Got a Nikon? Share your thoughts and photos here or ask a question! (III)

atsilverstein wrote in post #17991596
I've been using my d5100 (first dslr camera) for a couple years now, and am looking to upgrade next year or maybe even later this year. At first I thought about switching to Canon because of their lenses, but I've decided I'll be sticking with Nikon. Eventually I'd like to go pro, so for now I haven't decided what kind of photography I'd like to do. I thought the obvious choice would be to upgrade to a full frame camera (probably the D810), but now with the D500 looking like it's one of the best cameras out there I might go for it first, then wait for the successor of the D810. I'll have the mini D5 AF, 10 FPS, and what so far looks like great ISO performance. I don't think full frame is always where it's at. If I treat a crop camera like a crop camera instead of a full frame one, it should give me some great images.

Thoughts?

Great plan BUT - let me throw a wrench in it The D500 is $2k You can get a refurbished D7200 for $650 maybe as high as $750 and those are regularly at that price refurbished from Nikon... and you can pick up a used second hand Nikon D750 between $1300 to $1400. So for slightly more than the single D500 you could get two cameras with similar layout and knock a punch into both full frame and crop - providing yourself flexibility and backups to each other....

So for right at $2k or slightly more in some cases depending on your patience... you could get a double up on the bang for the buck, and as much as I too thirst for the buffer on the D500, will you NEED that buffer? For most of my shooting the buffer on the D7200 and D750 is more than enough (except during dance recitals and usually only 3 or 4 times per evening is it an issue lol)

BTW the above was my end result because originally I was going to sell my D750 and get a D500 but decided gripped D750 + gripped D7200 made more sense at similar price point for me and then I can wait for D500 prices to drop and for the successor to the D750 or D810 to come.

werds wrote in post #17991788
Great plan BUT - let me throw a wrench in it The D500 is $2k You can get a refurbished D7200 for $650 maybe as high as $750 and those are regularly at that price refurbished from Nikon... and you can pick up a used second hand Nikon D750 between $1300 to $1400. So for slightly more than the single D500 you could get two cameras with similar layout and knock a punch into both full frame and crop - providing yourself flexibility and backups to each other....

So for right at $2k or slightly more in some cases depending on your patience... you could get a double up on the bang for the buck, and as much as I too thirst for the buffer on the D500, will you NEED that buffer? For most of my shooting the buffer on the D7200 and D750 is more than enough (except during dance recitals and usually only 3 or 4 times per evening is it an issue lol)

BTW the above was my end result because originally I was going to sell my D750 and get a D500 but decided gripped D750 + gripped D7200 made more sense at similar price point for me and then I can wait for D500 prices to drop and for the successor to the D750 or D810 to come.

That's a great idea Nice compromise between value and quality. I'll look more into that. I don't doubt the D7200 is a good camera, however I do want to see a noticeable difference between my current camera and my next one. Coming from the angle of being serious about going pro, I'm probably still leaning towards the D500, although I'm not totally sold yet. Seeing as I'd be a new photographer trying to make a name for myself in one of the most competitive markets (NYC and surrounding) I need the best gear to help me stand out. I think if I just wanted to keep it a hobby, the 1-2 bang would for sure be the smartest option. With the availability of online and local rentals, I also have the option of not having to marry myself to the lowest hanging fruit.

atsilverstein wrote in post #17991840
That's a great idea Nice compromise between value and quality. I'll look more into that. I don't doubt the D7200 is a good camera, however I do want to see a noticeable difference between my current camera and my next one. Coming from the angle of being serious about going pro, I'm probably still leaning towards the D500, although I'm not totally sold yet. Seeing as I'd be a new photographer trying to make a name for myself in one of the most competitive markets (NYC and surrounding) I need the best gear to help me stand out. I think if I just wanted to keep it a hobby, the 1-2 bang would for sure be the smartest option. With the availability of online and local rentals, I also have the option of not having to marry myself to the lowest hanging fruit.

