Looking for a new body, well Nikon Body....

[little-cars]

Hi,

Am looking for a new body for general photography.

Have a Canon 400D at the moment, but never got on with it, so have only used it a little.

I prefer the feel of a Nikoning of a Nikon.

I have the lenses I used with my D70 (before the shutter failed after 14months!).

So I am looking at either a D5100 or D3200, both body's are around the same price £300.

I can see pluses and minuses with both.

Does anyone have experience of either of these, or any advice/guidence to offfer ?

Thanks,

Paul

[oggy4624]

Friends have both and rate the 5100 better.

The more you pay , the more you get.

[jaw]

Hi Paul,

I had a D5100 body and was very happy with it, but then it fell in the sea and did not work too well after that! Fortunately it was insured so I now have a D5200. I handled both the 5100 and 3100 before I bought and felt that the 5100 was the better of the two. But whichever one you get I'm sure that you will be happy with it.

John

[jaw]

Hi Paul,

Me again. What I should have said is that the 3200 has a 24 megapixel sensor, while the 5100 had 16 megapixel sensor. What this means in real terms in picture quality I'm not sure! The 5100 has a reversible flip out LCD screen while the 3200's is fixed. I refer the flip out screen.

John

[little-cars]

From my point of view the price is the same for the D5100 and D3200.

As you say the D3200 has more pixels, so cropped photos shouldn't loose so much detail.

But the D5100 has the flip out screen which I have found useful on other cameras for stills and could be very useful for video work.

It also has some interesting modes such as the selective colour.

I've heard good things about both cameras, but my gut feeling says go fro the D5100, I've taken some brilliant photos on a 3 megegapixel camera in the end, so the larger frame size isn't the main comsideration....

Paul

[Jay]

I have the 5100, found it very easy to use. the flip out screen is a must if you fancy doing a bit of videography and it's also very handy for getting awkward shots. You also have the option of a remote that can be used with the 5100 but as far as I know there isn't a dedicated remote that is supplied for the 3200. As for pixels, unless you're wanting to blow them up to silly size there isn't going to be a great deal of difference. The sensor in the 5100 is the very same sensor that is in the 7000 so unless you edge towards 'prosumer' you can't get better. One thing I will say is that you can't see real time changes in Live View to settings such as WB as you can with the Canon but there is a workaround, also I'm pretty sure that things like on camera editing selective colour etc will only work if you shoot in JPEG not RAW but for the price it is a very capable bit of kit.

[Jinxman]

My brother has a D5100 and he gets some fantastic results with it. The flip screen is great for museum and static work. He has a battery grip fitted which seems to balance the camera a bit better, and means he gets better battery life, at the cost of extra weight of course. He uses it in RAW mainly and processes using Lightroom.

[oggy4624]

None of the in camera colour edit settings really matter if you shoot raw, which I would recommend , just get your hands on a copy of photoshop.

After RIAT I had 3500 shots to process, but you would be surprised what shots you can save .

With raw , working on the file does not degrade the file where as working on a jpeg does.

[little-cars]

Thanks for the info guys.

Looks like it has to be the D5100.

Have been having a look at lenses, I like the idea of the small zoom lenses that are around, but does anyone know how they perform in the real world?

I've been looking at the 55-200 and 18-200 lens, there are a number out there (Nikon, Tamron or Sigma).

Ta,

Paul

[oggy4624]

If you can stretch to the nikon 70-300 vr , it's the best of the bunch.

[little-cars]

Thanks, but a little to big and expensive for what I'm looking for at the moment.

Paul

[jaw]

Hi Paul,

I would stick with Nikon lenses. The 55-200 is pretty good and light as is the 55-300. But the 18-200 is good as well, although a bit chunky. Much depends on what you want to use the camera for - if it is for general purposes the 18-200 will be fine.

HTH

John

[pyro-manic]

One thing to bear in mind is that the larger the zoom range, the more compromised the lens will be. EG the 18-200 is a 10x zoom, and will not perform as well as, for example, the big, fast and heavy (and of course expensive) f/2.8 zooms which are usually about a 3x range (17-55, 24-70, 70-200 etc). Not to say that the 18-200 is bad - it's actually very good for a 10x superzoom lens - but it will not perform as well as one of the higher-grade lenses. It also very much depends what you will be photographing. A tele-zoom is not much use for landscapes, conversely a wide-angle is hopeless if you're intending to make portraits or product shots.

I had the 55-200 (I recently sold it as I have upgraded to the monster 70-200/2.8) and it was a decent lens, if quite slow to focus - not ideal for airshows, sports, fast-moving children etc. Image quality was pretty good, and it wasn't too heavy, though it was plastic-y and didn't feel terribly robust. Of course, it's not terribly wide and so less useful for landscape type shots or as a "walkaround" lens.

