October 8, 2013. Nikon launches the D610 to replace the 13 month-old D600

With the launch of the D610 Nikon replaces the D600 after a mere 13 months, allegedly to finally solve the oil and dust problem that has been plaguing the latter virtually since its introduction.
The only DSLR camera ever to be replaced quicker in Nikon’s history was the D40X, which lasted only 9 months in the line-up.
The D610’s “suggested” retail price of $ 2.000 is slightly inferior to its predecessor, which launched on 13-09-2012 with a SRP of $ 2.100.
Although the D600 stays in the line-up, for now, the camera’s price has been steadily dropping for the last six months or so, and it will surely be discontinued as soon as Nikon clears stock.

The D610 is virtually identical to the D600, which only reinforces the suspicion that Nikon were not able to “fix” the problem of the camera spewing oil or dust on the sensor, because the only improvement – if you can call it that – is a slightly higher max fps-rate of 6 vs. the D600’s 5,5
My main critique of the D600 still applies to the D610, in the sense that latter still has a maximum shutter speed of only 1/4000, still flash syncs at only 1/200 and still brackets (exposure, flash, WB, ADL) a measly 2-3 frames.
Similarly, the camera still employs the same Multi-CAM 4800 39-point auto-focus module as its predecessor.
Given that even the 800-dollar cheaper D7100 now incorporates 51-point AF, one cannot help wondering why Nikon did not take the opportunity to upgrade the D610 at least in that aspect.

It still remains to been seen if Nikon have indeed solved the main weakness of their “baby” FX, which – in terms of IQ, at least – leaves very little to be wished.
At the time of writing, it still ranks third in DxO Mark with a sensor rating of 94, only slightly behind the Nikon D800 (95) and D800E (96). It is extremely unlikely the D610 will give up that spot.
The sad news for current D600 owners is, of course, that the resale price of their camera has just plummeted…
Specs after the break.

Nikon D610 main specs
Effective Pixels: 24.3 Mp. (FX); 10.3 Mp. (DX crop-mode)
Sensor: CMOS, 35.9 x 24.0 mm (Full-Frame; FX)
Image Area (JPG). Note that RAW files are always Large (L)
FX-format: (L) 6.016 x 4.016; (M) 4.512 x 3.008; (S) 3.008 x 2.008
DX-format: (L) 3.936 x 2.624; (M) 2.944 x 1.968; (S) 1.968 x 1.312
File Formats:
JPEG-Baseline Compliant. Compression: Fine (approx 1:4), Normal (approx 1:8), Basic (approx 1:16). Size Priority or Optimal Quality.
NEF (RAW) Lossless compressed, compressed; 14 or 12 bit
NEF+JPG Fine, Normal or Basic
Card Slots: 2. Media: SD, SHCD, SDXC (UHS compatible)
Compatible Lenses:
AF Nikkor G and D type FX and DX lenses (in DX crop mode). Some restrictions may apply; see your manual for more information.
AI-P and AI/AI-S lenses (see this article) can be used with AE metering modes A or M. Mode must be set manually, else the camera will not fire.
IX, F3AF and Non-AI lenses can NOT be used.
Shutter Speed: 1/4000 - 30 s.; Bulb
Continuous shooting speed (FX):  up to 6 frames per second
Bracketing (Exposure, Flash, WB, ADL): 2 to 3 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1 or 2 EV
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 100 - 6400; Lo-1 (ISO 50); Hi-1 (ISO 12,800); Hi-2 (ISO 25,600)
Autofocus System: Nikon Multi-CAM 4800 39-point AF sensor module with TTL phase detection (see this article)
Dynamic AF Mode: AF points: 9, 21, 39. 3D-tracking (39 points)
Lens Servo: Single-servo (AF-S); Continuous-servo (AF-C); Auto select either AF-S or AF-C (AF-A); predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status. Manual focus (MF): electronic rangefinder can be used
Autofocus Fine Tune: Yes (see this article)
Built-in Flash Sync Speed: up to 1/200 sec.; synchronizes with shutter at 1/250s or slower
FP High Speed Sync: up to 1/4000
Flash Modes: Front-curtain sync (normal); Rear-curtain sync; Red-Eye reduction; Red-Eye reduction with slow sync; Slow sync. Commander mode, CLS Supported
Flash Compensation: -3 to +1 EV in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Live View: Photography, Movie
Live View Lens servo: Single-servo AF (AF-S); Full-time-servo AF (AF-F); Manual focus (MF)
Live View AF-area mode: Face-priority AF; Wide-area AF; Normal-area AF; Subject-tracking AF
Live View AF: Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected)
Movie File Format: MOV; H.264/MPEG-4 compressed; FHD 1.920 x 1080, 30/25/24 fps.; HD 1,280 x 720, 60/50/30/25 fps.
Audio recording format: Linear PCM
Maximum recording time: 20’ at FHD; 29’ 59” at HD
Built-in microphone (mono); external stereo microphone (optional)
Monitor: 3.2 in. diagonal; 921 K dots
Wi-Fi: Eye-Fi compatible; WU-1b wireless mobile adapter (optional)
GPS: compatible with Nikon GP-1A, GP-1; third party GPS units
Battery: EN-EL15
Approx. Dimensions (W x H x D):  141x113x82 mm
Approx. Weight: 760 g (body, without battery)
For more information on the D610 see the Nikon Imaging site

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