May add D7100 to arsenal

So - I see a D7100 on sale for under $900 CDN - and I'm tempted.

I have a D90 - D5100 & D610 ... "need" is not the issue.

I'm wondering if shooting birds and while taking other long shots whether the D7100 would be worth it?

It would take all of my lenses not just the AFS newer ones.

And while it has the same number of pixels as the D610 - it has them all packed in tightly on a smaller DX sensor.

Considered briefly a D7200 but it is 45% more ($400 more). I see built in wifi and super high ISO - .... $400? Worth waiting?

. . .

saw one refurbished - but alas, not available for on-line purchase.

Shopping in Canada (Alberta).

Tempted . . .

D610 . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D5100

Testing the 200-500 on the D610 vs D5100 to see what difference it might make to have the D7100 ... as far as 'reach' goes.

Both of these shot from the same spot.



D610 FX F.O.V.


D5100 DX F.O.V.


These are the images just converted from RAW - shows the wider FX view - but when cropped to DX the images would be the same.

Hmmmm, ...

I've said many times on the forums IMHO the D610 / D7100 or D7200 is a killer kit.....

I would ditch the other two aps-C crop cams to fund and do it.

Fortkentdad said:

So - I see a D7100 on sale for under $900 CDN - and I'm tempted.

I have a D90 - D5100 & D610 ... "need" is not the issue.

I'm wondering if shooting birds and while taking other long shots whether the D7100 would be worth it?

It would take all of my lenses not just the AFS newer ones.

And while it has the same number of pixels as the D610 - it has them all packed in tightly on a smaller DX sensor.

Considered briefly a D7200 but it is 45% more ($400 more). I see built in wifi and super high ISO - .... $400? Worth waiting?

. . .

saw one refurbished - but alas, not available for on-line purchase.

Shopping in Canada (Alberta).

Tempted . . .

Click to expand...

Not exactly super high ISO. It might be 1 stop better then the D7100 if that. Don't get me wrong, 1 stop is a lot when it comes to BIf when you need all the shutter speed you can get.
For BIF I would take the D7200 over the D7100.

I own one and I still shoot BIF with the D750 either in DX mode or I just crop it.

looking at the D7200 harder

for birding fps buffer probably matters - those shooting with a d7100 - has this been a problem?

from the reviews on the D7200 as an upgrade over the D7100 - it seems to get several big bonus points.

Hmmmm?

Blacktop said:

Not exactly super high ISO. It might be 1 stop better then the D7100 if that. Don't get me wrong, 1 stop is a lot when it comes to BIf when you need all the shutter speed you can get.
For BIF I would take the D7200 over the D7100.

I own one and I still shoot BIF with the D750 either in DX mode or I just crop it.

Click to expand...

Read more about the high ISO feature of the D7200 over D7100 - (100-6400 vs 100-25,600) but apparently the noise over 6400 would deter most from pushing the upper limits of the ISO settings anyway. One reviewer called it a marketing gimmick. I think the feature you mean is the "AF Detection range" which is -3 vs -2 giving an advantage of to the D7200.

Fortkentdad said:

Read more about the high ISO feature of the D7200 over D7100 - (100-6400 vs 100-25,600) but apparently the noise over 6400 would deter most from pushing the upper limits of the ISO settings anyway. One reviewer called it a marketing gimmick. I think the feature you mean is the "AF Detection range" which is -3 vs -2 giving an advantage of to the D7200.

Click to expand...

What i meant to say was, that the D7200 might give you 1 stop high ISO advantage over the D7100. Meaning that at ISO 3200 it might look like the D7100 at ISO 1600.
They could rate the camera from ISO 100 to ISO 6 million, it means nothing to me.

The D750's native ISO range is 100-12,800. I doubt very much that the D7200 would come even close to matching it in quality even though it's rated 1 stop higher.

I have both 7100 and 7200 and yes i also agree if you want crop sensor for reach rather go for 7200 if you can. Yes there is a definate low light effective difference and 7200 is slightly better off. However i also shoot sport and the 7200 also have a faster auto focus. So for animals birds that is fast moving you need that faster focus. Other plus fot me on 7200 is build in wifi that is so easy to use with mobile phone to trigger from a distance. On the other hand the 7100 is no slouch by all means. Still a solid camera. Good luck.

Fortkentdad said:

looking at the D7200 harder

for birding fps buffer probably matters - those shooting with a d7100 - has this been a problem?

from the reviews on the D7200 as an upgrade over the D7100 - it seems to get several big bonus points.

Hmmmm?

Click to expand...

Today when taking pics of jets at the base I could have used a tad bit more room on the buffer.

Fortkentdad said:

looking at the D7200 harder

for birding fps buffer probably matters - those shooting with a d7100 - has this been a problem?

from the reviews on the D7200 as an upgrade over the D7100 - it seems to get several big bonus points.

Hmmmm?

Click to expand...

Not had any issues with the buffer when taking pictures of birds/birds in flight, I was saving files at 14bit, but dropping it down to 12bit helps as well.

I have the 7200. I have to say that I really like the way it performs. I was looking at the 7100 when the 7200 came out. I saved a bit more and actually was able to get a refurbished one on sale from Nikon direct. I am pleased with the low light and focus, once I learned how to take advantage of it, is very good. I got a good deal, but I am glad I waited.

As the others have mentioned, be sure to compare the differences between low light performance. I was using my D7100 for low light photos at church (without flash). Even at ISO 2000 in somewhat low light (needed enough shutter speed to keep movements from blurring), there was a big difference between my D7100 and D610. It was quite noticeable. I realize the D7100 is DX while the D610 is FX, but in real world situations, you will be choosing between your D610 and your future DX model. That's why I bought a preowned Nikon 1.4 teleconverter to use on FX. If you don't do a lot of low light photography, any differences in noise won't be nearly as much of an issue. Choose the model based on your normal style of photography. If buffer is important to you, find out how much of the differences in their buffer speed would affect your shooting. For me, I don't shoot continuous high speed so it's a moot point. Good luck with your decision!

I weighed the benefits, and the D7200 makes more sense - but then I saw a refurbished D750 . . . I will wait.

Fortkentdad said:

I weighed the benefits, and the D7200 makes more sense - but then I saw a refurbished D750 . . . I will wait.

Click to expand...

It is funny how that works isn't it... We start getting serious. We get a stash of cash and are ready to pull the trigger. Then we start seeing that with just a few dollars more...

I do believe I have that T Shirt in my closet somewhere

Look forward to seeing some photos when you pull the trigger regardless of your choice. They are all good..