Just to get ready for my next Nikon DX body upgrade - which one? (Page 2): I guess I sound stupid, what do I lose having my D3400 with the low pass filter? All the other Nikons I held...

toxdoc42

I guess I sound stupid, what do I lose having my D3400 with the low pass filter? All the other Nikons I held felt much heavier, bulkier and awkward. I have little or no desire to upgrade, but I am sometimes dismayed with the auto focus. I prefer to have an optical focusing screen, as I had on my film Nikon, nikorrmatt and F2. None of the Nikon seem to offer that.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

toxdoc42 wrote:

I guess I sound stupid, what do I lose having my D3400 with the low pass filter? All the other Nikons I held felt much heavier, bulkier and awkward. I have little or no desire to upgrade, but I am sometimes dismayed with the auto focus. I prefer to have an optical focusing screen, as I had on my film Nikon, nikorrmatt and F2. None of the Nikon seem to offer that.

The low pass filter adds noise at high ISO settings. You can fix some of this in PP, but the images in low light are undoubtedly more noise free in the D7xxx series.

And no, you don't get a conventional focusing screen in DSLR, although the D7xxx have a pentaprism instead of a pentamirror. I don't care, the autofocus system is faster and more accurate than my aging eyesight, so long as I select the appropriate mode.

Andy

CO

AndyH wrote:

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

There's not much difference between the D7200 and D7500. The D7500 has an upgraded autofocus system.

The D7500 adds these:
Group-area AF mode
180,000-pixel RGB sensor (the D7200 has the 2,016-pixel RGB sensor)
Auto AF fine-tuning system from the D500
8 frames per second (the D7200 does 6 frames per second)
50 shot buffer (the D7200 has an 18 shot buffer)

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

CO wrote:

There's not much difference between the D7200 and D7500. The D7500 has an upgraded autofocus system.

The D7500 adds these:
Group-area AF mode
180,000-pixel RGB sensor (the D7200 has the 2,016-pixel RGB sensor)
Auto AF fine-tuning system from the D500
8 frames per second (the D7200 does 6 frames per second)
50 shot buffer (the D7200 has an 18 shot buffer)

Doesn't seem to be anything there that I need, and I think the price premium is quite high. I was initially wondering whether any of the D5xxx models would meet my needs, but from the eBay pricing I've seen, the differential between the D5xxx and D7200 is quite small. I looked at the D7200 vs. D7500 comparison on Digital Camera Database, and honestly wondered why they even came out with the Dd7500. And now they're sending out emails that it's "on sale".

Most camera makers have too many models, leading to more confusion than additional real choice, at least in my opinion.

Andy

CO

AndyH wrote:

Doesn't seem to be anything there that I need, and... (show quote)

The D3xxx and D5xxx series Nikons don't have AF fine tuning. The D7xxx series and above Nikons have AF fine tuning. If you have lenses that back or front focus you can apply some fine tuning.

The D3xxx and D5xxx cameras don't have weather sealing. The D7xxx series cameras are weather sealed.

I find that the dual command dials on the D7xxx series cameras and the D500 are useful. I use manual mode for studio photography. I can adjust aperture with one and the shutter speed with the other. Changing AF modes with dual command dials is nice also. You select AF-C or AF-S with one and the number of AF points with the other.

I have to have a pentaprism viewfinder. The view through the viewfinder of a D3xxx or D5xxx series Nikon is too cramped for me. My D500 has the largest view of any DX camera I have seen. It's almost as large as a full frame camera. I think it helps with composition.

jeryh Loc: Oxfordshire UK

D500 will blow your socks off ! It will do what you want, as long as you want it to!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

AndyH wrote:

My wife and I are both very happy with out D3200 b... (show quote)

If it was me, I would invest in quality DX lenses. So, when you do finally upgrade, your most important items (lenses) will be ready for what ever body you decide on. One of my favorite DX lenses is the Nikon 17-55 2.8. It comes very close to my 24-70 2.8 lens for my full frame camera and you can get the 17-55 on Ebay for 1/2 the cost of new, and I would suggest buying mint in the box and a US model.
Another favorite Nikon DX lens is the newer Nikon 16-80 2.8/4 which gives me the same view as my Nikon 24-120 full frame lens ( one of my all time favorites), I might also suggest, if you like micro (the 60 mm D lens) this is an FX lens and would act like a 90 mm micro on your DX camera's.
If your into wildlife I would strongly suggest the Nikon 200-500 lens.
AGAIN, if it was me, I would concentrate on GLASS vs. camera body. DX camera's are still evolving, new ones will continue to come out. GLASS is more important than body, get good glass and then consider bodies. IMHO.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

