AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

My wife and I are both very happy with out D3200 bodies and selection of glass. We are in no hurry to upgrade, but as I subscribe to the "Gear for sale" forum here, walk into a lot of B&M shops, and check eBay daily, I want to be prepared if opportunity strikes, and not make an impulse purchase of gear that doesn't focus on our real needs, as opposed to bells and whistles we don't want or need.

Here's what I'd like to add:

Getting rid of the low pass sensor and improving low light performance. (That's actually number 1, 2, and 3...)

Don't want to go backwards in terms of the 24MP image, but don't really think 36MP is much of a practical improvement.

A "flip" screen would be nice on occasion, but not a deal breaker.

Here's what we don't want or need:

Touch screen
More buttons instead of menu choices (we can do fine with those available on the 3200)
GPS - We know where we've been.
Second card slot - we're more than fine with 32GB cards, using regular uploading.

I'm a little on the fence over WiFi - I suppose my wife would use it some, as she doesn't regularly carry a laptop, but I'm never far from a computer and uploading via cable or card is fine with me.

Price / value is a consideration; we're not affluent but fairly comfortable; however we have many, many things we'd rather spend money on than gear, including travel, printing/mounting, and some more travel. Not to mention spoiling our kids and grands.

Please don't bother to respond if you're only going to suggest full frame, either now or in the future. Similarly going mirrorless or switching systems. We've bought into Nikon gear and are very happy with the size/weight/IQ combination of this format.

We choose, deliberately, not to spend the amount of money required for overlapping bodies and glass for both of us in full format or a new system. My wife is retired and spends a lot of time (maybe a little too much IMHO ) visiting the grands, while I've got a 60 hour per week job without the ability to even use the five weeks of vacation I have anyway. So, no, retirement is not likely in my near term future, and getting ready to go FF ain't in the cards for now. Going to the "prosumer" level without going FF is also not really in our plans - we aren't working pros who have to shoot in bad weather or do long burst shooting. For the most part, our shooting is quite fair weather and leisurely and we're very happy with what we've got so far for lenses.

So I've read the reviews, looked at prices on eBay, and done side by side comparisons on the digital camera database (a GREAT resource, if you haven't used it yet). But I'm still a bit confused. D7200 has a lot of the bells and whistles we don't need, D5xx doesn't seem much of an improvement, and going up from the D3xx doesn't seem to offer any real advantages.


What does the hive mind of UHH think?

Andy

Garry J

I should have written your question. I have a 5000D. Am anxiously awaiting responses.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Cool! Feel free to jump in with any additional thoughts on how you're making your choices.

The most important result of this, for me, will be to set my eBay search parameters to give me all the "Dxxxx" for sale posts on a daily basis. I find this very helpful when I'm sorta kinda looking for something if a good bargain comes along. That's how I've found almost all of the gear I've bought on eBay, where I've been shopping for a decade.

Andy

UncleBuck Loc: Malvern, Arkansas

While the D7200 has many of the things you said you didn't want, it also has your # 1, 2, and 3 improvements. It's an outstanding camera.

Garry J

Thanks. You've covered everything for me. Can't think of anything else to add for now...other than I'm retired.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I'm already leaning that way, but do any of the in between generations, or lower level D7xxx models have what I want? I'm not a fan of spending money on things I don't need, but if I have to in order to get all three of those, then the $600 to $700 prices I've seen for lightly used models doesn't seem too bad a price, even when multiplied by two.

Andy

Charlie'smom

I agree. I love my D7200 (sold a D5500). I love having the dials right on the camera and not having to go into the menu. Now I find myself using the camera’s extras a lot more, and changing my settings instead of relying on auto.

I actually didn’t like the touch screen. I rarely used it, so I don’t miss it on my 7200

The articulating screen got in my way. I don’t miss it.

UncleBuck Loc: Malvern, Arkansas

Apparently the D5500, D5600 and D7100 do not have the AA filter, I'm not familiar with either the 5500 or 5600. I've owned the D7100, either of these three should also meet your needs and would be less than the D7200.

