Have a D60 and want to upgrade- Is the d5100 worth upgrading to?

colleenjones

New member
I have a D60 camera that I've had for 5+ years. I'd like to be able to take better pictures of indoor sports including basketball but don't want to spend professional dollars on new equipment. I'd also like to get close up of kids on the soccer or baseball fields. Will the D5100 with a 55-300 lense be a big improvement? Or should I buy a 70-300mm lense and keep the D60?
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
It would be a very good improvement considering that the newer D5100 sensor can be used without a problem up to 3200 iso. It would make it possible to have a faster shutter speed for the indoor sports. But if you could ALSO get a 80-200 2.8 lens, this would be even better...
 

TedG954

Senior Member
The D5100 is a very capable camera at a bargain price.

Agreeing with Marcel, it would be an improvement over the D60 for lesser than optimum lighting situations.

But, if you are primarily doing daylight photos, I would simply upgrade my lenses.
 

pedroj

Senior Member
Welcome Colleen...The 80-200 F2.8 wont auto focus on either camera...

I really think you need a fast lens for night photography...

I used my 50mm F1.8 to shoot a soccer match at night at F2.8

For more length you might pick up a second hand 85mm F1.8...You can always crop it some..
 
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Indoor sports (basketball or volleyball) while sometimes poorly lit is not "night photography" is it?
Personally I would go with the D5100 and the Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Len myself.
Because with the ISO performance the D5100 can achieve you're not going to need a much faster lens than that one.

my $ .02 worth

Bill K.
in Fla.
 

colleenjones

New member
After this post, I'm not necessarily limiting myself to the 5100. Is there a better camera body that you would recommend to use in low light for these indoor sports. What about the 7000 or 600?
 

colleenjones

New member
I've read reviews that say the 5100 is preferred over the 7000. I also like teh vari-angle lcd screen of the 5100. What am I not getting in the 5100 that I will get from the 7000? There is so much information!
 

blackwell17

Senior Member
I've read reviews that say the 5100 is preferred over the 7000. I also like teh vari-angle lcd screen of the 5100. What am I not getting in the 5100 that I will get from the 7000? There is so much information!

I just recently "upgraded" to the 7000 from the 5100. Ability to use older lenses, 2 card slots, dual control wheels instead of going into the menus to change things like white balance, ISO, metering system, etc. Also weather sealing is a big part of the upgrade as the 5100 is very "plasticy" and the 7000 feels very sturdy. Commander mode is huge for me as I like to use off camera flash. This is basically the ability of the camera to trigger an external flash with the on-board flash instead of having to buy a 3rd party trigger system that does not utilize the TTL flash system that Nikon is well known for. U1 and U2 modes are nice as well since you can preset them to certain shooting types (indoor sports, outdoor landscape, etc) You get an increased frame rate as well so you can snap more photos continuously. 39 point auto focus as opposed to 11 points, so your focusing screen is much more "customizable". I'm sure I am missing a few things but these are just the stand out points that I am fond of since switching to the 7000. The 5100 is an outstanding camera though, since it is using the same sensor as the 7000, so image quality and low light capability they are on the exact same page.

Both would be a huge upgrade over the D60, but spending money on faster (low f number) lens would be a wise decision as well.
 
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djrama

New member
In fact at this moment I have make up that kind of decision, buying a couple of lenses for my D60.
It was a nice decision since those lenses will be useful in the future if I change my camera while I have more possibilities at this very moment.
 
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