Which Nikon to upgrade to?
My fiance is using a D3100 right now and we're looking to upgrade. She photographs mostly children, new borns, toddlers, couples etc. She very rarely uses a studio, basically fields, trees, old buildings, barns etc. She has an 18-140mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm and whichever lens came w/ her D3100. My question is, which camera would be the most logical next step? D90, D5300, D7100? We'd like to stick with Nikon and have about $1,000 to spend, give or take a couple hundred.
If there's nothing wrong with the 3100, then there's really no real reason to upgrade the camera. A 5000 series camera would be more than enough for such simplistic usage.
The D7100 is the next logical step up from that entry-level group, its heavier and weathersealed and has a nicer viewfinder and uses a real pentaprism instead of a mirror arangement.
Snapsort is a useful starting place to compare cameras. See:
http://snapsort.com/...ikon_D3100
http://snapsort.com/...ikon-D7100
To see any real jump in image quality would require going to a 35mm body and top spec lenses. Expensive.
The D7100 (or D7000) would be the next logical step. While the D5300 is a nice camera, it is still an entry level camera and lacks many of the features found on the D7xxx cameras.
In other words, upgrading to the D5300 is not enough of a step up in my view.
A NIKON D800---abesofmaine.com or cameta.com
If you don't want the expense of the D7100 then you could go for a D7000. The D7000 has been reduced a lot in price since the introduction of the D7100 and it's still a great camera. It won't be a vast step up in image quality, although the low light shooting will be better, but you will find that reaction times are vastly improved, which can be a huge advantage when taking shots of children.
Whether you go for D7000 or D7100 you will find that the viewfinder is clearer and shows more of the image. The AF is faster. It takes the picture more quickly. The LCD resolution is much higher (about 3x as good) making it easier to check shots. You get 2 SDHC slots so you can have a backup card in case one goes wrong. You get a lot more cross focus points which means you get more choice of focus point in portrait mode. The battery is larger and lasts longer between charges. There are a load of other improvements.
The one downside of the D7000 or D7100 over the D3100 is the weight. These are significantly heavier cameras. You might want to try hanging one round your neck in a store before you buy.
The D7000 and D7100 models are both much better cameras for the experienced photographer. If you can afford the D7100 then by all means go for it, but the D7000 is still a very good upgrade from the D3100.
http://snapsort.com/...ikon_D7000
http://snapsort.com/...ikon_D7000