D7100 as a first dslr

One question, I am looking to buy d7100 (my first dslr) and I can see that plenty of you guys have d7000 or d7100, could I trouble you for some advice, especially on dilemma about 18-105 or 18-140 kit lens? I read that 18-105 should give better results but I am interested hearing from you guys that are using it.
And also if you could comment on my decision to buy d7100 as a first dslr (I am upgrading form Coolpix l820 but I have an experience with Olympus e-410).
Also if you can post in a few words what is important and what d7100 would bring on a table from your point of view, thanks!

Thank you for all your comments in advance!

Someone else can comment on the lens choices. As far as the camera goes. You will not find a better deal for the money than the D7100. It overachieves in every respect. There is a big learning curve, but if you stick with it through the frustration the camera will reward you.

Look through these pictures and you will see what can be achieved with practice.

http://nikonites.com/d7100/17745-best-d7100.html#axzz2pYz9m97x

Personally I'd get the D3200 as a first SLR as the Guide Mode will help you how to manipulate Aperture, Shutter Speed, etc to get your desired result and then once you've mastered that, practice some more advanced techniques with it and eventually upgrade to the D7100.

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If you are willing to learn about exposure AND fully learn your camera's features AND have an ongoing desire to work with the camera, then a d7100 is a great choice. If you are not so certain then a d3200 or d5200/d5300 might be a less expensive choice. In short, the d7100 has more pro-leaning features. More buttons, two command wheels, top lcd display, two card slots, focus motor, more advanced flash features. There is more that I am probably forgetting. Plenty of threads on the d7100 vs ?. It takes a little more work to make the most of a d7100, but in the end, it is easier to quickly see what is going on with the camera and quickly change settings as you shoot. A little more menu diving in the d3x00 and d5x00 to get to some features. Tell us what you are looking for by moving to a dlsr and maybe we can sway you towards or away from the d7100.

Go with the latest. You've got some experience. The D7100 would be a good buy.

I started with a D3100 and then upscaled to the D7100. I'm glad I started with the 3100.

When I bought a DSLR 3 years ago it was a D7000 with a 18-105mm. I am so glad I got that and not a "lesser" model. If you want "easy" then you may want to look at other types of cameras. If you know you want to learn to use a DSLR then get something that will reward the effort. If you look around this forum you'll see several threads where people grew out of their 3000 series cameras rather quickly, or were disappointed to learn that features like exposure bracketing were not available. I'd rather have a feature that I'm not using (yet) than have a camera that can't do what I want it to.

As for the lens, the 18-105mm is a great first lens. My D7000 has since been converted to IR and I've upgraded to FX bodies, but the 18-105mm still lives on that camera. I've had zero issues with it in 3 years.

Jonathan said:

I started with a D3100 and then upscaled to the D7100. I'm glad I started with the 3100.

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That's exactly what I plan on doing.

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For all of you who started on the lower model and say you're "glad you did", perhaps it would benefit everyone to know precisely what it was about this migration that you are thankful for, and what precisely it is about the camera you now have that would have discouraged you enough to possibly give it all up had you gotten that first? While I don't doubt it was an easier learning curve, it was also more expensive.

I had no idea what camera to get, nor how I would take to digital photography. My background is in SLR before I had children. With a completely non-technical wife (I've JUST got her on to email) and little personal time I had to weigh up how she could have access to our digital family history and how much time I would have available to make the photographs accessible to the family. My main fear was taking thousands of snaps that just stayed hidden on a computer to which only I have access. The cheaper option of the D3100 seemed less scary and less of a commitment to the genre.

Once I bought a large digital frame on to which I copy all my photos and put that in the kitchen so that it can just display random shots she buys into the access point. I got a Flickr page, onto which I put my "better" shots. We now harvest that to give framed and mounted prints to friends and family as presents (first outing this Christmas) and we intend to hang a personal selection up the stairs.

As I bought more lenses and got into macro and deep space object photography I started to suffer the limitations of the 3100. The onboard motor of the 7100 helps focus my 18-300mm, something my 3100 was struggling with. Focus is a big bug-bear of mine, so the better greater number of points of the 7100 was attractive. I love time lapse, and the 7100 has this in-built (I'd added it to the 3100 but couldn't really understand it due to a crappy manual). The 3100 had a 30 second Live View window which is REALLY annoying when doing things like astrophotography. Nikon have not released 3100 APIs into the wild so there are little third party add-ons available. The 7100 is the opposite. I like to go out in all weathers and, although not advisable, the 7100 is at least weather-proof. I now want to get into all the aperture, shutter, ISO stuff and the 7100 makes it all the more accessible as it's not all menu driven. My eyesight is failing (age, not illness) so touch controls are important.

