nikon d5100 lens issue/d7000

[tatumheiser]

Hey everyone. Im currently debating between the d5100 & the d7000. i know everyone will say d7000 of course! (cost $$$ being the only issue here)

anyway, i know a decent amount about dslr's.. not enough to save up for a super fantastic pro camera ;p but enough that i could use the d7000.

im currently expecting a baby. im hoping to do my own portraits of her.. which camera/lens would be best for this?

alsoooo, someone please explain the issue with the auto focus with the d5100 and lenses. & with that being said, would i in time end up spending more on these AF lenses if i choose the d5100. PLEASE HELP!


Thank you!!!

[OsmosisStudios]

The D7000 has a motor in the body to drive a screw-style autofocus system, the one that Nikon used when they first adapted their old F-mount to be an AF or AF-D mount. The D5100 doesn't have this motor.

As a result, the D5100 doesn't get autofocus when using AF or AF-D lenses: it requires AF-I or AF-S lenses. Not so great if you've got a collection of older AF or AF-D lenses, or if you work primarily with primes (there are a number that are still only AF-D, though that number is quickly dropping).

Will you pay more for a new AF-S version of an older AF-D lens? Yes and no. New AF-S lenses are generally more expensive, but generally speaking you dont have the option of getting either AF-D or AF-S of the exact same lens: the new versions have the AF-S motor in the lens, but also have better coatings, optical designs, and often have better overall performance, build, or other features.

As an example:
You can get a 50mm f/1.8 AF-D lens for $140 or a 50mm f/1.8 G AF-S lens for $220. Yes, there's an $80 difference, but you also get much better optical performance and better build on top of the AF-S focusing.

So, well worth it.

The D7000 has another advantage over the D5100 is the pop-up flash: the one in the D7000 can trigger SB flash units. This means that if you're doing any kind of portraiture work with flashes, it can be a huge advantage. I use this in my D300s to trigger flashes on stands. Works a treat, and means I can have a powerful studio setup in a small bag

[TheMoons678]

Yep, the D7000 is an awesome camera but you shouldnt get it only for the internal focus motor.

I'd guess that the average shooter only has one prime lens like a 35mm, 50mm, 85mm,...

If you are buying a $1100 camera just to save $80 as osmosis pointed out, you've actually "lost" money. Don't get me wrong, the D7000 is supposed to be worth it (for some), but as a hobbyist i'm sure you'll be fine with a D5100 and a 35mm 1.8 or 50mm 1.8 for your baby.

(ps my baby #1 should arrive in 2 months, i'm pretty pumped to take those pictures)

[mbrobich]

Hi I am new here too and am a hobby photographer. I currently have a D7000 and just sold my D5100 to get it. If you are mainly getting the camera to do only portrait style, you can do it with a D3100(Also had one of those, sold it to get the D5100). I originally got the D5100 as it had a slightly better sensor, but I also wanted the flip screen.(when hooked up to my telescope).

I love the build of the D7000 over the others here, but what I really miss is the D5100 built-in HDR capability.(I never thought I would even use it) I used that quite a bit to do 2 shot handheld HDR's and now miss it when shooting landscapes. Sure the D7000 does bracketing, but I have to carry my tripod if I want nice HDR shots.

The other factor(about the built-in focus motor ) is that I had 2 older lenses that I could use with from my older D80, but what I found when trying to find more, is that everyone is either holding on to the older lenses or they want TOP dollar for them too. Now I only have newer lenses and do not need the built-in motor. I currently have a Sigma 150-500mm, a Tamron 60mm F2/Macro prime, a Nikkor 18-135mm zoom and a Sigma 10-20mm fisheye.

I also do gain 1-2 fps faster, but don't use it that much(more bragging rights i guess) and the partial magnesium chassis...but better weather sealing.

Knowing what I know now, I think I would have stayed with the D5100.

Cheers.

Marc

[sk66]

I would say the only realistic reason for you to get the 7000 over the 5100 is the built in commander mode *if* you are planning on doing off camera flash work (I also love Nikon's CLS).

There are "other" reasons to get the 7000 over the 5100, but it doesn't really apply to typical portrait/scenic type work....

[ccting]

Originally Posted by tatumheiser

Hey everyone. Im currently debating between the d5100 & the d7000. i know everyone will say d7000 of course! (cost $$$ being the only issue here)

anyway, i know a decent amount about dslr's.. not enough to save up for a super fantastic pro camera ;p but enough that i could use the d7000.

im currently expecting a baby. im hoping to do my own portraits of her.. which camera/lens would be best for this?

alsoooo, someone please explain the issue with the auto focus with the d5100 and lenses. & with that being said, would i in time end up spending more on these AF lenses if i choose the d5100. PLEASE HELP!


