no means of image back up if you're taking important images far away from home.

As great as the D700 is, if image quality is the main goal, and you don't need the build quality, then the D610 has some attractive features.

  • It's faster shooting continuously - useful for fast action/wildlife.
  • Lower native ISO for landscapes is a massive plus.
  • Wider dynamic range at lower ISOs a massive plus for landscape
  • It has video (up to you if that's useful or not)
  • Vastly superior sensor and image quality

These are things he will ACTUALLY NOTICE in image quality.

Not sure what advantage the D700 would give for the OP. I know personally I always find the lack of a PC flash sync socket a pain in the ass, but it sounds like the OP wouldn't. That's all I can think of really. The AF may be better, but in reality, is he feeling limited by the D7000 already? If not, then he certainly won't with the D610. Oh. weather sealing will be better on pro cameras.... but you can mitigate for that by taking an umbrella :)

That leaves the fact that it's a pro camera. Is it THAT important that, as amateurs, you need a pro camera that you'd choose a 12MP, 7 year old camera over one that would have serious advantages for the OP?

I'd argue that most professionals don't really need a pro camera, let alone amateurs.
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It may shoot faster, but you have to shoot JPEG to enjoy that feature. The RAW buffer is annoying enough to kill.

It's a great camera and the OP obviously has no problem BBF on the D7k so will be fine with this. It's useless to me though as I shoot RAW chasing kids and am a left eye dominant BBF, which meant my guitar picking thumb nail stabbed me in the nose all day. Not fun!
 
The23rdman said:
It may shoot faster, but you have to shoot JPEG to enjoy that feature. The RAW buffer is annoying enough to kill.

It's a great camera and the OP obviously has no problem BBF on the D7k so will be fine with this. It's useless to me though as I shoot RAW chasing kids and am a left eye dominant BBF, which meant my guitar picking thumb nail stabbed me in the nose all day. Not fun!
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?

The D610 is 6fps with RAW. The D700 is 5. The only advantage is the D700 has a slightly larger buffer (17 vs. 13 frames).
 
Pookeyhead said:
?

The D610 is 6fps with RAW. The D700 is 5. The only advantage is the D700 has a slightly larger buffer (17 vs. 13 frames).
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Trust me, in practice the difference is vast.
 
Thanks again for all the replies. I definately do not need pro build neither do I need video, I take stills not films.
Another question I forgot to ask, I am constantly pushing the ISO up on my D7000 due to me being in woods and dark places so that I can keep up the shutter speed. One of my pet hates is noise in an image hence one of my reasons for wanting to go FX format. it's looking more and more like the D610 is going to be the one for me but with the D610 being being twice the pixel density of the D700 (24mp against 12mp on the same size sensor) I am assuming that there would also be more noise (also more detail but I would process out the noise and maybe the detail in doing so?). Is this the case or does the newer technology combat this?
I should maybe also add that I shoot mainly Raw files with small Jpgs for thumbnail reference on the PC.
Thanks again
 
Pookeyhead said:
?

The D610 is 6fps with RAW. The D700 is 5. The only advantage is the D700 has a slightly larger buffer (17 vs. 13 frames).
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Unless you stick the MB-D10 grip on it with the appropriate battery, then it's 8fps. But unless you use that (I don't it turns out) then all that means is you get to use the EN-EL4(a) batteries which are bigger (and heavier).
 
c22w1 said:
One of my pet hates is noise in an image hence one of my reasons for wanting to go FX format. it's looking more and more like the D610 is going to be the one for me but with the D610 being being twice the pixel density of the D700 (24mp against 12mp on the same size sensor) I am assuming that there would also be more noise (also more detail but I would process out the noise and maybe the detail in doing so?). Is this the case or does the newer technology combat this?
Click to expand...

The D610 handles noise better than the D700.. by some margin. The D700 is good, especially considering it's age, but is outclassed in this department by the D610.
 
A tough decision, i went D700 in the end. There were a couple of reasons.

1. I had a D300 and D7000 before and preferred the handling of the D300
2. I kept the D300 as the backup, so could keep cards and batteries uniform between the two cameras (I know i could have done this with the D7000 and D610 but i wanted to keep the 300)
3. At the time for the price I could buy a D700 with 12 month warranty and have a Nikon 35-70 2.8 lens with change to spare (i needed a zoom for FF so this might not be a factor for you)
4. I've lusted after one for a very long time, when it became possible i just had to go for it

These were the only reasons, after using FF for a few months i want to replace the D300 and will probably go for a D600 or D610 second hand :LOL: I shoot people and find the D700 excellent for it, not that i'm saying a D6x0 wouldn't but you know what i mean :)

I think when it boils down to it, you're going to have a brilliant camera either way. If you're shooting landscapes more the D610 might be the one to go for for the above reasons. While the jury might be out on AF between the cameras you can't get away from the cropping flexibility of the D610 for wildlife
 
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