Nikon recommendation? My wife uses a Canon EOS Rebel TX that she has had for years and we're looking to upgrade it. Given that I use Nikon stuff, we want to standardize so we can share...

Khaldac Loc: Olympic Peninsula

My wife uses a Canon EOS Rebel TX that she has had for years and we're looking to upgrade it. Given that I use Nikon stuff, we want to standardize so we can share lenses. We're both becoming more serious about photography, but we're far from professionals :) I'm looking for recommendations for a Nikon DSLR. I'm currently thinking that a D3300 or 5300 might be a good fit for her (given that we'd like to keep the price around $700, with a decent lens). I'm curious if it's worth the extra for these models or if the 3200/5200 would work as well, letting us invest more in the glass, such as the Tamaron 16-300 that has me drooling :) Obviously the Tamaron would push the total price higher but I can't seem to find a package deal with something in the 18-200mm range.

Thanks for any insights you might be able to offer!

Michael

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

The Nikon D5200 is a very nice camera. Sold mine very reluctantly and only because health issues made it difficult for me to carry a full SLR around. There are good 3rd-party books available for it. Good luck with your search. Don't overlook used/refurbished cameras from Nikon or KEH.

Ctrclckws

Just purchased a refurbished kit of d5300 + a 55-300mm for about $700 from Adorama as a light travel kit. The 18-55mm was also included. Without the 18-55mm, the price was 10$ less.

Maybe they have alternates on the second lens that you could choose

spdmn54 Loc: Avon Lake, Ohio

I have been using aNikon D3100 for a couple years now, I am very happy with it, takes great photos, easy to use and has some great features. I am getting ready to upgrade to aD5200 or better. Best thing is all of the Nikkor glass is interchangeable with all the Nikon gear :thumbup:

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Which Nikon are you using? Should you both have the same model or she get yours and you upgrade? A used or refurb D7100 will use most to all your $700 budget, but will get a very nice Nikon DX camera.

CO

Both are highly regarded. Ken Rockwell is a Nikon expert who does reviews online. I would read his reviews.
D3300:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3300.htm
D5300:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d5300.htm

The f/6.3 max aperture at the long end of the Tamron 16-300 would concern me. Most autofocus sensor points are designed to work only down to f/5.6. There's a possibility of the autofocus not being able to acquire focus at the long focal lengths in dimmer light. I would never buy a lens that doesn't open to at least f/5.6 at the long end.

dandi Loc: near Seattle, WA

CO wrote:

I would never buy a lens that doesn't open to at least f/5.6 at the long end.

Me too, it's too slow.

D3200/D5200 I think is still a good option. If you don't need swivel LCD and 39 focus points I would go with d3200. I am still using d5100 and very happy with it.

http://www.bythom.com/nikond3200review.htm

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

Khaldac wrote:

My wife uses a Canon EOS Rebel TX that she has had... (show quote)

Are you a glass hog??? :lol: :lol: :lol: Why not share your glass and get her a refurbished D7100? Or get her the same camera you already have? It would make sense to me to worry about the right camera first and lens later.

Khaldac Loc: Olympic Peninsula

jethro779 wrote:

Are you a glass hog??? :lol: :lol: :lol: Why not share your glass and get her a refurbished D7100? Or get her the same camera you already have? It would make sense to me to worry about the right camera first and lens later.

Naw, we share :) It's just there are times when we're on a shoot together and both want to be using the same relative focal length lens, so we'd need two. Our pretty much goto lens for most purposes is a zoom somewhere around 18-200mm. I use a D200 and she feels it's heavier than she'd like, which is why I was looking at the 3200/5200. And yeah, I agree with you that the camera matters more than the lens, at least for now.

Thanks for the response!

Khaldac Loc: Olympic Peninsula

CO wrote:

Both are highly regarded. Ken Rockwell is a Nikon ... (show quote)

That's a good point about the f/6.3 max aperture; I had missed that information. We'll check out the reviews. It's ultimately her decision, obviously, I'm just trying to gather some resources for her. Thanks!

Michael

Khaldac Loc: Olympic Peninsula

CHG_CANON wrote:

Which Nikon are you using? Should you both have the same model or she get yours and you upgrade? A used or refurb D7100 will use most to all your $700 budget, but will get a very nice Nikon DX camera.

I use a D200 and love it. She feels it's a bit on the heavy side, which is why I thought the 3200/5200 would be a better fit for her. I'm not sure how much a 7100 weighs, but we can look into it. Thanks for the response!

Michael

Khaldac Loc: Olympic Peninsula

rjaywallace wrote:

The Nikon D5200 is a very nice camera. Sold mine very reluctantly and only because health issues made it difficult for me to carry a full SLR around. There are good 3rd-party books available for it. Good luck with your search. Don't overlook used/refurbished cameras from Nikon or KEH.

Good idea about the refurbished models. I'm a little leary about used, unless I could get my hands on the camera first to check it out. Thanks for the idea!

Khaldac Loc: Olympic Peninsula

Ctrclckws wrote:

Just purchased a refurbished kit of d5300 + a 55-300mm for about $700 from Adorama as a light travel kit. The 18-55mm was also included. Without the 18-55mm, the price was 10$ less.

Maybe they have alternates on the second lens that you could choose

I've seen those kits as well. Looks like a good way to get some additional gear (she could use a new bag and a 2nd tripod would be nice). She really likes the convenience of one lens covering that entire focal range but swapping lenses isn't that difficult. Thanks for the information!

Michael

Khaldac Loc: Olympic Peninsula

spdmn54 wrote:

I have been using aNikon D3100 for a couple years now, I am very happy with it, takes great photos, easy to use and has some great features. I am getting ready to upgrade to aD5200 or better. Best thing is all of the Nikkor glass is interchangeable with all the Nikon gear :thumbup:

That is a really good point, and the reason she is converting from Canon to Nikon (so we can share lenses). I've got a D5000 that she's gonna play with a bit, then we'll see where we go from there. Thanks for the reponse!

Buildrt Loc: Sarasota Fl

I got a refurbished D7100 from Adorama and am very pleased with it and it is in your budget range. I highly recommend this camera for yur use.

Ed

Khaldac wrote:

My wife uses a Canon EOS Rebel TX that she has had... (show quote)