The Nikkor 16-85mm VR is widely seen as the best "standard" zoom for DX Nikons, though it's fairly expensive (and there have been rumblings for a while that it is due for replacement). The new Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4 is highly regarded, and provides a good alternative to the 16-85 for a little less money. Pairing either of those with the Nikkor 70-300 makes for an excellent combination for relatively little money (expensive hobby, photography!) The 70-300 also features much faster focussing than the 55-200 or -300, which is much better for "action" shots. The new Tamron 70-300 VC is meant to be very good as well.

However, don't discount the "kit" lenses - the 18-55 and 18-105 (I'm not sure which comes with the D5100) are actually quite respectable, the latter especially so. To further muddy the waters, Nikon have just announced a new lens (18-140mm VR) which could be an ideal general purpose "walkaround" lens, likely giving better image quality and better stabilization than the 18-200, as well as being cheaper. It should be out next month.

Personally, I would avoid the huge-range superzooms (18-200, 18-270 etc) from all brands, and stick with the kit offering (18-55 or 18-105 Nikkor) for the moment. Once you've shot with that for a while, you can work out what you need from your next lens - do you want telephoto, or wide angle, or a faster aperture? The point of an SLR system is to be able to pick the lens you need for the job at hand - the "all-in-one" superzoom lenses are suboptimal to say the least.

[little-cars]

Thanks for the thoughts, I'll probably leave the second lens for now and have a look at them in a bit more leisure.

Now I just need to decide if it's the body only (£289) and use the 18-55 lens off the D70, or with the 18-55VR lens ( £359).

Ta,

Paul

[PaulT 876]

Hi Paul

I would check to see if your older lens will work as some of the lower Nikons like D5100 D3100 D3200 some only work with AF-S lens, and do not work with the older non AF-S lens.

The 16-85mm dx lens is well worth a look I have one and used it all the time till I got a 24-120 f4 in march this year, it still gets used but now only on the D90 the D300s has the 24-120 f4 on it all the time now.

I all so have the 55-300mm dx which is ok IQ good but very slow to focus, I have all so upgrade this for the 70-300 vr2 this year and is far better all round, I shoot motor-sport mostly so fast focus is a must,the 55-300mm dx is now a back up lens and not used much now if at all.

I would all ways go for the best lens you can get and try to keep below 5 1/2 X Zoom the super zooms seam good but for me IQ is not good.

I would if I was in your shoes go for the 16-85mm dx and 70-300mm vr2 lens set up on the body's you are looking at, both can be got S/H at a good price and when you upgrade the body you get you do not need to upgrade the len's so works out cheaper in the long run as said expensive hobby, photography! tell me my kit has cost me 7k plus so far and still going to get 2 more lens and a D7100 +grip (Dreaming of a D400 Nikon ?? ) next year when I save the cash up for them.

Have you had a look in Skears Photographic at 203 Wellingborough Rd in Northampton they are just up the road from you they have a few good s/h body's and len's and good deals on new Nikons, was in there this AM worth a look.

Paul

[dhdove]

Little cars

My two penneth for what it's worth.....

......the prices you have quoted seem quite cheap? Be careful they are not "grey imports" especially if you are buying off the Internet eg EBay (as against UK stock). If they are, Nikon UK will not honour the warranty and they will have to be sent back to country of origin, usually the Far East, if you wish to file a warranty claim.

Wex is quoting £389.99 for D5100 and 18-55VR and they're usually pretty competitive.

Whilst I know you have your budget and your mind may be made up......

........As an alternative suggestion they have the Nikon D7000 for £579.00. This is a better camera on most fronts and should be obtained cheaply with the fairly recent announcement of the D7100. It has a screw drive so will operate your early 18-55 irrespective of type. I had one till last year when I went full frame with the D600 and it is a superb piece of kit.

With regard to lenses. I wouldn't get hung up on the new 18-55VR, vibration reduction whilst nice isn't really necessary on such a short focal length lens. I would back support for 16-85VR it's a great walk around lens on a DX camera and superior to any kit lens, with the benefit of that little bit extra at the wide angle (which makes a BIG difference and a lot at the other end which makes life much easier), tho a little slow it is a great go to lens for day to day use.

Of course if you have the budget the 17-55f2.8 is the only way. Pretty much razor sharp and an autofocus so fast you won't even know its done it! This is one of the greatest DX lenses that Nikon makes. Try looking at Ffordes website for a secondhand sample, I bought mine there for £600 used it for a couple of years and sold it at no loss when I went FX - it's that good!

With regard to third party lenses, Tamron, Sigma, yes, they make some good lenses, but IMHO few will better Nikkor, with notable exceptions which I won't go into now!

Hope this helps tho probably busts the budget! As with all things, buy the best you can afford or regret at leisure......where have I heard that before.........?

Best Regards

TonyS

[F7F3p]

Have you considered second hand if so you could try Mpb photographic they have some good deals on new and 2ndhand equipment i got a Nikon D80 recently for a v good price in immaculate condition for £159.00

[little-cars]

Thanks for the help and advice chaps.