I could go on, but a very good request BackdoorHippie. It's not a money thing, it's a walk don't run thing. And my wife had to buy into it as it can be a solitary hobby, especially given that she's an artist who shelved painting to bring up the children. I'm hoping the creativity in the house will re-ignite her creative juices - that appears to be slowly happening.

BackdoorHippie said:

For all of you who started on the lower model and say you're "glad you did", perhaps it would benefit everyone to know precisely what it was about this migration that you are thankful for, and what precisely it is about the camera you now have that would have discouraged you enough to possibly give it all up had you gotten that first? While I don't doubt it was an easier learning curve, it was also more expensive.

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im im a current D3200 user and am planning to upgrade to D7100 and I'm glad I went this path. I only have the 3200 since last April so it's a short life for it really but, it was my first DSLR and while I was enthusiastic to learn, I still wasn't 100% sure that DSLR photography would be something long term for me. Hence I bought an entry level camera to see how I got on.

As as it turns out I'm hooked and now want more from a camera body hence the upgrade. In hindsight if I had know I would have such a passion for DSLR photography I probably would have spent the extra cash on a 7100 but I'm happy with my decision to spend at the lower end on a body to find out my true interest.

Jonathan said:

I started with a D3100 and then upscaled to the D7100. I'm glad I started with the 3100.

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I started with a 3100 and I'm so glad I already got rid of it...

Flugelbinder said:

I started with a 3100 and I'm so glad I already got rid of it...

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After how long, and what was wrong with it that made you so glad to get rid of it? I loved mine (and still have it).

We all have our preferences. I'm glad you like yours! I "downgraded" to a D90... I would love a 7100, but it's not possible right now... Go for the 7100 and don't look back!!!

Jake is spot on. Get a 7100 it's a great camera. If you're learning it has auto scene modes like a point and shoot. As you learn it can be as manual as you wish. If you're keen to learn photography it's the way to go.

I bought my wife a D300 five years ago and she's just added the D7100. She came at it from little knowledge but was keen to learn. At no point over the five years did she try something new and find that the D300 didn't do it. We bought once because we bought right and it probably worked out cheaper in the long run.

Since you already have some experience with a DSLR (Olympus E-410) buy the D7100. You will be glad you did. I shot only Olympus up until about a year ago. When I decided to add Nikon I originally purchased a D5100 which I quickly returned and bought a D7100 instead. The D7100 just has so many additional features you can't go wrong.

Horses for courses ...

I am only a couple days short of 1yr with my first DSLR. I was thinking the 5xxx series but went for the more intimidating 7000 and I most definitely made the right choice for me. I had no idea what iso, aperture or anything meant and reading posts here was a bit like reading a foreign language. It was a foreign language I wanted to learned though so read, asked stupid questions, took a course at the college and I have enjoyed every single thrilling and frustrating moment of learning. I think if I'd bought a menu based camera I would not have pushed myself to learn and would have stayed in the modes because playing with menus are a pain in the butt. I love my 7000 and if you are truly interested in more than auto shooting then 7xxx is the way to go. The top screen is great for night shoots on a tripod and being able to change everything easily while continuing to look out your viewfinder is the best. Oh and the 2 card slots excellent

I started with a D3100 about 18 months ago, it suited my need at the time and really got me interested in photography again, after 12 months I upgraded to a D7100.
I'll admit, it was a pretty steep learning curve for the first week or 2 with the new camera and manual, but it was definitely worth the trouble to learn it.

I think with the digital experience you already have, going straight to the D7100 would be the way to go, as long as you feel comfortable with that decision, go for it.

Of course everyone has a different capacity for learning and picking up new things, some will breeze through it while others may take a bit longer.

EDIT- I will add that I sold my D3100 and 2 x kits lenses for $220 less than what I paid for them new, I consider that money well spent for what I got out of it.

I was feeling pretty good about the photos I was taking with the last two ultra zooms when a friend gifted me with a D3100. I had been using the manual controls on the other two so it wasn't a huge stretch. After a little more than a year I moved up to the D7000. I am glad I didn't just start out with the 7000. I think the learning curve would have been a bit steeper without learning at a lower level first.I love learning on my cameras every day.