Need some advice - thinking of buying a Nikon SLR

Combat Fighter · 28 Jul 2012 at 15:38

Hi there,

Finally I am in a position to be able to buy my first SLR camera. I really like the look of the Nikon D5100 when it first come out but a year on I am getting mixed thoughts and also considering getting the D7000 as it seems a little more professional than the D5100, plus I kind of like the fact the D7000 is better built and will be a bit more comfortable for my large hands. I do like the articulated screen on the D5100 though.

Which one would you get?

Being a newbie to photography I have been reading up and finding out about all the various lenses you can get but could really do with some advice on what seems to be good to get.

Obviously there are different lenses to suit different needs. I would like to be able to take some nice shots of nature/sports/fast moving stuff with some nice macro work. Plus also just general snapping where I go.

If I go down the D7000 route the kit lens is the 18-105mm which from what I can tell is not a bad lens considering its a kit one, would this suit my needs to get me going?

If I went down the D5100 route I would get the 18-55mm lens, not too sure about this one. I will say the D5100 does seem like better value for money in some ways.

I would really appreciate any advise you can give folks.

Combat Fighter · 28 Jul 2012 at 17:21

Well just got back from my local camera store and I really don't like the feel and size of the D5100 so that's definitely off the menu.

D7000 it is!

42zx · 28 Jul 2012 at 17:58

D7000 is awesome, now get 35mm f/1.8G

An Exception · 28 Jul 2012 at 18:53

as above

Combat Fighter · 28 Jul 2012 at 20:36

What are your thoughts on the 18-105mm kit lens. In the camera shop I visited earlier they said it's not bad for a kit lens and as I'm starting out it would be a good starting point.

What do you reckon?

ShiWarrior · 28 Jul 2012 at 21:19

i have a D7000 KIT, i had a D40 before

i went D40 for my first SLR to get used to it, and like you i have big hands, and i found it ok to use, nice cheap and cheerful first SLR, then i moved to the D7000 as i started to get to grips with the D7000, and now thinking of selling the D7000

Personally for a beginner the D7000 will be too advanced, its still too advanced for me really

Combat Fighter · 28 Jul 2012 at 21:34

ShiWarrior said:
i have a D7000 KIT, i had a D40 before

i went D40 for my first SLR to get used to it, and like you i have big hands, and i found it ok to use, nice cheap and cheerful first SLR, then i moved to the D7000 as i started to get to grips with the D7000, and now thinking of selling the D7000

Personally for a beginner the D7000 will be too advanced, its still too advanced for me really

Im not a total newbie to photography as I have used other peoples slr's and I would rather have a camera that had some features that were not familiar to me as that's the fun part learning about them. What I don't know I will pick up fast as its in my nature.

Would be boring for me if it's not challenging!

What are your thoughts on the d7000 kit lens?

ShiWarrior · 28 Jul 2012 at 21:38

Combat Fighter said:
Im not a total newbie to photography as I have used other peoples slr's and I would rather have a camera that had some features that were not familiar to me as that's the fun part learning about them. What I don't know I will pick up fast as its in my nature.

Would be boring for me if it's not challenging!

What are your thoughts on the d7000 kit lens?

fair enough

you could get a 5100, but personally id get the D7000

The D7000 is simply astonishing, its pack with features, and i love the dual memory card slot, thats a bonus

theres currently one for sale in MM,
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18424222

the lens is an upgrade from my old 18-55, does the same F/stop at 105 which is good

dbmzk1 · 28 Jul 2012 at 22:04

I've just got the D5100 with 18-105mm kit lens.

Absolutely love it and for a first DSLR it's fantastic. Lens is great too for a beginner, not really that fast but a nice range so you can find how you like to take photos then get a better lens later to suit your style.

Produces near identical photos to the D7000 - it has the same sensor. Only differences are in build quality (D5100 is not bad at all though) and some features an amateur would never really use. The screen on the D5100 is awesome though.

Depends how much you want to spend, for me the D7000 was too much for a noob looking to start a new hobby, especially considering the D5100 is so good for the price

Either way the 18-105mm lens is a great start as said!

Combat Fighter · 28 Jul 2012 at 22:05

ShiWarrior said:
fair enough

you could get a 5100, but personally id get the D7000

The D7000 is simply astonishing, its pack with features, and i love the dual memory card slot, thats a bonus

theres currently one for sale in MM,
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18424222

the lens is an upgrade from my old 18-55, does the same F/stop at 105 which is good

Well I would be very interested if the price is right

I wont have access to funds for a couple of weeks though.

D.P. · 28 Jul 2012 at 22:19

Combat Fighter said:
What are your thoughts on the 18-105mm kit lens. In the camera shop I visited earlier they said it's not bad for a kit lens and as I'm starting out it would be a good starting point.

