[thomasfleury]

I'm considering moving on to the Nikon D610 or D600. I'm hoping to see if there are enough comments, and if this forum can convince me to stay with my current k50 and k500 bodies. I think it's time from me to go full frame and I don't think the K-1 has enough to keep me with Pentax. It's sad because I grew up on the super program and had the *ist too. I'm just too enticed by the used Nikon gear and the available lenses.

What do you guys think? I know your biased to Pentax, but I could use your input.

Thanks
Tom

[VoiceOfReason]

What is the K1 missing that the D600/610 has?

[thomasfleury]

Used price is around $800 and cheap lenses.

[clackers]

24Mp ... ugh!

[Adam]

I'm considering moving on to the Nikon D610 or D600. I'm hoping to see if there are enough comments, and if this forum can convince me to stay with my current k50 and k500 bodies. I think it's time from me to go full frame and I don't think the K-1 has enough to keep me with Pentax. It's sad because I grew up on the super program and had the *ist too. I'm just too enticed by the used Nikon gear and the available lenses.

What do you guys think? I know your biased to Pentax, but I could use your input.

Thanks
Tom

Pentax doesn't currently have a FF as cheap as the D610, so if that's a key consideration, the move might make sense. That said, I don't think the K-1 would disappoint. It really is a fine camera, built to last, and you might also be able to get a good deal on a used one.

[caliscouser]

Why do you need full-frame?

[howieb101]

If cost is your main issue a used Nikon D600 or D610 is hard to beat.

Be aware that the Nikon D600 was essentially a faulty product and got banned in China as such. It is also the reason a D610 came out so soon after the D600 and is also a reason for the low D600 prices. Basically people starting dumping the camera as they knew there would be issues on the 2nd hand market.

However, this does mean a potential bargain on a fully functioning D600.

[rawr]

D610 is a nice camera, and it does indeed give you access to a wider range of lenses (from Nikon of course but also there are quite a few Sigma, Tokina and Tamron lenses that aren't in Pentax) and 3rd party accessories too (like flashes and flash triggers). If that is important to you.

But speaking as the owner of both a D610 and K-1, the K-1 has slightly better image quality, better high ISO (DxOMark confirms), and the availability of a myriad of nice features that the D610 lacks, like A FLIPPY SCREEN, excellent cropability, GPS, focus peaking in LiveView, pixel-shift, and WR too, of course. Plus it's a real solid build - the D610 feels like a toy in comparison.

D610 also sucks for low-light AF - it's AF is only rated down to -1 EV light level, which is the same as the K-x and K-50. So it compares poorly in that dept with the K-1. K-1 AF works down to VERY dim light levels of -3EV.

While I think the D610 is a great little camera for day-time events, if you really want to go Nikon FF, the D750 is probably the camera I would recommend. But if you manage to come across a K-1 for a good price, I would steer you that way. It's simply a great camera.

[swanlefitte]

There is a d810 for $750 on new orleans craigslist. Says top lcd is cracked but i still wonder if it is stolen. Posted yesterday.

[MarkJerling]

.... I think it's time from me to go full frame and I don't think the K-1 has enough to keep me with Pentax.....

Hi Tom

So, the K-1 is right near the top in terms of image quality, pretty much on par with Nikon D810, in terms of FF currently on offer. The D810 is substantially more expensive. The D610 is older technology.
No-one here can convince you to do anything.

Enjoy your new camera - whatever you decide to buy.

Kind regards,
Mark

[beholder3]

The D810 is a full league below the K-1 in terms of image quality. The K-1 beats the heck out of it with regards to sharpness und details using pixelshift (without it they are on par) and as well leads in dynamic range, the two top image quality items on camera side.

[antipattern]

There's a lot of factors to consider. What lenses do you have, are there any that you really enjoy using? Are you happy to shoot manual focus or do you prefer auto focus? Due to Nikon's slightly larger registration distance, you can pretty much only mount Nikon or T-mount lenses on the camera. With Pentax, you can easily mount all the M42 lenses and a thousands of different primes. But this only matters if you are ok with playing around with manual focus. I have quite a few nice manual focus primes for K-mount and M42, therefore I would not consider Nikon for an upgrade. Alas, that might not apply to you.

Those Nikon cameras are not bad, and many of them use the same sensors as some the Pentax cameras. But as others have said, the D600/610 is not nearly as advanced as the K1.

Maybe the Sony A7 would be another option, if cheap is your concern. It seems cheaper than used D610s here. There's gazillions of adapters for this camera available, too. But again, few of them are autofocus and from what I remember the original Sony lenses can be quite pricey.

In the end it's your call, you have to weigh up your pros and cons. But if you give us some more information on what lenses you're looking for or what kind of photography you're doing, maybe we can give you better suggestions, too.

[Rondec]

I, too, wonder what lenses you have currently. If any are full frame compatible then that would make going with a K-1 a little cheaper. The other question is what you like to shoot.

Overall, image quality from a K-1 is going to be better than a D610 for most purposes. To better it, you would have to get up to a D750 or a D810.

Anyway, I wouldn't make a choice based on a camera body, but on the glass that you want to eventually buy. Generally speaking, whether you go Pentax or Nikon, it is better to save up and buy better glass than to buy cheap stuff that you end up upgrading down the road.

[mee]

If you go Nikon FF I'd also recommend the D750 over the D600/610. You'll get a better camera and a bigger upgrade over your K-50.

I'd go for the best camera body you can find, and upgrade lenses over time. Generally, I'd recommend the opposite unless (such as your situation) you would be starting fresh in an entirely new system and mount.

Take notice to grey market items though if you go Nikon as some cannot be repaired.. Nikon blacklists certain (many) grey market items from parts.. thus closing off any potential for repairs. IIRC they have a list somewhere on their website that indicates which products are supported as grey market... I'd check that first unless you know definitively the camera or lens you are buying is NOT grey.