Newbie

Fishboy

Senior Member
Hi everyone. Looking forward to the forum. Current camera usage is a Nikon P90 and an older Lumix point and shoot. Back in the day I was really into photography with a Canon A-1 as my main camera. Now that I’m retired I’m looking at getting back into photography and am looking at a Nikon DSLR to purchase (D3400 or D7500). I got the bug again from watching and trying to capture the total solar eclipse this year. Any recommendations or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 

nickt

Senior Member
Welcome. I had an A1 back in the day. You might be more comfortable with the d7500 or even d7200. The d3x00 and d5x00 series are more menu driven. More direct access buttons and wheels on the d7x00's. Top lcd display too so you know basic settings at a glance.
 

Fishboy

Senior Member
Thanks for the feedback Nickt. I know the 7500 seems to result in a love/hate response, but from the research I’ve done it seems to be a better fit for me. Maybe Santa is listening......
 
Welcome to the forum. The D7100 is a fantastic camera and I have one along with my D750. The D7100 can be found at very good prices right now and you can spend the money saved can be spent on better glass
 

nickt

Senior Member
I have both d7100 and d7200. Its tough to impossible to tell the images apart. If it was me though, I would choose the d7200 over the d7100 just because its newer. If you are in the states, you can find a d7200 Nikon refurb for a little over $700. I'm sure I would grow to love the d7500, but it just left some of us with our faces crinkled up into a "why?". I think if they named it a d6000 or d8000, there would be no issues at all, lol. Nothing inherently bad about it that I know of and certainly some good, just not what we were expecting in the series. Since you are jumping in new, it might not matter what we thought it should be.
 

lokatz

Senior Member
One might argue that I like being in the contrary camp anyway, but in this case, I really feel compelled to side with the D7500 supporters, of which there are unfortunately few. I own a D7100 and a D500, so I know both sides of this argument. The D7500 has the D500's AF system, which is SOOO much better than the D7100/7200 one that it alone would sway me over, ignoring the pretty substantial list of other improvements the D7500 has over the D7200. Personally, I don't get the 'crippled' argument - I know and respect that some people miss the second card slot, but then, my D500 runs with only one card and I never feel I should add another.

Between D7200 and D7500, I would definitely spend the extra bucks.
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Welcome to the forum. I have the 7100 and use it much of the time as well as the 750. The two slots for me have saved me as I have forgotten to put a card in one slot. Ha! Really I haven't spent much time looking at other cameras as I am happy with what I have. I do also have a D5300 that is a nice camera but since the 7100 and 750 found their way into my bag hasn't seen much use other than for backup or special times when I want something lighter.
 

lokatz

Senior Member
... The two slots for me have saved me as I have forgotten to put a card in one slot. Ha!...

See, that's why I think having only one slot can be an advantage: if you configure the camera not to shoot with an empty slot, you'll figure out pretty quickly whether you have a card in or not. ;)
 

Danno

Senior Member
Welcome to the forum. I have a D7200 and am very satisfied with it. The thing that struck me about the 7500 was the absence of a batterie grip and a second memory card. I use both. If you do not need them the D7500 is a very good camera.

I think folks like me that have a 7100 or 7200 there is nothing motivating many of us to make the jump to the 7500. For me, there are some nice tech improvements, but things I depend on would be missing. The D500 would be the right jump for me, but if you are just getting back into photography it is different.

You are doing what I did. I retired and bought my first DSLR, a D3200 and a year or so later went to the D7200. I do not think you will be disappointed in any 7XXX camera.

Look forward to seeing your first posts.
 

Bear Dale

Senior Member
From one newbie to another....... welcome!

In my short time here, I've found the forum to be filled with a wonderful bunch of folks.
 

todd7500

Senior Member
From one newbie to another....... welcome!

In my short time here, I've found the forum to be filled with a wonderful bunch of folks.

Ditto! Exactly what he said.

7500... 7200 its a coin toss.

I ended up with the D7500 if I had it to do over... I would have gone with the 7200...

You will be happy either way.

Best of luck
 

Fishboy

Senior Member
Well..... I ended up with the D7500 and a couple of kit lenses from Costco. The camera is definitely smarter than I am, but I’ve been happy with the results. I walked outside today and got these shots of a couple of golden eagles in my neighbors yard. D37890E9-2BB3-45D5-888C-6007C81949D1.jpg
 
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