D800 vs. D610 Review

We’ve been corresponding here ‘behind the scenes’ for some time…you know how I feel about the D610…image quality is very,very nice. File recoverability from even a badly-exposed .NEF file is superb, but the camera itself is not the best on autofocus, and has some operational cheapness…coming from the D3x to the D610, there was for me a HUGE down-grade in the AF module…the D3x used Nikon’s Multi-CAM 3500 AF module with 51 AF points…the D610 does not use that AF module, and has a crop-sensor’s 39-point AF system and module in a full-frame body.

The D3x and D800 can focus even a CHEAP, slow-aperture lens indoors in poor light, with pretty darned impressive capability…the D610 NEEDs that awful white AF-assist light to even come close. The D610 has let me down on AF many,many times…that was/is the weakest issue with it, IMHO.

I myself just bought a used D800 body, have had it a few weeks now…it too uses the Multi-CAM 3500, 51-point AF module…and is a better focuser than the D610 is, especially with slower, variable-aperture lenses, which the D610 is not that good with.

I have to agree 100% with your post above, braineack: the D800 is a very nice Nikon camera, and the additional megapixels offer a lot of crop-in capability. The body quality of the D2x and D3x and D800 are way,way above the consumer-level D600-series cameras. The viewfinder is better in the “round eyepiece” Nikon cameras.