Help deciding which camera to purchase

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scrappymom

New member
I currently own a Nikon D60 and I love it but am looking to upgrade. The main photography I am into is sports pictures. My son plays football so I need something that is capable of distance while maintaining quality and focus on the moving subjects. My daughter plays volleyball so at that point I still need quality & focus on moving subject but now need something to help with lighting in dark gyms (can't always use flash). My main problems I am having with each sport are: Football - keeping the focus on the subject I want it to be on & lighting issues due to dark rainy days we have here (plus games will be under lights in a couple years) Volleyball - keeping the subject in focus & not blurring during motion while still allowing for enough light to give quality pictures. Any help would be appreciated! I am currently looking at the D5100....any thoughts? other recommendations/suggestions?

Thanks
 
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westmill

Banned
I know its a bit more expensive, but very cheap at the moment, I would recomend the D300 for sports.
Its autofocus is second to none and will give you a long service life.
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
scrappymom said:
I currently own a Nikon D60 and I love it but am looking to upgrade. The main photography I am into is sports pictures. My son plays football so I need something that is capable of distance while maintaining quality and focus on the moving subjects. My daughter plays volleyball so at that point I still need quality & focus on moving subject but now need something to help with lighting in dark gyms (can't always use flash). My main problems I am having with each sport are: Football - keeping the focus on the subject I want it to be on & lighting issues due to dark rainy days we have here (plus games will be under lights in a couple years) Volleyball - keeping the subject in focus & not blurring during motion while still allowing for enough light to give quality pictures. Any help would be appreciated! I am currently looking at the D5100....any thoughts? other recommendations/suggestions?

Thanks
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I use a D5100 as well and it is very good in low light. Everything else you mentioned kind of points towards many a Nikon DSLR. I doubt you want to go up to FX, so that leaves all the DX cameras. What is your budget? Do you know if any of your current lenses will work on todays DSLRs? - remember many entry level Nikons don't have a lens motor built in. The D90 would have a built in motor, but a 5100 is a far better choice overall. Again, the 5100 would be a good choice, perhaps even the 3200. You can look at some comparisons here or elsewhere on the net.
 
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scrappymom

New member
I am really just starting the research process for upgrading so I have not checked into all of that yet but appreciate the input and will be sure to do so. As far as budget I am not wanting to spend any more then $1500 and less is better. I know I can get the d5100 package for around $900 right now and it seems to be a good step up from what I have. Thanks
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
scrappymom said:
I am really just starting the research process for upgrading so I have not checked into all of that yet but appreciate the input and will be sure to do so. As far as budget I am not wanting to spend any more then $1500 and less is better. I know I can get the d5100 package for around $900 right now and it seems to be a good step up from what I have. Thanks
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Mmmm, so, you can go with the 5100 and then invest in a good "sports" lens. If you go with the 300, you have pretty much blown your budget - but you may be able to use some of your older lenses on it. Anyone here want to reccomend a good telephoto "sports" lens to Scrappymom??
 
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westmill

Banned
D5100Shooter said:
I would atleast look at this before contemplating the D300 over a 5100.

Nikon D5100 vs D300 - Our Analysis
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The poster has stated for sports though. The D300 is in a totaly Different Leauge in the focus department and is capable of shooting at 7 frames a second with a shutter tested to 150,000 shutter actuations and a weatherproof pro build quality. Ive yet to see a complaint about image quality with the D300. I would buy another D300 before a D7000 even though the D7000 produces superior images. The D300 excells in what it does... taking sharp pictures anywhere and in any enviroment.
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
westmill said:
The poster has stated for sports though. The D300 is in a totaly Different Leauge in the focus department and is capable of shooting at 7 frames a second with a shutter tested to 150,000 shutter actuations and a weatherproof pro build quality. Ive yet to see a complaint about image quality with the D300. I would buy another D300 before a D7000 even though the D7000 produces superior images. The D300 excells in what it does... taking sharp pictures anywhere and in any enviroment.
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5100 has better image quality, lower noise at high ISO, better color depth, more dynamic range, higher true resolution, better max light sensitivity and better boost ISO. At 7FPS, you must be talking about the 300s.. and yes, that is faster, 3 more frames per second faster than the 5100. Though, i don't really see that as a great selling point, unless the person was on the sidelines of NFL games. I guess the weather seal factor could be appealing if they are going to be standing out in the rain all the time, but they can weather seal their own camera:DRtv DIY: Weather Sealing a DSLR
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
scrappymom said:
I am really just starting the research process for upgrading so I have not checked into all of that yet but appreciate the input and will be sure to do so. As far as budget I am not wanting to spend any more then $1500 and less is better. I know I can get the d5100 package for around $900 right now and it seems to be a good step up from what I have. Thanks
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Nikkor AF-S DX VR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR << this is a good sports lens at a reasonable price.

