Nikon Family Tree.. where does my D100 fit?

[Ducksoup]

I jumped into the DSLR's a few years back after talking with a friend who is an amateur photographer. He thought I might be interested in his used D-100 he was trying to sell, I bit and have been happy with its performance. I like to shoot flowers, Lake Michigan, air shows and other outdoor stuff with the occasional portrait or even wedding thrown in (ok.. have only shot one wedding so far) and feel I've reached about 85%-90% of what the camera is capable of. The camera isn't getting any younger and is starting to show signs of its age or it might be that I'm starting to outgrow it.. so my big question is... where does it fall in the Nikon Family tree and what might be a good replacement. I would like something that is at least 12-14MP as I want to be able to blow up my pics a bit more than I'm currently able (12"x16" is what my print lab tells me they feel comfortable blowing my pics up to..without pixelating), I don't really care about HD movie capability (if I wanted that I'd get a Camcorder), I have a F1.8 35mm AF-S lens, and an AF-S f3.5-5.6 24mm - 120mm VR lens (would eventually like more zoom, but this works for now). I also have a SB-80DX. I also like to go outside and shoot lightning, and stars (haven't been too successful with the stars yet) so lowlight situations might affect the decision. I don't need the latest and greatest, but I get lost in comparing all the D's Nikon offers!

Koedam Photography | Facebook

[OsmosisStudios]

THe current version of the D100 is the D300s. But if you can wait, there are rumors of a D400 in the not-too-distant future.

The entire, from start to finish line up is (BOLD is current bodies:

Entry level:
D40
D40x
D60
D3000
D5000
D3100

Mid range
D50
D70
D70s
D80
D90
D7000

Upper-mid/Pro small body
D100
D200
D300
D300s
D700

Pro series
D1
D2h
D2x
D2xs
D3
D3s
D3x

[Almond.Butterscotch]

Well, it's certainly is outdated- you got that bit right.

As for where it fits, it's part of the Dx00 line (current model: D300s, due to be replaced fall 2011) which makes it the "top" of the cropped-sensor field, but it gets tricky with the D100 because of one reason: when the D100 came out alongside the D1, the D1 was the top-of-the-top digital camera from Nikon and it too was a cropped-sensor camera, so at the time the D100 was still the #2 DX camera.

If you want a replacement with similar features and ergonomics but with newer technology (and 10 years in the digital world is a LOT), the D300s is the new kid on the block. If you want as similar-as-possible imaging quality, then the 'worst' Nikon has to offer right now is the D3000 (where available since its been replaced with the D3100).

If you don't care about video, then the D300 can be had for a fair bit cheaper than the D300s. (It's missing some small things compared to the D300s other than video, but it's still the same level.)

I'm sure others will jump in and swiftly disagree with some of my historical accuracy (which is probably a bit off anyways), but I hope that helps nevertheless.

[Ducksoup]

Thanks for your responses! This clarifies a bunch of things for me and makes my life that much simpler. Enjoy the holiday season for those of you with holidays coming up!

[nokiN]

Wikipedia has a nice timeline at the bottom of the page:

Nikon D100 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia