Camera conudrum, what next?

[Strider]

Good evening,

My current DSLR is a Nikon D3200 and my walk-around lens is the 18-105 3.5/5.6 VR. I'm looking to upgrade but even after reading tons of comparisons (usually biased) I've wrapped myself up in knots. I am willing to save abit more after I get the newer camera to buy better lenses.

The D3200 is good but I want better clarity/dynamic lighting and detail, I've shortlisted a few Nikons that will fit into my 2nd hand budget, the models are listed below and I'd like suggestions to which you think would suit my needs. I mostly photograph landscapes, architecture (churches), some wildlife and some street photography.

Nikon D5500 - good all-rounder

Nikon D7200 - Newish and well specced

Nikon D7100 - Older but still good

Or save a bit more and go for a full frame sensor but under £800 s/h??

Many thanks for your recommendations.... :^  

 

[geraint]

i've been using a d7100 big improvement on a d3100 i had previously but still simple enough for my techno challenged brain cells. i got it 2nd hand for £480 18 months ago. Presumably the d7200 is a bit better.

 FF under £800 are there any?

d7100 not exactly fast frame rate for wildlife.

 

[Tony_J]

Good evening,

My current DSLR is a Nikon D3200 and my walk-around lens is the 18-105 3.5/5.6 VR. I'm looking to upgrade but even after reading tons of comparisons (usually biased) I've wrapped myself up in knots. I am willing to save abit more after I get the newer camera to buy better lenses.

The D3200 is good but I want better clarity/dynamic lighting and detail, I've shortlisted a few Nikons that will fit into my 2nd hand budget, the models are listed below and I'd like suggestions to which you think would suit my needs. I mostly photograph landscapes, architecture (churches), some wildlife and some street photography.

Nikon D5500 - good all-rounder

Nikon D7200 - Newish and well specced

Nikon D7100 - Older but still good

Or save a bit more and go for a full frame sensor but under £800 s/h??

Many thanks for your recommendations.... :^  




 

Depends greatly on what you like to shoot...if you are interested in action/wildlife or macro shooting then there are advantages to sticking with the DX format because of the extra reach.

The D3200 and the D5500/D7100/D7200 have the same resolution - 24mp - so there isn't any gain in clarity/resolution to be made there, although the dynamic range of the newer models will be better.

The D5xxx range has a neat trick with its articulated viewing screen, which is useful for macro work.

The D7200 will give you the best AFspeed and continuous shooting speed, and more shots on continuous before the buffer fills, which is useful for action/wildlife shooting.

If you want to improve clarity and detail, the best place to spend your money is on better lenses, and work on your technique, IMHO.

 

[Strider]

Thanks Tony!

Food for thought and to be honest you've covered the same questions floating in my mind!

The newer D series don't have a filter over the sensor so apparently images are crisper - Some how the D3200 has a kind of blurry/ganular image irrespective of the lens I've used, the sensor has been cleaned and the lenses checked but I'm rarely satisfied with my pictures. I tend to use Aperture priority or manual, matrix or centre weighted and I do understand DoF, ISO, speed, shutter speed etc..

Although the 3200/5500/7100/7200 are the same @24mp I'm wondering if the filter-less sensor will yield sharper results and the extra settings are worth having...

The 7200 is top of my DX budget and is seriously good but I still don't know enough about full-frame sensors but they are better for landscapes etc?

I don't tend to do a lot of action/sports etc mostly landscapes and architecture and the odd animal shot so clarity, dynamic range and image quality is what I'm after.

Below is a good picture taken with the D3200 with a little help from Lightroom: https://flic.kr/p/PdC2HW

and a fair amount of other stuff I've shot.... 

Thanks for your help, I suppose I really need to try some of these out!

Mark

 

[Jagged24]

Two comments regarding your choices.

