bweber Loc: Newton, MA

I agree with those he suggest that you wait. The upgrade will not help you take better pictures or learn your art. I suspect that there is no picture you cannot take with your current camera that you be able to take with the upgrade. Save your money and if you want to upgrade, get better lenses. It is likely that you will want to upgrade in a more significant manner once you have put your current camera through its passes. You may even want to a full frame camera.

LyneLa Mesa

I have a D5100 and continually wonder if I should upgrade. I am slowly learning about what I can do with the camera. I am getting closer to mastering the beast. I see people at the camera shows and hear about what others have here and think I should upgrade body and lens, but can't decide what I want. I keep taking pictures and improving. I am still aquiring some of the basic equipment such as a tripod, bag, vest, strap, etc. Once I get everything for this camera and learn it thoroughly, I may be ready to buy something new and start over again. Right now I would be throwing money around on things I really don't know enough about. I decided to wait to see where I am going as a photographer, how much time I will invest, and where my travels take me. Right now I am taking amazing pictures I never thought I could do. My biggest challenge is having the time to get out and shoot.

photon56 Loc: North America

Master the D3200 before making the next jump. When it starts to limit you from taking the type of photos that you are interested in, then take a serious look at an upgrade.

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

I'm siding with amehta. You haven't given us an indication of your experience, or what your issues are with the D3200 (perhaps you've addressed these elsewhere). My refurbished D5000 came with a 234-page manual. I'm still not familiar with all the features, but then, I don't use all the features, and probably never will. I'm pretty solid now with the ones I usually use. It seems to me that the question boils down to whether you're just not familiar enough with your camera to get what it can deliver, or whether you think a different camera body might (magically?) let you accomplish more. My motivation to upgrade from my previous camera was that I wanted to shoot camera raw, which has definitely opened up opportunities for me, and I wanted to be able to have good control over manual focus, a definite weakness in my previous camera. In other words, I had outgrown the camera. In my mind, that's the time to upgrade.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

I think amehta nailed this on the first page.

wsherman Loc: New York

The obsession will never end. I too believe you should stay with your camera until you learn as much about it as you can. Then you may surprise yourself and want to reach beyond the 7100. The sky is the limit. Be patient and enjoy your photography experience. Cameras are only getting better. There will be many to choose from in the future.

wings42 Loc: San Diego, CA

My D5100 is in it's Nikon case the past two years. The D7000 is my daily companion. It's a joy to use even though it is quite a bit heavier and doesn't have a movable LCD screen. The added buttons and knobs make all the difference enabling quick and easy adjustments as you're shooting without going into the menus. Also, I have big hands and the D7000 fits them better than the D5100.

You'll also want to get a better padded camera strap because of the added weight, especially if you use a heavy lens (my walk around lens for birds, what's on the camera 90% of the time is a heavy Nikon 70-300). I'm quite happy with my OP/TECH Pro strap at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00092KD9C/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_1 .

I intend to get a D7X00 when my D7000 wears out. No need to change until then!

amehta Loc: Boston

Since you want to do only one more upgrade (though really I don't see that being the case either ;-) ), you need to know both why you are upgrading and why you are upgrading to a particular camera. It does not seem that you really know either of these answers right now. When you do know the answers, your post won't be, "Should I do it?", it will be, "Now it's time!" :-)

Straightshooter Loc: Edmonton AB

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

Picture quality will be a matter of technique, the quality of the lens, and the skill of the photographer. The D7100 will offer you more options, but eventually you'll want to start spending money on better lenses too.

rick.harvey Loc: Invercargill, New Zealand

I would respectfully suggest that you read this, which was posted a day or two ago by raleigh:

I am a photographer. I make photographs. I do not take them, shoot them, capture them, or snap them. I do what I do to see the world differently and to show others what I see and feel. And yes, it really did look like that when seen through my eyes, mind, and heart. The tools of my craft are a camera and a lens, but the tools of my art are my passion and vision. Film or digital. It's not how we make our photographs that matters, but that we make them. The gear I have is good enough, my camera doesn't have to be made recently for me to photograph the present moment. The brand of my camera is irrelevant to the pursuit of beauty and authenticity in my work. Megapixels are no way to measure a photograph. I want deeper photographs, honest photographs that are alive. Not merely really big or really sharp. I hope the legacy I create with my work will be judged not by how many photographs I made in this lifetime, but what those few magic frames do in the hearts and minds of others. Comparing myself to others or them to me, is a waste of my creative efforts and makes it harder to see the light, chase the wonder and do my work. There is too much to see and to create to waste these too few moments. Art is not a competition, but a gift. I believe photographs can change the world because they have done so for me. I believe photography opens my eyes to a deeper life, one that recognizes moments and lives them deeper for being present in them. To be an amateur means to be a lover. Professional or not, I want to do this for the rest of my life as an amateur.
FOR THE LOVE OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

I found it to be a most enlightening and re-motivating statement.

Cheers, Rick

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

To be clear, raleigh posted the quote. He did not write it. Give credit where it is due. A. Buisse was the author.

rick.harvey Loc: Invercargill, New Zealand

Of course - thanks for that correction. I certainly didn't mean to imply otherwise. I was more taken by the message.

One Camera One Lens Loc: Traveling

this message is what photography is REALLY all about, it couldn't have been said better unless our egos get in the way and we feel we have something to prove. We have nothing to prove, only to create, thanks for sharing, we ALL need this....

wings42 Loc: San Diego, CA

This thread is about changing cameras or not. A person started this thread stating that they were fighting their camera and finding it uncomfortable to hold and use (Nikon D5200). In the experience of many in this forum, me included, another camera (Nikon D7000 series) is a joy to hold and use and makes it easy to do what they want it to do.

I'd say change. The money the new camera will cost will be spent anyway on something or other. It's not about ego or proving anything, it's all about the joy and satisfaction one gets in doing what they enjoy.