Nikon D5100 vs D7000

[Clive Meakins]

I'm having a tough time deciding between a D5100 and D7000 so I'm looking for advice.

I'm not at all the world's greatest photographer and if I'm honest I enjoy getting to grips with nice equipment as well as taking photos.

I want to be able to use my old Nikon lenses, though in reality this will be a rare event. They are:

28-85 AF 3.5-4.5 Nikkor
70-300 AF Sigma APO
50mm 1.8 MF
28mm 2.8 MF
70-210 MF Tamron Series II (great lens but unlikely to see much use)

Support for the 2 AFs seems to differ; the D7000 looks to work better than the D5100 but it's about as clear as mud to me.

The D7000 can be bought with the 18-105 VR lens, the D5100 seems to come with the 18-55 which is less appealing to me.

With my Olympus 410 I've been horrified at how poor the images are with the kit lenses vs the Nikon glass (I have adapters for the lenses). On their own the Olly lenses seem ok but the Nikons are so vibrant with great bokeh...I think that's the modern term! I assume the 18-105 VR will be more like my ancient lenses for IQ (correct?) and the 18-55 I suspect is too downmarket?

I believe the D5100 would give me better results initially but the D7000 should be great when I master it.

As you can see I'm in need of guidance!

 

[Clive Meakins]

The 18-55 seems to be a better lens than I gave it credit. Also I note that the D5100 does not have a focus motor, where as the D7000 has, hence the lens compatibility differences.

Am I right in thinking the 2 cameras should in the end give similar quality and I need to decide whether I want more options with the D7000 to confuse myself with and whether I really should want to use my old lenses, or simply buy some new ones?

 

[Hamish Gill]

The d7000 will be more suitable considering your wish to use old lenses
its is fully compatible with lenses dating back to 1977 where as the 5100 is only fully compatible back to 1992

in terms of image quality the d7000 on paper will be more consistent but its likely they wont differ a great deal

the d7000 is more aimed at the enthusiast hobbyist/pro second camera market

the d5100 is more aimed at the consumer market ... it has "effects" mode which is a bit of a "toy" feature if you ask me

the d7000 has all the auto modes so you wont need to have any more experience to use it necessarily ... just put it on auto and press the button ... its only when you get up to the d300s that you loose the "auto" and "scene" modes

personally ... unless you really feel the articulated screen of the d5100 ... id go for the d7000!

 

[Clive Meakins]

Thanks Hamish, any thoughts on the 18-55 vs 18-105 in terms of IQ? I need a general carryabout lens.

 

[Hamish Gill]

the 18-105 is probably a slightly better lens ... id guess there isnt a great deal of difference in quality to be honest ... although im not really able to comment from a great deal of experience
id go for the 18-105 purely for the extended length into telephoto

 

[Clive Meakins]

I'm still getting my head around all this but it is clear that with the D7000 I get metering on my AI MF lenses and my AF Zoom will work in AF and most metering modes. None of this is true for the D5100.

Whether I should worry about my AF zoom is another matter as I really should get a VR zoom anyway, the 16-85 is staring to appeal, twice the price of the 18-105 but the IQ seems to be better and 16mm instead of 18mm could be more use than 105mm instead of 85mm.

I could get the body first, use my existing lenses then get a VR zoom. Shame the 16-85 isn't used a kit lens for extra discount. Any advice on these zooms would be appreciated, I don't want to cripple a great sensor with an average lens.

 

[Hamish Gill]

have a read of this Clive http://www.realphotographersforum.c...of-pre-ai-Nikon-lenses-for-use-on-some-DSLR-s ... it relates a little and may clear up some of the confusion regarding ais lenses and modern kit ...

early af nikons were powered by a motor in the body of the camera ... look at the bottom of one of your older af lenses and twist the focus control ... you will see what looks like a tiny screw head spinning at speed ... there is a thing on older nikon af cameras and higher spec nikon dslrs that juts out of the mount and slots into that hole thus driving the auto focus
they got rid of this to save space/probably money on lower end nikons when they brought out the d40
modern lenses have the motor built into the lens its self ... more reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_motor

You are better buying the kit and selling the 18-105... this gives you a chance to compare modern glass to older glass anyway ... and being as body only is often only a very small amount cheaper it just doesn't make much sense to do it ... ... although it is worth doing your homework on price and looking at the second hand value of unboxed 18-105 lenses on ebay's completed listings...

look to upgrade to the wider angle/shorter tele option should you feel you are missing out on quality/usability, you might find the 18-105 does everything you need it to anyway ... baby steps are never a bad idea, and when its likely to actually save you money in the long run by buying the 18-105 kit should you choose to upgrade, it would be daft not to give it a go first...

also ... when you come to buy nikon, if you buy from an independent shop nikon have a scheme called nikon plus which offers discounts on bits and bobs ... for more info, go and have a chat with your local independent nikon dealer

 

[Clive Meakins]

I'm seeing body only at £867, the 18-105 at £212, combined as a kit £1078 so the 18-105 is the same price as a kit lens or bought on its own.

Re the 16-85, it's not a VR, this won't matter at 16 but at 85 I might miss it, wouldn't I? - scrub this comment, I see it is VR, some sites don't mention this....

 

[Hamish Gill]

a little more digging on prices might find you a kit with a smaller gap in price ... currys seem to have it at £999 you might also find that you can get a deal on memory cards and cases etc when bought with a kit ... (although that is just from experience of selling them in the shop) ... i might be able to get you a good price through the shop too

VR can provide an advantage at any focal length ... especially in lower light situations ... i can get passably sharp photos at as low as 15th/8th of a second with wide-normal lenses with VR ... as can most people ... that said i dont find i miss it too much on my 24-70 lens ... but that is a 2.8 lens ... its really just a case of thinking how and where you feel you are going to use the lens the most and deciding for your self if vr is essential to you

if you havent spotted it this might be useful for your old school kit http://www.realphotographersforum.com/threads/1556-Katzeye-optics...

 

[Clive Meakins]

The better kit prices do make this a no brainer. Thanks for the other tips too!

 

[Hamish Gill]

no worries Clive, in return, i will happily accept your turntable as full payment for my services

 

[Clive Meakins]

no worries Clive, in return, i will happily accept your turntable as full payment for my services

Sure, it's in the post