Time to upgrade!

Hi all,
i currently have a very basic setup, a Nikon D3100 with the two kit lenses (18-55 and 55-200). I also purchased the 35mm f/1.8 and love it. I have seen the D7100 and like it very much. Is this a good upgrade?
Flight Level

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Thanks

The D7100 is a great camera and will be quite a jump in tech. The main question is Why do you want to upgrade? What do you expect to gain in upgrading? Have you mastered the D3100 and are you getting everything possible out of it?

Going from a D3100 to a D7100 will be like night and day. I couldn't imagine a better upgrade for your present lens compliment.

Hi, I have just done that same upgrade. The 2 cameras are quite different in the way the controls have been set up, it takes a bit of time to learn the D7100, but I feel it is definitely worth the effort.
I am happy with the improvement I can see in my images. I have also had comments by other people that they can see the difference as well.

I sold my 18-55 & 55-200 with my D3100, I now have the 16-85 , 70-300 & 35 f1.8.

Going from a D3100 to a D7100 would be what I consider a major upgrade. The way Nikon seems to have set their models up, the D3100 series seems to have been designed to be outgrown. I am not saying that people can't be totally happy with a D3100, but I feel that the 3XXX designation is ment more as a primer dSLR.

​If you feel you have outgrown the D3100 then yes it is time for an upgrade. The D7100 will fit that role perfectly.

Ironwood said:

Hi, I have just done that same upgrade. The 2 cameras are quite different in the way the controls have been set up, it takes a bit of time to learn the D7100, but I feel it is definitely worth the effort.
I am happy with the improvement I can see in my images. I have also had comments by other people that they can see the difference as well.

I sold my 18-55 & 55-200 with my D3100, I now have the 16-85 , 70-300 & 35 f1.8.

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While I sorta agree....I think you are getting better because you are gaining confidence in your shooting. The D7100 probably helped in that area too. But I believe you have improved way more than just a new body would have helped. You have come up with some amazing shots. The camera only saved them for you.

Deezey said:

While I sorta agree....I think you are getting better because you are gaining confidence in your shooting. The D7100 probably helped in that area too. But I believe you have improved way more than just a new body would have helped. You have come up with some amazing shots. The camera only saved them for you.

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Yes we all get better the more we shoot. The D3100 is a fantastic camera dont get me wrong, I took some good photos with that camera. But there is more than just the better IQ going up to the D7100, it has a lot more features, a lot of them I will never use, but things like bracketing and the improved focusing system also make it a more desirable camera.
It all depends where you want to go with your photography I guess.
When I bought my D3100, I wanted it just to take photos for a website I was putting together, I thought it would be more than I would ever need. It served that purpose very well. But in the process I got bitten by the photography bug again ( I was years ago, in the film days as well ) So I seem to be constantly on the upgrade path now.
I have forced myself to stop buying more lenses for now and just use what I have and try and get the best out of it before I buy anything else.
But Oh how I want to buy that 11-16 & the 105

Deezey said:

While I sorta agree....I think you are getting better because you are gaining confidence in your shooting. The D7100 probably helped in that area too. But I believe you have improved way more than just a new body would have helped. You have come up with some amazing shots. The camera only saved them for you.

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Yeah definitely Deezy - well said - improvement is about confidence, experience, and composition (e.g. finding different & unusual angles or ways to approach your subject) - and while better quality glass will help this with IQ, hardware upgrades to the camera itself will only contribute a very small amount towards the improvement (by adding extra functionality or such as Brad says). But for us enthusiast types its important to acknowledge our own improvements as photographers, and accept that we are actually principally responsible for improving the images...

Is the D7100 much better than the D300s? Which is a better buy?

Flight Level Photography said:

Is the D7100 much better than the D300s? Which is a better buy?

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Comparing the specs... yes, in just about every way. D300 gets the edge for larger buffer relative to its smaller image size and it has a full magnesium body.

Have you compared the D7000 to the D7100?

Yes I have compared the D7000 to the D7100. I have a good deal for $1300 for a D300s gripped in good condition. I don't want a D7000, it's just not my favorite. I have $1400 and since I am 13, my budget isn't huge.

Flight Level Photography said:

Yes I have compared the D7000 to the D7100. I have a good deal for $1300 for a D300s gripped in good condition. I don't want a D7000, it's just not my favorite. I have $1400 and since I am 13, my budget isn't huge.

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At 13, $1400 is a huge budget

Tap'n on the Galaxy S3

Would the D300s and a 55-200 be a good body with cheap glass? Or would it do well?

Also, I could get a D300s refurbished for $1100... or is that a bit overkill for my lenses?

Hi FLP - I think a cheaper body with better glass is always better than a good body with cheap glass... The glass is always the limiting factor... General consensus seems to be the D7100 is better than the D300 I believe... As you already have the glass, if it was me I'd be going with the D7100 as it's much newer and more advanced... There are 1-2 conditions the D300 might be better (e.g. buffer speed for rapid shooting), but that's due principally to lower resolution so as with everything it is a trade off of one thing for another...

I have another idea... mabye I could go with the D7000 or mabye a D90 as a backup if I bought a D7000 and then buy some glass (70-300mm NIKKOR). I would buy these all refurbished and sell my D3100 and 55-200mm

Kudos to you at thirteen and doing your research before buying. Maybe I have missed it, but what are you looking to shoot?

​And welcome.

I shoot almost all avaition and a little sports. Dies this change anything?