Whats happened to all the recent Nikons?

divuk83

divuk83

divuk83

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I'm looking to replace my D50 with something a bit better however I'm quite disapointed with what seems to have been happening to the Nikon budget range, D40/D40x are to dinky and small and have no AF motor and it seems all the ones since then are very similar. The D60, D3000 and D5000 all have no AF motor and silly features I don't want like 720p video and large tilting screens, they also seem to be quite expensive compared to the similar older models. I'm thinking of trying to find a D80 as I wanted one when they first came out. If anyone else has any suggestions then I would be greatful. My budget is about 500 squid for a body only.


BTW, don't want to go to another brand as I have a fair few lenses for the Nikon.

Cheers

Dave

PS. How do I find out the shutter count on my D50?
 
I'd suggest a D90 or D300 if you can save/stretch a bit further, you might be able to get a good deal on a 2nd hand one particularly the D300.
 
I upgraded from a (partly broken) D50 last summer to a D200. You should be able to get one for around £400. Beware though, the noise handling is similar to the D50, i.e. not great, and it's significantly heavier than the D50. ON the other hand it is a BIG upgrade, all the settings have buttons and the commander mode flash is fun. The D80 is still a good budget option, same body as the D50 but with more buttons and features.

I totally agree with what you say about Nikons budget range though, I think they just needed to differentiate the D80/90 a bit more. Also noobs will buy anything so why not cut the features they don't understand :P
 
I'm consdering the D90 however I feel as if I'm paying extra for the video and live preview stuff that I don't really want. Still, it looks like a good camera from the reviews I have read. I just need to convince myself to go over my modest budget! I'm not too sure about going second hand, I know they are well made but the D200 is as old as my D50. I will have a look and see what my local camera shop has in as they will come with a warranty from their.

Having just looked at the competitor do the D90 at the best price, what a shame they have blocked all voucher codes from being used on DSLR cameras!

Cheers

Dave
 
divuk83 said:
I'm consdering the D90 however I feel as if I'm paying extra for the video and live preview stuff that I don't really want.
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This is often overstated. I bet you don't use all the other features on the dSLR, so why single out the liveview and video functions? The D90 is a stunning camera, so unless you need pro features (masses of AF points, weather sealing, CF cards, metering on AI lenses, 8fps, etc) then the D90 is an excellent choice.
 
...Just think of the hd video as the icing on the cake. You wont use it every day but its there just in case :)
Live view is becoming the norm and it helps p.a.s people take a picture of you without showing them complicated things ;)
 
I was in your situation wanting an upgrade, i chose the D200 over the D90 (from a D40). Wish i did it sooner.
 
I think I have talked myself into getting the D90 as I have spent half my day at work so far browsing reviews of it!

Cheers for your help and suggestions.

Dave
 
I know what you mean about the budget range being limited. I forked out the extra and went for the D90 as the ISO range is far better than the D5000 and so it seems the Canon 50D. It seems the budget range is becoming a little bit 'too' much user friendly
 
My personal camera is a D50 but I use a D200 at work.

The D200 is a great upgrade in usability terms, it's fantastic having all of the controls to hand when you need them, and you get extra data on a *backlit* top LED screen. :p
However, the image quality isn't that much better. Obviously more MP helps but it still pretty much unusable over ISO640.

The D300 seems to iron out this little problem + all of the other upgrades you get with the new tech.

However, I'm planning a FF body for my next upgrade, looking like a D700 when I can afford it!

Panzer
 
Mud said:
so unless you need pro features ( CF cards)
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I thought that SD cards were better than CF cards? My dads D70 takes CF and then when they brought out the D80 i just assumed they moved onto SD because it was better.

Whats the difference between them that makes the CF card better?

Not doubting you, I'm just curious.
 
Mark A said:
I thought that SD cards were better than CF cards? My dads D70 takes CF and then when they brought out the D80 i just assumed they moved onto SD because it was better.

Whats the difference between them that makes the CF card better?

Not doubting you, I'm just curious.
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They're faster. They're also more expensive and rely on crappy pins to make a connection, so it's not all roses.
 
CF cards don't cost significant more than SD. I prefer them, my old SD cards were starting to fall apart but the CFs I used in my D200 are rock solid and look like they could take a battering.
 
BUFF said:
"the good stuff" is faster though so it's not like for like
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Yeah, my point was the best offerings aren't like for like, else what'd be the point in CF over SD? Think we're arguing the same thing from different perspectives.
 
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