Hi Andy, I'm looking at the D7200 myself, as I've started to dabble in Nikon a bit. That sounds like a good next step. I did pick up a used D3200 and several bargain lens, and have been playing with that a bit. In my case I should have gone straight to the D7200 or 7100, as my Sony's have me spoiled. I did find that after 4 Sony cams with articulating screens, I'm sold on that feature. Yes, I use viewfinder a lot, but I use "live view" even more, or remote view and remote control. One thing I've also had some fun with is using all my Sony/Minolta lens (and I've got a ton of them) on the D3200, via a Fotodiox (Sony (a) = NIK) to attach my old glass to the Nikon, it gives me manual aperture control and focus, even on full auto lens.

Good luck and have fun.....and try not to work yourself to death...you will receive no "Awards" if you die at your desk (or wherever you work)!!!!!
The "remote" capabilities via wifi/tablets/phones/laptop and such can also be fun to work with.
mike

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

Have you not considered the D500? If not, intentionally skipped or inadvertently missed?

ngrea Loc: Sandy Spring, Maryland

AndyH wrote:

My wife and I are both very happy with out D3200 b... (show quote)

The one feature I will never give up is the articulated screen. I’m short and have bad knees hips and back and it allows me to shoot from angles I wouldn’t be able to get otherwise, especially low shots. There is no way I can get my eyeballs down to the ground yet that is where some of the best shots are. I can also shoot overhead or even around corners

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

When I was ready to upgrade from my D70, I went to my local camera store. The D90 had just come out but I didn’t want to spend the extra 100+. They told me I might be sorry. Well I hadn’t done my research, thus I didn’t know that the D60 wouldn’t accept a number of Nikon lenses. I was sorry. 2 Years later, I was back. I went in thinking I would go for the D90. Lesson learned from my prior experience, I left with the D7000 and was delighted with my purchase. My advice to you is to head for a good camera store. Hold other Nikons in your hands, check out the menus (a fact of life). Do some research ahead of time. If it were me, I’d move to a D7xxx or at least a D5xxx.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

You gave me the answer. You are happy with what you have and its results and my question is, why change?
You know very well that a "full frame" camera will carry more expense especially buying glass for it. I would not dare to use DX lenses on a "full frame" camera, I would be waisting pixels. I do use a 12-24 f4 AF-S with my FX body but only because between 18-24mm it uses the whole frame.
Be wise, do not throw your money away and keep on saving for vacations or travels.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

BboH wrote:

Have you not considered the D500? If not, intentionally skipped or inadvertently missed?

What would the advantages of a D500 be over the D7200? Going backwards in terms of MP, virtually identical sensor size, and more weight at more than twice the price? Perhaps a little more ruggedly built and a higher resolution display screen, but I don't see a single feature that would make me spend more than twice the price of a D7200.

Am I missing something? It's not impossible... I seem to have missed out on the whole Pokémon Go phenomenon for quite a while.

https://www.digicamdb.com/compare/nikon_d7200-vs-nikon_d500/

Andy

CO

AndyH wrote:

What would the advantages of a D500 be over the D7... (show quote)

I have a D500. It blows away any other Nikon DX camera and any other APS-C format camera. It runs circles around my D7000. The D5, D500, and D850 have Nikon's best autofocus system. They're the first Nikons to have a processor dedicated to just the autofocus system.

Its pentaprism viewfinder has the largest view I've ever seen in a DX format camera. The view is almost as large as a full frame camera.

It has the same tough magnesium construction as the D5 and it can shoot at 10 frames per second with a buffer that can hold 200 shots.

Its XQD memory card format is faster than SD memory cards. Its SD card slot can use UHS-II cards which are faster than the previous UHS-I cards.

It would be good to rent one. LensRentals.com is excellent. Once you start shooting with a D500, you won't want any other DX camera. It's a serious camera.

(Download)

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

CO wrote:

I have a D500. It blows away any other Nikon DX ca... (show quote)

Thanks for the info. That's very helpful.

I'm not an action type photographer, so the autofocus, card, and shooting speeds are not important too me. The robust construction and viewfinder size are undoubtedly good features, but not at more than double the price. I'd rather spend that money on glass, travel, and printing.

Andy