which Nikon

[Hog Head]

My old and outdated Nikon D70 has finially died so time for a replacement. I am considering another Nikon simply because I have a 28 - 80 AF lens and a few manual focus lenses.

Expereince since the early 70's from full manual, through the various technical evolutionary changes to the D-70. By no means am I a skilled amature, but not a noob either

I have read the reviews of the D-3300, D-5200, D-5300, D-5500, and D-7100

I do not think that the 5300 rotating screen or wifi are features that I really care about.

Not sure if the touch screen of the 5500 is worth the cost VS the 7100

I do not want to spend more than 30K but could be convinced otherwise if there is a good reason

The D3300 with 18-55 and a 4 GB card is a great price at 13,500 Kit is cheaper than the bare body!

D-5200 body is 16,000 and with 18-55mm lens and 8 Gb card at 18,000

5200 with 18-55 and 55-300 is 25,500

D5300 is 20,400 with 18-55 and 8 GB card

As per the 3300 the bare body is no cheaper than the kit?

D5500 body only 23,900

The D7100 body + 16 GB is 26,500 or bare at 24,500

I am leaning towards the 7100 bare body and use my existing 28 - 80 Nikkor AF lens, but the D5200 body is 8500 cheaper and that could buy me a decent telephoto lens, or the dual lens D5200 is virtually the same price as the 7100 body

Difficult to ignore the 3300 kit at 13,500 but I am concerned that I will soon outgrow it if not so already.

Too many choices and any suggestions and advice would be appreciated

Edited February 22, 2015 by Hog Head

[bkkjames]

my old theory was invest more in glass - less in plastic. It's kinda like a smart phone with 500 apps on it of which I use about 4-5.

[Goshawk]

D7100 . . . .(the best APS-C DSLR in the World! - although, watch this space )

[MJP]

D7100 . . . .(the best APS-C DSLR in the World! - although, watch this space )

[Goshawk]

^

[sunshine51]

OP...if I was in your shoes I'd go for the D7100 or maybe even the Pentax

as member MJP posted. Then again you have a Nik lens already so in a

way the choice should be fairly easy once you have a definite budget set.

If you can go full frame equivalent I'd suggest you have a look around for

a good second hand D700...(SC less than say 50K) but decent lenses will

cost you dearly.

By the way 8500 Baht will not buy you a decent telephoto. It will buy you

a cheap PoS telephoto you will end up regretting buying instead of

applying that money towards a good telephoto & saving for its purchase.

[MJP]

Go for a Sony A7MkII and a cheap Nikon to E-mount adapter to start the transition to E-mount. I wouldn't touch either the Nik or the Pentax now. You don't need every lens under the sun, just a few of the best.

[samsensam]

i recently bought an X100S and haven't looked back. fantastic little camera. takes me back to my FM2 days.

[rhythmworx]

I'd go for the 7100 too, it can meter with old school lenses in manual focus from AI onwards.

There's some nice old Nik lenses out there.

If you are not in a rush there are rumours the 7200 is due for release this year at which time the price of the 7100 may drop.

Although the sensor on the 7100 is the same as the 5200 you get more cross type focus points, more in body controls and better focusing capabilities, the 5200 also doesn't have a focus motor for non AF-S glass.

Edited February 22, 2015 by rhythmworx

[FracturedRabbit]

These threads are always fun. OP asks for suggestions within a particular brand, and half of the responses suggest a different brand altogether..............

[MJP]

These threads are always fun. OP asks for suggestions within a particular brand, and half of the responses suggest a different brand altogether..............

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SALE-Sony-Alpha-A7-A-7-Mirrorless-Digital-Camera-Body-Only-Full-Frame-24-3-MP-/271773302740?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f46f37fd4

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SALE-Sony-Alpha-a7II-Mirrorless-Digital-Camera-Body-Only-a7-II-Mark2-mk-2-/261774626389?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cf2fbce55

[Goshawk]

These threads are always fun. OP asks for suggestions within a particular brand, and half of the responses suggest a different brand altogether..............

^ you forgot the word 'inferior' in between 'different' & 'brand'

[MJP]

These threads are always fun. OP asks for suggestions within a particular brand, and half of the responses suggest a different brand altogether..............

^ you forgot the word 'inferior' in between 'different' & 'brand'

. . . and the words "oil slick" and "quality control" and "customer service".

