hi at the moment I am using a Nikon d5200 thinking of going with a d750 or would I better off with a new lens for my 5200 a 24 70 nikon appreciate any advice at the moment I take photos of anything just enjoy it but can only afford the new camera or a good lens
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Beginner advice
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New cameras and lens don't immediately lead to improved photographic skills or better photos. If and when you are really pushing the limits of what you already have, will you then know what you need in order to improve further. Nothing wrong with wanting a new camera or lens, but you may not need anything yet.
KIPAX
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A new camera can't improve skills.. it can in certain circumstances improve photos but usually by making a big jump up the ladder...
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think of cameras like cars ( this is going to be an awful analogy i know but ive started so i'll finish ).
Uk speed limit is 70 MPH. now then a ferrari will of course get you to 70 no problem. its all big , fast shiny and expensive. but also requires precision handling.
now youve currently got your little nissan Micra. reliable but a little slow, not exactly full of features but easy to drive . now this will also get you to 70 mph. may take a little longer and require pushing it a little to its limits but it will still get you there. and at a fraction of the cost.
obviously if you want to do some blistering laps around the nurburgring then yes of course the ferrarri will be the better choice. BUT only once youve mastered the skills in your little micra. the right racing line, knowing when to accelrate and brake, knowing how to go into and come out of a corner correctly.
so your cameras are much like that. the D750 may be the bigger better shinier faster ferrari, but if you havent mastered the basics first in the 5200 then your always going to suffer for it.
take your current camera to its limit and beyond. once youve done that and feel you can get absolutely no more out of it, then consider the upgrade.
there see told ya it was a godawful analogy lol
Uk speed limit is 70 MPH. now then a ferrari will of course get you to 70 no problem. its all big , fast shiny and expensive. but also requires precision handling.
now youve currently got your little nissan Micra. reliable but a little slow, not exactly full of features but easy to drive . now this will also get you to 70 mph. may take a little longer and require pushing it a little to its limits but it will still get you there. and at a fraction of the cost.
obviously if you want to do some blistering laps around the nurburgring then yes of course the ferrarri will be the better choice. BUT only once youve mastered the skills in your little micra. the right racing line, knowing when to accelrate and brake, knowing how to go into and come out of a corner correctly.
so your cameras are much like that. the D750 may be the bigger better shinier faster ferrari, but if you havent mastered the basics first in the 5200 then your always going to suffer for it.
take your current camera to its limit and beyond. once youve done that and feel you can get absolutely no more out of it, then consider the upgrade.
there see told ya it was a godawful analogy lol
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Listen to those guys above. You have a well featured camera - learn to use it. Do you just set it on auto everything and bang away? Well a new machine ain't going to change that. Learn to see how a camera sees. Take charge. It needs effort. Shopping is a distraction, a drug, a false lure.
People in shops aren't good mentors - they have a vested interest.
People in shops aren't good mentors - they have a vested interest.
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New gear won't help.
If you have some particular problems with conditions - new gear might be part of the answer. Posting images for critique will get you some free advice that's much more useful than anything you'll get from the guy in the camera store.
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Another thing that's worth considering is that entry-level cameras are more likely to be aimed at photographers that still have a lot of learning curve ahead of them. They therefore have in-built features and default in-camera image processing that are an aid for those that may not have the knowledge and experience (or inclination) to manage these things themselves. These are handy while learning about photography and often give a good starting point for camera settings in a given situation.
But these same features can be a pain in the backside for those with more knowledge, experience and willingness. For example on my 50D, there are a whole bunch of modes, like Portrait, Sport, Night-time, Landscape, Macro, that I neither use or need. On the more advanced 7DII and 5DIII, these modes are omitted, which essentially assumes the photographer knows how to set up for those situations. Meanwhile a whole bunch of other functionality is available in a much more powerful system.
I don't know the D750, but you may find that you actually got/get worse images out of one of those than you do from your current body simply because you don't get as much help from the higher spec body. This even though the D750 is the better and more capable camera.
I'm a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fan and like the bit where the guys are on the Heart of Gold under attack from nuclear weapons and Zaphod Beeblebrox asks for full manual control. All the panels slide open to reveal a myriad of buttons and dials. He of course has no clue what any of it does.
