tradeup from D5100 to D7000 - buy or wait?

gloriabcastro · Sep 26, 2012

Hi everyone - I own the D5100 for one year. Its easy to use and has exceptional picture quality. On the downside, I am not a fan of the limited number of AF points and IMHO, shooting above ISO 800 doesn't yield good results. I am thinking of trading up to the D7000 (which I should have bought to begin with instead of the D5100!). I tried out a D7000 in the store the other day and loved the feel of the camera. I was impressed with the responsiveness. I liked the 39 AF points, and I can see the value of having an AF motor in the camera to take advantage of D lenses.

I am tempted to buy the D600, but I am invested in the DX lenses, especially my Nikkor DX 10-24mm wide angle lens.

My question is.....do you think its wise to buy the D7000 now or wait to see if Nikon introduces a newer model of D7000? Is there a downside to buying an 'older' model?

Derrel · Sep 26, 2012

I would consider moving to the D600 if I were you. Honestly, the D7000 does not seem like enough of an "upgrade" from the 5100. If you want to preserve the usefulness of the 10-24mm DX, I would wait a bit longer, till February or March of 2013 and move to the next-announced Nikon body...likely a D300s "replacement" model. OTOH, the D7000 *is* one of the best performing APS-C cameras right now, and it *is* about half the cost of a D600, and you DO HAVE the 10-24 DX, which is quite a nice tool.

Patriot · Sep 26, 2012

I wouldn't get the d600 unless you are going to replace your DX lense(s) for a good useful Fullframe lense. I would wait also to see if Nikon put out a new flagship DX camera.

shadowlands · Sep 26, 2012

If you're keeping your DX glass, D7000 prices have dropped....

sleist · Sep 26, 2012

Same sensor, different AF and controls. I would wait till after xmas and see what the next DX body update is.
If you're not getting good results at ISO 800 with the D5100, then you're doing something wrong. Underexposing can cause increased noise, for example.
The D7000 won't help you here as much as you might think if your technique is lacking.

orb9220 · Sep 26, 2012

Yep agree if you aren't getting clean 800 or 1600 images than that says a lot about technique and underexposing. Rather than nailing exposure. But I do consider the D7000 a major upgrade over the D5xxx camera's. As more usable with built-in motor,built-in flash commander. More dedicated controls for making changes on the fly without the eye leaving the viewfinder to go menu digging. Faster and More AF capabilities.

But unlike many I am always a generation or two behind. Been a D90 for me last 3 years. And D7000 isn't enough over that for me to take the plunge. But an entry camera would jump in a heartbeat. And wouldn't be too fast in jumping to full frame since I'm not getting clean high iso on the entry just points out maybe there is still a bunch of learning needed. Couple that with waiting and then hoping there isn't any production issues,availability,etc.. delays.

For me would pull the trigger on the D7000 now and start shooting and learning more. There is always the next best and better around the corner. Never ends and little in the way to really add to my photography. That comes with maximizing my abilities with the camera that I have and adding great glass to get the most out of it.
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fjrabon · Sep 26, 2012

yeah, as others have said, there are differences between the D5100 and D7000, some are major (particularly the focus points and ESPECIALLY cross type, where the D7000 has 9 to the D5100's very sad 1). Low light performance isn't really a major difference between the two though.

gloriabcastro · Oct 1, 2012

Hi - thank you all for the good advice! After weighing it all, I took the plunge and bought the D600 with 24-85mm lens. Wow is all I can say! Its a joy to look through the bright viewfinder. The D600 feels solid. I have a learning curve with dedicated buttons, because the D5100 was mostly menu driven. One feature that I like is the addition of the minimum shutter speed to auto ISO. I've got my nose buried in the manual

. Thanks again!

photographyfan · Oct 8, 2012

Congratulations on your purchase of the D600. Sounds like you are delighted with it so far. Do keep us updated.

Derrel · Oct 8, 2012

gloriabcastro said:
Hi - thank you all for the good advice! After weighing it all, I took the plunge and bought the D600 with 24-85mm lens. Wow is all I can say! Its a joy to look through the bright viewfinder. The D600 feels solid. I have a learning curve with dedicated buttons, because the D5100 was mostly menu driven. One feature that I like is the addition of the minimum shutter speed to auto ISO. I've got my nose buried in the manual . Thanks again!

Awesome!!! THAT is exactly the kit Nikon thinks most users of the D600 will like. I've looked at and handled the D600 with that lens very,very,very briefly, and it seems like it has almost perfect balance in the hands. To me the BALANCE of a camera/lens combo is a bit more critical than the absolute weight...if the balance is excellent, even a much higher weight lens will be less-tiring to use for long periods of time. The NICE thing about FX is the relationship between working distance and picture angles of view and focal lengths. 24 to 85mm on FX is real wide to moderate telephoto! A good 24-85mm lens (I own one) is a really handy lens for a full-frame camera! Enjoy the new setup!

thereyougo! · Oct 8, 2012

I would agree with you, Derrel on the balance of the camera in your hands. As well as the D800, I have the medium format Pentax 645D and while it isn't a light camera, the balance of the camera is great and it never feels heavy.

greybeard · Oct 8, 2012

I started out with a D5100 that belongs to the band and then bought my own D7000. The difference is one of control. You don't have to go through menus to change much of anything. You have a thumb wheel and a finger wheel to adjust shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, depending on how you have things setup. The other thing that is better is the viewfinder because of the pentaprism vs pentamirror. I have some older AF-D lenses that need a body with a focusing motor. With the D5100 they would only manually focus but, with the D7000 they focus just fine. As far as seeing any difference in the actual photographs, I see no difference at all. To see any actual improvement in your photographs, I think you will need to go with a D600. Pretty much the same features as the D7000 but with a full frame sensor and 24MP. You will however need to buy full frame lenses to go with the D600 which are expensive. So with the D7000 you will get like a deluxe version of your D5100 with a focusing motor, better controls and viewfinder. You will not see any improvement in IQ.

Solarflare · Oct 9, 2012

He already has a D600 now, though.

And besides, he said ABOVE ISO 800, not AT ISO 800. ISO 800 is practically the same as ISO 100 on the D5100. But ISO 1600 will start to show noise.

greybeard · Oct 9, 2012

Solarflare said:
He already has a D600 now, though.

And besides, he said ABOVE ISO 800, not AT ISO 800. ISO 800 is practically the same as ISO 100 on the D5100. But ISO 1600 will start to show noise.

That will teach me to read all the posts first.........lol......... ISO 800 is far from the IQ of ISO 100 if you crop very much. (imho)