[FracturedRabbit]

These threads are always fun. OP asks for suggestions within a particular brand, and half of the responses suggest a different brand altogether..............

^ you forgot the word 'inferior' in between 'different' & 'brand'

No, I didn't. Pretty much every camera on the market is technically proficient. There aren't better/worse cameras than Nikon, there are just different cameras. Which is best for you depends on your preferences.

[MJP]

I'm genuinely not on a wind up here (someone else has posted whilst I'm typing this by the way) . . . but . . .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-Alpha-a6000-24-3-MP-Interchangeable-Lens-Camera-ILCE6000-Body-New-/111602859654?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

Holy Moly!!! First dibs!

Fastest AF out there and 11 frames per second. What's not to like?

[Goshawk]

What's not to like?

it doesn't have the word 'Nikon' written on it . . .

[MJP]

What's not to like?

it doesn't have the word 'Nikon' written on it . . .

I'm just thinking about what Hoggers has said and I quote from the OP; "I am considering another Nikon simply because I have a 28 - 80 AF lens and a few manual focus lenses."

It's really worth the OP's time to take a look at alternatives and to be honest, the A6000 is ideal, not least because he can still adapt his manual focus lenses to it via an adapter. They're cheap too.

A6000 is likely a much better option for him. Shaggy's got one and sometimes sends me the RAW files to screw about with and I have to say I'm seriously impressed.

[rhythmworx]

A bit off topic but....I would advise against using ebay, they earned millions in the UK last year only paid 0.12% in tax.

Where as a brain surgeon will pay 60% tax.

Another company I have boycotted.

Heres the numbers that show how much they earn per month.

http://investor.ebay.com/financial_history.cfm

[MJP]

A bit off topic but....I would advise against using ebay, they earned millions in the UK last year only paid 0.12% in tax.

Where as a brain surgeon will pay 60% tax.

Another company I have boycotted.

Heres the numbers that show how much they earn per month.

http://investor.ebay.com/financial_history.cfm

Agreed. I didn't know ebay was on the corporate chat too.

Yup <deleted> 'em!

Send me a list of all these dodgers would you, I'm sick of it too.

[FracturedRabbit]

A bit off topic but....I would advise against using ebay, they earned millions in the UK last year only paid 0.12% in tax.

Where as a brain surgeon will pay 60% tax.

Another company I have boycotted.

Heres the numbers that show how much they earn per month.

http://investor.ebay.com/financial_history.cfm

But have you tried buying a camera from a brain surgeon? Their shipping charges are outrageous.

[Hog Head]

My time frame is now as I want it for a laos trip first week of March therefore waiting for the D7200 is out

Will do a bit more research on the other brands suggested and see what is available in thailand

The Sony Alpha a600 is 20,840 body only

Looks like I need to learn about mirrorless as well. Can you look through the lens like a regular camera or do you have to peer at the screen.

Any drawbacks with a lens adapter?

[sunshine51]

HH...Buy what you reckon is the best for the money you're gonna spend.

Be out taking pictures...and having fun. Regardless of "brand".

[sunshine51]

I'm genuinely not on a wind up here (someone else has posted whilst I'm typing this by the way) . . . but . . .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-Alpha-a6000-24-3-MP-Interchangeable-Lens-Camera-ILCE6000-Body-New-/111602859654?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

Holy Moly!!! First dibs!

Fastest AF out there and 11 frames per second. What's not to like?

It says SONY on it.

[vaultdweller0013]

My time frame is now as I want it for a laos trip first week of March therefore waiting for the D7200 is out

Will do a bit more research on the other brands suggested and see what is available in thailand

The Sony Alpha a600 is 20,840 body only

Looks like I need to learn about mirrorless as well. Can you look through the lens like a regular camera or do you have to peer at the screen.

Any drawbacks with a lens adapter?

Many (higher-end) mirrorless cameras, including the a6000, have an EVF (Electronic View Finder). So, yes, you will be looking at a screen, but the ergonomics will be similar to a DSLR (though not exactly the same, e.g. for the a6000 the EVF is on the left side and not the middle) .

There are advantages and disadvantages to EVF's and optical viewfinders (OVF). To a great extent, it is a matter of personal preference. There are many, many discussions on the topic that can be found on the web; they only things I would point out are:

• EVFs have improved dramatically over the last 2-3 years, so if looking at their drawbacks, especially lag, make sure you considering the latest generation.
• Although similar to live view on a DSLR, the EVF/screen on mirrorless is not exactly the same -- the lenses are designed to AF without a separate AF module. so the AF speed, especially on the a6000, should be on-par with similarly priced DSLR.

