Yes, Nikon made a boo-boo. They released a camera with an over-lubricated shutter, of questionable design. Then they fixed it. They could have just put the new shutter in the D600 and done with it. But the implications of that would have been to offer a free retrofit to all the existing D600 users. And that would have been a nightmare.
If you enjoy using Nikon cameras as I do, and you want them to be around a while, remaining solvent in the face of Canon, then you will understand this decision. And this is exactly why I NEVER purchase a product the moment it comes out. So if you bought a D600 and you can’t get past sending your camera back to Nikon to have it cleaned and/or repaired, then don’t come complaining to me (through repeated posts on the internet.)
Everyone’s complaining that the D610 is not an earth-shattering upgrade. It’s not supposed to be. Basically Nikon got it right with the D6XX. Nikon has now set us down an upgrade path with the transition to a numbering system which allows for such permutations. The successor to the D60 was the D3000, and the successor to the D90 was the D7000. We’re now up to the D3200 and D7100. This allows for quicker upgrades with more incremental features to keep the market moving. Get used to it, my friends, because this is never going to change. These are not your father’s SLRs.
The D610 will probably be short-lived, as it is the continuation of the D600. The D620 will probably last longer, and I can say almost without a doubt that it will not have an AA filter. For better or for worse.
So, is my decision to buy the D610 now a sound one? Personally, I was on the fence about the D800 vs. the D800/E. Less is more? So I have to pay extra to not have an AA filter? The D610 kind of helps that decision along.
The Bayer-filter sensor technology is supposed to have an AA filter. Simply taking this filter out is, to my way of thinking, a cheesy workaround. Fujifilm solved the issue completely by designing a sensor with randomly placed photosites. No AA filter is necessary by design. Genius.
For a while I was saying that D800/E would be my last camera. Which would mean that when Nikon (or should I say, Sony) comes out with a completely new sensor technology, I would not be invited to the party. But, by keeping my next purchase conservative with the D610, I can rationalize this new upgrade.
Yes, the D6XX series looks like the right choice for me at this time. Let’s see what bargains Friday has to offer.
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