But these same features can be a pain in the backside for those with more knowledge, experience and willingness. For example on my 50D, there are a whole bunch of modes, like Portrait, Sport, Night-time, Landscape, Macro, that I neither use or need. On the more advanced 7DII and 5DIII, these modes are omitted, which essentially assumes the photographer knows how to set up for those situations. Meanwhile a whole bunch of other functionality is available in a much more powerful system.
I don't know the D750, but you may find that you actually got/get worse images out of one of those than you do from your current body simply because you don't get as much help from the higher spec body. This even though the D750 is the better and more capable camera.
I'm a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fan and like the bit where the guys are on the Heart of Gold under attack from nuclear weapons and Zaphod Beeblebrox asks for full manual control. All the panels slide open to reveal a myriad of buttons and dials. He of course has no clue what any of it does.
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With a new camera you generally either:
- Go backwards to start with because you now have to re-figure out everything you knew how to do on the old camera, and then you progress once you get your head around the few new bits; or
- Make no further progress because all the stuff you didn't understand about the old camera you still don't understand with the new one *and* there's a heap load more stuff you don't understand that the new camera has introduced.
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The D750 has idiot modes.
It just so happens that I own a D5200 and a D750 and actually use it with the kit lens for some things (close ups mostly) in preference to the D750 and 'better' lenses.
All the advice above about waiting until the camera limits you is correct. I could list all the places where the D750 outperforms the D5200 for me but until you find that point where it limits you there's little reason to change. Same goes for lenses really.
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What lens have you got so far?
thanks for all the input especially phil v never thought of why just seemed to of got caught up in better camera /lens ment better photos so going on a course to learn more about the camera I own and take it from there
Lots of good advice here. As a rule of thumb, if you have to ask whether you should get a new camera then you probably shouldn't (especially true when you already have a very capable piece of kit - as you do). If you know exactly WHY you need new kit then you can answer your own question. If you are hitting specific limitations with your current kit, that will be the only thing that informs a decision on whether to invest a relatively substantial amount of money on new gear.
Full frame cameras are not "better", but they may be more suited for specific purposes. They are very expensive, though, which is why a salesman in a shop is telling you that they are "better". For 9/10 photographs taken by hobbyists and shared online (the kinds of images that make up most of the submissions to a site like this) it would not have made any perceivable difference whether the image was taken on a d750 or a d5200. Some gearheads will argue otherwise, but they're crazy and wrong.
The car analogy above is a good one. Most people, without thinking it through would say a Ferrari is a "better" car than a Micra but is it really? As was pointed out, it really depends what you do with it. For most urban and suburban driving the Micra is probably more effective (or as effective but less expensive); the only reason to get a Ferrari if all you do is urban driving is to show off or to satisfy an urge to own pointlessly expensive kit.
Full frame cameras are not "better", but they may be more suited for specific purposes. They are very expensive, though, which is why a salesman in a shop is telling you that they are "better". For 9/10 photographs taken by hobbyists and shared online (the kinds of images that make up most of the submissions to a site like this) it would not have made any perceivable difference whether the image was taken on a d750 or a d5200. Some gearheads will argue otherwise, but they're crazy and wrong
.The car analogy above is a good one. Most people, without thinking it through would say a Ferrari is a "better" car than a Micra but is it really? As was pointed out, it really depends what you do with it. For most urban and suburban driving the Micra is probably more effective (or as effective but less expensive); the only reason to get a Ferrari if all you do is urban driving is to show off or to satisfy an urge to own pointlessly expensive kit.
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I'm not sure I completely agree with the views here. A 750 has a stop more dynamic range and is significantly better in low light. A pro Nikon camera, for me, is easier to use than the budget equivalent; the focussing is usually easier to use, the controls are more explicit and the viewfinder is far better.
A more experienced photographer will be able to get near identical results from a 5200 or a 750 or at least know enough Lightroom to hide the differences. I don't know about a beginner.
My first DSLR was only in 2012 (Canon 600D) followed quickly by a Nikon D800 only just over a year later. The transition was easy. If anything, the 750 is a better designed camera. The technical side of photography, certainly up to an intermediate level, is not that difficult.
The only thing I would say is that an up to date copy of Lightroom is a better upgrade than any camera IMO.
A more experienced photographer will be able to get near identical results from a 5200 or a 750 or at least know enough Lightroom to hide the differences. I don't know about a beginner.