I regularly use (a now old-ish) D7000 DX body and a newer D750 FX body with the same collection of lenses for landscapes, architecture and Twitcher photography. Both of these cameras retain the anti-aliasing filter that has been left out of some newer Nikon bodies. But I've had no issues with image sharpness. IMO the filter makes little difference under most normal conditions (I'm not a pixel-peeper) - it is far more important to invest in good lenses, and get your technique right to capture the sharpest images. 

I find it is quite convenient to keep both a DX and an FX body, because each has its advantages in different situations. That said, I find the D750 FX body better for situations with difficult lighting as the dynamic range is clearly superior, and also better for many landscapes / architecture shots owing to the availability of reasonably priced, super-sharp wide angle primes like the 20mm f1.8G.

Reliable second-hand shops (eg., Aperture in London http://www.apertureuk.com/) sometimes have inexpensive DX or FX bodies with relatively low mileage compared to expected shutter life. Personally, I'd use the savings to invest in better lenses!

 

[Tony_J]

Thanks Tony!

Food for thought and to be honest you've covered the same questions floating in my mind!

The newer D series don't have a filter over the sensor so apparently images are crisper - Some how the D3200 has a kind of blurry/ganular image irrespective of the lens I've used, the sensor has been cleaned and the lenses checked but I'm rarely satisfied with my pictures. I tend to use Aperture priority or manual, matrix or centre weighted and I do understand DoF, ISO, speed, shutter speed etc..

Although the 3200/5500/7100/7200 are the same @24mp I'm wondering if the filter-less sensor will yield sharper results and the extra settings are worth having...

The 7200 is top of my DX budget and is seriously good but I still don't know enough about full-frame sensors but they are better for landscapes etc?

I don't tend to do a lot of action/sports etc mostly landscapes and architecture and the odd animal shot so clarity, dynamic range and image quality is what I'm after.

Below is a good picture taken with the D3200 with a little help from Lightroom: https://flic.kr/p/PdC2HW

and a fair amount of other stuff I've shot.... 

Thanks for your help, I suppose I really need to try some of these out!

Mark

The 3200 certainly has an anti aliasing filter but as far as I can see the jury is out as to whether this is significant- see for example:

http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00bKlq

 

[geraint]

Nikon d7200 £589  Shutter count: 5,625

https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-photo-and-video/used-digital-slr-cameras/used-nikon-digital-slr-cameras/

Nikon 50mm 1.8 £166 (not 50mm on the cropped sensor)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-NIKKOR-50mm-1-8G/dp/B004Y1AYAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480169153&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+50mm+1.8

still in budget

 

[gsrai]

Hi Mark, I'm not sure if it meets your needs but Gromit/Rich writes very highly of his old Nikon FX D700 and they are c.£500 for the body.  I don't know much about Nikon's so can't comment on the workings of them but last year before I bought my Fuji I almost pulled the trigger on a D7200 but when holding I found the D7100 felt more comfortable in my small hands.

Whatever you decide to do I would recommend at least holding them to see what works, I remember the D330 was really comfy to hold and hopefully Rich will comment on his D700, the images he's produced with it are stunning (on that point, your D3200 pics are top notch!).

 

[Sir_Franc]

First of all, I also don't know a great deal about Nikons, but a mate of mine has a D5100? and I have to say he gets some great images from it. That said, I'd google images taken with your camera and see if you're photos are anything like those. They will give you a good idea if you're getting the best out of your camera. I feel there's far too much pressure these days to have the latest camera to get the results. If that were that case, there'd be no good photos in history, as they'd all be poor quality, yet we know that's not the case. Learn how to get the best out of your camera and if needed look at spending on the lenses, after all, you'll always get a rubbish image if you use a rubbish lens.

 

[Strider]

Thank you all so much for your help, You are all right that I probably need to improve my glass first.

I'm thinking of getting a second hand D7100 or D7200 and saving for a good prime lens plus something around 28mm  for my 18-105 for my landscape work. 

