Nikon D610 review in 2024: Nikon’s forgotten classic

Pros

+ Excellent image quality even by modern standards
+ High quality optical viewfinder
+ Solid, very high quality build
+ Status LCD on top
+ High quality rear screen

Cons

– Fixed rear screen, no tilt or flip
– 1080 video not 4K
– Slow contrast AF in live view
– Pretty heavy by today’s standards

Introduction and context

DSLRs might seem like the dinosaurs, an extinct species we only read about in history books. But only a few years ago DSLRs, like dinosaurs, ruled the world. And the Nikon D610, in my opinion, is one of the best, combining value, build quality, design and performance into a camera priced for enthusiasts. 

Today, it seems largely forgotten. My Nikon D610 cost £400 from MPB with only 4,000 shutter actuations, boxed and in practically as-new condition. It works perfectly. That seems a very low price for a camera with a 24-megapixel full frame sensor that can produce still images as good as a modern camera’s. The difference is that modern cameras aren’t made like this any more.

The D610 was not designed as a fully-fledged professional camera like the Nikon D800, but the build and materials feel just as solid. It swaps Nikon’s pro DSLR control layout for a regular mode dial, and this includes novice-friendly scene modes as well as two customisable U1 and U2 settings for more advanced users. This is the ideal camera for anyone to learn photography with and is advanced enough for professional work later on.

The Nikon D610 uses the tried and tested Nikon F lens mount. You can still buy some Nikon F lenses new and the used market is full of them. I use my Nikon D610 with the Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/4 and Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8, but there’s no shortage of lens options.

The D610 was actually a rapid replacement for the Nikon D600, an almost identical camera which suffered from a well-documented shutter oiling issue that left lots of spots on the sensor. Nikon redesigned the shutter unit, made some improvements to the the continuous shooting and rolled out the D610 as a new model, though once the D600 got past its ‘running in’ period and had its sensor cleaned, it was probably just as good.

See also
• Best used cameras to buy today
• Are used digital cameras any good for photography today?

Nikon D610 specifications

Sensor	24.3MP full frame CMOS
ISO range	100-6400, exp 50-25,600
Lens mount	Nikon F
Stabilization	Lens-based VR (where available)
Maximum burst speed	6fps
Autofocus	39-point phase detect Multi-CAM 4800 AF sensor, live view contrast AF
Video	1080 up to 30fps
Viewfinder	Optical pentaprism, 100% coverage, 0.7x magnification
LCD	3.2-inch fixed, 921k dots
Storage	2x SD/SDHC/SDXC
Battery	EN-EL15
Dimensions	141 x 113 x 82mm
Weight	760g

Nikon D610 features

One of the key features of the Nikon D610 is its 24MP full frame sensor. In terms of resolution and sensor size, that puts it on a par with modern cameras like the Canon EOS R8, Nikon Z6 III, Panasonic Lumix S5 II and Sony A7 III – or the Sony A7 II, an amazing-value oldie still on sale today. The older sensor means the D610 will not be so good at high ISOs as these cameras, its 6fps continuous shooting speed is pretty pedestrian by today’s standards, and it’s only capable of basic 1080 video capture. Nevertheless, for stills photography in normal conditions, it matches up to modern cameras perfectly well.

Being a DSLR it has a different viewing system to mirrorless cameras. It has an optical viewfinder based around a reflex mirror in the body and a glass pentaprism on the top. This offers a decent 0.7x magnification, 100% coverage and of course a ‘real life’ optical view which is actually quite refreshing after the digital display of a mirrorless camera.

The standard sensitivity range is ISO 100-6400, and while the D610 can go up to ISO 25,600 in expanded ISO mode, you’ll probably want to stick to a maximum of ISO 6400 where possible.

Like other DSLRs, the D610 effectively has two autofocus systems. One is a dedicated phase-detect sensor used with viewfinder shooting, the other is a very basic contrast AF system if you use the D610 in live view mode.

The main AF system uses a 39-point Multi-CAM sensor which is a mid-range unit a couple of steps down from those in the top models, but is still fast and effective.

The rear screen is a surprisingly good 3.2-inch 921k dot device which delivers a very clear and crisp image. It does not, however, flip out or tilt.

