# Confused between D550, Nikon D3200, Nikon D5100



## santanu034 (Aug 5, 2012)

Hi Guys,

I want to buy a DSLR. Let me tell you I am not a professional but clicking pics fpr past 2 years. Its my passion. I want to improve my skills. I have a Nikon L120.
Now I am confused between these 3 cameras.

1. Nikon D5100
2. Canon EOS 550D
3. Nikon D3200

Please help me in buying a camera. Budget betweek 30K - 35K

Thanks and Regards,
Santanu :thumbup:


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## santanu034 (Aug 5, 2012)

Can Anybody Help??


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## MK3Brent (Aug 5, 2012)

They are 3 different cameras. What's confusing about them?

With a budget like yours, get a Leica.


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## enzodm (Aug 5, 2012)

Welcome Santanu. When asking help, consider that this place is mostly US-centric, so at your wakeup time (and mine too) most members sleep, and unless specified, money is expressed in US dollars. 30000$ would be a really good budget to buy all three cameras plus some good lenses.
I do not know how much is really your budget and how much do these cameras cost in your country, however if it exceeds the basic camera cost, consider also some extra lens.
In terms of image quality, the two Nikon could be better than Canon, depending also on photographer. To learn, any is good.


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## pixmedic (Aug 5, 2012)

If you have already been shooting for two years, and really want to improve your photography, skip the D3200 and the D5100 and get a used D90. it will give you more options, more features, and a bigger choice of lenses that will autofocus.


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## santanu034 (Aug 5, 2012)

Hi,

Thanks for replying. I am talking about a budget of 30 - 35K Indian currency i.e 700 - 780 US dollars..


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## pixmedic (Aug 5, 2012)

$700-$800 US would certainly get you a used D90 in good shape as well as a lens or two depending on what you get, and whether the lenses are new or used. 
Apologies if i start sounding like a  broken record about the D90, I just think right now its the best bang for the buck if you want to move up to more advanced bodys later. 
and especially if you want to be able to take full advantage of the used lens market.


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## KmH (Aug 5, 2012)

** Thread moved * ... per Beginner's forum description:

**Photography Beginners' Forum*
Don&#8217;t be shy. Use one of the forums in the - Photo Galleries - Photos submitted by members for general display or critique - section of TPF if you want C&C improvement tips on some of the photos you have taken. *For equipment specific questions, use one of the forums in the Camera Forum section of TPF.* Brushing up on some of the basics? The Beginner's forum is for asking basic technical photographic questions about things like shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, metering modes, focusing modes.


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## eric1971 (Aug 6, 2012)

pixmedic said:


> $700-$800 US would certainly get you a used D90 in good shape as well as a lens or two depending on what you get, and whether the lenses are new or used.
> Apologies if i start sounding like a broken record about the D90, I just think right now its the best bang for the buck if you want to move up to more advanced bodys later.
> and especially if you want to be able to take full advantage of the used lens market.



Listen to this guy.  The D90 is a great camera to grow with.  The other Nikons you mentioned will leave you wanting more in a short time.  The ability to autofocus AF lenses is huge if you want to save some money on glass.


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## orb9220 (Aug 6, 2012)

Yep +1 for the D90 suggestion! Never a stripped down crippled entry cam for me again.
.


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## Markw (Aug 6, 2012)

+1 for D90.  

Buttttt, I have a D3100 for sale in the FOR SALE section, and it's definitely a capable camera in its own right.

Mark


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## domu221 (Aug 7, 2012)

If you are limited with the three options above, then I would suggest the D5100 because of its low light performance (less noise at high ISO). Although the D3200 has can also perform as good as the D5100 in low light, you get more gimmick stuff with the D5100 (if you like that).



Markw said:


> I have a D3100 for sale in the FOR SALE section, and it's definitely a capable camera in its own right.



And yeah, I like the D3100. If you can buy this older model as your begginer's camera (Nikon still sells brand new ones), consider that an option and just spend your money on better glass. I still have my D3100 and still use it even though I have a D7000.


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## greybeard (Aug 7, 2012)

I have experience with the D5100 and it will do just about everything you need as long as you stay with AF-S lenses.  (Nikon lenses with the auto focus motor built into the lens).  I use a D7000 now and it is a lot nicer but, I don't think I have gotten any shots with the D7000 I couldn't have gotten with the D5100.  Also the D5100 has a flip out screen that is pretty handy for shooting video.


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## Solarflare (Aug 7, 2012)

Well D7000 can do fill flash in bright sunlight, while the D5100 cant, or cannot without a lot of work with neutral density filters in order to reduce the D5100 to shutter speeds below its sync speed (which happends to be 1/200 sec).

Thats one thing I know of thats a real photographic difference between those two.

Of course many people dont bother using fill flash in bright sunlight, so ... no diff to them.


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## greybeard (Aug 7, 2012)

Solarflare said:


> Well D7000 can do fill flash in bright sunlight, while the D5100 cant, or cannot without a lot of work with neutral density filters in order to reduce the D5100 to shutter speeds below its sync speed (which happends to be 1/200 sec).
> 
> Thats one thing I know of thats a real photographic difference between those two.
> 
> Of course many people dont bother using fill flash in bright sunlight, so ... no diff to them.



True and I have used flash in bright sun a few times and the D7000 came through like a trooper.


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## prakhardeep (Aug 8, 2012)

I won't worry about used lenses and all as that market is almost nil in India.

Also, i will worry about using AF lenses only if i plan to have lots of lenses for specific use. For a normal hobby shooter 18-105 with a decent cheap zoom like 55-200 can be good enough with one prime like, 35mm thrown in.

So, that means D5100 is the best bet.


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