I'm going to echo the advice to look beyond Cnikon's and in to mirrorless systems. My only other advice is make that $1500 go further and buy used from reputable retailers (not eBay).

I understand where you are going with your question (RTM), but in this case it's not really fair. I ran into this same exact issue with my d810 and it was a head scratcher. If the drive mode is really the OP's issue, the manual doesn't tell you to change the drive mode as it works in any drive mode. You just have to understand -how- it is working.

Stupid question but what drive setting are you using? If I recall correctly from my D810 days, if you are set on single shot (S) you have to manually trip the shutter for each of your exposure brackets. If you are in one of the continuous modes, the bracketing will happen automatically (as long as you hold the shutter button down). If I'm mistaken, I apologize. I sold off my Nikon gear a couple of years ago.

I hope this helps!

I went from my d7100 to a d810 a while back and the d810 is a huge improvement. That said, buy a flash for interior shots. Even with the improved low light, a good flash is much more effective at getting the shot than just going full frame. The d810 files are very malleable and you can clean them up a lot but get a flash for indoor work. For landscapes, I personally don't think you can get a better camera than the d810 (aside from possible the d850 which I haven't shot) without going medium format. The only downside I ever experienced is shooting from live view on the Nikon is painful. Unless you have a bunch of high quality Nikon full frame glass you might also want to consider the Sony A7Rii. Same sensor and virtually the same dynamic range but mirrorless so no worrying about have to focus tune your lenses and better live view performance. With the iii coming out the prices for the ii are coming down.

I've purchased from them a few times, for cameras and lenses. They are fast and easy to work with. They can have great prices but double check with other online retailers as I have seen, on occasion, itymes priced way above what others are selling them for. The only "problem" I've ever had was when I ordered my FUji X-Pro1. It was a Euro spec model (even though I was going through their USA site) and it the charger only came with European plugs. Not a big deal, but if you are worried about warranties you may want to call them to verify if the item you are looking at is USA or not.

Honestly, if budget is that tight, I assume you have a smart phone. Use that until your business venture takes off and you have some money to invest in a better camera. My guess is you need to take pictures to post to a web site to show items for sale, examples, etc. A smart phone is more than capable of that. Should your business take off and you are doing photoshoots outdoors, you might first consider renting some equipment to try before you buy. There are so many options out there that it is literally impossible for anyone here to give you accurate advice, esp since you are shopping pawn shops. :)

I do agree though that when you decide to purchase a more capable camera, buy used or refurbished, but not from a pawn shop. Use a reputable online dealer (Adorama, B&H Photo, are two big ones but I'm sure there are more) that offer a return policy. You will stretch your camera buying money further.

If it's an outdoor event, your 16-300 should be all you need. If it's indoor, get a decent flash and use whatever lens you feel is appropriate for the scene. You don't need any new lenses IMO.

Might I suggest two things? First, without looking at gear, determine what your budget is. Put a dollar figure out there and then look for a system that meets your needs as a photographer and your budget. Don't shop sales.

Second, look at getting used/refurbished body and lenses. You can save a considerable amount going this route. You don't have to buy from unknown Craigslist or EBay sellers. Check out the big online retailers and what they have used. I bought both of my previous Nikons, d7100 and d810, refurbished, and my current cameras, Fuji XP1 and XT2, used and saved a ton. I also bought most of the lenses I've ever owned used.

After you have your budget, figure out what body you want (DPReview.com is a good place to read camera reviews). Then read up on the lenses available for your choice (Lenstip.com and photozone.de and good places for lens reviews), and then start looking for deals on used. I set up a spreadsheet and searched. Only buy from places that will allow returns and offer some sort of warranty. I had two very expensive Nikon lenses that I bought used, factory refurb'd under the seller warranty when they developed issues after I'd bought them.

BTW, eight years in the USMC so, Ooh-RAH! :)

I have an XT2 and will be picking up an XT20 as a second body. You can't go wrong either way. If budget is a large concern, go with the XT20 and enjoy your new camera. Don't worry about what the XT2 has that the XT20 doesn't.

Someone here suggested looking in to a mirrorless camera as it will provide some of the functions you are looking for.

I got back in to photography several years ago, first with a Canon. Didn't like the interface. The controls were just not intuitive for me. I switched to a Nikon D7100, and then to a D810. Fabulous cameras. I loved shooting with them. I did miss the split screen focusing from "the old days" but accepted auto focus as the default. Manual focus on them was just not acceptable in my opinion. I had looked in to mirrorless cameras but the EVF's of the few I tried left me unimpressed. Then Fuji came out with the XT-2 and it's EVF is outstanding. As large as a FF DSLR image, refresh rate so fast it's almost like looking through an OVF and all of the info you can have displayed (or not if you want a clean view) makes for a very useful tool. Split image focusing as well as focus peeking and auto zoom when the focus ring is turned make using this camera a joy. It's slightly lower resolution than the D810 I gave up, and the dynamic range is not as wide either, but it is a very capable camera. I feel the lack of DR and resolution are a fair trade for the size/weight/portability I've gained in the smaller Fuji.

I suggest taking one for a test drive before you get too invested in one system or another. A lot of people really like the Sony cameras as well (i have no real personal experience with them though).

Hope this helps.

I'm sorry but this is just wrong. A histogram is a graphical representation of the distribution of data. In our case the tonal values of the image displayed.

The reason you can not see it in your OVF on the D7100 is that the D7100 does not have a mechanism to display on sensor data in the OVF. I don't recall if I you can see it in live view prior to the shot (I believe so but I may well be wrong here). In most mirrorless cameras, as has been pointed out, we are using an EVF and all of the in screen data is coming directly off the sensor, so, in my FUji's I can have a "live" histogram of the image I am framing prior to taking the shot.

I believe the only way to get a histogram of a shot prior to taking it using a DSLR is to shoot in live view, which, for my D7100 and D810, sucked. :) I would just chimp your shots and adjust after the face. Or, go mirrorless. LOL

I did the same (although I'm MUCH younger! :) and went to Fuji. The XT-2 is a great little camera.

I use the NIK plug-ins for Lightroom. I think Silver Efex allows for a great deal of control and options for converting to B&W and is fairly simple to start using. AND, it's free. :)

When I got my XT-2 back in December they were on back order everywhere. I ordered one and was prepared to wait. While cruising the Adorama site I saw that they had two XT-2's "used" for $300 less than new. They were listed as demo units. I snapped one up. It had less than 1,000 clicks on it and was in perfect working order, included everything in the box and was to all appearances brand new. That $300 off got me another lens. So win win for me.

You've already received an excellent reply, so I'll just speak from my experience. I have an XT-2 and both of the lenses you are inquiring about. The 56/1.2 is very sharp even wide open and provides nice smooth backgrounds. I use mine as a walk around lens quite a bit and enjoy it. It also works very well as a portrait lens. The 18-55 also works as a portrait lens but comparatively the backgrounds aren't quite as nice and there is less subject isolation (due to smaller aperture at 55mm). The 18-55 really shines as a "normal" zoom, similar to the 24-70's that Nikon and Canon produce, for walking around. If I can only bring a couple of lenses I usually pack my 10-24 and either my 56 or Touit 12 and have the 18-55 on camera.

I like using primes not because they are "better" than the zooms, but because they force you to work within their limitations and strengths. Don't worry about covering focal lengths. Get primes in the focal lengths you enjoy shooting in and use your zooms when you need flexibility.