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D610 D750 or Sony a7II?

rocknblogger

rocknblogger

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 2, 2011
2,346
481
New Jersey
I'm looking to buy a new camera soon. I'm looking at the Nikon D610, D750, and the Sony a7II.

I Only have a couple Nikon lenses at the moment and one is crappy anyway. No matter which camera I choose I'll have to but at least one lens.

If it was you, which would you go with and why? Weight/size is not a consideration. Let's focus on quality, features, functions, flexibility, durability etc...

All opinios are welcome:)
 
rocknblogger said:
I'm looking to buy a new camera soon. I'm looking at the Nikon D610, D750, and the Sony a7II.

I Only have a couple Nikon lenses at the moment and one is crappy anyway. No matter which camera I choose I'll have to but at least one lens.

If it was you, which would you go with and why? Weight/size is not a consideration. Let's focus on quality, features, functions, flexibility, durability etc...

All opinios are welcome:)
Click to expand...

What do you shoot? Personally the D610 and D750 would be the way to go. With you saying you need some new glass, the D610 would leave you an extra £500 to use towards it. There's a lot of nice reviews (and a useful camera comparison chart) over on DPreview. I was watching the D750 real world video last night, as that is likely to be my next body.
 
Depends on the type of photography you do.
The D750 is basically a D610, but improved in some regards (AF, Tilt screen, gps and Wifi).
Sony is really inovating right now, but there are a lot of shortcomings.

Like :apple:fanboy wrote, the D610 is a proven and established dslr now, that can be had at a very good price. If you want to make use of its sensor you'll need some good glas and that is where the saved money comes in.

For sports and wildlife the D750 could be a better choice because of the AF system. I'd wait though until Nikon fixes the various reflexion and banding problems.
 
Not to derail this but I just got offered a used D800 from a very good friend of mine. About 1000 shutter clicks. He'll take $1200. The only reason he's selling it is because he bought a D810. I know him well enough to know that it’s the truth. He always upgrades to the newest models when they are released.

So do I jump on it or is there any reason to still consider a D610 (If I go with Nikon) for a bit more but brand new.

Would love your thoughts on this.
 
rocknblogger said:
Not to derail this but I just got offered a used D800 from a very good friend of mine. About 1000 shutter clicks. He'll take $1200. The only reason he's selling it is because he bought a D810. I know him well enough to know that it’s the truth. He always upgrades to the newest models when they are released.

So do I jump on it or is there any reason to still consider a D610 (If I go with Nikon) for a bit more but brand new.

Would love your thoughts on this.
Click to expand...
How much would the D610 cost you?

There is a few things the D610 has going, that the D800 does not have.
But 1200$ for a D800 with 1k clicks is an awesome deal!

What makes me wonder is, why it only has 1k clicks. Who buys a D800 and then only takes 1000photos total. That part does sound really, really fishy.
 
Meister said:
How much would the D610 cost you?

There is a few things the D610 has going, that the D800 does not have.
But 1200$ for a D800 with 1k clicks is an awesome deal!

What makes me wonder is, why it only has 1k clicks. Who buys a D800 and then only takes 1000photos total. That part does sound really, really fishy.
Click to expand...

Might be his back up camera?
 
Can't speak to the Sony or the D800. Having used the both the D610 and the D750 I'd say the main differences are the D750 has better AF, low light performance, a flippy screen that I'm actually starting to like, and is slightly more compact.

I imagine performance wise you can't get much more bang for the buck than a D800 for $1200. Unless something is wrong with it.

I'll offer up this link though...seems Nikon is starting a program to continue to improve performance on FX bodies through firmware so the D610 and D800 may gain some performance and functionality (software driven) that the D750 and D810 have.

http://nikonrumors.com/2015/01/08/n...0-d810-d800-d800e-d610-and-d600-cameras.aspx/

Having some decent glass to put on the body has to be part of your plan though.
 
JDDavis said:
Can't speak to the Sony or the D800. Having used the both the D610 and the D750 I'd say the main differences are the D750 has better AF, low light performance, a flippy screen that I'm actually starting to like, and is slightly more compact.

I imagine performance wise you can't get much more bang for the buck than a D800 for $1200. Unless something is wrong with it.

I'll offer up this link though...seems Nikon is starting a program to continue to improve performance on FX bodies through firmware so the D610 and D800 may gain some performance and functionality (software driven) that the D750 and D810 have.

http://nikonrumors.com/2015/01/08/n...0-d810-d800-d800e-d610-and-d600-cameras.aspx/

Having some decent glass to put on the body has to be part of your plan though.
Click to expand...
Good advise!
I am looking forward to the "I am advancing" program, too.
RAW live histogram, flat picture profile and maybe the video codec fom the D750. :)

It's about time they are coming up with something like that.

