dukepresley

When I went FF (& I am only telling what I did); your circumstances may be different. I bought a used D700 & 24-120mm from Anazon. Later I bought a used 24-70mm; those are the lens I use now. There are times I need more reach but for now, I am OK. BTW, I have an array of DX lens, but they stay in the closet for the most part.

Eric914

I just picked up a D750 and love it. Recently they have been on sale for around $1,500 and when i got mine the battery grip was included for free. I an coming from a D7100 but most of the lenses i have are already FX format.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The D750 is excellent, and the price is reasonable.

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camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Do not expect a significant improvement in image quality using a full frame body. Quality to a large extent depends on you more than the camera or lens in use.
Your lenses, except for the Tamron lens, are DX lenses meaning that they perform at their best with a cropped sensor. Yes, you can use them with the FX camera but buying a FX camera to use DX lenses makes no sense. You want to use FX lenses with the FX body for optimal results.
A full frame camera does better when it comes to noise although that is no longer valid with the new cropped sensors. It is excellent for portraits because with the right lens the bokeh improves considerably although bokeh can also be handled with a cropped sensor camera. For action and wildlife I favor the cropped sensor.
A Nikon 7200, reasonably priced especially if refurb from all I know is an excellent camera and should serve you well and you have no need to buy FX lenses.
Anybody with the right photographic expertise can make a living with a cropped or a full frame sensor.

RickL Loc: Vail, Az

Since you are interested in full frame consider a D750 or a D810. They are more expensive up front but you will have a camera that you can use forever. I jumped from a D7000 crop sensor to a D810. The detail is amazing and it will use both Fx at 36mp or DX at 24mp. You can also buy used FX film lenses for very cheap and the glass is incredible. For example i purchased a 500mm lens for under $500 compared to thousands. You can get reasonable lenses from usedphotopro.com and many other sources for very reasonable prices. Take your time, find a used or refurbished camera Good luck

PAB20 Loc: From Louisiana, but now live in Florida

I, too, wanted to upgrade as I had a Nikon D5100 for about 5 years & had the lenses that I wanted. After much research, and taking with other more experienced photographers in my photo club, I purchased the Nikon D500. It's not a "full frame" camera, but all of my lenses and flashes work on it, and it is indeed amazing. I absolutely am glad I make that purchase. I don't think the DX lenses you used for your Nikon D5200 will work on a full frame camera. The Nikon D500 is a high end DX camera, which in my opinion, is just as good as a full frame. Plus, you don't have to start buying lenses for a full frame camera that you may purchase. I've learned this hobby of photography can be pricey. Good Luck.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

As MTShooter said, if you insist on FF, the D750 is a fantastic all-around choice. The D810 is also a wonderful camera. If you want to move today, Nikon is having a refurbished sale (ends tonight) where the D750 is $ 1,400 and the D810 is $ 2,000. If you're not in a hurry, there is speculation around that both bodies will soon be replaced, which usually lowers prices on the older models until they are sold out. Given what you have, I would also strongly consider the D500. While the D500 is a DX body, it has quite a bit going for it, is also available refurbished from Nikon through tonight. I own one and consider it the little brother to the D5, which I also own. I make money with both cameras. Whatever you choose, best of luck with it!

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

For image quality the D750 and D810 are as good as you are going to get from just about any mfgr, except for maybe Sony. If you want to save some real money (and put it towards lenses), a used D800 is going for around $1200. I just sold one of mine with 24,000 actuations for $1000. The D800E is a little better and a couple of hundred dollars more, and the D810 is better still. I prefer the feel of these cameras in my hand - I've owned D300S, D700, D3S, D8XX. The D750, while very good, is not quite up to the image quality standard that the D810 provides.

wapiti Loc: round rock, texas

shutterbob Loc: Tucson

If you really want to move to ff, then you can't go wrong with the D750. It is a fantastic camera, especially for the (relatively) low amount that it is being sold for now. I have one and love it. But unless you have a LOT of money to put into glass, then maybe you should stay with cropped frame so you can continue to use your existing lenses. The D500 is a professional camera that would probably give you everything you need while being more compatable with the glass you already have. Or for a lot less money, a D7200 which is being sold for less than half of the price for a D500. I love my 7200......it gets more use than all my other DSLRs combined. It is light and easy to carry around and is capable of amazing photos. It has most of the 'bells & whistles' of a pro level camera. You can always upgrade your lenses to FX models as you have the money for them and your 7200 will work just fine with them. Look seriously at one, rent one if possible, and I think you will come away owning one. Good luck.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

What, exactly, do you think "full frame" is going to do for you?

