Camera Upgrade

[Fotographer131]

I’m planning to get a camera upgrade, I’m not a beginner, more of an intermediate photographer. I have used a Nikon D70 for about a year, so I understand photography to some extent. I’m looking for a camera that meets a $400 budget (USD) with the following features:

Required:
Good AF system
Exposure values are not controlled via touch screen
Good under low light
Good battery life

Preferred, but not required:
Good LCD and Live View
Images transfer to other devices

I’m sure I’ll have more requisites as I remember them, but as for now, that’s all.

Thanks for your help!

 

[SquarePeg]

Maybe a used 7100 or 7200? That meets your criteria I think. Not sure what current used prices are but I paid under $500 for a refurbished 7100 a couple of years ago.

 

[Fotographer131]

A 7200 refurbished in the Nikon store is around $850. 7100 refurbished body only is $710.

 

[SquarePeg]

A 7200 refurbished in the Nikon store is around $850. 7100 refurbished body only is $710.

Are you outside of USA? I paid under $500 from Cameta camera for a refurb 7100 in 2015, I can’t inagine why the price has gone up.

Nikon D7100 Digital SLR Camera Body {24.1 M/P}

 

[Designer]

You can get a new D3300 for very near your budget.

Nikon D D3300 24.2MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Kit w/ AF-S DX VR II 18-55mm Lens) | eBay

Or shop around for good clean used cameras in that price range.

 

[Fotographer131]

I'll look around the market when I have time.

 

[JoeW]

Not sure where you're located. But you can get a used Nikon D3 for around $500 US on Amazon. It's an old body. But it meets your specs exactly

1. Much longer battery life.
2. Designed with photojournalists in-mind so it's great in low light compared to the D70.
3. Not touch-screen controlled.
4. Good autofocus system. It's not at the level of the D500 or D5 but it's a pro camera body.

 

[greybeard]

This is actually within your budget.

https://usedphotopro.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=nikon+d7000

Nikon Nikkor AF-S 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 G ED DX VR Lens 18-105

This place has a great warranty and return policy. The D7000 and 18-105 is a very capable picture taker and a nice step up from your D70

 

[Fotographer131]

I'm in Asia, that's probably why, I'll look around the US market.

 

[Designer]

I'm in Asia, that's probably why, I'll look around the US market.

I have bought used gear (lenses) from people in Japan, and they will ship the item via post anywhere you want.

 

[ac12]

I would look for the later D5000 series cameras. Probably cost less than the D7000 series cameras.
The D3xxx cameras are probably cheaper than the D5xxx, and if they fit your needs, why not.

But you NEED to check the specs of each model, to see if it has what you want.
The earlier models were not as good for low light as the later models.

The main thing with the D3xxx and D5xxx cameras is that they will NOT AF with the mechanical AF lenses (AF and AF-D). It will only AF with the AF-S lenses. So if you have a/some mechanical AF lenses they won't work. The D7xxx will AF with the mechanical AF lenses.

 

[Fotographer131]

What will also have a good Continuos Shooting Speed?

 

[ac12]

What will also have a good Continuos Shooting Speed?

What do you NEED?
Most dSLRs will do about 5-6 frames per second.
Anything faster is beyond your budget.

Good under low light, implies to me that you want a high ISO of 12800+ with a reasonable noise level. But is this correct or not? What do you shoot, or want to shoot, that has this requirement.
Low lights means a later (more expensive) camera. YOU need to do that research.

Many cameras have poor wireless transfer capability. And shoving a 20MB file over wifi is slow. I just put the SD card into a card reader on my computer.
If you are looking for a camera to phone wireless transfer, that is more difficult. It exists, but is not something that I look for.

What do you mean by "good AF system?"
If you mean number of AF points, then you have to pay more for more AF points, by going to the higher models. 91 focusing points is not necessarily better than 11 focusing points, if you don't use most of them.
If you mean good focusing, that gets better with the newer AF modules.
But the older AF modules still do a decent job. And for the stuff that most people shoot, the latest AF modules are not necessary.

What kind of battery life are you looking for?
Most dSLRs will do a full day on a single charge.
My D70 and D7200 will easily do 2 DAYS on a charge.
My mirrorless Olympus EM1 on the other hand will do about 4 HOURS of continuous use, then it goes "empty."

Rather than asking people, make a chart, with the different cameras on the horizontal axis, and the features you want (like max ISO and cost) on the vertical axis. Then fill in the values for specific camera/features. This will help display and compare the data, and keep you from forgetting things.

Finally, is your $400 budget with or without a lens?
A good lens can easily consume most of your budget.
Your D70 probably has the 18-70 lens. That is a decent lens, and you can use it on whatever Nikon camera that you get.