Future purchase advice please
- Thread starter Deuce808
- Start date
Hello and welcome to the forum!
I don't have an answer to your question but it will come down to what your needs are and what you feel you are lacking in your current set up, only you can really answer these questions. If you tell us what you would want a second body for, or specifically what you would need a new lens for, I'm sure members here will be able to offer some useful suggestions.
I don't have an answer to your question but it will come down to what your needs are and what you feel you are lacking in your current set up, only you can really answer these questions. If you tell us what you would want a second body for, or specifically what you would need a new lens for, I'm sure members here will be able to offer some useful suggestions.
First point I would like make in advice would be not to pay much if any to attention to battery packs you currently use in looking for a second or upgrade Nikon. Battery packs can be bought at reasonable prices! Well unless buying D4 batteries, thedn you will have purchased a highend nikon and the battery price will fit the cost of the nikon! Lol 
Second, I am a hobbiest and currently use two bodies and have tended to own at least two Nikon DSLRs almost from the beginning! Also I have used battery grips right from the start and I have always recommended them for comfort and ease of using, besides the obvious advantages of longer shooting times without pausing to change batteries!
Now OEM vs third party, I have found I prefer OEM when possible, but I will buy and use third party grips when no OEM grips are available for the model Nikon I might have! There is no OEM grips for your D3200 so I would look into third party grips to see what others recommend in brands! If interested that is!
I'm a two Nikon DSLRs shooter, and always have tended to keep at least that many on hand all the time, but that is me! There is nothing wrong with going with two entry level DSLRs, though I tend to prefer moving ever upwards in one way or another when buying second Nikon when I can. But two of the same model can be very handy for sure especially if you have lenses you love that won't be safe to use on different body models! As you have a non ai lens, you might want to consider that.
You seem to have some pretty good glass, so adding as body might be a great idea if you feel the desire/need as I have felt many times as others keep teasing me about! Lol
But better glass is always a good option, and a good ultra wide lens can be very handy! For DX I think my choice for price vs quality would be the Tokina 11-16 lens from seeing my buddies work one!
I hope my ramblings will be of help! Also welcome to our Nikonites family!
Second, I am a hobbiest and currently use two bodies and have tended to own at least two Nikon DSLRs almost from the beginning! Also I have used battery grips right from the start and I have always recommended them for comfort and ease of using, besides the obvious advantages of longer shooting times without pausing to change batteries!
Now OEM vs third party, I have found I prefer OEM when possible, but I will buy and use third party grips when no OEM grips are available for the model Nikon I might have! There is no OEM grips for your D3200 so I would look into third party grips to see what others recommend in brands! If interested that is!
I'm a two Nikon DSLRs shooter, and always have tended to keep at least that many on hand all the time, but that is me! There is nothing wrong with going with two entry level DSLRs, though I tend to prefer moving ever upwards in one way or another when buying second Nikon when I can. But two of the same model can be very handy for sure especially if you have lenses you love that won't be safe to use on different body models! As you have a non ai lens, you might want to consider that.
You seem to have some pretty good glass, so adding as body might be a great idea if you feel the desire/need as I have felt many times as others keep teasing me about! Lol
But better glass is always a good option, and a good ultra wide lens can be very handy! For DX I think my choice for price vs quality would be the Tokina 11-16 lens from seeing my buddies work one!
I hope my ramblings will be of help! Also welcome to our Nikonites family!
Don Kuykendall_RIP
RIP :(
I would not go with two entry level bodies. Easier and cheaper to just change lenses. Really upgrade your body and get a D7100 or a D7200. There are some very good 3rd party batteries on the market. I use a few of them all the time in my D7000 and D7100 and find no difference in them and the OEM batteries.
I have three bodies but most of the time only carry one.
I usually have a longer lens attached to the body and keep a short one in the bag. Subjects requiring a short lens are usually not time-restricted so I just switch the lens, shoot what I need and put the long lens back. I does cost a bit more time and effort than two cams but the advantage is that you travel lighter. Two cams dangling at my side is simply annoying and you have to carry a backpack if you want to store it.
Only when birding it happens that I take two cams with me but then it's an FX and DX and purely for the crop advantage.
For everything else I just grab the body that suits my intents best, and maybe carry a second lens with me to have more options.
I usually have a longer lens attached to the body and keep a short one in the bag. Subjects requiring a short lens are usually not time-restricted so I just switch the lens, shoot what I need and put the long lens back. I does cost a bit more time and effort than two cams but the advantage is that you travel lighter. Two cams dangling at my side is simply annoying and you have to carry a backpack if you want to store it.
Only when birding it happens that I take two cams with me but then it's an FX and DX and purely for the crop advantage.
For everything else I just grab the body that suits my intents best, and maybe carry a second lens with me to have more options.
I started with a D3200 and now have a D7100. I love the upgrade! I have thought of carrying both bodies at once but would generally rather take pictures with the D7100 so I'm prepared to swap lenses. The best case scenario for me is when my wife comes along with me and she uses the D3200 and then if I want to swap for a shot I can, without needing to carry the extra weight. She has fun too, so its win win.
In my opinion, if you are going to invest, I suggest getting an FX body. That way you get AF on all the "D" lenses and metering on AIS ones (the D7xxx bodies also have this). That gives you access to wide gamut of pre owned lenses at a reasonable cosy. FX bodies will in general
. Have better noise at higher ISO
. Landscapes using popular AIS wides - 24m and 28mm will give the same FOV as 16mm and 18mm on DX, which means cheaper and at times better lenses.
The downside of FX is that you have less dense sensors (except the D8xx series), so you will need longer lenses for those distant shots compared to DX. But carting along two DX bodies (unless you a sports shooter) seems pointless to me.
. Have better noise at higher ISO
. Landscapes using popular AIS wides - 24m and 28mm will give the same FOV as 16mm and 18mm on DX, which means cheaper and at times better lenses.
The downside of FX is that you have less dense sensors (except the D8xx series), so you will need longer lenses for those distant shots compared to DX. But carting along two DX bodies (unless you a sports shooter) seems pointless to me.
That's hard to say as I haven't got around to doing any side by side comparisons using the exact same settings yet. I do feel that my images have been better but that may have been helped by a number of other factors. Better high ISO performance has helped I'm sure and the superior autofocus has helped me get some shots I wouldn't have got otherwise.
It is really the feel of the camera and its ability to autofocus and meter with older lenses which are what I really like about it.
Welcome to the website,
I Have 2 camera bodies, D3200 and a D7100, Its very rare I take both with me, if I do I normally Have the 70-300mm lens on one and the 18-105mm lens on the other.
I find it better to take 1 body and 2 lenses.
The D7100 has a battery grip which fits fine on a tripod, and when using hand held, makes the camera well balanced in the hand.