A lot of Nikons DSLRs are crippled by missing software implementations, that don't make the least bit of sense. For example only 3-image bracketing on the D610 and Df, not even to mention the completely missing video option of the Df. (Aka "pure photography")
 
Meister said:
A D800 as a backup? Possible.
But even then 1000clicks is ridiculosly low. A protog who uses a D800 as his backup would shoot significantly more.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of people who have to have the latest and greatest camera and just don't use it. Look at the number of D700's, D3's and D3s' around with less than 5000 clicks on them. To find a D800 with less than 1000 clicks is not unremarkable, it's good luck sure, but not impossible.
 
Attonine said:
There are plenty of people who have to have the latest and greatest camera and just don't use it. Look at the number of D700's, D3's and D3s' around with less than 5000 clicks on them. To find a D800 with less than 1000 clicks is not unremarkable, it's good luck sure, but not impossible.
Click to expand...
I see your point and of course it's not impossible, but I always think it's fishy.
The used dslr market is a lucrative business and it is theoratically possible to rig the shutter count, so if I see a high-end dslr with less than 10k clicks I get suspicious.
 
Meister said:
How much would the D610 cost you?

There is a few things the D610 has going, that the D800 does not have.
But 1200$ for a D800 with 1k clicks is an awesome deal!

What makes me wonder is, why it only has 1k clicks. Who buys a D800 and then only takes 1000photos total. That part does sound really, really fishy.
Click to expand...

Meister said:
A D800 as a backup? Possible.
But even then 1000clicks is ridiculosly low. A protog who uses a D800 as his backup would shoot significantly more.
Click to expand...
I was mistaken. My friend has a very thick accent and I misunderstood what he said. I called him to ask a couple questions and during the conversation he went into the camera and looked it up so I could have an exact number. The camera has 14,079 shutter releases. Still pretty low for a camera that's rated for 200,000 releases.

Either way it's low. The reason that his cameras are in such condition is A. He upgrades as soon as something new is released and B. He's an enthusiast who shoots as if he's using a film camera. In other words he doesn't shoot hundreds of photos when he goes out to shoot. He takes his time and tries to be meticulous when composing a scene.

To answer your other question it looks like a new D610 will cost me around $1400-$1500 for body only. I shoot landscapes, cityscapes, nature\wildlife, still life and some portraiture. And that's pretty much the order of importance to me.

As for glass, I'm going to be buying a 24-120mm. I'm going to check the used dept at bhphoto when the time comes. If you have a better suggestion for glass, I'm all ears.

Also what does the D610 have going for it over the D800. You mentioned it earlier but didn't elaborate.

Thanks!!!
 
rocknblogger said:
I was mistaken. My friend has a very thick accent and I misunderstood what he said. I called him to ask a couple questions and during the conversation he went into the camera and looked it up so I could have an exact number. The camera has 14,079 shutter releases. Still pretty low for a camera that's rated for 200,000 releases.

Either way it's low. The reason that his cameras are in such condition is A. He upgrades as soon as something new is released and B. He's an enthusiast who shoots as if he's using a film camera. In other words he doesn't shoot hundreds of photos when he goes out to shoot. He takes his time and tries to be meticulous when composing a scene.

To answer your other question it looks like a new D610 will cost me around $1400-$1500 for body only. I shoot landscapes, cityscapes, nature\wildlife, still life and some portraiture. And that's pretty much the order of importance to me.

As for glass, I'm going to be buying a 24-120mm. I'm going to check the used dept at bhphoto when the time comes. If you have a better suggestion for glass, I'm all ears.

Also what does the D610 have going for it over the D800. You mentioned it earlier but didn't elaborate.

Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Main things: D610 has a U1 and U2 mode, it has 2sd slots, quiet continous shooting and is lighter.

Minor things: D610 has very slightly less noise at base iso (2nd best in the world right now after the D810) and slightly better high iso performance. It also shoots 6fps.

Things that speak for the D800:
Main things: 36mp sensor!!! Better AF. Exposure preview in Live View
Minor things: Slightly more color depth. Less moire and ailiasing in video mode.

(The minor differences between the two are really just for pixelpeeking sake. No real world difference there)

If the camera was new I'd get the D800 for your purposes (and if you are fine with the massive raws from the D800) just for those mentioned 36mp.

But I personally don't like buying dslr bodies used, so I would go for the D610.
However 1200$ for a used D800 is an amazing deal! If you are fine with used, go for it. :)
 
Meister said:
How much would the D610 cost you?

