Beginner Camera change, if so, what? new lens, if so what?

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Damen
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Hi

I currently have a d3300 which i love, lens wise i have 70-300mm vr nikon, 35mm 1.8g, kit 18-55mm

I have around an extra £500

Should i upgrade to a full frame such as d600 or d800 and sell my camera to add extra money too? The d3300 is great but iso levels are capped at 1600 really, anything over and its poor quality.

Or do i keep my camera, and sell the 70-300 and buy a f2.8 lens?

What f2.8 lens would fit my nikon d3300? I would love a wide angle to a longer reach which could do me all round for portraits, weddings, and family stuff. Id like the 70-300 f2.8 but i heard it wont fit d3300?

Any advise would be great
 
So what about your current gear holds you back? Do you really need to go through all the expense of getting a full frame body. Yes the high ISO performance will be better but how often do you shoot at over ISO1600 really?

You talk about buying an f2.8 lens, which could potentially solve your high ISO issues with your current body, as a brighter lens means you wouldn't need to crank the ISO up so much. As far as I'm aware nobody makes a 70-300mm f2.8 lens. There are 70-200mm f2.8 lenses or Sigma make a 120-300mm f2.8 lens, but you're not going to get any of them for anywhere close to £500.
 
Sorry richard i meant 70-200 but i dont know if that is compatible with a d3300, ye the only thing is the iso, that is all.

Id just like to take some lovely portraits with the background being out of focus alot and i thought a f2.8 would achieve this, i know with a crop its x1.5 so ideally if i could start wider and it work up that would be more beneficial
 
A D800 is going to cost around £600 for an used average condition one and at 36MP you'll probably need a very good lens to make the most of that resolution.

I would suggest a used D700 instead if you are wanting to delve into the creamy world of full frame. There's a few going at MPB with a good condition one at £424 with 55k shutter count. It's got a good autofocus system and excellent low light performance.

To keep things cost effective you could couple a D700 with a good condition used Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM for £489. It's got a decent constant aperture of f4, Optical Stabiliser and uses Ultrasonic for focusing (fast and quiet).

If you trade your own gear in and you may just be able to cover it all along with your £500 extra cash. Try both MPB and WEX for trade in values, I found the latter offering over £100 more for my gear.

Here's some links if it helps:

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/nikon-d800-digital-slr-camera-body-used-1686556/
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equi...on-digital-slr-cameras/nikon-d700/sku-798884/
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equi...105mm-f-4-dg-os-hsm-art-nikon-fit/sku-784603/
 
I was unaware of a Nikon 70-300, do you mean 70-200 2.8 ? if so i used a 70-200 2.8 on my D5100 and loved it.

in my eyes investing in a good glass that can grow with you is a great idea, but its not going to miraculously improve your D3300, but saying that a top end D850 is not going to miraculously improve your images without the costly high-end lens.

I picked up a used sigma 70-200 for £250-300 and found it to be more than capable, it even moved to my D500 with me (upgraded now, but more because i could rather than needed to)

As for portraits your 35mm is great for that, or I find my Sigma 105 macro 2.8 seems to give quite good results and also the added macro if you fancied it (around about £250 ish)

Same as most things it's all about budget and intended use, FF lens works fine on a crop, its the other way you find issues, so Crop lens on an FF body, if you go with FF lens now and choose to upgrade the body later, the lens can stay with you.
 
Sorry richard i meant 70-200 but i dont know if that is compatible with a d3300, ye the only thing is the iso, that is all.

Id just like to take some lovely portraits with the background being out of focus alot and i thought a f2.8 would achieve this, i know with a crop its x1.5 so ideally if i could start wider and it work up that would be more beneficial

A 70-200 will work fine with the camera body you already have although it will be very front heavy. Large lens, small body. I would stay away from any third party lenses as they are more likely to have front or back focusing issues and you can’t micro adjust on an entry level body.

You could also just by a 50mm f/1.8G which is pretty decent on a crop sensor camera and will give decent background blur and bokeh.

Probably not the best time to invest in Nikon F mount equipment as it is basically defunct now but you would struggle to get near any of the mirrorless options within the budget you mentioned.

Maybe try a 50mm f/1.8G they are cheap and see how you get on before investing too much in what is going to be a dead system.
 
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Thanks for the replys guys, i just wanted something better than my 70-300 f4.5 - 6.5, but a more all rounder too

I was looking at the tamron 28-75mm f2.8 as a alrounder for portraits and the ability to zoom etc

I did consider the 50mm but then if i needed a wider angle i could zoom back and forth with the f2.8

Im very happy with my image quality the d3300 gives, it was just more iso that bothered me more
 
I can't comment on Nikon, but I've just upgraded from a Canon 1100d (entry level) to an 80d (still a crop body bet much better specs). I also treated myself to a Canon 24-70mm f2.8. The image quality is excellent, and ISO performance is hugely improved. I have a Tamron 70-300vc and that seems to be improved as well.
 
