D7200 vs D750 vs mirrorless

What should I do?

  • Keep what I’ve got and stop the constant upgrade cycle

    Votes: 3 50.0%
  • D7200 and maybe another lense

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • D750 and use my 50mm 1.4

    Votes: 1 16.7%
  • Mirrorless!

    Votes: 2 33.3%

  • Total voters
    6

steeevvvooo

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Hi all. I am an amateur photographer but major gadget/tech fan in need of some guidance. After purchasing a D3100 a few years ago and using sporadically I recently purchased the Nikon 50mm 1.4 fx lense and have the photography bug all over again. I am using in aperture priority mostly but am learning more about manual shooting through sites like this and various other resources. I love the improvement this has given me over the kit lense and now want to take the next step.


Assume I have about $1000 to spend on gear.... what should I do to improve my set up alongside learning more about the art? (I know some will say to spend the money on education but I want to spend it on gear and learn as I go). I am more concerned with quality over quantity and don’t really want to have a ton of lenses and gear to carry around. Most of my shooting will be family portraits and events (1 month old baby, and I want to capture the moments along the way) as well as some travel and street scenes. My wife will also be using my set up and whilst I am teaching her about aperture priority and Bokeh she is a lot less interested in the tech than me and may end up in auto mode quite often.



A few options I am considering:


  1. Do nothing. Keep the D3100 and 50mm 1.4. “The camera is currently better than your skills...” etc

  1. Buy a 7200 for about $7-800. Sounds like I would gain better autofocus, increase MP, higher ISO and in body focus as well as some other features and two scroll wheels. All sound worthy of the upgrade cost to me? If I sell the D3100 kit I could consider another lense but worry that to stay in budget I would only be buying a DX lense that could be a false economy if I go FX later?

  1. Buy a D610/D750 and offset the cost a little by selling the D3100 and kit lense so it won’t be too much more than the 1k budget. This opens up the FX lense I have to its full potential (and it will behave like a true 50mm), should be a major step up in performance and should mean the last upgrade to my kit for a while while my skills catch up with my equipment. Downsides are additional size/weight and obviously a little more expense.

  1. Switch to mirrorless. I have actually bought a Sony A7 FE 28-70 kit, Fuji XT1 18-55 kit and Sony 6300 with 16-50 and 55-210 kit all for about $1000 each. All are on credit card from b&h and I can return with no problem. I bought all three so I could compare at home and figure out which to keep but I just can’t shake the feeling that maybe I should be sticking with DSLR as I always technically want the best quality rather than a “cool” trendy thing. I understand that these mirrorless cameras will probably perform almost as well as a DSLR in my hands but by the time I add decent glass they are almost as big and almost as expensive as a proper DSLR which is making me reconsider. I get that the A7 is full frame and technically probably the best IQ, the 6300 I believe is the fastest and the xt1 seems to get rave reviews from DSLR switchers without seeming to beat the other two in any major features.

I appreciate this is a crazy long question but I would appreciate any thoughts from the seasoned shooters here.
 
You have 4 x option #1 ;)

Without seeing your images then it's hard to guess if you're at the limits of what you can do with what you have already. My instinct is probably not, but a link to some pictures would help.

I use a mirrorless camera having downsized from a DSLR because I didn't take the larger camera out with me due to its bulk. As you end up lugging around massive amounts of stuff with small kids then I'd want to minimise the size of my camera gear while still keeping it with me, Kids get big very fast so capture them whenever you can!

I don't think the quality difference between mirrorless and DSLR is as dramatic as you might imagine but you have lots of kit to try that out with at the moment. Perhaps you'll get faster auto focus or a bit more dynamic range but with family portraits and events I'm not sure you need to worry.

If you are determined to spend the money on equipment then the obvious candidates are to move to a full frame camera - either the A7 or the D750. That will definitely give you lots of headroom to develop but as you've noted you'll need to buy more expensive lenses. You may not end up with substantially better images - at least at first.
 
It's hard to say what would be the best option without knowing what you'll photograph and in what situation, but I can give you my experience that covers most of the options you're looking at. YMMV

I started with D3200 as the missus and myself took up the hobby just over 3 years ago. We photo all sorts, wildlife, landscape, typical tourist stuff, odd portrait and family/friend events etc

Added a second body so we had one each, a used D7000.
Pros, more controls on the camera, better and faster autofocus, twin card slots, slightly better low light performance and another stop in low light gained with better noise handling at low ISO.
Cons, slightly heavier, started us on our upgrade route!

