# Nikon D7100 or D610?



## SteveKelly (Feb 24, 2014)

I have been an amatuer photographer for years and I've decided to try to go professional. I have been shooting great pictures with my Nikon D7000 and have accumulated a huge collection of great DX lenses. I have the funds right now to upgrade my body. I can afford the D7100 and I really like it, however I am concerned I won't be taken seriously with a crop sensor camera. I could probably afford the full frame D610, but is it worth selling off all my DX gear to get the much more expensive FX lenses? Can a professional photographer be succesful and taken seriously with a crop sensor camera?


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## Braineack (Feb 24, 2014)

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/352273-nikon-d7100-vs-d600.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/342838-d610-vs-d7100-fx-vs-dx.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/344987-help-d7100-d610-keep-waiting.html?highlight=d7100

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/350465-d700-d610.html?highlight=d610

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/338445-nikon-d7100-d600.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/349720-stick-d7100-upgrade.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/335922-nikon-d7100-vs-d600.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/334520-d7100-vs-d600.html



if you're worried about being taken seriously, then take better pictures.


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## robbins.photo (Feb 24, 2014)

SteveKelly said:


> I have been an amatuer photographer for years and I've decided to try to go professional. I have been shooting great pictures with my Nikon D7000 and have accumulated a huge collection of great DX lenses. I have the funds right now to upgrade my body. I can afford the D7100 and I really like it, however I am concerned I won't be taken seriously with a crop sensor camera. I could probably afford the full frame D610, but is it worth selling off all my DX gear to get the much more expensive FX lenses? Can a professional photographer be succesful and taken seriously with a crop sensor camera?



Well I seriously doubt most non-photography buffs would be able to tell the difference between a D610 and a D7100 if their lives depended on it, so really I wouldn't even give that much consideration. As for being taken seriously, that's pretty much on your shoulders, not the camera's. As to FX vrs DX - a lot depends on what your shooting. The FX is going to give you better lowlight and of course without the crop factor better DOF in many cases for indoor/close/portrait work.

The D7100 would allow you to use the lenses you already have without having to sell a ton of stuff off, would be less of an initial investment and less hassle. Also if your taking action shots the D7100 would probably be the better choice of the two, so really it's based pretty much on what type of shots your taking most.


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## astroNikon (Feb 24, 2014)

The biggest difference I can say is not between the technical aspects, but where you are shooting and how.

In a small studio the FF camera is going to have a big benefit as you don't get the 1.5x crop focal length fiasco.
You would be closer to your subject and be able to chat with them better with the same focal length.

In just doing my kids using my d7000 w/85mm I feel so far away from them versus the d600 w/85mm
That, to me, is the main benefit once all else is equal (lighting, etc).

FYI, you don't HAVE to buy DX lenses for a crop camera.  Except for my kit lens, I only bought FX lenses as they were fairly cheap (the AF-D variety) and fast (2.8 or better).  Then when I bought a FX body, I was all set.



this must be the 3rd d7000/d7100 vs d600/d610 thread this past week.


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## KmH (Feb 24, 2014)

While the D610 has a full frame image sensor it is an entry-level or consumer grade DSLR.

Who is it you want to be taken seriously by? Potential customers or other photographers?
As mentioned that usually boils down to the quality of the photographs you make rather than what gear you use to make the photographs.

As a professional photographer I used both crop sensor (DX - D300) and full frame (FX - D3) Nikon DSLRs because each has advantages.


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## jaomul (Feb 24, 2014)

What type of pro photography. The d7100 isn't a huge upgrade to the d7000.


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## ruifo (Feb 24, 2014)

Several professional photographers seriously use crop sensor cameras, for a variety of reasons...
Specially sports and wide life professional photographers...


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## DarkShadow (Feb 24, 2014)

I bet if you take the 7100 and the 610 and have two photographers shooting at the same skill level,the same scene,same time and the same settings, that you would be hard pressed to tell them apart. Who cares on the gear a photographer is using, it's the end results of the IQ that count. In fact, I bet if you asked any one who had pictures taken by a pro like a wedding,portraits etc, what camera gear the photographer used they couldn't  even tell you. What they will remember is the photographer and the end results.


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## goodguy (Feb 24, 2014)

Ask yourself can you get better pictures with D610 vs D7100
Owning the D7100 I must admit if I had a D7000 (I had one) and I was happy with it (mine was a lemon) then I would rush to get the D7100, overall both cameras are excellent and you will not get a huge upgrade if you will move to the D7100.
Getting the D610 is a different issue.
Comparing the D7100 to the D610 has few advantages like the AF system and lack of AA filter but the D610 is FX which means better low light performance.
Personally if I would feel limited by the D7000 I would go with the D610, I think a pro who will need to work in various lighting condition the D610 FX sensor will give him the added flexibility he might need.

From the moment I got the D7000 I started to buy only FX lenses so I will not need to worry about selling lenses if and when I will move to FX.


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## TheLost (Feb 24, 2014)

I think a better question(s) would be...

What lenses do you currently have?
Some DX lenses work on FX bodies better then you'd think.  

and

What do you shoot?
Lots of pro's shoot DX.. however if you're shooting Weddings/Concerts (low light events) then the D610 would be a better choice.

