# Looking for advice on new Nikon Camera Upgrade



## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

I have the Nikon D7100 now.. love it.. hubby wants to buy me a new lens for Christmas.. I love the idea of course but I was wondering if this would be a good time to upgrade the camera..maybe to a D7200 or better.. instead of  a new lens.. since the lens I use I am happy with.. is there really much difference in the smaller upgrade keeping price in mind.. I cannot go to far up..lol..thanks


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## PersistentNomad (Sep 25, 2016)

If it were me, I would hang on to my body and opt for a new lens. What you've got is pretty good, and getting a new body won't really open up your ability to do new and/or improved types of photography. What kind of lens are you currently working with?


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## ruifo (Sep 25, 2016)

Tell us what lenses you have currently. 

Also, what kind of photography you like to do, or to start doing.

Have you considered full frame bodies?


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## goodguy (Sep 25, 2016)

I upgraded almost 2 years ago from my D7100 to the D750
It was a huge upgrade, low light performance is just on a different level.
D610 has almost same low light performance and while AF on D7100 is better the one on the D610 is very good too so its worth considering since the D750 is more expensive but for me there was no doubt the D750 is the way to go and I never regretted getting it 

If you want to stick to DX and don't do serious sports shooting then the difference between the D7100 and D7200 isn't huge.
There are some upgrades but the main one is the bigger buffer on the D7200. If the buffer on the D7100 is enough for you then I would stick to the D7100 and wait for the D7300 replacement.


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

PersistentNomad said:


> If it were me, I would hang on to my body and opt for a new lens. What you've got is pretty good, and getting a new body won't really open up your ability to do new and/or improved types of photography. What kind of lens are you currently working with?


I use tamron lens for most of my photo work .. 18-270mm, SP70- 300 F/4 -5.6 are the main ones


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

goodguy said:


> I upgraded almost 2 years ago from my D7100 to the D750
> It was a huge upgrade, low light performance is just on a different level.
> D610 has almost same low light performance and while AF on D7100 is better the one on the D610 is very good too so its worth considering since the D750 is more expensive but for me there was no doubt the D750 is the way to go and I never regretted getting it
> 
> ...


Thanks I will look into this one..


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

ruifo said:


> Tell us what lenses you have currently.
> 
> Also, what kind of photography you like to do, or to start doing.
> 
> Have you considered full frame bodies?


I mostly photograph animals..portraits and classic cars.... but in general just everything... enjoy photography not as a living but a hobby..


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

I might go for the D750.. it was listed about  $1,599.00.. by the time I sell the D7100 the balance would not be too bad......... thanks I will learn more about this one..


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## ruifo (Sep 25, 2016)

Photo Lady said:


> I use tamron lens for most of my photo work .. 18-270mm, SP70- 300 F/4 -5.6 are the main ones





Photo Lady said:


> I mostly photograph animals..portraits and classic cars.... but in general just everything... enjoy photography not as a living but a hobby..



Great, in that case, I'd recommend you getting a new lens, not a new body.

This one, specifically: Sigma 50-100mm f1.8 DC HSM Art | B&H Photo Video

The big plus of this lens will be the f/1.8 aperture for your animal/cars/portraits photography. You will feel a huge improvement, specially in low light and also for bokeh.

If you want a full frame camera, look for a used Nikon D700, like these: Search results for: 'Nikon D700'. But you'd need full frames lenses.

Good luck!


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

goodguy said:


> I upgraded almost 2 years ago from my D7100 to the D750
> It was a huge upgrade, low light performance is just on a different level.
> D610 has almost same low light performance and while AF on D7100 is better the one on the D610 is very good too so its worth considering since the D750 is more expensive but for me there was no doubt the D750 is the way to go and I never regretted getting it
> 
> ...


Hi Goodguy.. I remember when we spoke just before I bought the D7100.. so your happy with the D750.. and you consider it a great upgrade.. I cannot wait to look into this.. thanks again


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

ruifo said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > I use tamron lens for most of my photo work .. 18-270mm, SP70- 300 F/4 -5.6 are the main ones
> ...


Thanks so much..incase I go for the lens after all.. but a new camera does sound pretty good.....


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## Deleted member 215987 (Sep 25, 2016)

You may be surprised how little you will get for your used D7100. You can buy a brand new D7100 body for under $800.00. I just recently bought my D7100 and love it! As they say, "It's not the camera, it's the photographer!". I agree with PersistantNoma about getting a new lens. You can get the better low light performance that goodguy talks about with the right fast aperture lens and spend less money than buying a D750.


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

riverrat373 said:


> You may be surprised how little you will get for your used D7100. You can buy a brand new D7100 body for under $800.00. I just recently bought my D7100 and love it! As they say, "It's not the camera, it's the photographer!". I agree with PersistantNoma about getting a new lens. You can get the better low light performance that goodguy talks about with the right fast aperture lens and spend less money than buying a D750.


