PHOTO QUALITY. This 24-megapixel SLR camera captured images with good quality. Pictures were sharp though not as much as the better models, which means you can see much but not all details and subtle patterns in the image. In low-light situations without a flash, pictures were sharp. We judged this model very good for outdoor performance, such as shooting landscapes in the daytime; excellent for indoor performance, such as photographing a well-lit basketball game in a gym. And very good for low-light performance without a flash, such as capturing a birthday party.
FLASH. The D 610 w/ AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR with the 24-85mm kit lens captured flash shots that were excellent. In our distance test, we found the camera's flash could illuminate subjects very well, both near and far. The flash also has excellent, very even coverage.
LENS. This camera includes a 3.5x zoom lens, a bit more zoom than a standard 3x. The lens also has very wide-angle (24mm) capability that's very useful for landscapes and group portraits, although you may notice a bit of distortion when you're shooting faces up close, for instance.
IMAGE STABILIZATION. This is an important feature; taking hand-held shots at the telephoto end of the zoom range can generally blur or soften images due to the slight movement of your hands. In low-light settings, it performed excellently and almost never produced blurry photos. Overall, the shake reduction results from our tests were excellent.
SPEED. In terms of performance, the Nikon D 610 w/ AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR powers up instantly.
VIDEO. The Nikon D 610 w/ AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR takes good video. It captures full HD video at 1920 x 1080 30p. As for sound, it captures very good audio in mono.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. Like all SLRs, it also includes a through-the-lens viewfinder, helpful when composing in bright light; this viewfinder has quality.