Nikon D610 design and handling

The Nikon D610 is a big, solid camera, and all the more so if it’s fitted with a lens like the Nikkor 24-120mm f/4. It has quite a tall body and a substantial grip, so even though it’s heavy, it’s easy to handle.

The base houses the battery compartment, and the D610’s chunky EN-EL15 cell is good for around 900 shots on a single charge. Battery life is one of the things we lost in the switch to mirrorless cameras!

On the right side is a memory card door which opens to reveal two SD card slots, which many might find preferable to the mixed slots on the Nikon D800, D810 and D850.

On the top is a large LCD status panel with a backlight switch that displays key camera and exposure settings without having to put the camera to your eye or turn it to see the rear screen. The power switch is on a lever around the shutter release and nearby are Record, metering mode and EV compensation buttons.

The right side of the top plate has a conventional mode dial, but directly underneath is the D610’s drive mode dial. Both have locking knobs to prevent accidental change. They both work very well without taking up a lot of space.

The are front and rear controls dials which perform different functions according to your shooting mode. Both have a firm, positive feel.

Round the back is a larger-than-usual 3.2-inch screen, a lever for live view stills or video shooting, and a slightly smaller than expected four-way controller. It has a somewhat spongy feel but works fine. There’s no AF-ON button, though (you’ll have to re-program the AE-L/AF-L button), and there’s no joystick to select the focus point.

The overriding impression, though, is of sheer build quality. With its rounded edges, soft-touch but grippy materials and positive controls, the D610 feels like a premium professional camera, not a mid-range model for enthusiasts.

Nikon D610 performance

I’ve taken a whole series of shots with my D610 and it hasn’t missed a beat. The image quality is pretty much indistinguishable from what I get from today’s cameras with equivalent specifications. I’ve been impressed with the Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4 zoom too, which I also bought used. It’s a little soft at the edges at 24mm but otherwise delivers very consistent sharpness, even at longer focal lengths. I would say it’s as good as modern mirrorless lenses of equivalent focal range, and better than many.

The D610’s JPEGs are as crisp and sharp as its RAW files, and speaking of these, they show good dynamic range and excellent color. I would say the matrix metering sometimes favors shadow areas a little too heavily so that backlit images can be overexposed, but I had no other problems. The auto white balance does a good job of handling different lighting conditions too.

The viewfinder AF is fast and positive, though the Multi-CAM 4800 AF sensor does cluster all 39 AP points in the central area of the screen, so you often need to use the focus-half-press-and-recompose shooting technique – especially since there’s no focus joystick. You can move the focus point with the rear controller, but given the relatively limited spread of the AF points, there’s not always a lot to be gained.

The live view was a surprise. Given the age of the D610 – it was launched back in 2013 – I was expecting this to be pretty unusable. However, it’s not. In live view, the mirror is locked up so that the sensor is exposed to the image, and this is a clunky mechanical action that reminds you that DSLRs are not really designed for live view.

However, once you are in live view, the contrast AF is slow but effective. If you’re using the D610 on a tripod for still life, landscape or architectural photography, it’s fine. Also, you can use the D-pad to move the focus point anywhere in the scene – you’re not restricted to the 39 AF points of the regular AF system.

Nikon D610 verdict

I honestly do think the Nikon D610 is one of the unsung classics of the Nikon DSLR range, made at a time when Nikon was at the top of its DSLR game. This era marked a big step forward in sensor resolution and performance, so that while cameras like the Canon EOS 50D (which I also own) from just a few years earlier were just as good physically, the sensors were way behind.

Within the Nikon range, the more expensive D750 feels more modern, with its flip-up rear screen, but the D610 shares the same sensor resolution and I actually prefer its simplicity. The nearest equivalent today is the Nikon D780, also with 24MP but with the on-sensor phase-detect AF of Nikon’s mirrorless Z6, so that at last here is a DSLR that could compete head-on with mirrorless cameras too. The D780 remains expensive, though, and it’s probably too little too late to save the DSLR concept, or Nikon’s own DSLR range.

The overall feeling I get from using the D610 today is that still imaging technology has hardly moved on since then, except in high-ISO performance, burst shooting and AF tracking, but that camera design and build quality has definitely slipped backwards, at least in this enthusiast/mid-range market the D610 is aimed at.

Nikon may now have turned its back on the DSLR camera, but that’s a shame, because I think DSLRs of this era might be remembered as Nikon’s finest hour.