Looking to upgrade from D60

[mcder4]

I am looking to upgrade from my D60 possibly to a D90. I would like to go to a D700 but that is out of my price range. I have the 18-55 and 55-200 (non VR) for the D60.

If I go to the D90, I would get the kit that comes with the 18-105 and 70-300 VR lenses. I am guessing I could sell the D60 (two years old) to help cover some of the expense.

I am a hobbiest, looking to improve my photography. Will I see a big difference with the D90? Your thoughts please. Thanks.

[Nicole]

What do you want to achieve out of the upgrade? Are there things that the D90 can do that your D60 cannot that you actually want to do? As in... are you hitting limits with your camera? And would any of those limits be better solved with better lenses?

A new body will not automatically make better pictures. And maybe I'm the odd one out on this, but when I upgraded from the D50 to the D90, my pictures got a bit worse for a while because I was learning the new layout and new idiosyncrasies of the new camera. It's gotten better, much better. But there were distinct reasons and features lacking that prompted me to upgrade.

I have to say, given the lenses you have, I'd probably consider looking into a new lens or two to improve your photos rather than a new body. But obviously that's just my opinion.

[RyanS]

I'm going to take the oppsite tack - I owned by D60 for about 4 months (my first DSLR) before I dropped it and busted the shutter. When looking to replace it, the improved performance at higher ISOs made a real difference in the pictures that I was able to take. In addition, Nichole nailed it that upgraded lenses will make a huge difference as well - the 18-105VR will be a great upgrade from the 18-55 (there are many occasions that I use the long end of the 18-105 where I wouldn't have wanted to switch to the 55-200 (or been able to if I had left the lens at home). I think that upgrading the entire kit (including adding VR and 100mm to your reach) will make a great difference to you that's worth the investment.