I would definitely take your advice if I did not use my camera so much.. I use it just about every day.. so I feel a new one would give me that much more life left.. I am afraid with constant use that something will go wrong with the camera.. I really cannot afford to send it out and be repaired and wait for it to return..  ..I forgot to mention I do use it for ebay selling too......I will have to see what is best .. I have been using the d7100 for about 2 years.. not many days inbetween did I let it rest..... lol...


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## SquarePeg (Sep 25, 2016)

Yes, unless you are consistently shooting in low light, the faster glass would also be my recommendation.  My 7100 AF works so much better with the 105mm 2.8 than it does with the Tamron 70-300 f/4-5.6 and the sharpness of the faster glass is critical if you want to crop.  

As for the 7100 wearing out or whatever you're worried about, in the extremely unlikely event that that should happen, you could easily sell the lens and buy another used 7100 (I paid $499 with free shipping and a 1 year warranty for a refurb 7100 last November from Cameta Camera and it had a shutter count of 86 when it arrived).   

Whatever you decide to do, I strongly recommend buying used/refurb from a reputable online or local store.  You can really stretch your budget that way.


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

okay I think I will hold on to my D7100 for now and get a new lens for Christmas.. thanks.. I feel better all ready......


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## SquarePeg (Sep 25, 2016)

Photo Lady said:


> okay I think I will hold on to my D7100 for now and get a new lens for Christmas.. thanks.. I feel better all ready......



Now for the fun part - what lens to buy!!!!  What do you shoot?  What's hubby's budget?


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

I am thinking of trying out the Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Nikon .. I think this would be exciting new venture... and where I purchase will give me a few days to try it out....... thanks for you help.. and thank you everyone..


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## kundalini (Sep 25, 2016)

ruifo said:


> .....
> If you want a full frame camera, look for a used Nikon D700, like these: Search results for: 'Nikon D700'. *But you'd need full frames lenses*.


Actually, the D700 will accept both DX and FX format lenses.  However, you do not get the benefit of using the entire sensor surface with DX lenses.


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## jaomul (Sep 25, 2016)

I think you made the right choice keeping your camera. I have had both a d7100and a d7200. The d7200 is marginally better, with a better buffer if you shoot high frames per second. The lens you are looking at will be nice. The lenses you have are ok, but far from giving you the best possible from your camera


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## Deleted member 215987 (Sep 25, 2016)

I have a Sigma Art lens on my infrared converted Sony A3000 and it is sharp as a tack!


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## PersistentNomad (Sep 25, 2016)

Photo Lady said:


> I am afraid with constant use that something will go wrong with the camera..


I bought my d5000 seven years ago (I think), from a pawn shop. I've taken it on some hellish journeys since then, and it's a trooper. Cameras very rarely just break down form too much use, unless you are reaching its actuation life-expectancy. Cameras have problems from not being treated right. So, I wouldn't worry just yet. And I agree that a faster (lower aperture) zoom lens will open up a whole world for you within the work you currently do.


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

jaomul said:


> I think you made the right choice keeping your camera. I have had both a d7100and a d7200. The d7200 is marginally better, with a better buffer if you shoot high frames per second. The lens you are looking at will be nice. The lenses you have are ok, but far from giving you the best possible from your camera


thank you.....


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

PersistentNomad said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > I am afraid with constant use that something will go wrong with the camera..
> ...


thanks ... I had some trouble uploading my photos on one of the imports on the camera.. I seem to have to jingle the wire around a bit for good contact before my photos upload onto the PC.. so far it has not been a huge problem.. it works in a few seconds.. from moving it a bit..but I thought maybe whats next.. I do take very good care of my camera..always keeping it in the case .. every day.. cleaning the sensor etc.. so yes I can picture many good years ahead .. but just do not want any problems .. I want it ready when I am ready....love my camera.....


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## Photo Lady (Sep 25, 2016)

riverrat373 said:


> I have a Sigma Art lens on my infrared converted Sony A3000 and it is sharp as a tack!


That's what I want.......sharp!!


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## ruifo (Sep 25, 2016)

I have a D700 from 2011, and a D810 from 2014, and they still work excellently, like a charm. If treated well, your D7100 will last for years to come... It's a great camera, and the D7200 only improves marginally when compared to the D7100.

The 50-100mm f/1.8, on the other hand, will highly upgrade your D7100. It will feel like a brand new camera experience. Glass is always more important than the camera body.

Have a great light, always!


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## Photo Lady (Sep 26, 2016)

thanks for good advice.. I cannot wait to try this lens........but will have to wait until xmas is closer..


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## goodguy (Sep 26, 2016)

Photo Lady said:


> okay I think I will hold on to my D7100 for now and get a new lens for Christmas.. thanks.. I feel better all ready......


