# Who still uses discontinued Nikon SLR/DSLR bodies?



## gryffinwings (May 22, 2012)

I was just curious if anyone still uses said discontinued Nikon bodies. I have a D5100, it's a great camera and I'm still learning to bring out it's potential. However I'm intrigued by the older models, especially the professional models. Does anybody get grief for still using an older camera?


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## bhop (May 22, 2012)

Get grief?  Who cares what other people think?  If you like the photos your gear makes, then whatever you're using is fine.  Many people still use old pro bodies (D2 series for example), d70 flickr group is still active, so's the d200 group.  My d200 still works fine, although I did upgrade to a d300 for better low light shots.


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## zamanakhan (May 22, 2012)

i have been thinking of getting an older cam, most likely a d70, d2h or another d5000, i used to have a d5000 and its pretty darn good. The proffesional bodies intrigue me as well but when you can find a d5000 for ~350 with better low iso sensativity than a d2 its hard not to justify the consumer body.


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## 2WheelPhoto (May 22, 2012)

<popcorn>


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## jrizal (May 22, 2012)

I don't really see a reason why one should grief over older equipment especially if they still work and take great pictures. Cameras are not like computers that go obsolete quite fast. Fact is, I have a lowly 7 year old Casio point and shoot but I have no regrets as it still takes decent pictures. Same thing applies to DSLRs.


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## gryffinwings (May 22, 2012)

Yeah well, I'd prefer getting an cheaper pro body over a cheap consumer body. I mean I'm seeing the D200 on ebay for under 400, but I may even consider the D100 which is around $150 range. Even the Nikon D2H is pretty cheap these days.


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## o hey tyler (May 22, 2012)

I use a 5DMarkI from 2006 quite regularly. It's not like people can tell what camera I am putting images out with unless they look at the exif, or in person if they know a thing or two about digital bodies. It's the photographer that does the legwork, the camera body that is the tool. If a hammer from 2006 works just as good as a hammer from 2012 for what you use it for, who cares what gets the job done?


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## TransportJockey (May 22, 2012)

I've been using a D70 for the last seven years. Just upgrading to a D7000 now

Sent from my A200 using Tapatalk 2


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## 480sparky (May 22, 2012)

Yeah, my 4-year-old D60 still works.  So does my 12-year-old printer, 9-year-old keyboard, 3-year-old monitor, and my 5-year-old external drives. My Hewlett-Packard 48G+'s still work.  So does my 2-year-old cell phone gets the job done.  I have some ancient memory cards I still use, too.  They're so old, they don't even have a "Class".  I've got out-dated thumb drives, too.

And no one gives me any grief about any of my 'ancient' stuff.


Truth be told, the transit I use in my work is older than me!









Sent from the telegraph office via Western Union.


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 22, 2012)

I still shoot with a Finepix S5 which is a Nikon D200.


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## o hey tyler (May 22, 2012)

BlueMeanieTSi said:


> I still shoot with a Finepix S5 which is a Nikon D200.



How is a Fuji Finepix S5 a Nikon D200?


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 22, 2012)

Nikon body with Fuji sensor, all their DSLR cameras were Nikon bodies I think the S2 and S3 were N90s.


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## o hey tyler (May 22, 2012)

BlueMeanieTSi said:


> Nikon body with Fuji sensor, all their DSLR cameras were Nikon bodies I think the S2 and S3 were N90s.



So does that make Nikon Cameras, Sony cameras as well? Nikon's are just a Nikon body with a Sony sensor in them, right?


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 22, 2012)

Considering the top of the camera says "FujiFilm S5 Pro" and under the lens says "Nikon" you make that decision.


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## o hey tyler (May 22, 2012)

BlueMeanieTSi said:


> Considering the top of the camera says "FujiFilm S5 Pro" and under the lens says "Nikon" you make that decision.



Jeeze, take a joke. I was only kidding.


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## snowbear (May 22, 2012)

I have an N90S and a D40.  Both are discontinued, and both work just fine.  Come to think of it, my truck, a Chevy TrailBlazer, has also been discontinued but still works great.


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## Mach0 (May 22, 2012)

I have a d40 that I still use and if the D90 is truly discontinued, I have one too.


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## Jaemie (May 22, 2012)

For the last 5 years I've used a 2003 Canon Digital Rebel DSLR, non-IS kit lens, and a 256*MB* CF card because I can't afford anything fancier. Until I have more money, it forces me to work creatively within the camera's limitations and choose my shots carefully.

Oh woops, sorry - didn't notice this was a Nikon thread. *derp*


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## unpopular (May 22, 2012)

I used to scan everything on a 20 year old Leafscan 35. Took 45 minutes at f/11, but got the job done and done sharply!


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## bhop (May 22, 2012)

So, i'm guessing you didn't get the info you needed from your last 3 page thread with a similar subject?

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/282739-older-professional-nikon-dslrs.html


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 22, 2012)

o hey tyler said:


> BlueMeanieTSi said:
> 
> 
> > Considering the top of the camera says "FujiFilm S5 Pro" and under the lens says "Nikon" you make that decision.
> ...



