Buying a new camera! I can finally buy a new camera or spend on a new lens or two...saved money! I would love advice on which camera is the best for portraits and events indoors...some...

Ellen101 Loc: Manhattan NY ..now Spring Hill, Fl

I can finally buy a new camera or spend on a new lens or two...saved money!
I would love advice on which camera is the best for portraits and events indoors...some have not so good over head lights.
I now own a Nikon D5100. I love the way it fit in my hand and it is easy to use.
I was thinking there might be an even better camera for me.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Ellen101 wrote:

I can finally buy a new camera or spend on a new lens or two...saved money!
I would love advice on which camera is the best for portraits and events indoors...some have not so good over head lights.
I now own a Nikon D5100. I love the way it fit in my hand and it is easy to use.
I was thinking there might be an even better camera for me.

If you like your camera then the D5600 might be a good choice. If you want a big step up look at the D7500, much better low light capability, better focusing, and faster shooting speed. But you may also have to upgrade your lenses to get the best results in poor light conditions.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Your camera is now 7 years old, which is not too old. But, if you have the funds, go for a newer model. You can stick with the D5xxx Series and get a D5600. Or upgrade to the D7xxx Series, and purchase a D7200/7500. All are very good.

Ellen101 Loc: Manhattan NY ..now Spring Hill, Fl

Thank you .... will check out that D7500.
Is that the latest thing that is very good?

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Ellen101 wrote:

Thank you .... will check out that D7500.
Is that the latest thing that is very good?

Short of the Pro model D500, yes it is

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Ellen101 wrote:

Thank you .... will check out that D7500.
Is that the latest thing that is very good?

That camera was supposedly the successor to the D7200. But because it didn't have dual SD card slots, many condemned it. Since your present camera, the D5100, does not have dual SD slots, you most likely will not miss having dual slots. A single SanDisk128gb SD card, should provide adequate storage. And they aren't expensive nowadays. $45.00. The D7200 is still an excellent choice too. The D7500 has 20.9 megapixels. 3.3 less megapixels than the D7200. 24.2. Not a big deal. Buy a refurbished D7200 from a reputable photo shop, if you decide on it. Do not purchase from 42nd Street Photo Shop. They are bad News. Good luck.

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

Check out the Fujifilm XT-2

Ellen101 Loc: Manhattan NY ..now Spring Hill, Fl

I usually do not store my photos in the memory cards. I get home and right away transfer them into my computer pictures area. I only print if requested and paid for. I back up my computer in cyberspace with Carbonite.
I put the photos on thumb drives or disc.
Does anyone have a better idea?

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Ellen101 wrote:

I can finally buy a new camera or spend on a new lens or two...saved money!
I would love advice on which camera is the best for portraits and events indoors...some have not so good over head lights.
I now own a Nikon D5100. I love the way it fit in my hand and it is easy to use.
I was thinking there might be an even better camera for me.

If you are as satisfied with the D5100, why would you want to upgrade it?

Now if you want a newer camera because you have new needs, this is a different story. In that case you should look at the sensor capabilities as well as body handling at it seems important to you. Sensor capabilities means looking at a greater dynamic range (DR) instead of having more pixels.

DR influences everything in a capture - even for a JPG output (

).

As to purchasing lenses... It is always nice to have lenses but... You will find that changing lenses is not exactly what you will do. If you are like many of us you will have a generic lens on the body all the time (usually a zoom, range to be determined) and will change the lens only when you have a specific need.

So... Basically I am telling you not to purchase any new camera at the moment. Keep on saving, newer cameras are in the pipeline and if they are as good as the D5, D500, D850 waiting is the best option. Lens purchase??? Nah, not a good idea.

Ellen101 Loc: Manhattan NY ..now Spring Hill, Fl

Thank you for your wise advice. I will take it under good thought before spending more money.
As you can see I am not a pro but I am always asked to take pictures for people. They love my portraits.
Happy New year . Hope you are staying warm.

Trustforce Loc: Chicago, Illinois

Ellen--
I have a D5100 also, and I'm upgrading the body for many reasons. The biggest reasons to go to a more advanced body are more focus point and quick access to change modes without having to use the menus. I'd switch to a D7500 (it sounds like a D500 might be overkill). Make the jump from entry (consumer) level to prosumer.

I'm making the jump to a FX sensor but that is a very expensive jump that involves new lenses as well as a new FX body. I m a Nikon film photographer for many years, and have a number of older nikkor lenses that I will use on the new body (manual focus).

What lenses do you currently have?

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Ellen101 wrote:

I can finally buy a new camera or spend on a new lens or two...saved money!
I would love advice on which camera is the best for portraits and events indoors...some have not so good over head lights.
I now own a Nikon D5100. I love the way it fit in my hand and it is easy to use.
I was thinking there might be an even better camera for me.

What will have far greater impact on your portrait and indoor photography results than buying a new camera is to improve your flash photography skills, through both practice and experimentation.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Ellen101 wrote:

Thank you for your wise advice. I will take it under good thought before spending more money.
As you can see I am not a pro but I am always asked to take pictures for people. They love my portraits.
Happy New year . Hope you are staying warm.

Unfortunately that is anything but wise advice. You are not saying what lenses you are currently using, but using a better lens will, immediately be noticeable. If you are missing shots because the camera is not fast enough, that would dictate what you need to upgrade first, but for someone to say that spending money on better lens is not a good idea, is a terrible suggestion.

Take the best camera with a kit lens and take a shot. Take a lesser camera with the best lens. Guess which shot will look better?

Here is an example where the lens cost twice as much as the camera.

http://ljhollowayphotography.com

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Ellen101 wrote:

I can finally buy a new camera or spend on a new lens or two...saved money!
I would love advice on which camera is the best for portraits and events indoors...some have not so good over head lights.
I now own a Nikon D5100. I love the way it fit in my hand and it is easy to use.
I was thinking there might be an even better camera for me.

Try some comparison sites.

(Reviews) https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCameraStoreTV/videos
http://www.cameradecision.com/
http://cameras.reviewed.com/
http://camerasize.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
http://snapsort.com/compare
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

Jim Bob

Ellen101 wrote:

I can finally buy a new camera or spend on a new lens or two...saved money!
I would love advice on which camera is the best for portraits and events indoors...some have not so good over head lights.
I now own a Nikon D5100. I love the way it fit in my hand and it is easy to use.
I was thinking there might be an even better camera for me.

The best? A credible argument could be made for the Nikon D850. But there are other contenders.