My first DSLR was only in 2012 (Canon 600D) followed quickly by a Nikon D800 only just over a year later. The transition was easy. If anything, the 750 is a better designed camera. The technical side of photography, certainly up to an intermediate level, is not that difficult.
The only thing I would say is that an up to date copy of Lightroom is a better upgrade than any camera IMO.
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Agreed, if you have never used LR or Photoshop to edit your images in RAW, the difference between before and after can be quite astonishing once you learn how to.
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I agree with most things in this thread so far, but using photo editing software as an answer to improving photos isn't the way to learn the art of photography. You should always aim to get it right with the camera. Having said that, I'm not saying don't ever you software to fix photos (far from it), I'm just saying by learning to get it right with the camera will improve your skills.
As a newbie myself with a second hand t3 and kit lens, I have had to learn to how to use it properly. This combination has it's limitations, but I think it has made me be more creative with how I take photos. I know I'm never going to get a nice close ups of wildlife or great low light shots.
When I have some spare cash I will probably invest in a lens or two but will keep the body for I while yet.
I suppose it comes down to what you want to achieve with your photography if you want to be a paid photographer then more expensive kit is probably needed but only if you know how to use it to it's full potential.
As a newbie myself with a second hand t3 and kit lens, I have had to learn to how to use it properly. This combination has it's limitations, but I think it has made me be more creative with how I take photos. I know I'm never going to get a nice close ups of wildlife or great low light shots.
When I have some spare cash I will probably invest in a lens or two but will keep the body for I while yet.
I suppose it comes down to what you want to achieve with your photography if you want to be a paid photographer then more expensive kit is probably needed but only if you know how to use it to it's full potential.
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Using processing software isn't about "fixing" a poor photo, it's about finishing a good one. It's no different to the darkroom skills when using film. Lightroom also offers a huge advantage in terms of organising your image files.
This is a very common misunderstanding.
This is a very common misunderstanding.
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I haven't read everything hear but I get the gist. It's the photographer and not the camera who takes the photos. The camera you have is perfectly capable of doing a lot of good things but you just need to learn to use it to it's maximum potential. In fact you need to learn to use your mind to the maximum potential as that's what'll give you the results. If you're going to do anything I'd buy a new lens over a new body but! and a BIG but it is! only buy that lens if it's to do something new and NOT because you think it'll improve your photos. For example I mean if you really want to do landscapes but you feel 18mm isn't wide enough then get a 10-22mm providing you'll use that lens a lot and wisely and not just for the sake of it or for the fact you think it'll make you a pro when you put it on your camera.
Or instead of spending money why not find new and creative ways to use the gear you have? I watched a video the other week about landscapes because I wanted a new lens. This guy used a 50mm prime lens to do landscape photos and I was impressed with the results and the creativity that came from it.
Landscape photography with 50mm prime lens
Watch the following video and it'll show you what you can do with a camera that isn't near as high-spec'd as yours. The camera used is a Nikon D40 which was from about 10 years ago. The D5200 on paper trumps it in many things.
It's the photographer not the camera
Or instead of spending money why not find new and creative ways to use the gear you have? I watched a video the other week about landscapes because I wanted a new lens. This guy used a 50mm prime lens to do landscape photos and I was impressed with the results and the creativity that came from it.
Landscape photography with 50mm prime lens
Watch the following video and it'll show you what you can do with a camera that isn't near as high-spec'd as yours. The camera used is a Nikon D40 which was from about 10 years ago. The D5200 on paper trumps it in many things.
It's the photographer not the camera
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Agree with this.
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Hay, I have a d5200 and im looking to upgrade to the d750 with the 24-70 also. The low light performance on the d5200 is pretty poor in my opinion - good upgrade
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The OP didn't mention poor low light performance, which presumably is only an issue when shooting in low light?Hay, I have a d5200 and im looking to upgrade to the d750 with the 24-70 also. The low light performance on the d5200 is pretty poor in my opinion - good upgrade
I never said upgrading to a D750 was not a good upgrade, neither did I suggest to the OP that he should not upgrade.
So your point is?
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whats your point? - im just stating facts - the 750 will shoot better pics in low light which is why im upgrading - im being empathetic to the OP (click here to find out what that means.....)..... keep clicking... youll get there
Mod edit have a day off to cool your heels
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