Looking to upgrade camera and lens

[jkentphoto11]

Hello everyone, I am an amateur photographer, hoping to go pro one day. I currently have a Nikon D60 along the the kit lens, 55-200 f3.5-5.6 and 35 mm f1.8. I have been studying and practicing for quite some time now and while I love my camera and my prime lens, I am feeling a bit limited by some of the D60 features such as only have 3 AF areas and a good bit of noise with increased ISO. I have been looking into upgrading my camera and zoom lens and just have a few questions for you all!

1. What camera would you recommend after the D60? I have looked at the D300 and D700 and am trying to decide if I should go with the DX of FX format. I am thinking for what I am doing, mainly portrait photographer, the D300 would be perfect but I'm curious about everyone else's opinion on DX vs. FX.

2. What is a great zoom lens for portraits? My 55-200 mm gets the job done most of the time but it is definitely lacking in sharpness and I'd prefer a lens with a larger maximum aperture.

3. Since all of this equipment is very costly do you recommend getting a new camera or professional lens first?

Thanks so much!

[OsmosisStudios]

lens first the D60 isn't that old (the D3000 was the exact same camera with a "feature" or two added).

For lenses, for portraits: The 70-200 f/2.8 VR ($2000+) is definitely the best bet, though an 85mm f/1.8D would also be good (sub $500). Keep in mind, however, that the latter will NOT AF on your D60 body, should you keep it.

For bodies: Don't go FX if you dont need to. Unless you're shooting in the dark and are pushing every single limit as it is, you dont need FX. YOure not, so you dont. That leaves the D300 which, I'll admit, is getting on. For similar money, get a D7000 body.

All in all, though, image sharpness could be down to technique and settings. You say your 55-200 wasnt as sharp as you'd like: is it the VR or non-VR version? How's your handholding technique? What was your shutterspeed? These all contribute significantly to the image quality you're going to get.

If it were me, I'd hold off and make sure you've perfected technique and so on before moving up.

[jkentphoto11]

Thanks so much for the info OsmosisStudios. I hadn't even considered the D7000...now I'm more confused than ever! Ahh, decisions, decisions!

The 55-200 lens is the VR version and I have been working on my handholding technique but I still have a bit of camera shake. I do mostly portraits, so I'm looking for a zoom lens with a larger maximum aperture. The only way to get great DOF and bokeh with the 55-200 mm lens is to have it pretty much zoomed in all the way and wide open at f4. And of course, you have to have NO camera shake at this range to get sharp images.

[Almond.Butterscotch]

I agree with Os- lenses first. The problem with the 2 lenses Os suggested though is that the 85mm f/1.8 won't AF on the D60 and the 70-200mm will feel a bit too off-balanced on your tiny D60 (trust me- I've had the 70-200 and the 80-200 on my D40 before and it was nothing short of awkward). Also, the 85mm f/1.4 may well be out of your budget at $1600+/-. Have you considered something like the 105mm macro or the 85mm macro? The latter is a DX lens and won't be any good should you upgrade to FX in the future, but the 105mm is a gem. Be warned though that the 105mm is a bit bulky on a D40 as well (though not as bad as the 70-200mm). Consider renting before you buy.

[jkentphoto11]

Thanks for the information...will definitely keep it in mind. What do you think about the 24-70 mm f 2.8 lens?

[Almond.Butterscotch]

I think of the 24-70mm as a fixed-aperture, FX-equivalent of the kit lens that came with your D60. It's a solid, solid lens, but it's not really all that wide on DX.

[richardrash]

hmmmm...how about get a used D80 for $300 with autofocus motor..and a portrait lens such as Tamron 90mm SP macro or Sigma 50mm, 70mm 105mm macro...
macros are ultra sharp and they all come with f2.8 for bokeh?

I think if you have that kind of cash to jump from D60($250) to D7000 ($1200), you're facing too many options (D5000 D5100 D90 D80 D300 D300s), not to mention how much cash left for quality lens?

[TheEagleSpirit]

I have a D90 and D7000 which I dearly love. Being on fixed income is difficult but being retired photography has become a passion. The D7000 has so many different settings the D90 doesn't have but very useful. I use the f3.5 nikor 85mm lens for most of my work now even in lowlight situations, even use the kit lens for various situations, f2.8 tamron 17-50mm in tight situations and landscape, on rare occasions a f2.8 70-200 nikor lens.