Tom85

Hello, I’m new here. My name is Tom.
I have been doing photography off and on since I was 10 and I am 85 now. Back when digital photography was beginning my friend talked me into abandoning all my Nikon film DSLRs and my darkroom to switch to digital. This was a big upheaval for me then. My first and still digital DSLRs are Nikons D100 & 200. My lenses are a Tamron 28-200 mm and a Nikor AF-S ED 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6GIF. I used these cameras mostly for my work from which I am retired. I also have a Canon Power Shot SD850 IS which has been great for traveling Europe and other places since it fits in the palm of my hand and any pocket. I want to come out of my cave and move forward into the multiple mega pixel world. I am considering the Nikon D5600 with a 2 lens kit. It is on sale from Nikon (probably other places also). My question, if anyone has made it this far, is: does anyone own or have experience with this camera and deem this a proper upgrade for me from what I currently own. I want to begin again taking images of the word, as in my days of old, other than my grandchildren. Would appreciate any points or suggestions. Thank you for your indulgence.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Hi Tom and welcome. The D5600 is a good camera and may well fill your needs.

Tom85

Thank you cameraf4 for your assurance. I should have mentioned if it makes any difference that I work with CS5.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

You're going to get all kinds of opinions on this, Tom, from "You should buy mirrorless" to "A full frame DSLR of Brand X is the only way to go." But only you can decide what's right for you, both for adorable grandchild pictures and recording the world around you.

My wife and I entered the DSLR world by accident, after being devoted film shooters and getting good quality pocketable bridge cameras - finding a bargain Nikon D50 at a pawn shop. We upgraded to D3200s, and then investigated the next step. By then, we were invested in Nikon DX lenses and did not have the budget or desire to go to full frame, so we looked carefully at the D5xxx vs D7xxx lines. In the end, we did not think the features of the later D5600 were of importance to us, and went with the D7100, and are very happy with that decision. We bought used, as I have since film days, so the prices for our two solid D7100s was about the same as we would have paid for two D5600s.

The resources we used for camera reviews and comparisons provide fairly objective information, although you have to take some of Ken Rockwell's reviews with a few grains of opinionated salt. It's hard to go wrong with any one of the possible DX choices, though - pick the one that meets your needs the best.

Here are the comparison resources we use:


Ken Rockwell (especially helpful when we were beginning)

https://www.kenrockwell.com/

Digital Camera Database (just the facts, Ma'am)

https://www.digicamdb.com/

DXO Mark (really getting down into the weeds of detail)

https://www.dxomark.com/

The D5600 is a very fine choice, but I'd advise looking at a few of these other options as well. Good luck on your search!

Andy (and Michelle)

Tom85

Thank you Andy & Michelle for these resources. I hadn't thought about used. Good suggestion if I can find. BTW I have a number of hardly used Nikon film DSLRs to sell. LOL!

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Ha! We haven't given up our film cameras, and have bought some terrific old gear. I shoot film far more than my wife, but mostly because it's fun and still produces excellent images. We're very lucky to have a local camera shop that will develop and scan film at twenty bucks a roll, because I'm not ready to go back to a wet darkroom. Don't throw out those lenses, though - some of them easily adapt to digital, and most will work if you focus them manually. Ken Rockwell has excellent information on lens compatibility

There are some great resources around - B&H, Adorama, Hunt's, Cameta, and Roberts come immediately to mind. I've also found some pretty great bargains on eBay, but you have to be a little careful who you buy from. The guaranty from eBay is excellent, so you need to check out any gear you buy as soon as you get it. Buying a new camera is always fun, so don't fret too much over the choices - if you go astray, it's pretty easy to resell stuff, here or on other online sites.

