# Upgrading from a D40. Go with D3XXX,5XXX or 7XXX?



## TheFarSide (Dec 16, 2013)

Hello and Merry Christmas
I enjoy photography as a hobby and I like to learn.  Over the weekend I read through all kinds of threads related to the Nikon lineup, but I am torn on what to buy and would appreciate your advice.

How I intend to use my camera:
Kids are young and getting into sports.
Want to use it as a video camera from time to time and will buy an external mic.
Wherever I with the family I am always looking for that interesting looking shot.  Went to Disney recently and took photos of everything.
Cost is not a huge issue because I will use this camera body for 5 to 10 years.
Will buy some lenses as time goes on but I will probably get the 18-140 with it, perhaps the 18-200 or 300. Not sure there.
Will buy a 7xx flash.

Much appreciated on all your advice.


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## Braineack (Dec 16, 2013)

You want at LEAST the 5100.  A D3000, 31000,or 3200 isn't much of an upgrade expect for the better sensors and video.  Otherwise it's the same camera, with no real added features over your D40.

The flip out screen makes the D5x00 series more desirable for what you're looking for.


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## Tailgunner (Dec 16, 2013)

My best advice, buy the best body you can afford. I mean, I probably wouldn't buy a D4 just to chase the kids around the house but I would definitely buy a good updated camera like the D5300, D7100, or even a D610. I own a D7100 and it works great for shooting our son's basketball games as well as it's good for the hobby end of my photography. 

As for glass, my 18-200mm VR is nice chasing the kiddo around the house or throwing in my backpack for camping trips but you're going to need something with a larger Aperture (lower F-stop number) for shooting sports. It depends on the sport but a good all around lens is the 70-200mm 2.8 VRsome say the 70-200mm 2.8 VR II handles sports lighting even better. A lot of the shots taken at our son's games are generally around 85mm and 135mm. So the 70-200mm 2.8 works great. If your kids are playing foot ball or soccer etc, you may want a 300mm 2.8. If you can't afford the coin for a new one, I've seen some pretty good deals on used 70-200mm 2.8 VR1 and 300mm 2.8's on Ebay. 

Hope it helps.


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## robbins.photo (Dec 16, 2013)

TheFarSide said:


> Hello and Merry Christmas
> I enjoy photography as a hobby and I like to learn. Over the weekend I read through all kinds of threads related to the Nikon lineup, but I am torn on what to buy and would appreciate your advice.
> 
> How I intend to use my camera:
> ...



Have to agree with Braineack here - the 5x series is probably your best bet for the video, the articulating screen would be a huge plus for that type of shooting.  Me I'd probably go with the 5100 - I think you'll find the 16 mp sensor will be more than adequate for your needs and as far as bang for your buck is concerned it's difficult to beat.  The 5200 has the 24 mp sensor which will give you a higher IQ of course, but unless your doing really large prints or find yourself cropping/enlarging your photo's quite a bit most likely the 5100 would suit your needs just fine.  I have a 5100 myself and I love it.


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## TheFantasticG (Dec 16, 2013)

OP, as soon as you said kids sports the obvious answer is D7100 as it has the best AF of all the ones you mentioned. Of course the next limitation is glass so you'd have to sporting a Nikon 70-300 VR minimum. Cool as long as it's noon day unclouded light. Gets darker? Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 I or II... Or can try the 3rd party brands.


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## mrbadwrench (Dec 16, 2013)

I just upgraded from the 5100 to the 7000 and i must say it was worth every penny. Also, for chasing kids around i might recommend the 70-200 2.8. That way you never have to worry about low light.


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## goodguy (Dec 16, 2013)

Get the Nikon D7100, overall best crop sensor camera.


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## robbins.photo (Dec 16, 2013)

mrbadwrench said:


> I just upgraded from the 5100 to the 7000 and i must say it was worth every penny. Also, for chasing kids around i might recommend the 70-200 2.8. That way you never have to worry about low light.



Oh.. I thought the purpose of the 70-200 2.8 was the fact that it makes a handy club to smack them with and get them to sit down so you can take pictures with the kit lens.  Man, somebody really needs to start putting this in a manual somewhere.. lol


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## Tailgunner (Dec 16, 2013)

robbins.photo said:


> mrbadwrench said:
> 
> 
> > I just upgraded from the 5100 to the 7000 and i must say it was worth every penny. Also, for chasing kids around i might recommend the 70-200 2.8. That way you never have to worry about low light.
> ...



Naw dude, the 70-200mm 2.8 is for (insert your favorite team) and you use the kit lens and double sided tape or Velcro on the kids. You just tell the wife the 70-200mm 2.8 is for the kids


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## robbins.photo (Dec 16, 2013)

Tailgunner said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > mrbadwrench said:
> ...



Aha.. the old hail mary play eh?  See, this is why your the smart one and I'm the one with the pretty hair.. rotfl


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## KmH (Dec 16, 2013)

Some notable functional differences between a D5300 and a D7100:

The D7100 has 2 memory card slots, the D5300 has only 1.
The D7100 has 2 command wheels, the D5300 has only 1.
The D7100 has a 100% coverage pentaprism viewfinder, the D5300 has 95% coverage using a pentamirror viewfinder.
The D7100 is compatible with AI-P NIKKOR lenses, and non-CPU AI lenses Nikon lenses. but the D5300 isn't. Being a compact DLSR, the D5300 does not have an auto focus (AF) motor and screw-drive system and will not AF Nikon D lenses.
The D7100 can do up to 5 auto exposure brackets (AEB), the D5300 can only do a max of 3 AEB.
The D7100 has Nikon's Advanced 3500DX, 51 focus point (15 cross type points) auto focus system (*-2 EV* to +19 EV), the D5300 has Nikon's 4800DX 39 focus points (9 cross type) auto focus system (*-1 EV* to +19 EV).
(The extra stop of low light auto focus ability (-2 EV for the D7100, only -1 EV for the D5300) makes a real AF difference in low light.)
The D7100 has a 1/250 flash x-sync speed, the D5300 flash x-sync speed is 1/200.
The D7100 has off camera flash Commander mode and Auto FP high speed flash sync. The D5300 has neither.


