50 1.8g or 50 1.4g or 85 1.8g or save for a d7100 body

I have a 24 2.8 nai, 35 1.8g, 10-24, 18-140, and a 70-300. I shoot with a d7000 for the zooms and a d3200 for the primes. Since getting the 10-24, the 24 2.8 never gets used and the 35 lives on the 3200 as a fast, light, all around shooter.

I was was looking into a few options...

I could get a 50 1.8g special edition for a cheap price. >$170 (but need a new set of filters)

I could get either a 50 1.4g or 85 1.8g at retail. $500ish (the 85 uses filters I already have)

I could just save a little more and get a d7100 body that has 1.3 crop mode, opening up more options. I would end up selling the 24 and d3200 at this point (or buy a host of old manual lenses to fuel NAS, lol) $700-800ish

Does anyone out there think the 50 is too close to the 35 making it unnecessary? I hear some people are in the 50mm only camp and some are in the 35+85 combo camp. In body crop on the 7100 will make the 35 close to 50 (46.5) but 50 won't be close to 85 (65). I've shot the 35 at all distances to subject and need it mainly for low light. I think I could do just as well with a 50 but won't know until I use it.

I know the 85 has the best bokeh of the 3 and I would like to be able to better isolate a subject without coming in way close or cropping a lot, does anyone shoot products with a 85? I do a lot of buying and selling. I guess another option would be the 60mm macro but it's not as wide of a aperture. I crave bokeh.

I should point out that I am also in the market for a 400mm+ zoom but the 7100 might add enough crop to my 300 that I could get away with not adding a big a$$ zoom lens to the already heavy bag.

The D7100 is an amazing camera and really is a big step up from the D7000. I have both.

BUT the 1.3 crop mode is there but not really that good and from what I have seen not worth using. You are really better off cropping in post processing. YOu have more control and you end up with the same size files and quality.

The D7100 is a absolutely fantastic camera and great glass on it is amazing.

Don Kuykendall said:

The D7100 is an amazing camera and really is a big step up from the D7000. I have both.

BUT the 1.3 crop mode is there but not really that good and from what I have seen not worth using. You are really better off cropping in post processing. YOu have more control and you end up with the same size files and quality.

The D7100 is a absolutely fantastic camera and great glass on it is amazing.

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Thanks for the input! I was wondering about that, some tout the 1.3x as a built in teleconverter. If it's better to crop in post then I'll stick with the 7000 and wait for Black Friday or maybe another year to get the 7200. I do like my 3200-7000 set up, I think the 7000/7100 (7200) set up will benefit from using the same batteries and having similar controls. My only gripe with the 7000 is not having a FN button ISO setting. I'm using the FN to get to my menu to adjust ISO but that still entails looking at the rear LCD. The 3200 can adjust ISO without leaving the veiwfinder.

Deuce808 said:

Thanks for the input! I was wondering about that, some tout the 1.3x as a built in teleconverter. If it's better to crop in post then I'll stick with the 7000 and wait for Black Friday or maybe another year to get the 7200. I do like my 3200-7000 set up, I think the 7000/7100 (7200) set up will benefit from using the same batteries and having similar controls. My only gripe with the 7000 is not having a FN button ISO setting. I'm using the FN to get to my menu to adjust ISO but that still entails looking at the rear LCD. The 3200 can adjust ISO without leaving the viewfinder.

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One of my favorite features that the D7100 has and the D7000 does not is in the Auto ISO the D7100 will set the minimum shutter speed based on the focal length and will even change as you zoom in or out. On the D7000 you can only pick a minimum. Important for my wife who shoots the D7000 with a 18-200 all the time. She does not want to adjust things as she goes so I end up having to adjust her camera and mine as we shoot. So I end up setting her minimum shutter speed based on the longest zoom 1/300sec for that zoom on that camera. This makes sure she does not get movement in a shot. With the D7100 at it would change the shutter speed to between 1/30 to 1/300 so at shorter zoom it could use a lower ISO or even a smaller aperture. It is just a more refined system.