I can't comment on Nikon, but I've just upgraded from a Canon 1100d (entry level) to an 80d (still a crop body bet much better specs). I also treated myself to a Canon 24-70mm f2.8. The image quality is excellent, and ISO performance is hugely improved. I have a Tamron 70-300vc and that seems to be improved as well.

How do u find the wider angle mike? As it in theory is 36mm to 105mm on a crop
 
I haven't found it an issue yet, but I am considering a 10-20mm. But I have to say the image quality is excellent, and f2.8 gives very nice bokeh. I done some portraits the other evening and at 35mm,f8 it was amazing.
 
Thats great, id just want an all rounder something that can be a wider angle but zoom also, so if i was doing portraits to a wedding for example it would be nice to have something that isnt going to be a nightmare to keep swopping cameras or len’s
 
After reading some of your replies it sounds like the renowned Nikon AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8 would be ideal. If you really need the extra reach then there's also the Nikon AF-S 16-80mm f/2.8-4 and although you may lose a stop at the long end, f/4 will still throw the background out of focus especially due to longer focal length.

But, Richard asked about how often you need to go above ISO1600? If it's a lot and much higher then a 2.8 lens isn't really going to help much and you will need to look at the camera instead.
 
Sorry yes you are right, its not going to be often at all, when i do some weddings there is the low loghting however i do have an external flash which i bounce off walls around etc which does help.

This is what i was wondering, as if it went upto f4 would i still achieve background blurr, sometimes when i have taken photos the background just isnt that blurred which is frustrating
 
Maybe check out the Tamron 17-50 2.8, very tidy little lens and not a great deal of money, generally if it not sports or action, I use 17-50 or siggy 105.
Or maybe the Nikon 17-55 2.8, very capable pro spec lens, heavy and robust price wise £450/£500 maybe
 
There is alot to choose from, i wont be doing sports or landscapes, this year for me is helping with a few weddings and i want to concentrate on family stuff outdoor and indoor, portraits etc for outdoors would love some lovely background blurr, i know my 35mm 1.8 is capable but i know i have to move back and forth with it
 
Sorry yes you are right, its not going to be often at all, when i do some weddings there is the low loghting however i do have an external flash which i bounce off walls around etc which does help.

This is what i was wondering, as if it went upto f4 would i still achieve background blurr, sometimes when i have taken photos the background just isnt that blurred which is frustrating

Here's the Nikon 16-80mm shot at 52mm f4: View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/27349336@N04/34958318453/in/photolist-Z8wHts-236f1Uw-EvWd6K-VfaAgz-Vg9w9v-28vWBD8-CURJoX-22rBcRA-21kYisQ-HWTT3r-22vxiMj-21detRK-J2X9fz-23xjvT7-22DsX8b-21TgCQh-22o6L6o-GLdB1a-FDKw2b


If it were 80mm the background would be even more out of focus.

Here's the Nikon 17-55 shot at 55mm f3.2: View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/160144912@N02/43106072185/in/photolist-28F8Tt8-7y9DbC-8YvUDg-92AHpa-9mqf3t-7yihLT-8XPHBw-hoAXNS-dkyWU6-6PociS-aBXJy4-9hxmyi-8JY7uq-N2ARG-9gq1YR-6VJQLC-7gqooq-dZht6k-7FTaN1-7y9D35-4RWdzM-9qrUTo-4n9VwB-7y9DXb-92AHhp-4LPvXu-5gnMNe-dYDMmY-4jtBhW-7y9CeJ-4EeVkM-8R6j5b-4Zz9Ek-4ZDpiy-4nd2FN-7zzzrz-J6jUz2-AC7Ydg-e4LstC-c19yqo-4sKFTb-asfZRy-6keCR8-4qfu3r-9Wv99K-9AQ55e-9AQ5ap-oM19R1-e4j26c-e4iYZa



These aren't my shots btw, I've just linked from Flickr. The amount of bokeh isn't the only important thing, sometimes too much is overkill and there's also the quality of the bokeh.

Personally, I like the amount of bokeh in the above photos, it's enough to separate the subject but not too much that the background is unrecognisable. Max bokeh can be good for wildlife where the subjects are often in front of complicated backgrounds or there's an element of camouflage involved with the subject and background.
 
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If your looking for portrait and want that bokeh look, have you looked at the Nikon 85 1.8 easily within your budget and very highly rated on the portrait/bokeh level ?
 
He doesn't want to be changing lenses though from wide to telephoto. Otherwise, I'd agree that the 85mm is a great portrait lens.
 