Thank you!!!

Dear tatumheiser,
I think we are in the same situation. I bought D5100 for my baby. I conclude my points before you read further. If you are serious in doing photography, buy D7000. If you wish to capture pictures just for memory, D5100 or even D3100 is sufficient. It is easier for beginner like me to use D5100 than D7000 ( you can always buy new one later as these models will probably out-of-dated every 2 years, i believe. Thus saving your money for cheaper but yet more advanced camera in future, or after you learned the skill.). If you wish to advance in photography, then the total cost of ownership of D5100 is much much higher than D7000. Further, forget about the VR Kit Len, it is very slow len and not suitable for low-light without flash. Just downgrade to 35mm f1.8 DX and you will not regret. It is important for you to get 35mm f1.8 rather than 50mm f1.8 if you wish to have only 1 len, because 50mm is too narrow for small room and landscape. 35mm f1.8 has the sharper than 50mm f1.8 which is sharper than 50mm f1.4. I have done survey for long but I never buy lenses other than my poor VR KIT LEN.

Note: Those comment above are professional photographers, and they have different view / perspective than us (who don't live for photo-shooting and mind about the expenditure on hobby).

Why D5100 is much more expensive in total cost of ownership if you wish to improve your photography skillset? Read further then you know how i am feeling now for my D5100.



Fact about these cameras:
a) D3100 is at least 50% cheaper than D5100; D5100 is cheaper than D7000
b) D7000 wins the best semi-pro camera in the famous EISA

Advantage D5100 over D7000
a) Flipable digital view finder that enables seamless shooting
b) HDR, many photo editing command
c) BULB Timing with Cheap IR remote sensor without holding the button
d) Many template shooting - Low key, High Key and a lot more
e) Lighter
f) Same noise handling

Disadvantage D5100 over D7000
a) Does not have motor, thus almost only can utilize AFS lenses, which are much more expensive and limited. That means you need spend a lot more for lenses. For example AFS 50mm f1.8 $799 vs AFD 50mm f1.8 $399. Ignore this point if you never plan to buy more lenses. 35mm can do most of the baby-portrait. (35 X1.5 = 52.5mm). Please refer to famous Kenrockwell website.

b) Does not have Channel mode for flash, that is to say, you can have slave mode flash.. (I am not sure about slave mode, more or less..). That means I can't separate nissin di622 from my camera in order to function - creative lighting disable. May be there are alternatives but much more expensive - Nikon Commander? USD 400?. (By now, your D5100 should more expensive than D7000 - assume the len also rain-resistant).

c) Cannot adjust Kelvin mannually. You need to trick your D5100 with WB Preset with card. But you can edit your photo using D5100 using color map. So, you can do it Pre-shot, but you can do Post-shot for temperature. Any difference? I don't know.

d) No dust / moisture protection, that means you need more money to clean your sensor and the body last shorter. Have you survey how much to clean dust / moisture of the body? That's to say, D5100 needs much more cleaning services than D7000. How about D3100 / Canon?If you own only 1 len, I think it should not give much problems for dust as you don't change lenses, but you can't shoot in rain (vs D7000).

e) 11 Multicam points vs 39 multicam points. That makes composition harder. D5100 has only 11, Canon has 9 if not mistaken. For me, autofocus becomes hard when these focus points are lesser. I love D7000 - 39 points.

f) Less buttons to press, that means you need to look at digital viewfinder to adjust some settings. D7000 can adjust settings on the fly. So, do you want to spend 10-20 seconds to adjust camera settings or you want to adjust the settings without looking at the LCD? It all depends on you.

g) Plastic feel, may break if you drop it. I believe you can drop D7000. Therefore, D7000 is more durable than
D5100. I have seen a Nikon demo room with a broken LCD (D5100) after a client dropped it. Have you make a survey how much to replace the LCD?

As D5100 is much expensive than D3100, I guess you can guess how D3100 behave.

Therefore, I think ...
a) If you are serious about photoshooting or learn more advanced shooting, go for D7000 for long-term cost-saving, and enables you to do more advanced shooting.

b) If you taking photos merely for memory, D3100.

c) If you wish to take photos using my templates and you don't plant to buy more lenses , i suggest you go for D5100.

d) If you wish to buy more lenses and landscape photography and update body frequently, go for Canon, as you owns canon lenses already.

