After owning a D40 since I believe 2008, I've decided to buy a new body and purchased a D7100 yesterday. After salivating over it at Best Buy for the past few weeks, and countless hours looking at it online, I decided it was time to end the obsession and just get it. Roberts Camera had them refurbished on eBay for $599, which seems like a steal for this body - and all the reviews I can find about refurbished Nikon gear are overwhelmingly positive so I pulled the trigger.
I'm just a hobbyist photographer, but the bug for some gear upgrades came a few weeks ago when my cousin got in a bind. His wedding photographer wasn't coming to the reception (Photographer options in the UP aren't big I guess) and I was their next best option with my D40 and a hand full of inexpensive glass. With my D40, SB-600, and my AF-S 35mm 1.8, I managed to get enough shots to give them enough keepers to have some memories of their event. Believe me, I have no illusions of becoming any type of wedding photographer after shooting one event as a default option and getting some keepers - but I did have a blast and I did find out some limitations of my equipment.
One of the big limitations I found was in doing crops - 6MP just isn't enough and there were a few shots I wanted to crop but just lost too much information. Also, I'd like to be able to buy some older non AF-S lenses to maybe save some coin over their modern counterparts. Plus I've always been a fan of HDR photography and the D40 doesn't bracket.
My first question is about the lenses I already have. Since I got the 35mm 1.8, that pretty much lives on my D40. However, there are times I'd like to use the 18-55 that came with the D40 for a walk-around zoom. Is the 24MP sensor on this camera going to show the limitations of this lens, or should it be "OK" for a while until I can get a nicer zoom?
Speaking of nicer zooms - I've had my eye on one of the midrange f/2.8 zooms - either the 17-55 or the 24-70. Are the older non AF-S versions of the 24-70 decent? I believe I've seen those go for a decent price on eBay, and with the 7100 having the AF drive motor in the camera I might be able to save some coin that way instead of getting the AF-S version.
I'm sure I'll have a few more questions after I get the D7100 in my hands...
I'm just a hobbyist photographer, but the bug for some gear upgrades came a few weeks ago when my cousin got in a bind. His wedding photographer wasn't coming to the reception (Photographer options in the UP aren't big I guess) and I was their next best option with my D40 and a hand full of inexpensive glass. With my D40, SB-600, and my AF-S 35mm 1.8, I managed to get enough shots to give them enough keepers to have some memories of their event. Believe me, I have no illusions of becoming any type of wedding photographer after shooting one event as a default option and getting some keepers - but I did have a blast and I did find out some limitations of my equipment.
One of the big limitations I found was in doing crops - 6MP just isn't enough and there were a few shots I wanted to crop but just lost too much information. Also, I'd like to be able to buy some older non AF-S lenses to maybe save some coin over their modern counterparts. Plus I've always been a fan of HDR photography and the D40 doesn't bracket.
My first question is about the lenses I already have. Since I got the 35mm 1.8, that pretty much lives on my D40. However, there are times I'd like to use the 18-55 that came with the D40 for a walk-around zoom. Is the 24MP sensor on this camera going to show the limitations of this lens, or should it be "OK" for a while until I can get a nicer zoom?
Speaking of nicer zooms - I've had my eye on one of the midrange f/2.8 zooms - either the 17-55 or the 24-70. Are the older non AF-S versions of the 24-70 decent? I believe I've seen those go for a decent price on eBay, and with the 7100 having the AF drive motor in the camera I might be able to save some coin that way instead of getting the AF-S version.
I'm sure I'll have a few more questions after I get the D7100 in my hands...