Nikon DSLR for a beginner

[Magnum Johnson]

So I have always been a fan of taking lots of photos on my outdoor outings but now with my first child on the way I have a very good reason to get a DSLR. I have a little experience from the past working with photography in school but aside from that not much experience with good cameras. I have narrowed my search down to the Nikon D7000 and D5100. I played with the demo models and both my wife and I prefer the D7000 but I just don't know if I can justify the price difference between them. I do like the fact that the D5100 has better video than the D7000 but I know the D7000 can take better photos and will likely last me longer. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Based on the reviews of the 18-105 lens that they come with I would rather buy a different lens. If anyone can make a suggestion for a general purpose (baby pictures and landscape) lens it would be great.

Thanks!

 

[Sirocco]

If your not that experienced with DSLR's I would go for the 5100.

the 18-105 lens will be a good all around lens so dont dismiss it until you have personally tried it, it may well suit all your needs.

save your $$$ and learn to take better photos

Im sure the others will be along shortly with a more 'tech' response

G

 

[Ryanmb21]

I would get a D90 and 35mm1.8 you want a camera with BOTH shutter speed and aperture dial. on the 5100 they share one and you have to use a "clutch" to access both. Pain the ***. the 35 1.8 is a better lens.

 

[cruisertoy]

I bought a used D90 with a cheap 18-55mm. I picked up a 50mm 1.8 as well. It's been really good to learn with. I would hate to only have the 50mm and you can pick up an 18-55 or a 55-200 for less than $100 each most days of the week. Upgrade your lens when you have the skill or $ needed to do so. You might e en check out a d80 since they have dropped in price in the last few months.

 

[bribassguy]

It really depend on what you want to do with it... I am going to give you a little different take than the D90, it's what I ended up with.

I got a D200, it's got a sealed metal body, it accepts older AI lenses (Some are really great) and it's got buttons for almost everything you'd want to change. Why buttons, b/c I never have to look at a menu (I keep my eye in the view finder) and can change things on the fly.

It's doesn't have sky mode, or night mode but with a cheat card you can set everything as a beginner.

It's got one older generation process so colours and noise at higher ISO suffers a little but with a 35 1.8, or a 50 1.2 like I got you'll never need ISO 64,000...


The 7000 is very very nice, it's got a feeler for older AI lens and it's better sealed than the D90 just like the D200, D300... but get our your check book.

 

[Magnum Johnson]

Thanks for the responses guys! My wife and I have agreed that as long as we can keep it under $1500 its within our budget. I looked into the D90 but the only thing that bothers me about it is the fact that I feel that its already outdated and I feel that I have limited room to grow with it. I think that if the D5100 did not have a plastic body that it would be pretty much ideal for me, but that cheap feeling body kills me.

So I guess what I need to know is would it be worth spending the extra money now and getting the D7000 or should I take a better look at the D90 & D5100? I should be able to get years of use out of a quality camera like the D7000 rite? The way I see it is do I spend $800 now on a D90/5100 learn to use it and then later down the road spend more on something like a D7000?

 

[eric1115]

It really depend on what you want to do with it... I am going to give you a little different take than the D90, it's what I ended up with.

I got a D200, it's got a sealed metal body, it accepts older AI lenses (Some are really great) and it's got buttons for almost everything you'd want to change. Why buttons, b/c I never have to look at a menu (I keep my eye in the view finder) and can change things on the fly.

It's doesn't have sky mode, or night mode but with a cheat card you can set everything as a beginner.

It's got one older generation process so colours and noise at higher ISO suffers a little but with a 35 1.8, or a 50 1.2 like I got you'll never need ISO 64,000...


The 7000 is very very nice, it's got a feeler for older AI lens and it's better sealed than the D90 just like the D200, D300... but get our your check book.

I can second this. I got a D200 when it was just out (2005, I think) and the D7000 is the first camera that's really tempted me to ditch the 200. There have been some bodies that are better in terms of sensor, processing, etc. But the build, durability, and sealing on the D200 hasn't been matched well enough by any reasonably priced bodies. Also, the older manual focus lenses (as mentioned) work perfectly on it and you can get some stellar glass for very little money.

