D5200 a good upgrade?

[onelovelyzee]

Hey everyone,

I recently bought a Nikon D3200. I was thinking about upgrading to a D5200 before the 30 day return policy expires. I came from a Samsung NX series before the D3200.

Im going to be using the camera for street photography as well as wedding photography/videography.

Will the d5200 be an upgrade compared to the D3200?
Do you all recommend the upgrading or should I use the d3200 and save up for a higher end dslr like a d7100?

 

[robbins.photo]

Hey everyone,

I recently bought a Nikon D3200. I was thinking about upgrading to a D5200 before the 30 day return policy expires. I came from a Samsung NX series before the D3200.

Im going to be using the camera for street photography as well as wedding photography/videography.

Will the d5200 be an upgrade compared to the D3200?
Do you all recommend the upgrading or should I use the d3200 and save up for a higher end dslr like a d7100?

Well the 5200 will give you an articulating screen which is handy for doing video or lining up shots at difficult angles such as on a tripod, it has a slight advantage in low light, and a slight increase in shooting speed (5 fps vrs 4). Really the biggest difference between the two will be the autofocus system, the D5200 has the 39 point / 9 cross point autofocus system whereas your D3200 has 11/1.

I guess if it were me unless I really needed any of those advantages I'd probably keep the 3200 for now and upgrade to a 7100 later, but I guess a some of that would also depend on how long your planning to go before you upgrade.

 

[hamlet]

I always say that if you plan to upgrade, then go big or don't go at all.

 

[goodguy]

The D5200 is a better camera then the D3200 and will be an upgrade.
If you are a newbie I am not really sure if you will see a diference between the 2 cameras.
You said you want to use camera for weddings, will that be for professional work or just as a hobby because neither the D3200 or D5200 are professional cameras and I would not recommend using them for serious pro work, in simple words they will not cut the mustard.

 

[onelovelyzee]

Thank you for the replies so far. I'm going to be usimg the dslr initially for weddings as more of a hobby then hopefully professionally later down the road. Should I just skip the d5200 and go to something else like a d7100? I

 

[DNel928]

I always say that if you plan to upgrade, then go big or don't go at all.

I tend to agree with this. I would definitely skip over the 5200, and look into a D7100, or possibly even a D610 budget permitting.

 

[robbins.photo]

Thank you for the replies so far. I'm going to be usimg the dslr initially for weddings as more of a hobby then hopefully professionally later down the road. Should I just skip the d5200 and go to something else like a d7100? I

If you eventually plan to shoot weddings professionally I'd probably save your money and go with a full frame, something like a refurbished D600. Thing about weddings is your going to need low light capabilities, most weddings are going to have tons and tons of very challenging lighting situations and a full frame camera with it's larger sensor will make a huge difference. The D7100 is probably your best choice in a crop sensor camera for something like that, but even the D7100's excellent low light abilities won't be able to match a full frame system.

So if that really is your goal probably your best bet would be to get as much practice as you can with the D3200 you have, and put some money away for a full frame camera later. For weddings you'll also probably want some faster glass, maybe something in the F/2.8 range for a zoom and some 1.8 primes. I'd also recommend if your going to start your own business you take some classes in business, running your own is very challenging affair indeed and even more so for a photography business. It is an extremely competitive and rough and tumble business.

 

[DanielLewis76]

For why its worth I rarely use more than 9 point focus.

 

[Tailgunner]

Thank you for the replies so far. I'm going to be usimg the dslr initially for weddings as more of a hobby then hopefully professionally later down the road. Should I just skip the d5200 and go to something else like a d7100? I

My best advice is always buy the best camera you can afford. If you got the money for a D7100 and it's not going to hurt you financially speaking, buy it. The D7100 is Nikons best DX right now and good for at least 3-4 years technology wise. Now with that said, if you got the money and plan on a photography business, I would spring for a Refurbished D600 or new D610. These are entry level Full Frame (FX) camera bodies.

 

[onelovelyzee]

I appreciate the replies so far!

The plan right now is to practice for months to even a whole year with my close friend who goes to art school (directing major) so we could open a videography/photography business. I graduated with a B.S in entrepreneurship so on paper, it looks to be a solid team. My uncle owned a wedding videography business and I helped him back in the late 90's early 2000's. The style back then was much different. With the business now, we're going for more of a cinematography style of shooting.

Would the D7100 be a good camera to use for professional use? Will there be much of a difference between the d7100 compared to the d600?

My friend will be shooting with his Canon 5D.

Also, what lenses do you recommend to have on deck? Right now, I have the kit lens as well as a 50mm 1.8f prime lens.

Is there an article on the differences between DX and FX bodies?

Also, are there any articles on wedding videography/photography on the forum?



Again, thank you guys so much!

 

[robbins.photo]

Well for weddings your going to be shooting indoors a lot in some pretty challenging lighting situations so I'd really lean toward the d600. Nothing against the D7100 mind you, it's a great camera, but the full frame sensor is going to give you much better low light abilities and if you really are looking at shooting weddings that would be the best route I think. There are plenty of folks here that actually shoot weddings who can probably give you much better advice on lenses, etc - but in general your probably going to be looking at a lot of expensive glass. Shooting weddings is probably one of the most challenging types of photography there is in many respects, especially since most of your clients are going to expect you to capture what is one of the most important moments of their lives to perfection. It's really not for the faint of heart.

It's an expensive proposition as far as gear - you need fast glass and at least a few different options in focal length, most pro's I know always have more than one camera just in case they have any problems whatsoever with their primary, etc. In short before your ready to even begin something like this you are most likely going to be dropping a ton of money on gear. Then there is the whole business side of things, contracts, taxes, business license, dba, etc, etc...

Needless to say there are a lot of really good reasons why I would never consider doing photography for a living. Some folks love it I guess, but me I like being able to shoot what I want when I want without all of that extraneous stuff that comes with making a living at it.

 

[onelovelyzee]

Well for weddings your going to be shooting indoors a lot in some pretty challenging lighting situations so I'd really lean toward the d600. Nothing against the D7100 mind you, it's a great camera, but the full frame sensor is going to give you much better low light abilities and if you really are looking at shooting weddings that would be the best route I think. There are plenty of folks here that actually shoot weddings who can probably give you much better advice on lenses, etc - but in general your probably going to be looking at a lot of expensive glass. Shooting weddings is probably one of the most challenging types of photography there is in many respects, especially since most of your clients are going to expect you to capture what is one of the most important moments of their lives to perfection. It's really not for the faint of heart.

It's an expensive proposition as far as gear - you need fast glass and at least a few different options in focal length, most pro's I know always have more than one camera just in case they have any problems whatsoever with their primary, etc. In short before your ready to even begin something like this you are most likely going to be dropping a ton of money on gear. Then there is the whole business side of things, contracts, taxes, business license, dba, etc, etc...


Needless to say there are a lot of really good reasons why I would never consider doing photography for a living. Some folks love it I guess, but me I like being able to shoot what I want when I want without all of that extraneous stuff that comes with making a living at it.

Thank you for the tips! I'll definitely have to look into full frame's more but I understand what you mean by them having a big advantage in low-light.

 

[wyogirl]

If your partner is going to shoot Canon, why are you looking at Nikon? It just seems logical to have compatible equipment so that you can share lenses and accessories easily.