Bill_de Loc: US

I would suggest the D7200 while it is on sale.

Forget the D7000 since you said you didn't want a lower pixel count. It is 16mp, and also has a low max ISO.

Forget the D7100. It has an ISO range of 100 - 6,400, while the D7200 has a range of 100 - 25,600. That excludes the extended nonsense.

The D7200 has a larger buffer that handles three times the number of files than theD7100.

The opinion of this review, the only reason to buy the D7100 is saving a little money.

http://cameradecision.com/compare/Nikon-D7100-vs-Nikon-D7200

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AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Helpful. I don’t like to use an ISO over 6400 when I’ve borrowed or tested cameras in the past, but without the low pass filter, it might be more useful. Buffering isn’t generally important to us, but there doesn’t seem to be much price difference. I will probably buy clean, used, from a reputable source.

Andy

BebuLamar

Andy! Did you just buy 2 D3200's for you and wife not too long ago?

JR45 Loc: Montgomery County, TX

I would opt for the D7200 or D500. I have both.

CO

Don't think about going with less than 24MP as going backwards. The D7500 has the same outstanding 21MP sensor as the D500. You won't see any difference. 21MP is more than enough resolution. I would go with a D7500 or D7200.

The D3xxx and D5xxx series Nikons have a pentamirror viewfinder. If you go up to a D7xxx or above Nikon, you get a pentaprism viewfinder. The glass prism inside gives a larger, slightly brighter view through the viewfinder.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Thanks for remembering that!

Yup. We've had one for just over a year, the other for just over six months. I'm not feeling the NEED to upgrade, but because I like to bargain shop, and a D7200 just went for $600 on this forum, I just want to be ready and watching in case a great bargain shows up. That's how we've bought all of our gear - first deciding what the next upgrade or addition will be, then patiently waiting until we see (actually I see, I'm the gear shopper here..) one at a bargain price.

I waited nine long months for that second body to come up on eBay for a bargain price, six months for the Sigma 10-20mm zoom. Like I said, we really like these bodies a lot - the only weakness at all seems to be in low light performance, which is kind of noisy. Nothing I can't handle in PP, but I'd like to ditch the low pass filter on our next upgrade. I'm also keeping an eye out for a longer than 300mm fixed or zoom, which is the only gap in our lens array.

For those who haven't read my "How we got there" post, our present array includes the 18-55 and 55-200 kit lenses, a 50mm f1.8 prime, the Sigma 18-300mm with VR, a 55mm Nikon macro, a Sigma 10-20mm WA, and a Nikon 18-70. I generally keep the 18-70 on my body, with the two kit lenses and a .4WA and 2x Tamron Teleconverter in my bag. She gets the rest. We also each have a Neewer 750ii speedlight with dome and diffusers, and I have a little Nikon SB300 as a backup. We have a separate lighting kit with stands, umbrellas, triggers, and reflectors, some from film days. And two sturdy film era tripods. So the next goals are for me to upgrade my tele game a little, and maybe a fisheye (which my wife loves to play with), and eventually another fixed or zoom WA for one of us. I'm more of a wide angle shooter than she is, but she's playing with hers right ow in Virginia.

I'm a methodical kind of guy - a list maker and a bargain hunter. One new body might jump ahead of everything else on the list, except maybe a longer lens for me. Not urgent, but just want to keep ahead of anticipated needs. We are having a ball with these oufits and producing some work that we like. Going DSLR has made photography ten times more fun than when we were using point and shoots or 35mm film cameras, and enhances almost every day trip and family event for us.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Good info. I took the 24mp minimum as gospel from the mouth of Ken Rockwell, but am open to other views. We have made cropped prints up to 16x20 already, and I find the resolution more than adequate - actually much better than some of my old time 35mm work.

What's the upgrade in the D7500? I didn't see much difference on the Digital Camera Database comparison head to head.

Andy