As for adapters:

• Image quality should be fine, but cheap adapters can have alignment, light-leak or internal reflection issues.
• AF speed won't be good and can be prettly bad. Plus, AF adapters are pretty expensive.
• Even with AF adapters, AF may not work with all lenses, in particular any lens that requires an in-body (screw drive) motor. The only exception I know to this is the LA-EA4 adapter from Sony that will work on any Sony/Minolta A-mount lens.
• Some lens/camera combinations don't work well, e.g. a7r and some wide angle rangefinder glass; for an aps-c mirrorless, this should not be an issue; really this is only a concern with the a7r due to the higher resolution.

[FracturedRabbit]

My time frame is now as I want it for a laos trip first week of March therefore waiting for the D7200 is out

Will do a bit more research on the other brands suggested and see what is available in thailand

The Sony Alpha a600 is 20,840 body only

Looks like I need to learn about mirrorless as well. Can you look through the lens like a regular camera or do you have to peer at the screen.

Any drawbacks with a lens adapter?

Many (higher-end) mirrorless cameras, including the a6000, have an EVF (Electronic View Finder). So, yes, you will be looking at a screen, but the ergonomics will be similar to a DSLR (though not exactly the same, e.g. for the a6000 the EVF is on the left side and not the middle) .

There are advantages and disadvantages to EVF's and optical viewfinders (OVF). To a great extent, it is a matter of personal preference. There are many, many discussions on the topic that can be found on the web; they only things I would point out are:

• EVFs have improved dramatically over the last 2-3 years, so if looking at their drawbacks, especially lag, make sure you considering the latest generation.
• Although similar to live view on a DSLR, the EVF/screen on mirrorless is not exactly the same -- the lenses are designed to AF without a separate AF module. so the AF speed, especially on the a6000, should be on-par with similarly priced DSLR.

As for adapters:

• Image quality should be fine, but cheap adapters can have alignment, light-leak or internal reflection issues.
• AF speed won't be good and can be prettly bad. Plus, AF adapters are pretty expensive.
• Even with AF adapters, AF may not work with all lenses, in particular any lens that requires an in-body (screw drive) motor. The only exception I know to this is the LA-EA4 adapter from Sony that will work on any Sony/Minolta A-mount lens.
• Some lens/camera combinations don't work well, e.g. a7r and some wide angle rangefinder glass; for an aps-c mirrorless, this should not be an issue; really this is only a concern with the a7r due to the higher resolution.

Plus:

With an EVF you have the advantage of seeing what the resulting image will look like in terms of exposure, so you can dial in over/under exposure to obtain the required result; and see that before you press the shutter. And you can overlay more information onto an EVF than with a an optical viewfinder. For example, you can have potential blown shadow/highlight areas displayed.

If you are using manual focus lenses, then they are easier to focus on mirrorless as they offer a zoom in function for precise focusing and/or focus peaking which highlights the parts of the image that are in focus.

[Hog Head]

No one has commented if the Nikon D3300 and 5300 are not "smart" enough for someone with my limited experience. The price is attractive but my concern is that the functionality will not be so attractive

Thanks for all the input and it is decision time

[sunshine51]

^^^ HH...Rule of thumb regarding Nikon...

If you have used any Nikon SLR/DSLR in the past, your new one will

work pretty much the exact same way. Just go through the book to

find out the changes & where they're located, usually in the menu

settings which can be daunting at times...but persevere. If there's

no manual included with your new camera, just Google for the

download. Also there are many "guides" available on the web too.

Good luck.

[MJP]

Nikon 1 might be worth a look too.

[rhythmworx]

No one has commented if the Nikon D3300 and 5300 are not "smart" enough for someone with my limited experience. The price is attractive but my concern is that the functionality will not be so attractive

Thanks for all the input and it is decision time

Here is a 5 page unbiased review that compares all 3.

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/roundup/camera-roundups/nikon-d3300-vs-nikon-d5300-vs-nikon-d7100-518

[Goshawk]

My time frame is now as I want it for a laos trip first week of March therefore waiting for the D7200 is out

Go for the D7100 and pair it up with a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. You will have one of the very best camera/lens combo's across any format, period. I speak as an owner/user of both.