Next we replaced the D3200 Mrs Rancid was using and got a shiny new D7200.
Pros, much the same as above, obviously, but the noise handling was even better than the D7000 so was a huge step up from the D3200. It really got the missus back into it after losing a bit of interest.
Cons, none except the cost.
There's a marked difference between the D3xx and D7xx ranges and short of going for the D500 maybe all the upgrade you need if you stick with crop sensor.

Next I replaced the D7000 with the D750. I'd built a small collection of FX lenses so finally added a full frame option.
Pros, shallower depth of field, better quality lenses, insanely good low light performance and high ISO handling (worth the upgrade for that reason alone for me), similar controls to both D7xx bodies I used
Cons, heavier combination with FX kit lens, more expensive lenses, loss of reach for wildlife

I've not got a problem carrying a lot of kit around, whack it in my backpack and happy to walk all day. Make no mistake though, there's some weight when I hoof the D750 with 24-120 and 150-600 lenses on board.

Mirrorless? I use a MFT Olympus EM10 ii, mainly purchased for gigs where I wasn't happy with my Sony RX100 and I couldn't get in with a DSLR. Paired with the cheap panasonic 25mm 1.7, it's low light performance is incredibly good, not far off the D7200 on the rare occasion I used that with a 2.8 lens at gigs. I do use it a lot more than I thought though, it's a really great little camera all round.
I can understand why people would use MFT mirrorless as their only camera, it's light, image quality is almost on a par with crop sensors (no discernible difference outside of pixel peeping) and it takes up considerably less bag space. I still prefer my D750 if the choice is practical though, especially with longer lenses for wildlife as I'm much steadier with a heavy setup, and also where quick autofocus and low light situations are beyond my Olly's capabilities.
I haven't used a full frame mirrorless to compare though.
 
Thank you Rancid. One of my fears (no disrespect intended) is that I end up on a similar upgrade path to you so I was wondering whether I just skip straight to the D750. :)

Saying that, I think perhaps the D7200 now and slow purchase of some FX lenses over time give me the flexibility on the future.

I do like the idea of a smaller mirrorless but think maybe I will still hanker after the technical superiority of a DSLR (even in my inexperienced hands).

I use my camera for mostly for portraits but I like landscapes and tourism shots too. I don’t plan to shoot much sport or go on safari so versatility of a lighter shorter zoom is preferred over a heavier super zoom for example.
 
Thank you Rancid. One of my fears (no disrespect intended) is that I end up on a similar upgrade path to you so I was wondering whether I just skip straight to the D750. :)

None taken. I went into it thinking the D3200 would be all I need and it would be a cheap hobby, idiot!
We've still got, with no thought of GAS in the near future, all the more expensive gear we've bought anyway so it's been a fun progression

I use my camera for mostly for portraits but I like landscapes and tourism shots too. I don’t plan to shoot much sport or go on safari so versatility of a lighter shorter zoom is preferred over a heavier super zoom for example.

There's definite advantages with the D750 for your photography, but the difference between the D7200 and D3100 is considerable and is still one of the absolute best crop sensor cameras you can buy. You really won't be disappointed whichever you end up choosing.
 
You have 4 x option #1 ;)

Without seeing your images then it's hard to guess if you're at the limits of what you can do with what you have already. My instinct is probably not, but a link to some pictures would help.

I use a mirrorless camera having downsized from a DSLR because I didn't take the larger camera out with me due to its bulk. As you end up lugging around massive amounts of stuff with small kids then I'd want to minimise the size of my camera gear while still keeping it with me, Kids get big very fast so capture them whenever you can!

I don't think the quality difference between mirrorless and DSLR is as dramatic as you might imagine but you have lots of kit to try that out with at the moment. Perhaps you'll get faster auto focus or a bit more dynamic range but with family portraits and events I'm not sure you need to worry.

If you are determined to spend the money on equipment then the obvious candidates are to move to a full frame camera - either the A7 or the D750. That will definitely give you lots of headroom to develop but as you've noted you'll need to buy more expensive lenses. You may not end up with substantially better images - at least at first.