I would love to go FX but with the body and lenses it will be way above my budget...

Thanks again guys X

 

[Strider]

I've now purchased a Nikon D7100, unopened with lots of extras! Now I'm looking to spend up £300 on a wide lens for landscapes or a fast all-rounder that will cover most things. My current lens is a Nikkor 18-105 3.5/5.6 VR ED G and whilst its not bad its too slow for low light and I'd like something with better quality.

Sent from my TouchPad using Tapatalk

 

[stickman]

Have a look at some of the AF-D lenses; 20-35 f2.8 and 35-70 f2.8 are both in your price range as are all the fast primes from 20mm thru to 85mm.

 

[Jagged24]

I used Nikon's nice FX wide zoom 18-35 f4.5/5.6 for quite a while, but realized a few years ago that the majority of my pictures were taken at the shorter end. So I switched to the 20 f1.8, and it has rapidly become a favourite. As expected, this prime far exceeds the image quality from the 18-35, and I rarely miss the longer end because I can usually move forward a few steps (or crop).

Both the 20 f2.8 and 24 f2.8 can be had used for <£300 - see MBP for eg https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/brands/nikon/

Based on my experience, I'd recommend one of the primes over any zooms in this price range.

PS: I've posted a couple of example images using the 20 f1.8 on the Random Photo ..... thread.

 

[geraint]

I've now purchased a Nikon D7100, unopened with lots of extras! Now I'm looking to spend up £300 on a wide lens for landscapes or a fast all-rounder that will cover most things. My current lens is a Nikkor 18-105 3.5/5.6 VR ED G and whilst its not bad its too slow for low light and I'd like something with better quality.

Sent from my TouchPad using Tapatalk
 

congrat son the 7100.

What I've got https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-10-20mm-f4-5-6-Nikon-Lens/dp/B0007U00XK

Got it 2nd hand.

Worked in Sweden  on the 7100 with a tripod obviously! It is quite heavy but feels quality, come with a nice bag.

I imagine the 20 f1.8 will be better in low low light but less options, though I rarely go as wide 14mm.

Tornetrask Lake by Geraint Evans, on Flickr

Tornetrask Lake by Geraint Evans, on Flickr

Aurora by Geraint Evans, on Flickr

 

[Bolts]

Try the angry photographer - he knows his Nikon lenses IMO

https://youtu.be/OoWml3obxGo

 

[Strider]

congrat son the 7100.

What I've got https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-10-20mm-f4-5-6-Nikon-Lens/dp/B0007U00XK

Got it 2nd hand.

Worked in Sweden  on the 7100 with a tripod obviously! It is quite heavy but feels quality, come with a nice bag.

I imagine the 20 f1.8 will be better in low low light but less options, though I rarely go as wide 14mm.

Tornetrask Lake by Geraint Evans, on Flickr

Tornetrask Lake by Geraint Evans, on Flickr

Aurora by Geraint Evans, on Flickr

Oh my, Just incredible Geraint!!! Those pictures are breathtaking!

 

[geraint]

Thanks  Mark , sorry I didn't mean to hijack your thread only to say these were taken with your camera and the sigma which probably comes in cheaper than the nikon but may be not. While it was not super dark due to the moon and snow, it was certainly night.

 

[HectorHughMunro]

Have a look at some of the AF-D lenses; 20-35 f2.8 and 35-70 f2.8 are both in your price range as are all the fast primes from 20mm thru to 85mm.

I had to the 35-70. Great optics but it had a push/pull zoom which seemed to draw dust in to the camera. 

 

[Jagged24]

Strider I don't mean to confuse, but MUST mention that my "go to" wide angle for my Nikon DX body is the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 (just as the 20 f1.8 is for my FX body).

Excellent solid build, very sharp and the 1st version is available second-hand for well under your £300 budget.

I've posted a picture that I had at hand on the "Random Photo ....." thread, taken using the Tokina on a D7000.