Frankly, for the specific types of uses you describe, I don't see any real need for FX. Plus, in addition to the cost of the camera, at least two of your lenses are DX and will need to be replaced in order to make the switch. While an FX camera itself might or might not be any bigger or heavier than what you have now, FX-capable lenses are necessarily larger, heavier and almost always more expensive. There's no getting around that.

In fact, for most people a DX camera is a better choice and their end products would see little or no real benefit from switching to a larger sensor format. In some cases, the switch can even make matters worse.

If you can't state EXACTLY what FX is going to do for you, then you actually don't need it. You've just bought into the myth that FX is somehow "better". But that isn't necessarily correct. FX is better for some purposes... But DX is better for others.

You actually might be better served getting additional or upgraded lenses to use on your current, DX camera... and/or possibly upgrading that to a more advanced DX camera. Lenses have a much longer "life" than the cameras they are used upon, too. DSLRs are still developing and it's relatively rare to use one for more than a few years, then upgrade to the "latest and greatest". But in most cases you can continue to use the same lenses.... unless you change formats and have to replace them.

You also might see more benefit from taking some photography and business courses, if you really intend to try to make some $ doing it in the future.

You have already made a big mistake, if you hope to ever "make a couple bucks" with your camera. Any time you give away your work "to gain experience", you establish yourself as the "free" photographer and fixed the value of your work at $0. It's a very difficult thing to ever overcome that and start to charge a living wage for your work. Have you done a market analysis? Developed a business plan? Are you aware of your cost of doing business? Are you aware of the legal requirements? Got licenses and insurances?

An awful lot of people with a dream to become "professional photographers" (i.e., someone who gets paid for taking photographs) fail pretty quickly because of their failure to plan. Pro photography is about 10% photography and 90% business. There are so many people with a little talent, cheap cameras and the same dream, it's extremely competitive. And, like most new businesses, you'll be "feeding the business" for the first few years at least.... it won't be feeding you. A new photo business will probably "run in the red" longer than other types of businesses, because of the intense competition and the constant influx of newbies with a dream and a kit camera! So, stock up on that cat food now. The canned stuff keeps for years.

Oh, and while amateur photography can be quite artistic.... When you're a pro photographer, in a sense you become more of a problem solver and story teller. Instead of shooting what you want, how you want to shoot it and whenever you want to do so, at your own pace.... A "pro" needs to shoot what the customer wants, the way they want it shot or that best meets their purpose, and will need to do so on their schedule.

Edia Loc: Central New Jersey

The D7500 is a brand new camera. Are you dismissing it because it only has one card slot? I have been shooting digitally for years and have never had an SD card failure. Since SD cards are so cheap now, carry a few with you and switch them out occasionally if you are worried about missing shots. To me the tilting touch screen is a much bigger deal in favor of the D7500 over the D7200.

jsmangis Loc: Peoria, IL

Three years ago I upgraded from my D80 to a D610. I have been very happy with it's performance, and all of my lenses (including my old film and manual focus lenses) work perfectly on it. What I like most about the 610 is that all of the controls are very similar to my old camera. Yes the D610 is an older model, but Nikon still makes it, and the prices have dropped drastically. I even saw a refurb. on their website for less than $1200.00.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I recently upgraded to a Df. Love the camera and love its ergonomics with the D 50 mm f1.4. I can't say the same about the 24-70 f2.8. It's too "muzzle heavy" for my taste. The only obstacle I foresee with the FX format is most of the zoom lenses are heavy. I plan to sell the zoom (24-70) and either work a while with a prime or two. I hasten to add that I have a 5300 with 2 zooms that cover from 16 to 300 so I can afford the luxury of buying more carefully this time around. I like the Df because of the controls in the top deck. Helps me set up for photos without digging into the menu system each time.... and it looks and feels like my "old timey" Nikons.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

I feel very much like you with respect to the Df--the ergonomics, the controls, and the use of primes. My walk around camera is the Df with the 35mm or 58mm prime attached.
But, the versatility of the 24-70 at functions or events make it a keeper too.