New to the Community seeking advice!!!

[ahowat16]

Hey there my name is Abby and I've been taking pictures on my Nikon p530 for about 2 years now and I have fallen in love with photography and I'm looking for a pro-grade camera that's good for portrait, sports, nature, and vista photography. My ideal price range would be around $2k but over by about $500 is okay w/ me. I've been researching cameras for some time now but I still feel a bit clueless and just need some suggestions from those more experienced in the field of photography. I'm looking to start doing senior portraits for friends next year so I guess you could call me a aspiring professional and I want to start a portfolio ASAP! I'm open to all suggestions. Thank you!

 

[PersistentNomad]

I'm looking at upgrading myself. I've been using a Nikon D5000 for a while now and it's done really well for my personal work and my (sparse) professional work. The reason I'm looking to upgrade is because I really need new glass. What I'm trying to do with my photography just requires faster glass. My lowest aperture right now a 3.5, and that's just not cutting it.
My best friend is a professional, and she's been walking me through what I should get for what I need. Basically, she says I could keep my camera body, and just upgrade the glass and it will be okay, but so much of the good glass is for full-frame cameras, and mine is a cropped frame. You can use full frame lenses on a crop frame, but I figure what the hell. So, I'm looking at getting a D610 and scoring some Sigma DG lenses for it. If you're looking to do portraiture, a 50mm with a really low aperture is a great choice.

 

[EIngerson]

If you're comfortable with Nikon and have a good grasp of the controls and settings. I say stay with Nikon. I think you'll find it a smoother transition as you already know the basic layout and how they work.

The level of camera you get is dictated by your budget. You can get some decent gear in your price range. Good luck!