What do you reckon?

The kit lens is a very good starting point, very sharp, great Iq, very handy focal length. It is a plastic fantastic lens, but the BUild is sufficient for the price. You won't get better value for money.

I am extremely impressed by it, this is really an area that Nikon excels at- no one offers kits lenses that really compare to Nikon's offerings.

As recommend above, I would add the 35m 1.8G ( pr 50mm) for low light and shallow DoF.

Even if you find you need a faster aperture wide to normal zoom lens ,Ike the 17-55mm f/2.8 then the 18-105 works as an excellent every day, walk about, light weight hiking lens.

ShiWarrior · 28 Jul 2012 at 22:22

Ken Rockwell -

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d7000.htm#compared

42zx · 28 Jul 2012 at 22:27

Yeah, the 18-105 is one of the best crop camera kit lens, it will take fine photos.
'
I'll be keeping it for a walk around lens but since I've narrowed down the type of photography I want to do by using the kit lens, I generally carry quality lenses more specific to those areas, i.e. an UWA and a fast prime.

Combat Fighter · 29 Jul 2012 at 12:43

ShiWarrior said:
Ken Rockwell -

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d7000.htm#compared

Interesting that he recommends buying the body on it's own and getting a 18-200mm + 35mm f/1.8 instead of getting the kit lens 18-105mm.

I probably will get this combo, albeit more expensive, especially brand new.

But I reckon I could get a bargain or two now as there are quite a few D7000 in A1 condition (I don't mind buying second hand) on the bay as quite a few are upgrading to the D800. So it's a good time for me to snatch a good deal on a D7000 and some lenses.

this_is_gav · 29 Jul 2012 at 13:00

ShiWarrior said:
Personally for a beginner the D7000 will be too advanced, its still too advanced for me really

Just because it has lots of buttons and dials, it doesn't mean you have to use them.

You can just stick it in auto or program mode like you could a compact, and it'll decide the settings for you.

Then, when you've got an hour or two free, you can start learning the main functions. The difference between shutter priority, aperture priority and then full manual. What the different ISO settings mean, white balance, etc. Then, once you've got an idea what possibilities the basic functions give, you can dive into the menu system and start customising the camera.

In simplistic terms, a DSLR is just a compact with powerful extra possibilities. You could just use it as a point and shoot if you wanted to.. though of course it would be a horrific waste of money.

NorthstaNder · 29 Jul 2012 at 14:13

Why Nikon? Have you considered the excellent Canon 60D? Similar spec to the D7000 and a flippy out screen.

For the record...I have the D7000 (18-105) before I get accused of being a Nikon fanboy

ElDude · 29 Jul 2012 at 15:13

The D7000 is a much better camera than the 60D. I own the 60D, so I'm not being a fanboy either

D.P. · 29 Jul 2012 at 16:18

NorthstaNder said:
Why Nikon? Have you considered the excellent Canon 60D? Similar spec to the D7000 and a flippy out screen.

For the record...I have the D7000 (18-105) before I get accused of being a Nikon fanboy

Quite simply because the the canon 60d doesn't compare, the 7d would be a closer match the but the Nikon d7000 will still produce far better images.

androo · 29 Jul 2012 at 16:49

I bought a D5100 last week with the kit lens and an additional 35mm 1.8 lens. It is my first SLR but my father has a D80 which is much better built but bigger. So far I love it and the fold out screen is really useful. As a beginner, the D5100 seems like a good choice. I do however feel that I now need another lens with a bit more zoom - possibly the 55-200mm VR lens which I've seen for around £150.00. I also need a tripod and a nice case/bag.

It's not cheap this photography lark is it!

ElDude · 29 Jul 2012 at 17:15

androo said:
It's not cheap this photography lark is it!

Nope. It's quite frustrating too, especially if you can't afford more than one decent lens a year. It's taken me several years to built up a range of lenses that "will do" for what I want. The Canon 70-200 2.8mkii and the 24-70mkii are the lenses I want, and that's over £4000 currently. I still need a flash, and I've been putting off getting a decent tripod and made do with the one I have for now.

I know virtually nothing about Nikon lenses, but I've bought the best of the lower end canon stuff (when I say lower end, I mean like 70-200L f4, rather than tamron lenses), and that's cost me, with bags, cards, etc, over £5000 in about 7 years (with about 2 years not doing anything as I got thoroughly disillusioned with it all!) and that's not including the 300D, 30D and 60D I've bought, including accessories for those, which my sister now has (hope she realises I've given her over £2k of stuff for nothing!)

I could have saved up for years and got a 1DX