Really, the three things I'd change about my D200 are high-iso performance, ADR, and battery life. Other than that, it's awesome. Great controls, feel, speed, menus. It feels like a camera built for a photographer, and even with the D7000 I think some of the controls/features feel like they were built for someone who wants nice photos without having to think about what's going on to make them. That is not a knock on those photographers; sometimes I wish I could just turn that part of me off. That part of my wiring exists next to the part that makes me love my old Land Cruiser, my mechanical watch, film cameras, and also that part of me that actively resists getting a smart phone. In some ways, life would be easier if I drove a newer 4Runner, got an iPhone and ditched the SLR, watch, GPS, and MP3 player. But, I enjoy the tools that do what they're designed to do and don't try to be anything else.

I don't abuse my gear, but I do shoot in the rain, on the rocks, and other places where I'm thankful to have an armored metal camera instead of a plastic one. Would I have killed a D80 or a D90 by now? Probably not, but I might have left it in the bag for fear of damaging it instead of getting some great shots.

For me (certainly not everyone falls into this camp) great images and rugged construction beats slightly better/easier images out of a camera I'm afraid to bring anywhere/everywhere.

 

[PirateMcGee]

I went with a nikon d3000 with an 18-55mm VR kit lense refurb from adorama...........$400 (very good bargain) and a 10$ 2GB sd card

I also recently got a 55-200mm VR Nikor Lense refurb from Nikon for $150

between those lenses and that body I really don't think there's much out there that I can't get a good shot of, it's an easy to use body, takes great pics, and is a great deal for learning what I do/don't want in a camera. The only down fall is that I don't have a good setup for really low light/action shots. For me that's not an issue and is the difference between a few hundred in equipment and a few thousand......

Point being, unless you are a pro a quality yet low priced SLR will just about do everything you want. It's not as much about the equipment but the skills..........

 

[Magnum Johnson]

Ok, well thanks for the input guys. I ended up taking advantage to the deal Amazon has going with a $250 instant rebate when you purchase a DSLR and a select lens together. I ended up getting a D7000 and a 18-200mm lens for $1778.95 out the door.

I know its too much camera for my skill level rite now, but so was my first car, PC, and TIG welder.

 

[loren85022]

the 18-200mm VR is a great lens for travelers. Small and versatile. Its almost all I take when roaming the wild. On occasion a 12-24mm wide angle makes for some creative shots.

 

[Ash]

If you are REALLY going to get into it, get the D7000, if you're just like the rest of us, get the 5100. It's the same sensor. The configurability of the D7000 is boarderline prosumer. It does 'feel' amazing to use too. I bought one, going well so far. Buy a used one for $1110 with lens.

 

[Goochm]

Hope you don't regret buying from Amazon, been hearing murmurs of shady dealings there perhaps with grey market product. It's nearly impossible to get a D7000 from legit dealers like B&H and Adorama because of supply limited by earthquake damage. At any rate, congrats on the purchase, the 18-200 is a better lens than the kit. From what I've read the 7000 is a great camera, better than the D90 or D300s (but not as good as my D3 or D700..but much less pricey!).

 

[Magnum Johnson]

My Amazon purchase went smooth and the camera and lens are good to go. I just got it yesterday and had it charged up and ready to go in time for a trip to downtown SD. I cant express how happy I am with this camera, I just threw my 50mm 1.8D lens on it, set it on auto, and proceeded to take some AWESOME low light shots last night. I had some buyers remorse but using it last night cleared that rite up! Even with the auto and low light scene settings the difference between my point and shoot cameras and this thing are night and day (I suppose it better be for what I paid...). I hope to get some shots with the 18-200 today but until then I and still very impressed with the $130 50mm 1.8D made in China lens.

Example photos, cat shot in jpeg and my brother shot in RAW and converted to jpeg. Both taken with the 50mm and Auto settings.

 

[sross]

I recently bought a D7000 as well. One thing I really like is how sturdy it is, with none of the plastic feel of my previous camera, a D80. At a family reunion last weekend, I wasn't too worried about letting the little children (three years old or so) take pictures of each other. I just wasn't worried about the 1 1/2 foot drop. I also like that I feel like I can just throw in in a bag without babying it too much. In that vein, I use two lenses, a 35mm and 85mm prime 95% of the time which are both very solid metal lenses. I wouldn't do that with the 55-200mm.

 

[ywen]

A low drop/knock, done just right can knock lens/camera out of alignment resulting in forever blurry misfocused images..

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