There is a few things the D610 has going, that the D800 does not have.
But 1200$ for a D800 with 1k clicks is an awesome deal!

What makes me wonder is, why it only has 1k clicks. Who buys a D800 and then only takes 1000photos total. That part does sound really, really fishy.
Click to expand...

Meister said:
Main things: D610 has a U1 and U2 mode, it has 2sd slots, quiet continous shooting and is lighter.

Minor things: D610 has very slightly less noise at base iso (2nd best in the world right now after the D810) and slightly better high iso performance. It also shoots 6fps.

Things that speak for the D800:
Main things: 36mp sensor!!! Exposure preview in Live View
Minor things: Slightly more color depth. Less moire and ailiasing in video mode.

(The minor differences between the two are really just for pixelpeeking sake. No real world difference there)

If the camera was new I'd get the D800 for your purposes (and if you are fine with the massive raws from the D800) just for those mentioned 36mp.

But I personally don't like buying dslr bodies used, so I would go for the D610.
However 1200$ for a used D800 is an amazing deal! If you are fine with used, go for it. :)
Click to expand...
I generally don't like buying used and would never consider it. However I know Dejan very well and I know how he handles his equipment. We've gone out shooting together a few times so I've seen it all first hand. If this was anyone else I would not consider it for a minute.

That said I'm still considering the D610. The D750 is a dream but at ~$2200 for body only is just a bit too much. It would bring to to over $3000 if I go with the 24-120 lens. So I have to nix the D750 for now. Maybe next year.

So it's either this used D800, a new D610 or the Sony. I'm definitely leaning towards the Nikons at this point. This is a tough choice. I'm also anal about keeping my gear in mint condition and I'm guessing I could probably get my $1200 back if I decide to sell next year and get a new D750 or even maybe a D810 if the prices come down a bit.

I don't know...I need to think very carefully before I do anything.
 
Why are you in a rush? I was looking at the D610 and then the D750 came out. The D750 is on its on level. Reviewers say that its more closer to the D800/D3 than the d610. But definitely not the replacement of the D610.


I'm waiting till I get the funds for D750. D610 is good buy still. Used D610 cost around $1200. D750 $2k used. D700 $1000-!300 used. It really depends on what you want and what you are willing to pay.

I'm looking at the D750 because of the 51 AF Points, Tilt screen, and wifi. (over the D610). Is that worth $800. I like that the 51AF points combined with the high ISO…possibly get a faster focus in low light.
 
mofunk said:
Why are you in a rush? I was looking at the D610 and then the D750 came out. The D750 is on its on level. Reviewers say that its more closer to the D800/D3 than the d610. But definitely not the replacement of the D610.


I'm waiting till I get the funds for D750. D610 is good buy still. Used D610 cost around $1200. D750 $2k used. D700 $1000-!300 used. It really depends on what you want and what you are willing to pay.

I'm looking at the D750 because of the 51 AF Points, Tilt screen, and wifi. (over the D610). Is that worth $800. I like that the 51AF points combined with the high ISO…possibly get a faster focus in low light.
Click to expand...
Where do you get the idea that I'm in a rush? I'd like to have a new camera by the end of February and it's unlikely that the limit of what I'll want to spend will change by then. So with that in mind I have to decide between the D800 and the D610.

Also I would never buy a used dSLR. The only reason I'm considering it is that I know my friend very well and I know how he takes care of his gear. Even with that I'm still concerned because something can go wrong that's no fault of his and I will have no warranty so I'll have to pay out of pocket to get it fixed.

No, I'm in no rush. I'm going to weigh this very carefully.
 
Last edited:
mofunk said:
Why are you in a rush? I was looking at the D610 and then the D750 came out. The D750 is on its on level. Reviewers say that its more closer to the D800/D3 than the d610. But definitely not the replacement of the D610.


I'm waiting till I get the funds for D750. D610 is good buy still. Used D610 cost around $1200. D750 $2k used. D700 $1000-!300 used. It really depends on what you want and what you are willing to pay.

I'm looking at the D750 because of the 51 AF Points, Tilt screen, and wifi. (over the D610). Is that worth $800. I like that the 51AF points combined with the high ISO…possibly get a faster focus in low light.
Click to expand...

I chose to go ahead and spend the extra on the D750 mainly becuase I typically keep a body for a really long time. I'm not a upgrade every cycle person. The AF system on the D750 is really nice and a leap forward from the D610. It really shines in comparison in low light situations but that won't be a big deal to everyone. I also think the AF is more accurate in fast action/low light situations on the D750. I'm starting to like the control layout on the D750 and I really like the U1 and U2 settings. I've also found that I can trust the auto iso a lot more on the D750 (but I still don't use it alot). I've actually come to like the flippy screen (though I worry about breaking it) and not sure if I would go back to non-flippy screen. I don't use live view very much but when I do the flippy screen is very handy.
 
