# Discontinued Camera Body Worth the Investment?



## jlegacy27 (Apr 29, 2016)

Hey all,

First time post here and beginner photographer. I just moved to Colorado and have been inspired by the beauty out here and think there is no better time than now to get my first camera. I am about to purchase my first dslr, a Nikon D5200, and I know that the body has been discontinued. Just wondering everyone's thoughts. Is the a disadvantage to buying a body that has been discontinued? Also what are your thoughts on the D5200?

Thank you all in advance for the advice and I look forward to being a part of this community!


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## 480sparky (Apr 29, 2016)

No real disadvantage.  Even if you buy a 'current' body, it will eventually be discontinued.


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## john.margetts (Apr 29, 2016)

Most of my cameras have been discontinued - that doesn't stop them working well. Eventually there will be a problem with spare parts but I have never had a camera repaired so that has not been a problem for me. The other problem is that you will not be able to strut your stuff alongside those with the latest, up-to-the-minute gear but that is also something I have never done.


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## robbins.photo (Apr 29, 2016)

jlegacy27 said:


> Hey all,
> 
> First time post here and beginner photographer. I just moved to Colorado and have been inspired by the beauty out here and think there is no better time than now to get my first camera. I am about to purchase my first dslr, a Nikon D5200, and I know that the body has been discontinued. Just wondering everyone's thoughts. Is the a disadvantage to buying a body that has been discontinued?
> 
> Thank you all in advance for the advice and I look forward to being a part of this community!



No disadvantage that I can think of other than you won't be on the cutting edge of technology.  The D5200 is still a very good very usable camera, I shot the D5200 for quite a while before upgrading to a D7100, and then most recently to the D600.

The D5200 has a 24mp sensor and can produce some really fantastic images.  You might also want to look at the D7100, it's actually a significant upgrade from the D5200 and is also an older model so you can usually find them pretty cheap used.


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## alv (Apr 29, 2016)

i have it and the d7200 use both


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## robbins.photo (Apr 29, 2016)

Dug around in my Flickr for some stuff shot with the D5200, this was shot with a D5200 and a 50mm 1.8 prime lens:




20140802 n50 193 by Todd Robbins, on Flickr


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## Designer (Apr 29, 2016)

jlegacy27 said:


> Is the a disadvantage to buying a body that has been discontinued?


The biggest disadvantage is the "buyer's remorse" that you experience for not having waited until the next model is released.  

Meanwhile; the biggest advantage is the cost savings *if* the discontinued model is discounted.  (check that to make sure)

You also get to take photos and learn your new camera the whole time you are waiting for the newer model to be released.


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## jlegacy27 (Apr 29, 2016)

Thanks everyone for the reply's. I think I am going to pull the trigger and order it! So excited!


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## 480sparky (Apr 29, 2016)

If you get that worked up just _ordering_ it, I'd hate to be near you when it arrives!


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## tirediron (Apr 29, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


>


Apathetic bear says, "Mehhh... why not?"


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## Solarflare (May 2, 2016)

I wouldnt know a single reason why the D5200 would be a bad choice. Its the camera I keep suggesting to people because its superior to the D3300 but cheaper.


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## Dave442 (May 2, 2016)

I have a couple discontinued cameras and they still make shots just as good as when they were new. Even better now that I have added better lenses and really even more so as I continue to learn photography.


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## astroNikon (May 2, 2016)

as long as you don't want to buy it as an "investment" as it's resale value will continue to depreciate.  Of course, it's a good camera and will get the job done at a certain price point.   If you like the features and the price, go for it.


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## 480sparky (May 2, 2016)

I think every camera I own is discontinued.

Lessee:

D600's: discontinued.
D7100: discontinued.
P7100: discontinued.
RB67: discontinued.
FM2n: discontinued.
3A: discontinued.
Tenax Automatic: discontinued.

Yep.


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## petrochemist (May 2, 2016)

All my proper cameras have been brought after (or just before) they where discontinued.
Newer models certainly have progressively improved features but the difference over one or two generations is generally fairly minimal.
Even 10 year old cameras can still take great shots, (someone in our camera club uses one regularly)  but they can cost very nearly the same as  more recent models. You should be able to find a sweet spot that matches the budget you have available to the features most relevant to you.


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## Stradawhovious (May 11, 2016)

I have 3 Nikon bodies, all LONG since discontinued.  That has never been the cause of any dissatisfaction for me.  My cameras still do exactly what I tell them to do.  If I do my job correctly, the photos come out fantastic.


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## Designer (May 11, 2016)

My entire fleet of motor vehicles has been discontinued and superseded by subsequent models.

But I'm not concerned because they are all running on USED PARTS!!!  HAH-HAH-HAH!!!!!!  That'll teach 'em.


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## dannylightning (May 11, 2016)

new models come out, old models stop being made,  no big deal.. i get most of my stero equipment when that happens.  some places will blow out the old models cheap..    for instance my home stereo subwoofer cost about 800 bucks..    i got it for 140 bucks from a place that was trying to get rid of all the old models after the new ones came out.

nothing wrong with getting a discontinued model..


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## 480sparky (May 11, 2016)

Come to think of it, probably 99.9% of the stuff I own is considered 'discontinued'.


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## fmw (May 11, 2016)

I was discontinued 25 years ago.


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