Thanks AMC. Perhaps I should play win the A7 before I decide whether to send it back. The idea of a full frame appeals on the quality front but I don’t know if I am
kidding myself that the mirrrorless are so much more practical than a dSLR in reality. I get there is a weight saving but they are still chunky bits of kit when you have a decent lense on. The A7 also feels like the finish will wear poorly and chip whereas a dSLR feels more durable to me.
 
My thought of your choices is the Sony A6300 based on your requirement for taking pictures of a baby and that your wife can use it. Although I don't have kids myself, I've got quite a few friends with young kids I see regularly and as I'm into cameras, I take a lot of photos for them. When the children were still babies and not able to crawl the D700/D750 was my choice for its super high iso performance since it was mostly indoors and in poor light. However once the babies were mobile I stopped using the big DSLRs because it wasn't practical since they need two hands. I found the smaller RX100 and NEX-6 with the 16-50mm much easier to use because I could easily shoot one handed leaving one hand free to deal with the babies to catch them if they were about to fall or restrain them if they're trying to do something they shouldn't be.

The Nex-6 is also very easy to use and I've lent it to a few friends who have got decent results just shooting in full auto. One of the big advantages of mirrorless is the video which is much quicker and easier to use than on a DSLR, while you've not mentioned that as a requirement but it's handy to have and something your wife may want. While the smaller APS-C sensor can't match the FF sensor, the high iso and dynamic range are both still excellent and there's a lot of latitude in the raw files.

For you, another advantage of mirrorless is you've a huge selection of cheap, manual lenses if you're wanting more options to hone your skills.

The D750 is an incredible camera and for any sort of shooting that I need AF speed for, it's my first choice as its AF performance is incredible. However it's a big bulky camera and I'd never lend it to a non-camera friend, also I wouldn't want to have one with just the 50mm prime - it's a great little lens but I also frequently use the fast zoom lenses to get the shots I want with the D750.

I haven't used a D3100/D7200 but think in that situation I'd prefer one or two more lenses for the D3100 to extend my shooting capabilities more than what the D7200 upgrade gives. You've said you don't shoot much sport which means you're not getting some of the main advantages of the D750 or the D7200.

It's difficult to answer as there is no one answer and a lot of it comes down to individual preferences, I still regularly switch between a 1in compact, 1in bridge camera, micro 4/3 video setup, APS-C mirrorless and Nikon FX setup depending on what I'm doing.
 
Thanks John. Some very thoughtful points there. I am going to play with the mirrorless cameras this weekend and see how I get on. You are right with respect to the video features as I never really considered that but I probably should have given my family situation.

I am by no means a great photographer but want to learn more and that was a concern with the mirrorless as I felt maybe I would not be getting the proper photographers experience. Maybe after playing around with the mirrorless cameras I will realise they too are still way more advanced than my current skills.
 
D7200 isn't really much of an upgrade in terms of IQ tbh, it's everything else that's an upgrade. The D750 is arguably the best bang for buck for camera and IQ is top notch, and would be my choice (but then I'm biased ;)). The A7's are great BUT AF isn't great on the earlier ones so you'd need at least mark II's for decent AF. I also don't like the clunky button layout and don't like the ergonomics but YMMV.
 
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I was an avid em1 user and got the full frame urge. I got a D750 and sent it back as I did not enjoy having to micro adjust the lens. Went to a Sony A7ii and enjoyed it but not the lens selection, even with a canon adapter. Finally moved to Fuji xt2 and love it. Prefer the colours to anything before. I miss the excellent m43 lenses and price but will be sticking with Fuji for now.
 
I was an avid em1 user and got the full frame urge. I got a D750 and sent it back as I did not enjoy having to micro adjust the lens. Went to a Sony A7ii and enjoyed it but not the lens selection, even with a canon adapter. Finally moved to Fuji xt2 and love it. Prefer the colours to anything before. I miss the excellent m43 lenses and price but will be sticking with Fuji for now.
I’m quite lucky as the only lens I need to MA with my D750 is the Sigma 85mm f1.4. I tried Fuji, nice lenses but didn’t get on with the Xtrans sensor.

I’m yet to find the perfect camera hence running two systems, the D750 and EM1, which works well for me at the mo :smashin:
 
I would keep what you have for a bit longer. Reason being that in my view experimenting with all the latest gear is never ending and pointless unless you’re being paid to write reviews. By keeping with what you have, you can spend a bit more time finding out what photographs you like to take. Then you can tell what if any limiting factors there are with your current gear and narrow your focus on fixing those. If there are any to fix.
 

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