upgrade to 610 from D7000?

eli

Senior Member
Will the 610 produce "better" photos than the D7000 under the same conditions? I am close to upgrading, having gotten a price quote on a trade-in.... but, i don't really know what i am getting in the 610. Yes, i know the specs, but will
a portrait under similar lighting conditions look so much better that it is worth upgrading. This is a leisure pursuit for me, not a business. It costs money, i don't earn money with this.
IS the bokeh that much better withe the 610 with similar angle of views, lenses, settings? Is the color that much more pleasing and accurate? Do the colors come out of the camera warmer, cooler, more accurately with the 610? By the way, i am not thrilled with the colors of my 7000 compared to canon colors. and, the white balance on the D7000 is not always great indoors. Last, regardless of which camera i use, i have a lot to learn. I am posting this in this forum and in the D7000/7100 forum.
 

gqtuazon

Gear Head
Re: upgrade to D610 from D7000?

Eli- the camera alone cannot do magic for you. I suggest you do more research on your part and understand the effects of Field of View since you will likely shooting much closer with a FX camera compared to a DX camera if you are using the same lens and try to achieve the same framing. This will result in a closer distance to your subject and thinner DoF. Colors can be changed during post processing when working with a RAW file. I do not know what Canon colours looks like. Your question came in with a bombardment of questions that I will not take the time to answer all of them for you. What software are you using? Can you show an example of an image that you do not like? It could be your post processing that is not giving your the color that you expect.
 

ShootRaw

Senior Member
The D610 would be a great upgrade...But not sure you need to go FX if you are not doing this as a profession...If you do, make sure you use quality fast glass in front of the D610...
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
If the only reason you are thinking of upgrading is so that things will come out of the camera "better" with no other work, then you're going to be wasting your money as I suspect there are things you can do with the D7000 that will give you those results now, you just haven't done a deep enough dive into it to understand how to pull those things out.

That said. I upgraded from the D7000 to the D600 (same sensor as the D610) and I will tell you that the dynamic range of this sensor is leaps and bounds beyond the D7000, while retaining much of the form and function of the camera, and not overwhelming you with MP's like the D800 (which I believe is a far more specialized camera than the D600 and the D4). If you are shooting RAW then the differences should immediately be noticeable to you in your processing. Images don't necessarily come out of the camera in a way that make you want to shout, "Wow!!", but as you start moving sliders in Lightroom/ACR you should immediately notice that you have far more image information to work with than you did with the D7000. You should also see a marked increase in image sharpness, particularly when using ISO levels about 640.

But, as Glenn said, it's not magic. It's a more refined tool, but you still need to understand what it does and how to make the most of it. If you haven't done that yet with your D7000 then perhaps that's the proper first step.

There are some key differences when moving from DX to FX that you need to research and understand, because you are trading effective focal length for anything you gain. So, if you're shooting landscapes, it may make all the sense in the world, but if you're shooting wildlife then you need to realize that everything in your field of view just got 33% further away.

You also need to understand the fundamentals of what makes a photograph. Is bokeh "better"? No, it's the same, because that's a function of your lenses. But, you may be able to better manipulate the bokeh you have with the additional light information the D600 gives you - plus the switch to FX will effectively give you an extra stop's worth of depth of field on the same shot (i.e. you'll be shooting at 50mm on the FX body where you would have shot at 35mm on a DX).

Bottom line, only you will know whether or not going to a D610 is really an upgrade or a call for help. If it's the latter, perhaps you're better off investing some of that money now in some instruction to help you get the most out of the equipment you have. Unless you can specifically articulate what it is that you find "lacking" in the D7000 then it's all just guess work - on our part and yours. Understanding your equipment fully will help you get the most out of it now, which is how you'll know when you've run out of camera for your purposes.
 

NVSteve

Senior Member
If you are shooting RAW then the differences should immediately be noticeable to you in your processing. Images don't necessarily come out of the camera in a way that make you want to shout, "Wow!!", but as you start moving sliders in Lightroom/ACR you should immediately notice that you have far more image information to work with than you did with the D7000.

This. There is a huge amount of latitude for adjusting images in every which way during post, far more than I've encountered on anything smaller than FF. With smaller sensors, I would always hit the maximum adjustment of something, but it was never enough to fully bring about what I've wanted/how a particular scene looked in real life. I generally don't have to fine tune anything outside of the import settings I have set in Lightroom, although there are instances where I really need to tweak an image quite a bit, and I will say this again, nothing has come even remotely close to the latitude afforded with the D600 RAW captures. But, I've shot exclusively in RAW since day one beginning with a Canon Powershot S30. Can't say anything at all about how well the jpg engine is or isn't. It all depends on what you like to shoot, if you PP a lot, if you are super pixel critical and what you expect out of your images. I've gone through countless samples shot with the D7100 and I think they all look great for the most part. One of the additional bonuses for me was that my previous go-to travel & backpacking camera was larger and heavier than the D600, yet it was a 4/3rds sensor. Now I have something smaller and lighter (though not as robust or well sealed) and I no longer worry if I'll be able to push/pull shadows or highlights enough.
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
Eli, your question is full of insecurity and not that easy to answer. I think Jake did a fine job of trying to see through your question to find your goal. The most important part of photography is the understanding and studying of light. In the first part of your question, you ask "will a portrait under similar lighting conditions look so much better"? I'd say NO is the light is crappy and maybe if the lighting is good. It's the lighting choice that makes or kills a good portrait.