Before I upgraded to the D750 I bought all the lenses I needed first.
I got the Nikon 24-70mm 2.8 and then the Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 VC
After I got these I got my D750
Couple fast pro lenses with the amazing D750 and you got an amazing package.
I must admit, even with the fast glass I find APS-C low light performance (not just the D7100 but any other I tried) lacking for my needs.
And I do love getting the wide true range from my lenses, I like it when 24mm is 24mm and not really a perceived 36mm


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## goodguy (Sep 26, 2016)

ruifo said:


> I have a D700 from 2011, and a D810 from 2014, and they still work excellently, like a charm. If treated well, your D7100 will last for years to come... It's a great camera, and the D7200 only improves marginally when compared to the D7100.
> 
> The 50-100mm f/1.8, on the other hand, will highly upgrade your D7100. It will feel like a brand new camera experience. Glass is always more important than the camera body.
> 
> Have a great light, always!


Only problem with the Sigma 50-100mm 1.8 is that its a DX lens.
If you stick to DX then this is a great investment, if not then you will not really gain much by using it in future on an FX body.


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## KmH (Sep 26, 2016)

Superzoom lens design is fraught with a long list of image quality compromises that have to be made to achieve a 15x zoom range.
Which is why all superzoom lenses have _significant_ image quality issues at various zoom focal lengths. Exactly which image quality issues, and where they occur in the superzoom focal length range, varies by brand.

I would recommend selling the 18-270 and replacing it with 2 lenses. One that can zoom from 18 mm or so to about 70 mm and a 70 -200 zoom lens, while keeping the D7100.

The biggest gain in image quality will be had by upgrading your photography knowledge and skill, particularly your attention to light quality and direction, rather than by buying a different camera body. Replacing a zoom lens that has a variety of image quality issues at a variety of focal lengths is par

Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO review


> *Conclusion - Pros*
> 
> Remarkable 15x focal length range
> Impressive image quality in the normal to short telephoto range
> ...


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## Photo Lady (Sep 26, 2016)

goodguy said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > okay I think I will hold on to my D7100 for now and get a new lens for Christmas.. thanks.. I feel better all ready......
> ...


I am going to look at some of your photos...... I would love to see in photos what the lens and D750 can do........ thanks


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## Photo Lady (Sep 26, 2016)

I totally agree and like your advice..my only problem was taking  photos for the  sales I do.. I did not want to change lens for each and every item I put on ebay...so the tamron 18-270 came in handy.. now for those hummingbird and animal portraits I use the other tamron lens  {70 300.. with this one I learned a lot.. and I was able to get pretty crisp precision photos..nothing like having knowledge above all else...nothing like having quality equipment too.. lol


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## ruifo (Sep 26, 2016)

A great *DX* kit: Nikon D7100 (used) or D7200 (new or used) with:
- Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art (new or used)
- Nikkor AF-S 40mm f/2.8G Macro 1:1 (new or used)
- Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art (new or used)

A great *FX* kit: Nikon D700 (used) or D610 (new or used) with:
- Nikkor AF-S 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED (new or used)
- Nikkor AF-S 60mm f/2.8G Macro 1:1 (new or used)
- Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD (new with 6 years warranty)


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## Braineack (Sep 27, 2016)

What can't your D7100 do now that you think the D7200 will solve?


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## Photo Lady (Sep 27, 2016)

I really did not know the answer to this.. that's why I asked for advice.. but now that I know that the D7200 is not a big step I was more or less thinking of the D750 comparison to the D7100..


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## Photo Lady (Sep 27, 2016)

ruifo said:


> A great *DX* kit: Nikon D7100 (used) or D7200 (new or used) with:
> - Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art (new or used)
> - Nikkor AF-S 40mm f/2.8G Macro 1:1 (new or used)
> - Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art (new or used)
> ...


thanks for this list......


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## goodguy (Sep 27, 2016)

Photo Lady said:


> I really did not know the answer to this.. that's why I asked for advice.. but now that I know that the D7200 is not a big step I was more or less thinking of the D750 comparison to the D7100..


As I said to me going from the D7100 to the D750 the difference when shooting anywhere above 800iso was big and noticeable improvement.
Using same lenses of course.


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## Photo Lady (Sep 27, 2016)

yes loved your photos..especially weddings......!!


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## goodguy (Sep 27, 2016)

Photo Lady said:


> yes loved your photos..especially weddings......!!


Thanks 
To be honest most of the magic happened in the person behind the camera but still I found moving from DX to FX a big help and most of all flexibility to get the results I want in different lighting conditions.


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## shadowlands (Sep 28, 2016)

Another thing to consider, if you’re wanting to make the move to FX, but keep it within budget… I just picked up a used, super nice D600 for $670.00. It has the oil/dust issue and 30K clicks.

No worries. Took advantage of the free Nikon repair/correction, and now I’m good to go. Great price for an FX body that’s still viable. In fact, it may be a tad better in low light, than my D800.


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