I'm a DSLR newbie on a D3300 for the last few months. In order to better understand and learn SLR photography, I've acquired a few old manual Nikkor primes that I'm learning to use in M mode and I'm loving the IQ from these older lenses over my kit zooms. However, it's getting to be a pain to carry all the lenses everywhere, so I'm considering a second camera body to use exclusively these vintage manual Nikkor primes. Thought I'd run my reasoning by Nikonites for a sanity check:
1. Is this simply a case of NAS and should I ignore it until it goes away?
2. My instinct is to go for a cheap used body that can meter with older lenses (D7000 or D300). Alternatively, the idea of a used D3100 appeals to me as the controls will be similar to the D3300 and the accessories intercompatible (batteries, grips, adapters, etc.). In this case, I may consider chipping the lenses for metering capability at some point. My rationale for DX is because 1) it will be less prone to the issues with vignetting, corner softness, falloff, etc. that is common with these older lenses, and 2) it's a cheaper route overall.
3. My instinct is to go for a lower resolution (10-16 MP) body as I've read that is adequate for casual photography, plus the larger pixels may translate to better overall IQ (at the expense of high ISO performance). I don't know this for a fact, but I'm hoping that it would be enough resolution for these older lenses. Finally, the smaller file sizes would be welcome.
Would be interested to see what Nikonites think of my reasoning. Feel free to call me out for crazy talk, I'm a newbie after all so no offense taken
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1. Is this simply a case of NAS and should I ignore it until it goes away?
2. My instinct is to go for a cheap used body that can meter with older lenses (D7000 or D300). Alternatively, the idea of a used D3100 appeals to me as the controls will be similar to the D3300 and the accessories intercompatible (batteries, grips, adapters, etc.). In this case, I may consider chipping the lenses for metering capability at some point. My rationale for DX is because 1) it will be less prone to the issues with vignetting, corner softness, falloff, etc. that is common with these older lenses, and 2) it's a cheaper route overall.
3. My instinct is to go for a lower resolution (10-16 MP) body as I've read that is adequate for casual photography, plus the larger pixels may translate to better overall IQ (at the expense of high ISO performance). I don't know this for a fact, but I'm hoping that it would be enough resolution for these older lenses. Finally, the smaller file sizes would be welcome.
Would be interested to see what Nikonites think of my reasoning. Feel free to call me out for crazy talk, I'm a newbie after all so no offense taken
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My rationale would be to keep the D3300 with the plastic fantastic kit zooms as a lightweight option, and a heavier backup body to go with the vintage primes which tend to have some heft to them anyway. It's a tough call between the D7x00 and the D300/s, but my plan is to keep my eyes peeled for the first good deal that comes up. I saw your other post about the D7100 refurb for $490, that was very tempting but I couldn't justify it without selling my D3300 first. 
