Changed My Mind. Purchasing the D610, Not the D800E.

[nmccamy]

By renting the D610 and putting it through rigorous testing, I have concluded that it will easily fit my needs, and save me $1000. I can use that money to buy a decent tripod and ball head.

Won't get it for another 3-4 months, so will be looking at anything new that Nikon launches.

 

[Mark F]

cool... can I ask what your deciding factors were?
I'm also leaning towards the d610, having the d600.
I don't like the idea of having the large files of the d800... but I do miss the setup banks. not like ken rockwell and the u1 u2 fan. with 4 banks of settings, like my d300s I realistically can have up to 16 different set ups although I use 4 as portrait, landscape, sports, and low light
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[nmccamy]

Mark,

First of all, I shut off all the auto stuff and shoot strictly manual. I use the built-in light meter, but that's it. I will have prime lenses that only focus manually. So I don't even need all of the auto options that the D610 has, let alone the D800E.

The thing about the D800E that attracted me, and most others, is the resolution. I rented the D800 awhile ago and was extremely impressed! The thought that the D800E could be a tad sharper sounded very exciting.

I rented the D610 and was very impressed with it's sharpness and, at least to me, slightly lower noise levels. Much of my photography will involve multi-row\column shooting and stitching, to create a single 216 mega-pixel print (60" x 40"). This will outshine the 36 MP D800E significantly.

I kept thinking about what I could do with an extra $1000, and then made my decision. Do I lose bragging rights? Yes. Do I really care? No, especially when I show somebody a 216 MP print.

My finances are such that I cannot buy the camera for 3-4 months. If Nikon comes out with something else in the meantime, I certainly will look at it. A D610E, for example, would be awesome, though I must admit that I don't think the tad extra resolution will help me much.

Nikon and Canon (in conjunction with Kodak) are working on larger sensor cameras because they realize they've essentially hit a brick wall with current technology. I have to assume that all new lenses would have to be developed for these massive sensors. Perhaps in 5 years I'll sell my D610, and get a Nikon medium format camera. The Nikon MF-1.

 

[jrleo33]

FX D600/610, a good place to be.

My decision earlier this year in upgrading to a full frame sensor and thus the Nikon D600 was primarily influenced by the 24.3MP sensor in this camera. Considering signal-to-noise ratios, ISO, resolution, and the resolving power of available lenses, 24.3MP is in my opinion, the optimum sensor resolution for digital FX photography. The very same factors apply when the D600 is used in DX mode at 10.2MPs; the camera software can apply decent noise reduction to a photo at reasonably elevated ISOs.

In my initial research, it did not take long to establish, that the Nikon D600's 24.3MP sensor is a Sony-built IMX128, manufactured under Nikon’s specifications. Both the Sony FX a99 and Nikon’s FX D600 have the same sensor with probably some small different tweaks. It was no surprise, that the Nikon D610 will include this same 24.3MP sensor. The new Nikon Df DSLR Camera will incorporate the same FX 16.2MP sensor as the Nikon D4.

Over the last decade based on a 35mm film format, the CCD and CMOS sensors, both cropped and full frame have taken the industry from about 3.2MP to 36.3MP images, and now, we are starting back from the high to FX at 16.2MP; which signifies technological advancements over sensors produced just a few years ago. Rumors already suggest a D4X with the Sony 36.3MP sensor; further suggesting maybe not enough Pixels in the D4, or whatever. It may also suggest that some folks feel the D4 should have had the tried and proven 24.3MP sensor in the D600/610.

The oil and dirt issue on some D600s is what it is, and regardless, ownership of a Nikon FX 600/610 is a good place to be. The Sony a99 still sells for body only at $2800.00, and I bought a refurbished D600 for $1595. So far, I have had no issues with my Nikon D600.

I go along with the Industry hitting a brick wall on existing 35mm digital technology, and look forward to maybe a 70mm format camera, with new lenses to accommodate the larger format.

 

[nmccamy]

I agree that 24 MP seems to be the optimum with the current technology, and to go significantly further requires a larger sensor.