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## shadowlands (Dec 16, 2013)

Hold a D300, and you'll fall in love....


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## TheFarSide (Dec 16, 2013)

Thank you all for your advice, it is much appreciated.
As for the comments on the 70-200 2.8, that is set up for an FX sensor.  How much does that matter on a DX camera?
I guess the next logical question would also be, do I even want to consider a camera with an FX sensor, or is that just to far out of my league?


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## robbins.photo (Dec 16, 2013)

TheFarSide said:


> Thank you all for your advice, it is much appreciated.
> As for the comments on the 70-200 2.8, that is set up for an FX sensor. How much does that matter on a DX camera?
> I guess the next logical question would also be, do I even want to consider a camera with an FX sensor, or is that just to far out of my league?



Actually believe it or not an FX lens for the most part works even better on a DX camera.  Because of the cropped sensor, your using the "center" of the glass which is generally the best portion of the glass element.  Now granted an FX body will give you certain advantages over the DX counterpart, most notably lowlight performance because of it's much larger sensor.  So like all things camera it's a tradeoff.

The D7100, for example, is a much better camera overall than the 5100 - however the 5100 might still be a better choice based on your budget.  It was in my case when I made my initial purchase.  That's really what you need to think about, is what exactly is your budget and what all are you trying to fit into your budget?

If you have need of the 7100's features (such as the better autofocus) and you have the budget for it and the lens or lenses you want then the 7100 would be a great option.  If your budget is more limited the 5200 or even 5100 would be good choices.  Thing is you can't really go wrong here, it's all about whats going to work best for you on the budget you have.


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## Tailgunner (Dec 16, 2013)

shadowlands said:


> Hold a D300, and you'll fall in love....



Agreed, I still have my D300 and it feels so right! I just need a D610, D700, or D800 




TheFarSide said:


> Thank you all for your advice, it is much appreciated.
> As for the comments on the 70-200 2.8, that is set up for an FX sensor. How much does that matter on a DX camera?
> I guess the next logical question would also be, do I even want to consider a camera with an FX sensor, or is that just to far out of my league?



You can for the most part run an FX lens on a DX camera but not the other way around&#8230;that I know of anyhow. Baring auto focus motors of course&#8230;but the D7100 comes with a built in AF motor, so thats not an issue. 


I personally use a 28-70mm 2.8 and 70-200mm 2.8 VR II on my D7100 no problem. I probably look weird on the sidelines with my D7100 and 70-200mm 2.8 VR II while everyone else is using camera phones but there isn't anything I can't capture and the shots are sharp!


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## Designer (Dec 16, 2013)

If the D7100 is in your price range, then grab it.  Always buy more camera than you think you need now because you will grow into it.

Please start another thread with your lens question.


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## Coasty (Dec 16, 2013)

TheFantasticG said:


> OP, as soon as you said kids sports the obvious answer is D7100 as it has the best AF of all the ones you mentioned. Of course the next limitation is glass so you'd have to sporting a Nikon 70-300 VR minimum. Cool as long as it's noon day unclouded light. Gets darker? Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 I or II... Or can try the 3rd party brands.



Just curious why he would need a 70-200 f2.8 any time other than non-cloudy high noon. Doesnt the D7100 have an iso that goes above 100 or is the 70-300 such a horrible lens on cloudy days?


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## Derrel (Dec 16, 2013)

I'm very familiar with the D40 and what it can do. If you plan on keeping your next camera five to ten years, I'd say buy a D7100. It's a very nice APS-C Nikon, with much of the stuff we desperately wanted throughout the entire decade of the 2000's, but were unable to achieve, at ANY price, until very late in the decade. It is the "current", state of the art in APS-C cameras, in terms of sensor performance, multi-flash commander capability, and so on, but the size,weight, and price are only moderate. 24 MP resolution is currently "high-resolution digital". I think a D7100 would be enough camera to last the average enthusiast a good,solid five years, perhaps more.

The D7000 is being closed out now, at VERY good prices, and while it is an upgrade from the D40, it's not as far-advanced. D40>D60>D3000>D5100>D90>D7000>D7100 is kind of how I see the time span from the D40 to today's D7100. The way I see it, the D7100 is an "easy six step advance" over the D40; many more if one adds in all the incremental model numbers. For the "slow upgrader", you might as well buy the MOST-current wave's best model, and then ride that wave until it hits the beach.


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## Solarflare (Dec 18, 2013)

You can skip over D3100 unless you want to save money this way. The D3200 doesnt even save money.

The D5100/D5200/D5300 offer a very nice flipscreen. Otherwise they are the same, entry level as the D40.

The D7000/D7100 offer semiprofessional level - advanced ergonomics, better viewfinder, better build, double memorycard-slot etc.


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## ShootRaw (Dec 18, 2013)

D7100...nuff said


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## Braineack (Dec 18, 2013)

Solarflare said:


> The D5100/D5200/D5300 offer a very nice flipscreen. Otherwise they are the same, entry level as the D40.



I would argue the D3100/D3200 are the same level as the D40 (I went from a D40 to a D3100 to a D5100).

Honestly, the D40 and D3100 were the same but some extra resolution and loss of features (No IR remote for one).


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