Nikon Lens ?'s

[RedLeg]

hey guys and gals,
planning on getting DSLR for my 40th this april. ive never owned a DLSR so all of this is new to me. im thinking of getting a D5100, D90 or maybe even a D7000. so doing some research ive learned that the D5100 does not have an autofocus motor in the body of the camera and the D90 and D7000 do have the AF motor in the body.
when its time for me to buy a new lens, are lens with the af motor built into them more expensive than lens without the motor? im trying to talk myself into the D7000 and if a comparable lens is cheaper then that would help my cause.

 

[nmoody]

I have the D3100 (also without focus motor). Most new lenses have the motor built into them today. They are more expensive than the older lenses due to the motor but very few new consumer lenses are made without the motor.

If you don't have any old lenses then not having a focus motor really isnt an issue.

 

[MTVision]

It might be cheaper to go With the d7000 - in the long run. You can buy some older lenses for decent prices. I have a d5100 and I'm happy with it but I wish I had bought the d7000 because of the lens options and some other factors.

 

[Infinite_Day]

You'd be surprised. I have two lenses that don't have built-in motors and they're two I use quite often. The decision is really based more around what you want out of the camera. A D5100 is a solid entry level camera and has the same sensor as the D7000. The D7000 has better tech in it otherwise and more direct-access control. It's going to allow you to grow more before you start getting that "I want something better" feeling. The D7000 is a hell of a camera as well as the D90. If you are only planning on occasional use then I would say a D5100 would be fine. There are also some really good pieces of older high-end glass that Nikon made which are cheaper than the modern equivalent and produce outstanding images but don't have built-in AF motors - the 80-200 f/2.8's for example.

 

[412 Burgh]

Go with an internal focusing motor body. I have the D3100 and regret not getting one. Lenses are much more expensive if you need the AF-S lens. Rookie mistake on my part.

 

[cannpope]

IMO, only get a D7000 if you are truly willing to spend the time learning the camera as well as all of it's functions. If you have never used a DSLR, the D7000 may be a little too much for you to handle as I found it's functions to be a little more advanced than say a 3100 or a 5100.

 

[RedLeg]

i should say that i would like to get a telephoto or zoom lens so i can take pics of my 9 year old boys playing sports (hockey, football, basketball and baseball) and i would like to get a decent low light lens for taking pictures around the house.
i am willing to learn the camera (which ever one i get) and this will most likely be my only DSLR for a long, long time. if it were up to me, i would get the D7000, i just have to justify the extra cost.

 

[mjhoward]

D7K also has flash commander built in... could be a major plus if you plan to use OCF, especially if you don't have wireless triggers.

 

[ph0enix]

There is a lot more to photography than just learning to use the camera. If your goal is to learn and become good at it, you might end up outgrowing the D5100 pretty quickly in which case I would go with the D7000.

 

[MrsLittle]

D7000 is great and I utilize the built in flash commander quite often.

 

[greybeard]

I'm using a D5100 with the kit 18-55mm lens that belongs to my business and for the most part I'm happy with it. I have compared it with the D7000 and have found 2 big things about the D7000 that I like better. 1 and the biggest difference is in the view finder. The D5100 uses a pentamirror which looks dim by comparison to the D7000 that has a pentaprism. The other big difference is the D7000 has focusing motor in the body so it can auto-focus with older Nikon AF lenses. I happen to have 3 of these older lenses so the D7000 makes a lot of sense for me. On the other side of things, the D5100 has a flip out screen which the D7000 does not. This is handy for waist level, low angle, and over the head shots. I think I would miss that with the D7000.

 

[KmH]

The additional Command wheel on the D7000 is also very handy.

The D7000 has many of the needed settings controls tied to buttons on the outside of the camera, eliminating an lot of menu diving that has to be done using a D3000/D3100/D5000/D5100..

 

[adversus]

I had the D5000 (the predecessor to the D5100), and I outgrew it within a year of getting it. My reasons for selling my D5k and upgrading to the D7000 were:

1. Better ISO performance
2. Buttons for things like ISO, white balance, meter modes
3. Second command wheel
4. Internal focus motor
5. Commander-flash mode

The D5100 should have roughly the same ISO performance as as the 7k, I think.

 

[matthewo]

I just upgraded to the 7000 from the 5100. I agree the body is bigger and heavier. But its on a different level. Metering kills the d5100, so does focusing, also the 7000 is just quicker at everything. The d7000 flash is better, not that it says much as the oncamera flashes suck, but still better.

The d7000 has more white balance options. Way more buttons, i can now change anything through buttons without using the menu. The sensor may be the same, but the d7000 out performs the d5100 image wise.

Shutter speed goes to 1/8000 on the d7000 vs 1/4000 on the d5100. Not that i care.

The autofocus kills the d5100 in speed and low light accuracy. I absolutly love the view finder, and vertical horizon is nice, and even works through the viewfinder.

Magnesium top and back, better feeling buttons and shutter release button. It is partly weather sealed. Just feels better built.

Also the top lcd is great, dual sd card slots...great. internal focus motor OMG you get all this for such a low price. Just a killer camera for the money.

D5100 wins in weight, size, swivel lcd screen. 30fps 1080p video vs d7000s 24fps 1080p.

 

[KmH]

They are more expensive than the older lenses due to the motor .........

No they aren't, save a couple of exceptions like the Nikon AF 50 mm f/1.8D and the AF 70-300 f/4-5.6G.

Though that mis-information gets repeated a lot.

The cost of a lens has a lot more to do with the max aperture it can be opened to, it's build quality, and the quality of it's optics.

A lot of the AF-S lenses also have VR, which adds substantially more cost than a focus motor does.

By the way, none of Canon's cameras have had an auto focus motor in them since Canon introduced the EOS system and EF-mount back in 1987.