In the end... If you have the cash buy the one you want.  (if it was me... i'd save up a few more pennies and just get a refurb D800 and be done with it  )


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## Braineack (Feb 24, 2014)

KmH said:


> While the D610 has a full frame image sensor it is an entry-level or consumer grade DSLR.




totally.  I was debating between the D3100 and the D600 myself.


:jerkit:


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## bribrius (Feb 24, 2014)

well. if you think you might go ff and be unloading all your dx it might be a good time to look at canon or sony too.


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## astroNikon (Feb 24, 2014)

bribrius said:


> well. if you think you might go ff and be unloading all your dx it might be a good time to look at canon or sony too.



the 600/610 will go into "DX" mode

thus if you can't afford to switch to FX/FF lenses from the get go DX lenses will work without a problem .. from what the manual says.

Though I would assume it would be a crop photo, such as what a d7000 would take at 16mp .. but I don't know (one of my experiments on my list).


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## PaulWog (Feb 24, 2014)

Based on the few things you've posted on this forum so far, I am left wondering whether you need to upgrade your camera body currently. The d7000 seems to be more than enough.

I would say get the D610 since the D7000 -> D7100 shift won't be as significant as a D7000 -> D610 shift.

Many of the greatest professionals shoot both DX and FX for very good reasons by the way. The best way to be taken seriously isn't with your gear... it's how you use your gear, and how you present yourself with your gear. If you're trying to show off for other photographers, you might not want to care too much since that doesn't matter a whole lot. If you're worrying about clients taking you seriously, they won't understand your gear anyway (that's almost guaranteed), so you should be worrying more about how you present yourself, what you're wearing, how you talk, how comfortable you are using your gear, your skills, etc.


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## robbins.photo (Feb 24, 2014)

PaulWog said:


> Based on the few things you've posted on this forum so far, I am left wondering whether you need to upgrade your camera body currently. The d7000 seems to be more than enough.
> 
> I would say get the D610 since the D7000 -> D7100 shift won't be as significant as a D7000 -> D610 shift.
> 
> Many of the greatest professionals shoot both DX and FX for very good reasons by the way. The best way to be taken seriously isn't with your gear... it's how you use your gear, and how you present yourself with your gear. If you're trying to show off for other photographers, you might not want to care too much since that doesn't matter a whole lot. If you're worrying about clients taking you seriously, they won't understand your gear anyway (that's almost guaranteed), so you should be worrying more about how you present yourself, what you're wearing, how you talk, how comfortable you are using your gear, your skills, etc.



Having gone from a D5100 to a D5200 myself just recently I'd put a "depends" stamp on that one.  No, not the adult diapers.. lol.  If your shooting telephoto the 24 mp sensor can make a very significant difference in your ability to crop photos over the 16 mp.  So if your doing a lot of telephoto the upgrade might be worth it just from that standpoint.


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## Virgil (Feb 24, 2014)

Low light and the ability to crop tight with the d600 is a big step up over the dx cameras. If you're going to upgrade go with the FF.. You dont have to buy new lens right away, the d600 shows the dx crop in the view finder. Good luck


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## TheLost (Feb 24, 2014)

KmH said:


> While the D610 has a full frame image sensor it is an entry-level or consumer grade DSLR.



The D610 is on the NPS 'pro body' list (while the D7100 is only on the 'backup body' list)...  so while it may be 'entry-level', Nikon considers it 'PRO'.


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## Braineack (Feb 24, 2014)

TheLost said:


> KmH said:
> 
> 
> > While the D610 has a full frame image sensor it is an entry-level or consumer grade DSLR.
> ...



you didn't know?  Nikon weather seals all their entry-level, dual thumb-wheel, pentaprisim mirrored, ISO 50-25,600 handling, flash commanding, auto-fp syncing, full frame shooting, 39-point focusing, Magnesium-alloy framed, focus-motored, consumer grade, Best Buy cameras.


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## CaptainNapalm (Feb 24, 2014)

I've shot both the D7000 and D600 extensively. The problem you will run into when using a DX body is when/if your client will ask you to shoot in low light.   It would be difficult for you to produce images of acceptable noise with a D7100 at night or in very poor lighting.  Other than that, image quality between the two will be similar.  Photos shot with my d600 at ISO 6400 look better than those shot at ISO 1600 with my D7000 exposed similarly. I'm sure the D7100 low light performance is slightly better than that of the d7000 though.


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## SteveKelly (Feb 24, 2014)

I am building a studio in my basement for portraits. I want to be taken seriously as a photographer by clients. I also have second shot weddings and small concerts and want to start going on my own. I'm ready to make a serious business out of this. I plan on using my D7000 as a back up camera. I just wanted to know what people thought about the two cameras and what would be the best investment. It sounds like the FX would be best for my home studio even though it's pretty big for a home studio, but I do want to be close to my clients.


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## ruifo (Feb 24, 2014)

If you can keep both, professionally, you'll be preatty good!!


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## sifelaver (Feb 24, 2014)

yes, D610 for low light. D7100 for more features if you already have a lot of DX glass and don't need to shoot in the dark without a flash.


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## bigal1000 (Feb 26, 2014)

If you take great photos as you say you do,then you will be taken seriously no matter what camera is hanging from your neck !!


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