I have only a couple of thoughts based on my limited experiences.

I upgraded fairly recently from a Fuji S5 Pro (based on a Nikon D200 body) to a nikon D600 (same body as D610). The D600 feels really quite bad to me, the grip is very shallow and I don't really like the amateur-grade controls or the slightly fragile feel. I appreciate that it's actually quite tough but it just doesn't feel so reassuring. The D750 is supposed to be a bit more solid but the D800 would be my choice because it is closest to the D200 style body that I liked. The image quality on all of these current(ish) full frame bodies is outstanding so for me that really wouldn't be a bother.

That said, the other camera I use quite a bit is the Nikon V1 and I really appreciate the smallness, lightness, and the unobtrusive nature of the camera. If I was buying again now I would look very closely at the Sony A7 series cameras as they seem to offer the image quality of the big Nikons and some of the compactness I like so much in my V1.

Bottom line for me: what's most important is how the thing fits my hand and shooing style. You can't guess this from reviews, you need to handle the cameras.
 
Last edited:
leighonigar said:
I have only a couple of thoughts based on my limited experiences.

I upgraded fairly recently from a Fuji S5 Pro (based on a Nikon D200 body) to a nikon D600 (same body as D610). The D600 feels really quite bad to me, the grip is very shallow and I don't really like the amateur-grade controls or the slightly fragile feel. I appreciate that it's actually quite tough but it just doesn't feel so reassuring. The D750 is supposed to be a bit more solid but the D800 would be my choice because it is closest to the D200 style body that I liked. The image quality on all of these current(it) full frame bodies is outstanding so for me that really wouldn't be a bother.

That said, the other camera I use quite a bit is the Nikon V1 and I really appreciate the smallness, lightness, and the unobtrusive nature of the camera. If I was buying again now I would look very closely at the Sony A7 series cameras as they seem to offer the image quality of the big Nikons and some of the compactness I like so much in my V1.

Bottom line for me: what's most important is how the thing fits my hand and shooing style. You can't guess this from reviews, you need to handle the cameras.
Click to expand...
I plan to take a ride to B&H sometime next week. I want to see the a7 in person and see what it feels like. I will of course check out both Nikons also. Another friend showed me his photos that he took with the a7 and D750 and from what I saw I liked the a7 just a bit more. The low light photos were unbelievable. All taken in hand without the need for a tripod. I think if it comes down to the D610 vs the a7ii I think I'll go for the a7. The D800 is still in play though.
 
What lenses would you have the budget for? The Nikon system has an advantage in as much as there are a lot of top-quality used lenses out there at sometimes bargain prices.
 
leighonigar said:
What lenses would you have the budget for? The Nikon system has an advantage in as much as there are a lot of top-quality used lenses out there at sometimes bargain prices.
Click to expand...

My total for body and lens is ~$2500. The kit lens the a7 ii comes with is decent from what I understand. If I was to go with the D610 I would try to get a used 24-120mm for around $1000. Alternatively if I go with a7ii body I could go with a 24-70mm for around $1000 also. In either case that's stretching it.
 
I don't know if you made a decision yet, but I would jump on the D800 that your friend offered you. It has low mileage, and the price is really great (I just sold my D800 with around 1,000 clicks on the shutter for $1,550). But if you're looking at something a bit newer, I have heard nothing but great things about the D750.
 
Get the D800 you won't be sorry. When you shoot at that many pixels you can crop in to images and find all kinds of magical treats you didn't know was there.
 
Just avoid the Sony, it's a great device but still far from catching up to DSLR flagships like d750/d800
 
@OP Ah Ha ;) The reason I said don't rush was more figuratively. I know you're not rushing because you said the word "soon". My first DSLR I chose because of the price eventhough the salesman tried to get me into a body with higher price (so I thought). All I saw was the price, and not function. Now I see that these cameras are very similar, I try to look my style of shooting. How I'm going to use it. What features I really want to use in a camera. You already know about Nikon environment. So put all that in the pot and go with the one that fits you best. I would kick out the D610 and put on your list either the D750 or D800.


I've played with the D610 and D750 in the store and I really love the feel of the D750. The LCD screen moves nicely too. I thought it would be all clunky like some of the camcorder styles LCD screen but it not. Everything else feels like a D610 but lighter. I know when I use the 24-70mm lens on my camera it can get heavy after an hour of using. The lighter body might be helpful.

D800 is great. That would be awesome if you can find one within your budget. Good luck.
 
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