Then there is the lens factor, now this is where you should start investing, this can help you work in more difficult lighting situations. But even then, if your subject is not placed under a nice lighting situation, whatever the camera and lens combination, you will not get a great photograph.

How large do you print? MegaPixels are needed to print, the larger the print, the more you need. How many pictures have you printed larger than 16x20"? I'd say this is about the size where you could get a benefit.

So in the end, you will have to answer your own questions, but I suggest that you take your sweet time about the buying scheme. Learn post processing (this is free and only takes time) from tutorials on the net, set your goals on which lens you would like to have, rent it BEFORE you buy to see if it really does what you'd like, and last but not least, practice, practice and practice some more. It's like painting, you can buy all the brushes you want, but if you don't practice and if you don't know what you want to paint, all the brushes in the world won't help you.

Enjoy your D7000, it's a fine instrument to learn with.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Gonna go with everyone UNLESS you feel you're lacking heavily in the ISO performance, since it's not all that stellar on the 7000. Or if you want to print bigger with crispier quality (though this one is a bit subjective).

Upgrade when you simply know that your camera, no matter what you do, cannot give you enough image quality after doing RAWs and utilizing everything else. And assuming you have as good of lenses as you can/are willing to afford to improve the image quality.

Lastly, in all honesty, unless you're starting to/plan to make money with that camera, you're probably fine where you are right now as far as body goes. I personally wanted something better than my 5100 because it was making shooting some gigs somewhat of a painful process and I started to get tired of it.
 

eli

Senior Member
All fine answers and very wise advice. The lighting in my home is a problem, and my understanding of exposure may even be a bigger problem!
I think i will spend more time and energy using my present camera, learning as much as i can, practicing more, and learning to post process better.
Then, over time, I will see if the 7000 limits me. I'll work around limitations in dimly lit rooms (my living room especially) and see if my skills grow. . .
Thanks for all the advice. I just purchased Nikon's 85 f/1.8 to go with my other primes (35,50,105mm). If those aren't enough, I'll look for a wide angle
lens and a longer zoom. Hopefully my skills will improve to the point where my questions get answered by my results, instead of conjecture.
thanks again. I really appreciated the advice.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Good plan. Not knowing what you're shooting, as I look at your lenses I see that 35mm is your wides, which is effectively a 52mm on the DX body, so everything you're shooting with is pretty much giving you either normal field of view or acting as some form of telephoto. You might consider adding the 28mm if you're stuck on primes and want a little more in your viewfinder.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Sadly 7000 meters with AI and cannot really take non-AI lenses, else those would be a great way to learn all about exposure first hand.
 

aroy

Senior Member
Sadly 7000 meters with AI and cannot really take non-AI lenses, else those would be a great way to learn all about exposure first hand.

You can try the 28mmF2.8 AIS lense. That is supposed to be one of the best 28mm. It can even be bought new.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Rather my point is that with metering, it's probably too tempting to read the exposure meter and thus ignore learning it. Without it, you have to know what you're doing or shots simply won't turn out and that will force one to learn the basics. Doesn't matter what lens you use.

I do have a new opinion regarding MF-only glass: without a split-prism screen like good old cameras, its going to be a bag of cats most of the time.

By the way, does anyone know off the top of their head if 600's focusing screen is the same as any other models?
 

jrleo33

Senior Member
Eli: One tip to help your indoor lighting problem, is to start replacing your light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lamps. Some of these newer lamps are rated at about 5600 Kelvin, which is very close to daylight color tempatures. These CFLs can be bought at Lowe's or Home Depot. These same lamps will show its Kalvin rating on the box. This will help you get rid of the yellow cast from Incandescent bulbs, and the green cast from Fluorscent. This is a simple way to change your camera's indoor White-Balance settings.
 

eli

Senior Member
What i am learning is that i have a lot to learn. Will try changing light bulbs, and adjusting white balance via trial and error.
Will resolve to learn my camera more fully and to read about and experiment with exposure. Twenty years ago i enjoyed my nikon D70 -
still have it but it doesn't work - photographing my kids. The shots were spot on, color great, even with a couple of cheap lenses.
Really enjoyed that camera and, more importantly, those times. now, my D7000 may be a fine piece of technology, but digital pictures
just don't have that extra something that i found in film. Regardless, it is time to learn this camera, or any other camera i buy. And, it is time to study photography a bit more . . . it is too fine an art to ignore!
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Did you mean, N70? D70 is hardly 10 years old, let alone 20, haha.

But, believe in RAW and post-processing just like it was in the film days (if you wanted to get the best possible prints). Temperature and tint, aka white balance, are a snap to correct with most available converters today and they make a world of difference.

I noticed that my 600 doesn't have the best auto WB, but it does let you set custom using something white, but from my brief musings its still a finicky gimmick (for jpegs anyway).
 

eal1

Senior Member
yes, i meant the N70. sorry. I heard that the D600's AWB was improved with the D610. Still tantalized by full frame's potential.
 
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