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Nikon’s new entry-level full-frame D610 has improved burst mode and auto white balance

If you’re ready to step up your photography game to a full-frame (35mm) sensor (which is larger than the APS-C crop sensor found in compact DSLRs, produces better image quality, and handles wide angles better), Nikon has just announced the new D610, its latest “entry level” FX-format (full frame) DSLR camera. Priced at $2,000 (body only), the D610 is an evolutionary upgrade from the D600 – a DT Editor’s Choice camera – sharing most of the same specs with slight improvements in some areas. The price is also $100 less than when the D600 first went on sale, and it’s positioned against Canon’s EOS 6D.

Like The D600, the D610 uses the same 24.3-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor (35.9 x 24mm), Expeed 3 image processor, 39-point autofocusing system, and Nikon’s Scene Recognition System for automatically adjusting white balance, focus, and exposure. ISO range is still between 100-6,400 (expandable to 25,600; full-frame cameras like this do well with high ISOs), and Full HD 1080p video is shot at 24p and 30p (for the filmmaker there are mic and headphone inputs). Wi-Fi can be enabled via Nikon’s optional WU-1b adapter.

What have been enhanced are burst speed, image quality, and continuous mode. The D610 has a new shutter mechanism that allows it to shoot continuously at 6 frames per second, versus the D600’s 5.5 fps. There’s also a new Quiet Continuous Shutter Mode for occasions when silence is required; in this mode the camera shoots at 3 fps. The improved auto white balance creates more natural-looking skin tones and giving a subject’s face a more 3D appearance when shooting portraitures.

The D610 also has a tougher magnesium alloy construction. Sealed and gasketed, its dust and moisture resistance is on par with its higher-end cousin, the D800 – another DT Editor’s Choice DSLR.

Besides the body-only option, Nikon will also offer a kit bundled with a AF-S Nikkor 24-85MM F/3.5-4.5G ED VR lens for $2,600; AF-S Nikkor 28-300MM F/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens for $3,050, which also comes with a bag and 32GB Class 10 memory card; and a full package for $3,250 that includes the AF-S Nikkor 24-85MM F/3.5-4.5G ED VR lens, AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300MM F/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens, WU-1b adapter, 32GB Class 10 memory card, and bag.

We really liked the D600 when we reviewed it, so we expect this camera to do just as well.

Les Shu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I am formerly a senior editor at Digital Trends. I bring with me more than a decade of tech and lifestyle journalism…
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