Hi all,
I have $1600 to spend on replacing my camera. I used to have a Nikon D5200 with the 18-55mm lens and I'd bought a 35mm f/1.8 prime lens. Looking to purchase a new package including SD card, UV filters, and a camera + lens. Any good deals at the moment? I use the camera mostly for holidays and taking photos of the kids. The 5200 was probably fine but this could be a good opportunity to upgrade a little.
James
$1600 for Upgrade from Nikon D5200 - What to Buy?
JimmyBobShortPants on 29/12/2016 - 20:36
Comments
Thanks for the comments. Interesting because the 7200 was what I was thinking of. I need a new body as my d5200 got nicked.
Given that I travel with the camera, do you think the extra weight of the d500 would be noticable? Is the main benefit the faster shooting and larger buffer? I don't use continuous shooting much at the moment…created new comment instead below.
Consider mirrorless like Olympus EM10 or EM5?? Big savings in size, same great image quality, plenty of lenses.
The d7x00 series is great! Although the advice above was good, the d500 is more of a sports and wildlife camera ie specialised (it also costs more than your budget!). It can take great normal / travel photos but so too can the all round excellent d7x00, and for far less money. You could of course go for a newer d5x00 series, which is very capable, especially in terms of image quality. From memory the biggest advantage of the D7x00 is the better auto focus (probably fps and buffer too), handling/controls and being able to use old lenses with AF.
Did you lose your lenses too? Do you want to stay with Nikon? Does it need to be a dslr? There are a range of other brands with good mid range camera options out there that should fit your price range… Just a few at random…
Fuji xt1/xt10
Olympus em10ii
Panasonic gx85
Sony a6xxx seriesIf size is a factor the above options are better, especially the MFT cameras. Staying with Nikon though, the d7x00 seems the logical step up. Fwiw I got a d610 (full frame) for effectively $950 a year ago. Full frame cameras are dearer but a step up in most ways from crop cameras. I wouldn't necessarily recommend going ff though as the budget stretches out for lenses and the weight increases, for gains that you may not even realise of you're using it for casual photos.
Yeah lost the lenses too. Looked at a d5600 in store today, seemed to have some nice new features compared to the 5200, which I liked anyway. I did get annoyed sometimes that the settings were difficult to change on the 5200, which would be fixed by the 7200 - not sure it's worth the extra money though.
A D5200 might not worth upgrading unless you're going full frame or for the D500. I upgraded from the D3200 to the D7100 and I found that there was little impact on image quality; the main difference was the size and how much easier it was to alter the controls (it had two control knobs). Perhaps save more money. The D7200 will fit your budget nicely but it will won't offer huge differences.
The D500 on the other hand… huge differences compared to my old D7100 (The D5200 has a better sensor than the D7100). If you are going to stay DX, go for the D500. It is insanely good at high ISO levels and the raw buffer is insane too. You probably won't need its level of performance but IMO, the D7X00 series are not worth upgrading to from the D5200.
Perhaps you can invest in good glass. I highly recommend the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8. It is sharper than many primes wide open and can zoom too!
If you want a portrait lens, the Sigma 50-100mm f1.8 is an excellent lens too. I bought mine for $1300 and it is absolutely amazing if you don't mind the huge weight and size.