It’s been a busy month for Nikon as they’ve recently released 2 new digital SLR’s in the last couple of weeks.  Earlier this month they released a much needed update to their D600…the D610.  This new full frame camera was really only released to fix the shutter problem that plagued the previous D600.  This camera had so much potential when it was first released and was the first full frame DSLR that was affordable for many aspiring photographers.  But a defect in the design of the shutter caused a storm of complaints regarding dust spots on the sensor.  This has supposedly been corrected in this new D610.

The other new addition which surprised me is the release of their new D5300.  This is surprising because Nikon only released their D5200 in December of 2012.  The biggest upgrades to this new iteration is that this is the first Nikon DSLR with built in 802.11 wireless and GPS.

With built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, the D5300 is the first in an exciting new generation of connected Nikon D-SLRs. Wirelessly connect to D5300 with your smartphone or tablet,* then browse the photos on D5300’s memory card, import your favorites and instantly email them, text them or post them online. While connected, your smart device can also act as a remote monitor for the D5300. See what the camera sees and even fire the shutter—perfect for group shots and self portraits! When traveling, built-in GPS geotags all of your shots. Create exciting travel journals, find nearby Points of Interest and easily share your location data when posting photos on Facebook or Flickr.

I’m not really sure how helpful the built in wireless will be as RAW files can be quite large and it will likely take a long time to transfer files from the camera but I’m curious to try it out.  I’ve been tempted to bye an Eye-Fi card for this purpose but have withheld for this same reason.  But without actually trying this feature yet I’m curious to see how well it will perform.

Both cameras are available for pre-order from several online retailers like Amazon.  The D610 will be released tomorrow, 10/18/13.  The D5300 will be released later on November 14, 2013.  I personally hope to one day own the D610 to replace my aging D5100.  Any other aspiring photographers out there hoping to get their hands on one of these new cameras?

D5300 Gallery

D610 Gallery