Andy

dick ranez

the "current" replacement for your D100-D200 Nikons is the D500. It may be more that you want to spend, but it is a top of the line DSLR that will use your existing lenses (as well as any film lenses you may have kept). Basically any reasonable recent Nikon will be an "improvement" over what you have - larger (more pixels) files (more complex image), better low light performance, expanded iso range and other stuff. Don't overlook a good used D300 as budget friendly. Full frame, mirrorless, etc. are the latest rage, but in the end don't provide anything different than standard DSLRs.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I am a Canon shooter so will have to say I only know what I read and see of others who use Nikon. Though the successor to you camera is the D500 and it is a great action, sports, wildlife (or anything else that moves) camera it is a bit pricey compared to the kit you are looking at. If it is not too much of a stretch budget wise you might try the 7000 series (look at the 7200 on Nikon's site) since those bodies have the focus motor for the older lens that don't have their own motor. Thus you have a larger selection of lenses to consider. Sort of a compromise between the D500 and the D5600.
The D5600 is available from both Costco and Sam's Club with case, memory card, the two lenses, extended 2 year warranty on the body etc for $600.
And Costco has the D7500 in a kit with the same stuff + two batteries for $1000.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Hi Tom, and welcome.

When I switched to digital photography in 2006, my first camera of any significance was the D200. I used it exclusively with a variety of lenses (a couple of DX, but mostly FX) until buying a used D300, then a used D300s in 2017. Later I added a couple of full frame cameras, and finally a D500.

The D200 is a fine camera. It powers up and responds pretty quickly, and the images captured by the CCD sensor can be beautiful. I'd suggest hanging on to it, regardless of what you finally decide to do. The D300 adds more capability (slightly improved low light performance and lots more image control options). The D300s will shoot short (5 minute) video segments. The D500 is a wonderful all-around DX camera. Far beyond the wildlife and sports camera that everyone talks about.

So you have several choices. D300 & D300s cameras can be found pretty inexpensively. They are no longer supported by Nikon, however, so if something goes wrong, you are going to be faced with either finding an independent camera shop to try to fix them or else just discarding and replacing. The D500 is still a current model and will still be supported for quite some time even if it happens to be discontinued in favor of its rumored replacement. It represents a really big capability advance over the D300.

My concern, and the reason that I'd suggest that you look at these choices (at least first) is that they all have very similar interfaces and menus to your D200. (I never had or looked at a D100, but understand that it may have been somewhat different.) It will be easy to feel at home with any of them. You will probably get a lot of advice to look at some of the consumer models. Not necessarily a bad idea, but the controls and menus are a lot different. A lot of things that you currently change with knobs and buttons will require using the menus to adjust. Some of the menu options you are familiar with may not be available at all. I would be concerned that you will not be happy with a consumer camera after all these years.

Have fun looking.

Tom85

So much good sincere advice I wasn't expecting so quickly. I thank you all and will have to adjust my thinking from having decided on the D5600 to options suggested for me. After all I have the whole rest of my life to consider alternatives.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Tom, just because you were shooting film off and on for the past 50+ years, doesn't mean you have to come completely out of the cave...there's still a lot to be said about film photography(the original raw file). Just about any entry level DSLR being sold today would be better than what you were shooting with.

Yes, the D5600 would be a good if you are already familiar with Nikon cameras but I'd hate to see you give up completely with film.

Tom85

Thanks Ched49 for confirming the D5600 although all the other models suggested sure look impressive even with the added expense.

Going back to film sounds enticing and fun but I dismantled my darkroom long ago. I always complain that technology moves too fast, especially for old school people but I sure don't miss mixing all those chemicals, temperature control, trays, enlarger, etc. I know there must still be labs out there but I've gotten used to Photoshop CS5, even if I never will conquer all its many applications.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

One warning, CS5 has not had it's list of cameras whose RAW files it can handle updated in some time. So you will have to use Adobe's free convertor app to turn them into DNG (a form of RAW that all Adobe apps recognize) or the software that comes with the camera to convert to something your CS5 can handle. Or shoot in jpeg.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

Hi Tom and WELCOME to the forum. I am somewhat new here as well. First off there are many photographers here both inexperienced and experienced. You will get way too many opinions as such. In My Humble Opinion, use what you have. Learn the exposure triangle. That is, f/stop, shutter speed and ISO. Learn the secrets of nine to make a great photograph. Please don't buy into the Megapixel Myth. Just take photographs and they will be your best. I promise. I'm not a professional either. I'm still learning since i started in high school back in 1976.
Happy Shooting!!

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I think if Tom's been shooting for 75 years and had his own darkroom, he probably has the exposure thing pretty well in hand.

Like him, I came into this brave new world knowing a lot about photography, but not nearly enough about what I had to "unlearn".

Andy