I'm going to throw a wrench into the D7200 discussion. This ONLY applies if you shoot in live view: There is no way to see "live exposure" in live view on the D7200. I use live view extensively and when I found out that the 7200 did not have that function....deal broken for me.

Again if you don't use live view then this is a moot point.

I'm waiting on the D500 to drop in price.

atsilverstein wrote in post #17991840
That's a great idea Nice compromise between value and quality. I'll look more into that. I don't doubt the D7200 is a good camera, however I do want to see a noticeable difference between my current camera and my next one. Coming from the angle of being serious about going pro, I'm probably still leaning towards the D500, although I'm not totally sold yet. Seeing as I'd be a new photographer trying to make a name for myself in one of the most competitive markets (NYC and surrounding) I need the best gear to help me stand out. I think if I just wanted to keep it a hobby, the 1-2 bang would for sure be the smartest option. With the availability of online and local rentals, I also have the option of not having to marry myself to the lowest hanging fruit.

Unless you are shooting sports or wildlife where you need the reach, I would take the D750 anytime for more control of depth of field (portraits) and for low light (events).

Hi folks nice seeing everyone on here and still a few regular faces, I had a bit of a sad story - I was enjoying a replacement for my sick D7100 in the form of a cough cough cough I will say it quickly 7d, when a couple of unexpected bills droppe don the mat that required a cash lifeline to be generated quickly, the only spare things we had was my camera gear, so it was a short add on another forum and a gent brought my stuff of me for Stupid money, atleast it got me out of a hole.

I had a tiny bit left over - missed a camera so much that the only thing available at a good price was a Fuji X-S1 Bridge - you know the one it looks just like a DSLR weighs about the same with a standard zoom but only has a 2/3 size sensor.

I am using that at the moment as it gets me to just over 600mm but my o my its just no good for action, I keep wishing I could get back into Nikon but as cheap as possible - but it would have to be with a 400mm zoom as anything smaller just wont cut it for what i shoot.

Sad Times

ptcanon3ti wrote in post #17991868
I'm waiting on the D500 to drop in price.

Me too! Not that I need a D500 or anything lol... but just the possibilities!

I've rented out a D810 and a f2.8 70-200 because my neighbor asked me (yesterday - eek!) to take her daughter's prom pictures tomorrow. I agreed to do it, and this will be my first formal event/portraiture. I know for a fact that she would not otherwise hire a professional photographer and she is understanding and not expecting professional quality. I took them out for a spin in my backyard this evening to practice using them - the layout of the D810 is not at all similar to my D5100, so it took me a little while to get a handle on where all the basics were. Here's some of the results. I was a little disappointed the focusing system doesn't seem that snappy, so I got a lot of misses. But I'm not really concerned considering my subject tomorrow will be still, which is when I got these nice shots.

The D810 isn't the fastest focussing body in Nikon's stable but I would expect it with a (I presume VR2) 70-200/2.8 to focus very, very quickly. I would expect that combination to be quicker than the Sigma 17-50 or Tamron 70-300 on your D5100 you list in your profile.

As you mention though, prom shots should not require quick focussing so it's less of an issue as long as it finds focus. You've shared a couple of nice shots there too

Here's a few shots from yesterday. It was a small yard and I just barely had enough space to take them.

Two more..

It was a great experience - I learned a lot. I'm very happy with the results all things considering.

Some of my latest work with the D810. Really loving my decision to switch over to the dark side!

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That's a bummer. Too bad we're an ocean apart I'd try to help you out with an equipment loan. I used to work under the landing path to an airport and thoroughly enjoyed taking pictures of the planes coming in. Plus the westward bound aircraft coming out of Logan in Boston sometimes came over us. They were really high and a challenge but I enjoyed trying to get them. I thought I was the only one who did that until I saw your photographs. My last 6 months in the military (Air Force). They trained. Me to be an aircraft spotter. Looking for Russians. It was 1969 and the Cold War was on. I was stationed at a SAC (strategic bomber ) base at the time and they lost my security clearance so I couldn't work at my regular job