Nikon vs Canon:
-If you shoot only landscape that utilize ISO less or equal 400, than go for Canon
-If you shoot sports that needs freeze motions, go for Nikon, as higher ISO gives cleaner image
-if you want to save more money for lenses, go for Canon as Nikon lenses are much more expensive.
-Nikon high end lenses may autofocus faster than Canon..
-Canon events / promotions/ competition more than Nikon, in my country. It is when you can earn some gears, free, only if only you win the competitions.
-I believe, Canon has higher granularity of ISO settings..manually.

I could have buy 50mm f1.8 around $200 if I have canon body. But I need to buy $799 50mm f1.8 AFS len for my D5100. I can't utilize the D series of 50mm f1.8 which is around $399 because my D5100 does not have motor to enable autofocus. All canon cameras have motor i guess.

Before you buy a camera, my experience is that
a) Make survey on their accesories such as cost of battery, battery grip, flash support, etc etc. Battery for D5100 is around $170-210 compared to $45 battery for D90 in my country. I can't use nission di622 slave mode for my D5100 but D90/D7000 can. So, consider Total Cost of Ownership of body, lenses, flashes and learning capability, and not the cost of body alone.

b) Consider NOT to include VR KIT. The VR Kit, particularly VR KIT 18-55mm is not usable during low-light. 18mm with f/3.5 widest; 55mm with f/5.6 widest. Without flash, the shutter speed at low light is always around 1/3 at f/3.5 ISO 100. Therefore you need D5100/D7000 and not D3100 or Canon if you owns this VR KIT, for portrait / events. But, excellent during daytime.

c) If you can wait, please wait for the 2nd version of D7000, then the price of D7000 will drop significantly, and then buy it. I believe every camera body will "expire" 2 years after the introduction. You can't keep up-to-dated if you are on budget like me. Be extremely sensitive to prices if you are not professional photographer like me and you are ON budget.

d) Wait for promotion. Usually Canon promotion is around 30-40%, at least in my country. Nikon never wants to give any discount, at least in my country.

e) Never buy converter during the purchase.. THis is when the saler mark-up their revenue. Make survey about filters, flash, etc etc

f) Please include LCD protector in the purchase. I have scratched my LCD screen, and no one told me about that before.!

Nikon VR Kit 18-55mm. Very sharp at f/8 35mm with Flash + tripod with VR /NR OFF (where you can see detail of hairs, eyes clearly). Use 55mm instead of 50mm for portrait..as 50mm seems a bit problem..not sure.


I understand your feeling and tension. When I bought my first camera on 23 June 2011, I purchased it without asking / knowing anything, for around $3000, plus some useless expensive converters, filters. Now, I wish to buy a speedlight, and this time I will be extremely carefully in selecting an appropriate speedlight, as I don't want to spend any more money on this hobby, which may tentative and not permanent.

Critical point: I am a noob, so.. may wrong. You may have the same thought as mine 4 months after you buy D5100 . Just back from Nikon Centre after playing the D7000, and i would say WOW!!!!!!!!!! too much gap between D5100 and D7000. Not much gap between D3100 - D5100 except the noise handling. If I could go back to the past, I will not buy D5100, but D7000 because I am crazy about Photography at this time. If you "will not" crazy about Photography, buy cheaper even Compact camera will do the good job.

Sorry, I just bought YN465, and I found that, D5100 is less useful when you wish to command how your off-camera speedlight behave. But I am not sure how long (distance) it can go to command a off-camera speedlight.... :_(. Both have pro and cons. buy both D5100 & D90 or just one D7000.

[sk66]

I stand corrected.........

[Meatshield]

If I may add my two cents worth. If you buy the D7000 you need to have decent glass. I'm shooting with the 18-200 and the shots come out blurry. I can fix it in post processing, but it seems to me that the D7000 sensor can resolve all the lens's shortcomings. Tripod, with VR off and remote shutter release does not make a difference. The same conditions with my 50mm f1.8 yield crystal sharp images.

I have to say that it's not insurmountable, but if you simply want to take trouble free pictures of the family, the D5100 is going to be the better choice.

If you want to take photography serious and maybe start making money with your camera, the D7000 is the one to go with.

Read the following link with a grain of salt..:
Flickr: Discussing 18-200 Nikon Lens on D7000 - how bad it is in NIKON D7000 CLUB

[ccting]

Have u try out the lenwith other camera? Probably you needsend the camera for services...back / front fous problem

[Meatshield]

Originally Posted by ccting

Have u try out the lenwith other camera? Probably you needsend the camera for services...back / front fous problem

no, it's the lens + body combination. I've tried my 50mm lens on the D7000 body and it's fine. The 18-200 takes beautiful pictures on my D40 body. So I'm thinking it's just my rotten luck, I NEED a nice new lens to solve my problem. I'm trying to convince my wife that the only solution is the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8.

She's not falling for it so far....