Interweb harshness


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## Josh66 (May 22, 2012)

I only have one camera that _isn't_ discontinued (Fujifilm GF670).

I don't have any Nikons (Nikon is probably the only camera brand that I have never owned - no real reason why), but I have a lot of other stuff - film and digital.  None of it (except for that GF670) can be purchased new today.

I have never had somebody question why I am using an older camera.


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## Vtec44 (May 22, 2012)

I still use my D80, even when I also have a D7000 and D800.


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## 2WheelPhoto (May 22, 2012)

<more popcorn>

I still use all these


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## jake337 (May 22, 2012)

It's more about photographic lighting and understanding post processing than anything. 

These were all taken with a D80.  But you won't be able to take pictures like this without knowledge, no matter what camera body you are holding in your hands.

ladies' tresses | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

sink or swim | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

the harmony of lost things | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

the other side | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


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## jake337 (May 22, 2012)

Vtec44 said:


> I still use my D80, even when I also have a D7000 and D800.



See post above!


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## Patrice (May 22, 2012)

480sparky said:


> Truth be told, the transit I use in my work is older than me!



Sparky, I think you might have attached the wrong photo. That looks like a level, transits also have a circle for measuring or setting vertical angles.

This was sent from a 6 year old laptop.


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## camz (May 22, 2012)

I still do have my old Nikon EM series with the 35 prime.  I probably put a couple rolls of film through it in the last year.


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## Joel_W (May 23, 2012)

Just upgraded from a D70S to CGibson's D90. I really don't care if it's not a current model. The D90 exceeds my current needs, and was priced within my budget. Those two factors made it a win win deal for me.


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## gryffinwings (May 23, 2012)

2WheelPhoto said:


> I still use all these


 Wow, you actually use those? I think I knew one person that was interested in using the accordion style one like yours. What are the photos like?


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## jrizal (May 23, 2012)

gryffinwings said:


> Yeah well, I'd prefer getting an cheaper pro body over a cheap consumer body. I mean I'm seeing the D200 on ebay for under 400, but I may even consider the D100 which is around $150 range. Even the Nikon D2H is pretty cheap these days.


My only comment there is for you to check the condition of the cam especially shutter count.


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## djacobox372 (May 23, 2012)

My favorite performer is my 1940's speed graphic with a lens from WW2:


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## gryffinwings (May 23, 2012)

djacobox372 said:


> My favorite performer is my 1940's speed graphic with a lens from WW2:
> 
> View attachment 9446


 
That's in pretty good shape for a 70 year old camera.



jrizal said:


> gryffinwings said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah well, I'd prefer getting an cheaper pro body over a cheap consumer body. I mean I'm seeing the D200 on ebay for under 400, but I may even consider the D100 which is around $150 range. Even the Nikon D2H is pretty cheap these days.
> ...



Yeah, I've been keeping an eye on them, either way from what I see, prices aren't bad at all for the D200s, not sure about the D100, if those are worth it.


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## Sw1tchFX (May 23, 2012)

I shoot weddings with a Contax 645 and two F100's. Neither of which are made anymore, and one of which is near impossible to fix if it broke.


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## Josh66 (May 23, 2012)

gryffinwings said:


> djacobox372 said:
> 
> 
> > My favorite performer is my 1940's speed graphic with a lens from WW2:
> ...


They made stuff to last back then...


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## lonewolfsx (May 27, 2012)

O|||||||O said:


> They made stuff to last back then...



They still do it seems... did you guys see the video of the EOS 7D being frozen and lit on fire and stuff? It still worked, not perfectly but still effective. Kind of incredible in a world where most consumer level electronics (I know the 7D is a "pro" body, but still) aren't designed to last longer than a few years in service.

As for the op's question, I still shoot with a Nikon N6006 my parents got in '95 along with the 105mm AF-D Micro (I still have all the boxes and receipts for this stuff!)... I also just recently sold off my Polaroid SLR 680 and stopped shooting instant film... it was mostly for kicks and funny refridgerator pictures, but the film packs cost $20 for 8 shots now at ImpossibleProject, and to be honest, more than $2 per picture is just not worth it for cheesy pictures that I can emulate just as well with a few minutes of photoshop and my digital SLR files.


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## gryffinwings (May 27, 2012)

It's good too know that people are still using older gear. I myself want to use a Nikon D200 one day, because it looks like a great camera to shoot with. I also like the idea of smaller file sizes. The newer ones are getting really big on the pixel count, I personally would like them to focus on other things besides pixel count, such as dynamic range, ISO performance, and light sensitivity. Seriously the D3200 has 24 million pixels, I don't even know how big a file that is, if I was shooting RAW.Can you guys post pictures from these older cameras you use?


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## Solarflare (Jun 1, 2012)

Well ... I wouldnt mind older cameras for chemical film, but for digital its a huge difference, digital cameras are still getting better very quickly. Once I no longer see such huge progress in this area, I might consider buying one of the really expensive cameras and stick with that for decades to come. But at the moment, nah.

P.s.: I still use my first digital camera, the small point-and-shoot Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX12, though. I think 7MPixel is enough for this kind of camera and an upgrade wont give me much of an upgrade in picture quality anyway.


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