Is 7100 $350 better than 5300?

I've read the comparisons and seen the pros/cons and image quality difference. BUT from experience, can any of you answer the above question?

There are a few things extra you have to consider. The weather sealing and the built in focus motor. Are these important to you. I went from the D5100 to the D7000 and that was quite a jump and then from the D7000 to the D7100. I was surprised at what a jump
That was. For the first time I am not looking to upgrade to any other camera

Yes, it is. Adding to what Don said, the layout of the controls giving direct access without menus is really nice. You can move much more fluidly when you can't take you eye off the ball.

My wife made that leap from her D5100 and the control layout alone, she says, is worth it on its own. I agree, and not just because I have to as the husband.

I went from a D5100 to a D7100.....and the IQ is outstanding. I think with the reoval of the OLPF, it really makes for a better image. Then you add the pentaprism viewfinder, and the 51 focus points and there is a world of difference. Just my observations!

I'd say it's more than worth the extra money. Right now that's the camera I plan to upgrade to unless I can be convinced that I would be better off with something else.

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ptcasper said:

I've read the comparisons and seen the pros/cons and image quality difference. BUT from experience, can any of you answer the above question?

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Well let's be honest this is a pretty subjective question but here's what I know...

I shot with a D7100. I recently (meaning a few months ago) upgraded my girlfriend to a D5300 so I do have experience shooting both and side by side. If by "better" you mean strictly from an image quality standpoint then I would have to say no; the D7100 is not "$350 better" than the D7100. The D7100 has more features overall than the D5330, but the D5300 brings some of it's own so I'll address this.

I'll go so far as to stick my neck out and say the internal focus motor of the D7100 probably accounts for, roughly, $125 of the price difference. If you can be happy using only those lenses that come equipped with their own focus motor, or if you're willing to use manual focusing of course, I think one of the biggest features of the D7100 is then nullified. I'll stick my neck out still further and say the weather sealing and magnesium-alloy body of the D7100 probably accounts for another $125 or so of the price difference. This is something else it's hard to put a personal value on but for me, the weather sealing is something of a consideration (I shoot near the ocean a lot as well as the desert, and both can be hard on cameras). The D7100 carries a lot convenience features though, that can not be ignored: more rapid access to settings, a lot more focus points and a better, brighter viewfinder. On the flip side, the D5300 has the articulating LCD, and the built-in GPS for geo-tagging (two features I'd kill to have on my D7100) as well as the built-in WiFi. So, all that being said, I think we've covered the majority of the price difference. My figures are guesstimates, I admit, but I'd wager I'm not *that* far off the mark.

So, as I see it, the question really becomes one about which feature set you want. If you have specific questions I'll do my best to answer them.

Edit: Having had some time to think about it, the pentaprism probably accounts for a fair amount of the price difference. The pentaprism is a five-sided precision ground lens and, as I think we all can appreciate, good glass (all that grinding!) costs money. I'd wager the prism used in the D7100, vs the "mirror box" use on the D5300 and similar cameras, accounts for as much of the price difference as either the focus motor or the magnesium-alloy body. Again, I'm guessing when I say but... That prism. I have a hard time believing it's not a wee bit costly to use.

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Thanks everyone for the helpful feedback! I do have one follow up question now and maybe I didnt do as much research as I should have... the 5300 is not compatible with all AF lenses?

The D7100 remains my ultimate goal - there I've said it.

ptcasper said:

Thanks everyone for the helpful feedback! I do have one follow up question now and maybe I didnt do as much research as I should have... the 5300 is not compatible with all AF lenses?

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The camera will be compatible with all Nikon F-mount lenses. However, only AF-S labelled lenses will auto focus on your camera. AF lenses require a motor in the camera body. The D5300 does not have a motor in body so any lens not labelled AF-S you would have to manually focus.

ptcasper said:

Thanks everyone for the helpful feedback! I do have one follow up question now and maybe I didnt do as much research as I should have... the 5300 is not compatible with all AF lenses?

