Hey! Few days ago Nikon replaced my oiled nikon d600 body with a new d610 body. I have been thinking in sell the d610 body to acquire a d800e. All of you nikonians, does it worth the upgrade? Since some d600 users which upgraded to a d800 told me isn't worth the upgrade since the image quality doesn't change much at all.
Depends on your shooting style. For events/weddings/portraits, and all that, chances are the D610 is fine, and the lower file sizes will suit a faster workflow. If you need the maximum number of pixels, such as if you're doing product photography, cropping wildlife, or landscapes, the D800e would likely be better.
I don't think that it's worth it personally. The sensor in the D610 is wonderful. All you really gain from going to the D800E is 50% extra MP (not a big deal IMO), AF that is a bit better and fills a lot more of the frame, and a buffer that is a tiny bit larger (16 frames vs. 14 frames) -- plus ergonomic differences which don't mean a whole lot to me. In good light, you can crop more with the D800E, but in low light, the cropability seems about the same (because the D8x0's high ISO performance is highly dependent on having a lot of pixels).
In exchange, you give up fps, weight, the U1/U2 settings (which are so nice to have), size, decent live view, and cost, plus the files are a bit more cumbersome to process, and if you are unlucky you might get one with left AF issues. All in all, for a "do everything" camera, I think that the D610 is just as good or better than the D800E. (That said, I myself went with a D810 :-))
If you need better AF (the Af on the D800/D810 is much better than the D610, and also has much better frame coverage) or more pixels, the D8x0's are the way to go.
Additional advantages of the D800's are better build and compatibility with 10-pin remote port accessories and Nikon's accessories for the round viewfinder. Oh, and the ability to get a decent eyecup, which Nikon has never made for the square eyepieces on the D610 but has made a wide selection of for the round eyepieces in their various forms.
Additionally, the crop mode is more usable if you need speed, since it's a full 16MP on the D8x0's, giving you essentially a D7000 with D300 ergonomics, speed and AF in the same body as your D8x0.
Having owned a D600 and not got along with it, I'd take the upgrade. But if you liked your D600 aside from the sensor oil issue, stick with it, it's a solid camera and the output is superb.
If you shoot weddings, the AF on the D800 will help you. If you don't regularly do any paid work, you're almost certainly better off spending the money on lenses. Cameras are the least important thing.
Nikon sent me a shiny new d610 to replace my d600. I loved the output of the d600 minus then connect-a-dot Funtime if created for me in post. You just can't own one body nowadays. The d810 is one hell of a camera and love it. I out about 75 shots on the d610 on a trip this weekend and so far so good and a worthy replacement/upgrade to my beloved d600. The d610 and d810 will be my two bodies for quite sometime..
Of course it's worth it. As nice as the D610 is, the d800E trumps it in many ways. Just try focusing in the dark... My D600 stinks at it... My D800 and D800e both will focus in what seems like pitch black.
You never said though what you shoot. So many people post questions like yours, but never state what it is they do with their canera. It would be utter foolishness to recommend anything without knowing what you do with your canera...
The AF is definitely better. Very rarely can it not lock onto something or second guesses. It's not perfect by any means but I think it's pretty confident, so I can only imagine how the new AF on the D4S/810 is.
Ergonomics is probably the biggest thing that sold me. Coming from a D300 the 610 felt like a toy. Moreover the megapixels have really allowed me to be more creative and cropping a lot still yields great detail. File size is overrated. 4 or 5 years ago I built a top of the line computer, which means present day average hardware will perform the same or better and I've never had an issue working in Lightroom.
A big dilemma for me is moving to the 810, when imagine quality will be 99% the same.
Thanks you everybody. To answer few questions, I do few commissions jobs as commercial photography, products, beauty/fashion portraits, and most I do landscapes as hobby. For all of this the best will be the 800's but right now my wallet has others priorities and my reach maybe will be a d800 o maybe the d800e. I think I'll keep the d610 and keep working with it since i don't have any other body. I'll post a couple o pictures I made with the D600 few months ago.
very nice. Doesn't look like your D600/610 has hindered you at all. You get a faster shutter synch speed with the D800, but with a flash, doesn't really matter.