Nikkor AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED << or this one if you have a few more bucks.
 
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westmill

Banned
scrappymom said:
I am really just starting the research process for upgrading so I have not checked into all of that yet but appreciate the input and will be sure to do so. As far as budget I am not wanting to spend any more then $1500 and less is better. I know I can get the d5100 package for around $900 right now and it seems to be a good step up from what I have. Thanks
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Well that one sorts that out then :) the D300 is a bargain at the moment but still over your budget it would seem. If you see a good package deal, these are hard to beat if the Kit has everything you need. They normaly show good savings over seperately bought prices. :D
 
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elkman

Senior Member
D5100Shooter said:
5100 has better image quality, lower noise at high ISO, better color depth, more dynamic range, higher true resolution, better max light sensitivity and better boost ISO. At 7FPS, you must be talking about the 300s.. and yes, that is faster, 3 more frames per second faster than the 5100. Though, i don't really see that as a great selling point, unless the person was on the sidelines of NFL games. I guess the weather seal factor could be appealing if they are going to be standing out in the rain all the time, but they can weather seal their own camera:DRtv DIY: Weather Sealing a DSLR
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Have you seen the sports photos from aced19 with a D7000! Now that I am also looking to upgrade from an D60, the D7000 has to be the front runner for me, looking to shoot in a dark gym can be very frustrating. In comparison of a D300s, save $500 and get a D7000!
 
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scrappymom

New member
Thanks the 3 lenses I currently own are:

Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18 - 55mm
Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55 - 200mm
Sigma DG 70 - 300mm

Since all of the responses have come in I have been digging deeper and have found that my current lenses can be used on the d5100 as well which is a bonus and I know that the 70 - 300mm achieves the closeness I desire for football....I am however second guessing myself on the fact that I can not find anywhere that shows that the sigma is an AF-S lens and may be the problem with most of my blur....at the time I could not afford the Nikkor version.

After all of my research I have decided to purchase the d5100 as it seems to be the best fit for what I am wanting. I compared it to several other models and aside from the "pro" cameras it seems to be the winner each time. I now think I may need to invest in a new telephoto lens though.......off to do more research!!
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
elkman said:
Have you seen the sports photos from aced19 with a D7000! Now that I am also looking to upgrade from an D60, the D7000 has to be the front runner for me, looking to shoot in a dark gym can be very frustrating. In comparison of a D300s, save $500 and get a D7000!
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D7K is another great choice! And, it fits into the poster's budget.
 
S

scrappymom

New member
elkman said:
Have you seen the sports photos from aced19 with a D7000! Now that I am also looking to upgrade from an D60, the D7000 has to be the front runner for me, looking to shoot in a dark gym can be very frustrating. In comparison of a D300s, save $500 and get a D7000!
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Thanks for the advice...something to think about it does seem fitting as well!
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
scrappymom said:
Thanks the 3 lenses I currently own are:

Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18 - 55mm
Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55 - 200mm
Sigma DG 70 - 300mm

Since all of the responses have come in I have been digging deeper and have found that my current lenses can be used on the d5100 as well which is a bonus and I know that the 70 - 300mm achieves the closeness I desire for football....I am however second guessing myself on the fact that I can not find anywhere that shows that the sigma is an AF-S lens and may be the problem with most of my blur....at the time I could not afford the Nikkor version.

After all of my research I have decided to purchase the d5100 as it seems to be the best fit for what I am wanting. I compared it to several other models and aside from the "pro" cameras it seems to be the winner each time. I now think I may need to invest in a new telephoto lens though.......off to do more research!!
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Sell your Nikkor 55-200 and your Sigma and get a Nikkor 55-300. Otherwise, you are going to be seriously overlaping your focal lengths, lol:p
 
S

scrappymom

New member
D5100Shooter said:
Sell your Nikkor 55-200 and your Sigma and get a Nikkor 55-300. Otherwise, you are going to be seriously overlaping your focal lengths, lol:p
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Agreed!!!! I actually just found a package for the d5100 w/ the 55 - 300 lens for $800 so I am planning to go shopping as soon as my husband gets home :D

Thanks everyone for all the advice/help!
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
scrappymom said:
Agreed!!!! I actually just found a package for the d5100 w/ the 55 - 300 lens for $800 so I am planning to go shopping as soon as my husband gets home :D

Thanks everyone for all the advice/help!
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Happy to hear that. I think we all look forward to seeing some sports shots from you;)
 
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