viscountdriver Loc: East Kent UK

I bought the D3300 body and the new 3400 lens.It is good enough for most purposes.ken Rockwell says he uses it a lot

Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

Agreed! I just saw a brand new D7100 on eBay for less than $600.

For your comparison, check out
https://www.google.com/search?q=nikon+d3300+vs+d5300&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS590US590&oq=nikon+d3300+vs+d5300&aqs=chrome..69i57.27590j0j9&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

Nosaj Loc: Sarasota, Florida

Christine:
Here's a direct answer: both cameras are fine but you get a better value (quality for cost) with a Pentax K70 (check out some tech reviews such as DPreview).

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

I know a lot of people suggest the d7100, but I think that for action shooting such as sporting events, you will be disappointed in the small buffer of this camera and would suggest the d7200 instead. Nikon improved the buffer in the d7200 so that you may take longer burst shots with it as opposed to the d7100. The cream of the crop for a dx format camera would be the d500. You would need to save a little more for either camera than your budget allows, but it would be worth the wait, and in the long run, it would be less expensive to buy the camera that you could use for your target than to buy a lesser expensive camera now and need to upgrade in the near future to get what you need to accomplish your goals. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

SparkyNYC Loc: NYC & Coconut Creek,Fl

I shoot with that setup, D5300 w/ 70-300mm 4.5-5.6 lens.
I love the weight,the wireless WMU and the versatility.
I had some issues trying to shoot spiders the other day. I need to get a good monopod

ottopj Loc: Annapolis, MD USA

Here are some to consider:

Amazon
Nikon 5500 Has touchscreen
New $676
Refurbished $506

Nikon 7100
New $700
Refurb $600

Also, go to google and ask for comprisons between differrent models. Good luck.

CRoy

I have the 5300 and love it. The articulating screen was a big seller for me. My daughter has the 3400. Great price at Costco Black Friday for $500 with many accessories. She does not use the Bluetooth Snapfish. There has been issues with this but it wasn't a factor for her. I have Wifi in the 5300. Works fine but I barely use it. Oh, and the 3400 is very light if that is a factor you want to consider.

That being said I don't see much difference in quality of our photos. Biggest difference was price. I have never bought a refurbished camera but after reading articles on this website, I would certainly consider it in the future.

Good luck!

CRoy

I have the 5300 and love it. The articulating screen was a big seller for me. My daughter has the 3400. Great price at Costco Black Friday for $500 with many accessories. She does not use the Bluetooth Snapfish. There has been issues with this but it wasn't a factor for her. I have Wifi in the 5300. Works fine but I barely use it. Oh, and the 3400 is very light if that is a factor you want to consider.

That being said I don't see much difference in quality of our photos. Biggest difference was price. I have never bought a refurbished camera but after reading articles on this website, I would certainly consider it in the future.

Good luck!

Jim Bob

OP did not inquire about the D500. Where in the world could you find one for $600? Come on man.

JeffR Loc: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

I got a factory refurbished D5500 body recently from Cameta for $479. Still learning to use it, but very happy so far. I love the touchscreen!

GWZ Loc: Bloomington, IN

I have both the D5300 and D7100.

The benefits of the D5300 for me are (1) it is much lighter, and (2) has the flip-out screen. Image quality is excellent. Since you indicated you like shooting close-ups, I recommend getting either the 35mm/f1.8 and/or the 50mm/f1.8. They both produce very sharp close-up images. These lenses are not very expensive (under $200 each when I purchased them).

The two benefits of the D7100 for me are (1) the ability to use it with some older Nikon lenses that do not have a focus motor in them, and (2) dual card slots (which the D5300 does not have) so I can save JPEG and RAW on separate cards. The one thing I miss on the D7100 is the flip screen. The D7100 also produces excellent image quality. The same 35mm and 50mm I mentioned above in the D5300 comments also produce sharp close-up images on the D7100.

I recommend that you actually handle both cameras. The D5300 is just a little bit small for my hands. The D7100 is a bit larger and is better fit for me.

I don’t think you will go wrong with either camera. It all depends on your personal preference.

Elsiss Loc: Bayside, NY, Boynton Beach, Fl.

I agree 100%.

SparkyNYC Loc: NYC & Coconut Creek,Fl

I have a 50mm/1.4 nikon lens, it give me incredibly sharp photos.
My next purchace will be a fast 85mm lens, can i get some sugestions on which to buy?
Thanks

tomcat

Don't get the 3400. I got one for my wife and traded it back in after 1 shooting session. Could not tolerate the skimpy menu system and lack of buttons because I shoot with the big brothers, D750 and D500.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

You took the words right out of my mouth.

Dennis