I had sussed who the grey imports are,you can't normally claim the VAT back or they offer their own 2 year warranty.

The plan at the moment is to go for a new D5100 body, around £300 and a (roughly) 18-200 lens, either a new Tamron/Sigma or a second hand Nikon one.

Will be interesting to see what turns up.

Ta,

Paul

[Radleigh]

You can't go wrong with the Tamron 70-300 Di VC USD if you're still looking for a good, cheap long lens.

http://www.simplyelectronics.net/mainproduct.php?pid=11927&setcurrency=gbp&gclid=CMevob3V4boCFQjKtAodGHMAKQ

It's rated highly by the 'pros'

[little-cars]

I'll keep that one in mind, but I'm ideally looking for a one, relatively compact lens that does everything.

So looking at the 18-200 range compact lenses.

Ta,

Paul

[TheJackal]

Recently i bought the D5100 with kit lens from HDEW for 329.

Grey import but with 3 yr uk based warranty, and a uk company too so no delivery from HK.

Even with a 1 yr Nikon warranty you would still have to send it off and not see it for a few weeks (thats even if they agree they are liable to fix it!)

Dont get drawn into this fear of grey imports especially if you want a good deal.

[PHREAK]

Recently i bought the D5100 with kit lens from HDEW for 329.

Grey import but with 3 yr uk based warranty, and a uk company too so no delivery from HK.

Even with a 1 yr Nikon warranty you would still have to send it off and not see it for a few weeks (thats even if they agree they are liable to fix it!)

Dont get drawn into this fear of grey imports especially if you want a good deal.

Wrong my friend!

I could tell you so many stories about 'grey' experiences told to me by customers......being caught for VAT...losing their cameras fro weeks and weeks when they go Tango Uniform,..... nobody to talk to for advice.....to name but a few.

BTW, Nikon UK offer a 2 Year Warranty. Your camera WILL NOT be handled by Nikon UK if it needs to be repaired under warranty.

Quite frankly, your third sentence is nothing short of hogwash and has no substance whatsoever, please consider what you are saying before you type.

I know these things.

[Radleigh]

Wrong my friend!

I could tell you so many stories about 'grey' experiences told to me by customers......being caught for VAT...losing their cameras fro weeks and weeks when they go Tango Uniform,..... nobody to talk to for advice.....to name but a few.

BTW, Nikon UK offer a 2 Year Warranty. Your camera WILL NOT be handled by Nikon UK if it needs to be repaired under warranty.

Quite frankly, your third sentence is nothing short of hogwash and has no substance whatsoever, please consider what you are saying before you type.

I know these things.

HDEW do offer a 3 year UK warranty.. Panamoz offer a 2 year UK warranty.

I think with HDEW you get a UK VAT receipt, so Canon UK will look at it during the first year. As far as I know, HDEW gear is EU sourced, whereas Panamoz is HK based. I've heard nothing but good reviews from them both.

This is Canon stuff though, unsure on the Nikon side.

[PHREAK]

HDEW do offer a 3 year UK warranty.. Panamoz offer a 2 year UK warranty.

I think with HDEW you get a UK VAT receipt, so Canon UK will look at it during the first year. As far as I know, HDEW gear is EU sourced, whereas Panamoz is HK based. I've heard nothing but good reviews from them both.

This is Canon stuff though, unsure on the Nikon side.

Sentence 1 : HDEW offer a 3 year insurance policy, Ah, that well known company called Panamoz.....who???????

Sentence 2 : You think? Since when do goods from Europe have a UK VAT receipt? Canon UK WILL NOT look at it in the first year under warranty, they know each and every serial number that has been imported legally into the UK and will not undertake warranty repairs on any others. The same applies to Nikon UK.

Sentence 3 : Canon UK would really like to close the likes of HDEW down. I don' t know what you mean by 'Canon stuff'. but I DO know the stance of both Canon UK and Nikon UK.

My comments are based on fact, I work for a company who are a Canon UK PRO dealer and a Nikon UK Premier dealer, so there are no suppositions or guesses here on my part, I just know from my vast experience over many years dating back to 1978.

The price may be sweet in the early stages, but it could well leave a bitter taste in your mouth in the years to follow...or even the days to follow when the postie comes knocking for the VAT!

Edited November 27, 2013 by PHREAK

[little-cars]

I've learnt from many years as a punter and trader that you only get what you pay for.

Saying that we are all looking for a bargain, it's a balancing act.

A dealer backed warranty is no good if the dealer has done a runner & who reads all the small print!

Personally, If I'm buying a quality product I would rather use an official UK supplied product, it's a lot simpler to get problems sorted out and I get the support of the retailer.

It also supports UK businesses.

It's up to each of us to decide which route we take.

Ta,

Paul

Edited November 28, 2013 by little-cars