Should I upgrade? Best place for used equipment?

[Wfpinky]

Hey all!

I'm dying to upgrade from my Nikon d3200 to a 7100 soon if possible. I briefly thought about getting the new 5500, the swivel LCD would be nice. But for the most part I've regretted not starting out with the 5000 series to begin with because I felt like I "outgrew" the 3200 so fast and I'd rather not have that happen with the 5500. Anyway, just wanted to ask around the village, so to speak, and get some ideas on where I may be able to find a 7100 (unless you guys think I just get the 5500 instead) body that won't break the bank.

If y'all (sorry, I'm Texan) think I should re-consider the 5500, let me know why!

 

[sm4him]

First of all, I *love* seeing someone ELSE use "y'all" around here! ;-)

Second:
Some more information would be helpful:
1. How is the D3200 currently limiting you? Or, from another angle, what would you hope to gain with an upgrade?
2. What's your budget?
3. What are your current lenses?
4. What kind of things do you shoot, or what do you plan to be shooting?

As a "general" rule, I'd probably agree that if you're upgrading from the D3200, you might as well move up to the D7100, but it really depends on what your goal is.

 

[Wfpinky]

First of all, I *love* seeing someone ELSE use "y'all" around here! ;-)

Second:
Some more information would be helpful:
1. How is the D3200 currently limiting you? Or, from another angle, what would you hope to gain with an upgrade?
2. What's your budget?
3. What are your current lenses?
4. What kind of things do you shoot, or what do you plan to be shooting?

As a "general" rule, I'd probably agree that if you're upgrading from the D3200, you might as well move up to the D7100, but it really depends on what your goal is.

Shutter speed doesn't quite keep up like I'd like it to, that's a big one. I shoot a lot of dogs and kids, ideally I'd always have my pack with me but there are cases where I don't so I'm flying without my speedlite. I'd like something that handles low-light a little better than the 3200. I'm one of the few people my age in my area that hasn't started a photography business the second they get a DSLR as a gift. I still feel like a noob most of the time, so I don't want to put my name out there until I'm happy with my results. That being said I'm really wanting to grow as a novice photographer and I need a body that will grow with me for as long as possible. I'm on a working college student budget who housesits a lot so my budget changes from month to month honestly. Currently I have my 18-55mm kit lens, 35mm 1.8, and the 55-200mm. I'd love to add the 24-70mm 2.8 at some point this year, but who knows.

 

[LostLensCap]

One of the places I like for used equipment is KeH camera. The Smarter Way to Buy and Sell New Used Cameras Canon Nikon Hasselblad Leica More - KEH Camera they have always treated me fairly. When you write that "shutter speed doesn't quite keep up" are you meaning that 1/4000 isn't fast enough or are you meaning something else? When I look at the differences between the d3200 and d7100, you might be disappointed after a while. The low light advantage the d7100 has over the d3200 is .2 f/stop which isn't worth mentioning. The d7100 does shoot at 6 frames per second and the d3200 at 4 frames. (is that a big deal for you?) The d7100 does have 1 more stop of ISO boost over the d3200 (25,600 vs 12,300) Shots at that setting are extremely noisy. Overall Image quality is almost the same between the 2 cameras. What you gain with the d7100 is controls and dedicated buttons. You don't have to dive into the menu to change settings there is usually a dedicated button for the more often used functions. There is a front control wheel that makes changing aperture settings much easier and faster. The d7100 has a pentaprism vs pentamirror which is brighter. And, the d7100 is weather sealed. But, if you are looking for a big improvement in image quality, I don't think you will see it. What you will gain is a more enjoyable photographic experience.

 

[Wfpinky]

One of the places I like for used equipment is KeH camera. The Smarter Way to Buy and Sell New Used Cameras Canon Nikon Hasselblad Leica More - KEH Camera they have always treated me fairly. When you write that "shutter speed doesn't quite keep up" are you meaning that 1/4000 isn't fast enough or are you meaning something else? When I look at the differences between the d3200 and d7100, you might be disappointed after a while. The low light advantage the d7100 has over the d3200 is .2 f/stop which isn't worth mentioning. The d7100 does shoot at 6 frames per second and the d3200 at 4 frames. (is that a big deal for you?) The d7100 does have 1 more stop of ISO boost over the d3200 (25,600 vs 12,300) Shots at that setting are extremely noisy. Overall Image quality is almost the same between the 2 cameras. What you gain with the d7100 is controls and dedicated buttons. You don't have to dive into the menu to change settings there is usually a dedicated button for the more often used functions. There is a front control wheel that makes changing aperture settings much easier and faster. The d7100 has a pentaprism vs pentamirror which is brighter. And, the d7100 is weather sealed. But, if you are looking for a big improvement in image quality, I don't think you will see it. What you will gain is a more enjoyable photographic experience.

Thank you so much for your input! As far as shutter speed goes I feel like it lags but perhaps I need to readjust my settings some more when shooting. I really like the way the 7100's controls and buttons are, that's a big plus for me. 6 frames vs 4 frames definitely isn't a huge difference but there have definitely been times when it would have made a difference while shooting my nephew. I forgot the 7100 is weather sealed, that's definitely another plus. Thanks again!

 

[goodguy]

D7100 actually can shoot at 7FPS if you put it into 1.3 crop mode.
From owning the D7100 I can tell you its an awesome camera!!!

FYI a D7100 replacement is rumored to be arriving soon so if you are patient you can get its replacement.
Its rumored to have same sensor but the Expeed 4 processor, bigger buffer and better AF system. Not a huge upgrade but a step up from the already awesome camera the D7100 is.

 

[Wfpinky]

D7100 actually can shoot at 7FPS if you put it into 1.3 crop mode.
From owning the D7100 I can tell you its an awesome camera!!!

FYI a D7100 replacement is rumored to be arriving soon so if you are patient you can get its replacement.
Its rumored to have same sensor but the Expeed 4 processor, bigger buffer and better AF system. Not a huge upgrade but a step up from the already awesome camera the D7100 is.

Ohhhh, thanks for the tip! If anything it'll hopefully knock the price of the 7100 down a little