So I want to better camera...

[ababysean]

yes I am thinking just to save too... obviously I need more research. lol

 

[Geaux]

Honestly I don't think I've pushed its limits either.

But I feel like a dork when I go shoot people and they have a better camera then I do. lol That is the main thing.

Seriously? That's pathetic. I have a d3000, shoot great images on it. I don't see an issue.

When I've exhausted my limits with the 3000, then I'll move on, but to move on b/c other ppl have better bodies ... that's just ridiculous. I agree with the above also, your examples of images don't show a need for an upgrade yet. I bet if you get a d90+, your images will look the same and you'll be pi$$ed.

 

[benlonghair]

Until you are outshooting your camera, don't upgrade your body.

My D60 lacks some technical things I'd love to upgrade. For example:

Poor performance past ISO 400.
Terribad AF system. The AF points are simply too large in the frame to be accurate and there's only 3 of them.
Onboard (or lack thereof) off camera flash system.
A second control wheel. Doing manual with no aperture ring and one wheel is annoying.
The inability to AF anything except AF-S lenses.

Those are real issues that might make you consider upgrading your body. "Somebody else has a better body," in general, isn't.

 

[DirtyDFeckers]

Until you are outshooting your camera, don't upgrade your body.

My D60 lacks some technical things I'd love to upgrade. For example:

Poor performance past ISO 400.
Terribad AF system. The AF points are simply too large in the frame to be accurate and there's only 3 of them.
Onboard (or lack thereof) off camera flash system.
A second control wheel. Doing manual with no aperture ring and one wheel is annoying.
The inability to AF anything except AF-S lenses.

Those are real issues that might make you consider upgrading your body. "Somebody else has a better body," in general, isn't.

I agree with this....Unless you are trying to accomplish things that the camera absolutely can't do, stick with the one you have. Maybe spend the extra $ on some accessories to make it better( flash, nice tripod, maybe even some nicer lenses)

 

[KmH]

....and only the very lower end glass at this point is motorless.....

Not really. There is actually only a small handful of lower end glass without a focus motor. Here is just a small sample of not "very lower end glass."

AF 80-200 mm f/2.8D ... No Focus Motor (NFM) ... $1100
Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED Lens 1986 - B&H Photo

AF 85 mm f/1.4D ... No Focus Motor (NFM) ... $1225
Nikon Telephoto AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D IF Autofocus Lens 1933 -

AF 24-85 mm f/2.8-4D ... NFM ... $690
Nikon Zoom W/A-Telephoto AF Zoom Nikkor 24-85mm 1929 - B&H Photo

AF 180 mm f/2.8D ... NFM ... $900
Nikon Telephoto AF Nikkor 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF Autofocus 1940 -

AF 14 mm f/2.8D ... NFM ... $1675
Nikon AF Nikkor 14mm f2.8D ED Autofocus Lens 1925 - B&H Photo

AF 105 mm f/2D ... NFM ... $1080
Nikon Telephoto AF DC Nikkor 105mm f/2.0D Lens 1932 - B&H Photo

 

[OffTheWall]

Honestly I don't think I've pushed its limits either.

But I feel like a dork when I go shoot people and they have a better camera then I do. lol That is the main thing.

Think of it this way, its not the camera you have its about how you use it, want to look more pro? buy a vertical grip if they make them for the d3000. There is nothing to be ashamed about. A better camera doesn't make you a pro nor does it make you look like one, its the quality of the product you produce.

 

[supraman215]

....and only the very lower end glass at this point is motorless.....

Not really. There is actually only a small handful of lower end glass without a focus motor. Here is just a small sample of not "very lower end glass."

AF 80-200 mm f/2.8D ... No Focus Motor (NFM) ... $1100
Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED Lens 1986 - B&H Photo

AF 85 mm f/1.4D ... No Focus Motor (NFM) ... $1225
Nikon Telephoto AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D IF Autofocus Lens 1933 -

AF 24-85 mm f/2.8-4D ... NFM ... $690
Nikon Zoom W/A-Telephoto AF Zoom Nikkor 24-85mm 1929 - B&H Photo

AF 180 mm f/2.8D ... NFM ... $900
Nikon Telephoto AF Nikkor 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF Autofocus 1940 -

AF 14 mm f/2.8D ... NFM ... $1675
Nikon AF Nikkor 14mm f2.8D ED Autofocus Lens 1925 - B&H Photo