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They're compatible in that they will function on the D5300 but AF lenses do not have an auto-focus motor built into them, so they rely on the camera to have an auto-focus motor. If there's no focus motor in the camera body then YOU become the focus motor. AF lenses will still meter and so forth but not auto-focus. For auto-focus on the D5300 you'll need a lens designated AF-S (the "S" indicates the presence of Nikon's "Silent Wave" auto-focus motor). There are plenty of AF-S lenses to choose from, but if you want to use, say, any of the Nikon "D" variant lenses, you'll have to focus them manually.

Third party lens makers (Sigma, Tokina, Tamron) also make lenses that have auto-focus motors built into them, but some will not. You will need to be sure you know what you're getting if you're expecting a lens that auto-focuses on the D5300.

Bonus Edit: For your convenience, here's a list of Nikon AF-S Lenses. All of the lenses on that list will auto-focus on the D5300. There are other makers that offer AF-S "type" lenses as well, that's just the Nikon catalog.

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Lawrence said:

The D7100 remains my ultimate goal - there I've said it.

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Same here. I don't even think about getting into FF. I love my D300 as much as a man can love an inament object but with double resolution and the OLPF removed, it's just hard not to think about the D7100.

Besides, If I can't afford a FF camera, I sure ad heck couldn't afford all those lenses. Lol

For me a big advantage of the D7100 over the D5300 was in the viewfinder...100% coverage pentaprism vs. 95% coverage pentamirror in the 5300. The former is much brighter to my eyes.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the top LCD. It goes along with the quick access controls. A quick look at the top display and you know a lot about what state the camera is in. Invaluable, especially out in the sun.

In defense of the 5300 (not that it needs it, but), it does have a swiveling LCD which comes in handy when you're down low (my son has one).

Good luck. They're both fine cameras. Buy good glass.

I've considered upgrading to the D7100 from my D7000 more than once, but I am going to wait until after I see what Nikon announces before Photokina in Sep. Hopefully, they will finally replace the D300.

Lawrence said:

The D7100 remains my ultimate goal - there I've said it.

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Mine too.

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Lots of good reasoning here. Personally, I can't quantify the value of having one camera vs. the other. Both are tools, and when you buy up you are either doing so to get features you need or will perhaps one day use, or because you believe that price is synonymous with image quality. I disagree with the latter as a hard and fast measure, so my answer to the question will always be, "Look at the difference in features and figure out whether or not you will be missing anything you want or need, or will want or need as your photography grows. If not, then it's probably not worth the extra money. If so, how frustrated will you be by not having them, and place a dollar-per-frustration-episode value on them and see if it exceeds the difference."

If you're serious about photography my experience is that you'll never regret buying more camera than you need (unless you're just greedy and want another body), but you'll always regret buying less. Whether or not you regret buying more than you can afford is a very personal situation and only you can answer that one.

Another factor to consider is the size. How the camera feels in YOUR hands might differ from what it feels in someone else's hands. This is why I strongly suggest that the prospective buyer gets his hands on both models to find out which one feels better in his hands.

Nothing beats the primal beast!

Top LCD, easy access to settings and the feel of the D7100 made my choice easy.
And the internal AF motor and weather sealing is nice to have, too.

I don't care about the missing flip screen.

I started out with the D3000 and felt that the camera is limiting me somehow.
So when I had the money (and the approval from the family-CFO) I went for the best I could get.
And that is (for me) the D7100.

A nice comparison of features between the two cameras is at snapsort.

I had a hard choice between the two cameras before I eventually decided to go for the D7100. My final reasoning was that it has more features (apart from the WiFI and GPS, which I'd love to have on my D7100) that I do not use right now, but they might come useful in the future.

Adding to what other people said, I need to mention that the D5300 does not have the high-speed flash sync (AFP) and no commander mode in the built-in flash. I do mostly landscapes, so it does not matter at the moment, but I've been asked to do a wedding next year, so I will need to use Nikon CLS indoors and outdoors, and these features will come useful. In particular, shooting a portrait with a wide-open lens and a fill-in flash outdoors can be very hard without AFP.

For me, a camera body is an investment for many years, so I'd rather pay more now, than regret skimping later.