Marcel

Hi all,
I am an enthusiastic "intermediate" photographer and am looking at taking my photography skills further and even taking a course on the subject to get some kind of formal qualification.

I am looking to replace my faithful Nikon D40 with a more advanced camera and have short listed a couple and would welcome any recommendations / comments you guys might have. The ones I have been looking at are in the £400-£600 price range and are :
CANON T3i
SONY A37
NIKON D3100
NIKON D3200
CANON REBEL T2i

I don't have a need to shoot loads and loads of HD video but the odd short bit at birthday parties etc would be more the norm. I do tend to do a lot of fast shorts such as rallying / track days and football matches, the rest seem to be portraits and landscapes.

Thanks for reading,
Marcel.

traveler90712 Loc: Lake Worth, Fl.

Your already familiar with the D40, why would you buy a different brand and have to relearn the camera and menu system again? I'd go with the D3200.

mvy Loc: New Hampshire

Hello Marcel,

I've owned Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad, Minolta film and digital cameras. I gave up on SLRs and went point and shoot. I'm 80 years old and yesterday I got a Sony a65.

I'm flabergasted! The viewfinder is an absolute joy! Truly remarkable. The photos I captured in near darkness without a flash are beyond anything I could have imagined or expected.

The point I'm trying to make is that Sony digital cameras, especially the Alpha SLT series merit a close inspection for those who are in the market for a new camera.

One final opinion, my long-standing complaint about LCD monitors being invisible in bright sunlight has finally become a non-issue with the Sony. Again, the viewfinder on this camera is totally fantastic.

All the best,

Martin

thegrover Loc: Yorba Linda, CA

Nikon D7000. Prices are dropping and it does everything extremely well. It will kept you happy for a look time so you can avoid the "Upgrade" trap.

hzaifert Loc: Monroe Township, NJ

I agree, I just upgraded from the d70 to d7000 and I am very happy that I did. Great camera

madcapmagishion

Of the choices you have listed, I would go with the Nikon D3200. You didn't say if you have any other lenses for the D40, but not having to buy new lenses for other brands is a plus.

pixlwstr Loc: NE TN

If you prefer to stay with Nikon (which I would, in your case) go for the MOST expensive model you can afford. No matter what brand/model you buy will be obsolete in a year any way. Even though the Nikon D90 is now obsolete, there are a few new/unused units available at give-away pricing and it will run circles around any thing you list above.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

I would go with the Nikon D5100, it's cheaper than the D3200 and it's a better camera than the D3200.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Right! That would be a good move at a reasonable price. I don't recall, but does the D40 have a focusing motor? The D3200 does not, so that might be a concern.

Marcel

Thanks for all the replies, there is certainly some "food for thought" there.
I do have a 55-200 lens as well as the standard and they are both AF-S i.e have motors because the D40 does not have a motor in the body.

Am I right in assuming then that the 55-200 lens in particular will fit the D3200 as well as the D7000 ?
Does the D3200 & D7000 not have a motor in the body either ?

oldmalky Loc: West Midlands,England.

The a37 and the a57 are both under £600 and are both dslt give them a whirl the electronic eye piece is a revelation,in reviews the a57 came out on top all competitors in the same range,plus the a37 is a very nice light small camera.

azrrt76 Loc: Arizona

The D3200 does not have a focus motor in the body, the D7000 does. The D3200 is considered an entry level DSLR....I believe.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Are you kidding? All you'll get here are thumbs up on the brands of camera each person owns and uses. You need to do some comparing on your own and make up your own mind. I'd take what you read with a grain of salt as well. Go to a good camera shop and hold each one. Get the feel. Ask the sales person questions. Take what they say with a grain of salt too. All they are concerned with is selling what they have in stock, or what might have a sales incentive. You must not be all that impressed with Nikon if you are considering other brands after owning a Nikon for quite a while. How much are you invested with Nikon lenses? If you're heavily invested in Nikon lenses, you might be better off staying with Nikon unless they are the lenses that won't auto focus with a more modern Nikon body.

wierdphotoguy Loc: the snow belt in Michigan

I shoot Sony; I have never owned a Canon or Nikon. I chose the Sony a37 for the following reasons:
Semitranslucent mirror technology (no mirror slap)
Superior video to comparable cameras
Stabilization built into camera body (lighter lenses)
A mount lens system (over thirty years of Minolta lenses will fit this camera line, and can be found dirt cheap usually)
Lighter than most DSLRs, smaller too (I have small hands)
Accepts my older Memory stick cards (with magic gate) and SDHC

The downside:
Battery is smaller than the higher end models (will have to buy new ones when I upgrade)
LCD screen is small with low resolution
Electronic viewfinder is not as clear as Optic viewfinders
LCD screen tips up and down, but not fully articulated like the higher end Sonys
Only shoots 7fps in burst mode (but better than some)
AF hunts in very low light or low contrast (don't they all?)

All in all I am very pleased with my Sony, as with the Sonys I have owned in the past. I wish I could give you more insight into the other brands/models.