AF 105 mm f/2D ... NFM ... $1080
Nikon Telephoto AF DC Nikkor 105mm f/2.0D Lens 1932 - B&H Photo

Thanks KmH! I was searching B&H's site just at a high level, and found only these two:
Nikon AF Zoom Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G Lens (Black) 1928 - B&H

Nikon Normal AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D Autofocus Lens 2137 - B&H

One thing to do, albeit there are only OEM nikkor lenses represented, is look at this list and see if there are any lenses on it that aren't marked as SWM that you might be interested in:

Camera Lenses from Nikon

You can get yourself a pretty complete collection that have the internal auto focus. Of course as KmH mentioned the prime telephotos seem to be the area most lacking in the internal focus category so if that was your area of most interest than you might want to consider your next camera having the AF motor.

 

[rpm]

Until you are outshooting your camera, don't upgrade your body.

My D60 lacks some technical things I'd love to upgrade. For example:

Poor performance past ISO 400.
Terribad AF system. The AF points are simply too large in the frame to be accurate and there's only 3 of them.
Onboard (or lack thereof) off camera flash system.
A second control wheel. Doing manual with no aperture ring and one wheel is annoying.
The inability to AF anything except AF-S lenses.

Those are real issues that might make you consider upgrading your body. "Somebody else has a better body," in general, isn't.

for those exact same reasons. i "upgraded" to a D200 - its dated but when it comes to cameras its not about what is up to date or 'out dated' its about what you can achieve with it. ISO performance aside, if you got a tripod and a remote shutter release, you can achieve side by side quality pictures with those taken with a D90/D300.

 

[sleist]

There's also the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 that has no motor. My son wanted to borrow it for his trip to DC and Colorado, but it would not AF on the D5000.

That's at least one 3rd party lens I would miss being able to use.

 

[benlonghair]

for those exact same reasons. i "upgraded" to a D200 - its dated but when it comes to cameras its not about what is up to date or 'out dated' its about what you can achieve with it. ISO performance aside, if you got a tripod and a remote shutter release, you can achieve side by side quality pictures with those taken with a D90/D300.

There's a reason I put ISO performance at the top.

 

[rpm]

hehehe i was referring to the D200 with the rest of that statement cause even with that out of your list...the other stuff are still very limiting and annoying.

you forgot to mention one thing: the need to dig through menu based interface to change key settings

 

[Derrel]

Nikon is ready to announce the D90's replacement within about a month's time....OR, in as few as five days...there have already been leaks of the D3100, the D3000's replacement, as well as four new Nikkor lenses...the "D95" would be the next NIkon you might consider buying on a quote budget endquote. The D200 is a nice body, but it's grown a bit long in the tooth...

See, the thing with Nikon is you want to,ideally, buy early in the product cycle, not at the end of the cycle...the D90 will soon be end of life in status (EOL). The D200 has been discontinued long enough that,frankly, $600 for the body is TOO much money,at least in my opinion.

Cameras do different things with varying degrees of ease and efficiency...the newer, better AF modules are the biggest difference many people see...the D200 has "older" AF technology in it...the D300 is a true semi-pro type body...there is some speculation that the D90's replacement model will have a new, 39-point AF system...who knows?

Photokina is the third week of September, in Cologne, Germany: it's almost guar-an-teed that Nikon will have one, or two, new bodies there, as well as four brand new lens designs. I would not buy a new Nikon until October...

 

[KmH]

....Of course as KmH mentioned the prime telephotos seem to be the area most lacking in the internal focus category so if that was your area of most interest than you might want to consider your next camera having the AF motor......

At least the 4 prime telephotos of 85 mm, 105 mm, 135 mm, and 180 mm. From 200 mm up, the prime telephotos are all AF-S and have a focus motor in them. They are also quite expensive, save the AF-S 300 mm f/4G.

I lust after the AF-S 200 mm f/2G VR, $4800 new. I'll eventually snag a nice used one for a firesale price from some photographer having a going out of business sale.

 

[Dominantly]

I would happily snag a D700 if a new model comes out in it's place, and the D700 drops a bit in pricing.
I always end up testing glass out on the D700, and it always ends up being a battle to set it back down.

 

[Derrel]

I would happily snag a D700 if a new model comes out in it's place, and the D700 drops a bit in pricing.
I always end up testing glass out on the D700, and it always ends up being a battle to set it back down.

There was a recent report of Out of Stock on D700's for a large wholesale warehouse that supplies about 600 photo stores...which some have interpreted to mean that the D700 will be EOL'd very soon...