He doesn't want to be changing lenses though from wide to telephoto. Otherwise, I'd agree that the 85mm is a great portrait lens.
Oh ok, fair enough
 
Thanks for the examples, gosh so much to look at, ye the 35mm 1.8 i have is great but its more for general use aswel and if i find my self not being able to move alot i have the zoom ring to help
 
Sometimes having to physically move can open up far more interesting compositions. You mentioned weddings, you can shoot a wedding comfortably with just a 35mm and 85mm on a FF no problem. Each lens attached to each body, so no lens swapping. Plus you can pop some other lenses in the bag for specific shots if desired. But if you are just a guest and not shooting by request then it's not really an issue.

I would still have a good think about FF. I've had various cropped DSLRs, but there's something about FF which sucks me back into photography. Couple it with a great AF system and it really is incredibly versatile. My previous camera was a Sony A6000, great little camera and the image quality was good. But the AF-C performance wasn't good enough for the types of shots I needed and the low light performance whilst ok wasn't anywhere near FF and this shortcoming was enough to make me leave it behind in favour of my more convenient phone camera. Things are different now.
 
I know that is very true, sometimes with lenses i think i wish i could have that wider angle, which id have with FF, the trouble is, its what sort of FF in the nikon range do i look out for
 
A 70-200 will work fine with the camera body you already have although it will be very front heavy. Large lens, small body. I would stay away from any third party lenses as they are more likely to have front or back focusing issues and you can’t micro adjust on an entry level body.

Really? Do you have any evidence of this aside from hearsay or maybe a personal experience? From my own personal experience I can tell you that Nikon lenses aren't immune from those issues either.

Probably not the best time to invest in Nikon F mount equipment as it is basically defunct now but you would struggle to get near any of the mirrorless options within the budget you mentioned.

Again, evidence for this statement? Has there been an announcement from Nikon that they are stopping development of F-mount lenses? Are Nikon really stupid enough to alienate millions of customers that have bought into the F-mount system?
 
Really? Do you have any evidence of this aside from hearsay or maybe a personal experience? From my own personal experience I can tell you that Nikon lenses aren't immune from those issues either.

Again, evidence for this statement? Has there been an announcement from Nikon that they are stopping development of F-mount lenses? Are Nikon really stupid enough to alienate millions of customers that have bought into the F-mount system?

Yes Nikon glass can also have issues with front or back focusing, it is a simple fact though that Tamron and Sigma lenses are usually much more prone to this and if you do a simple google search you will find all the "evidence" you will need. Speaking from my own experience I when I shot Nikon dslr's I had much more issues with Sigma and Tamron lenses than Nikon. This is partly due to them having to reverse engineer the a.f system as unlike Canon, Nikon do not provide them with any assistance. One of the great benefits of moving to mirrorless for me was not having to deal with these issue any longer.

F mount is dying you only have to look at the massive fall in the value of Nikon used equipment to see that. As for "evidence" have a look at the Nikon lens road map and see how many new F mount lenses there is, because there is none.
 
Absolutely some crazy low prices around.

Any examples? I’ve been expecting used values to tumble for ages but other than lenses that have recently been replaced I haven’t really seen this happen yet. I wish it was!
 
at moment I have purchased a tamron 28-75mm which I think is such a fantasic lens and for the money is a must. just on the look out for other stuff.
 
Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8 Micro is an ok portrait length on DX body. And cheap.
 
Hi

I currently have a d3300 which i love, lens wise i have 70-300mm vr nikon, 35mm 1.8g, kit 18-55mm

I have around an extra £500

Should i upgrade to a full frame such as d600 or d800 and sell my camera to add extra money too? The d3300 is great but iso levels are capped at 1600 really, anything over and its poor quality.

Or do i keep my camera, and sell the 70-300 and buy a f2.8 lens?

What f2.8 lens would fit my nikon d3300? I would love a wide angle to a longer reach which could do me all round for portraits, weddings, and family stuff. Id like the 70-300 f2.8 but i heard it wont fit d3300?

Any advise would be great

You get extra spare cash and can only think of either new camera body or new lens? Photography is not about camera and lens only, there are other stuff in a photographer's kit bag. What about thinking of buying a flashgun? Tripod? Couple of extra spare batteries and couple of extra memory cards to allow you a whole day of photographs? Surely there may be something else in your kit bag that you don't have and should think of buying?
 
Thanks guys, i have 4 new class 10 sd cards, a tripod already, i have an external flash, i wish i cud have a free standing flash to trigger but i believe the d3300 wont support this
 
Thanks guys, i have 4 new class 10 sd cards, a tripod already, i have an external flash, i wish i cud have a free standing flash to trigger but i believe the d3300 wont support this

It may not support it in a wireless TTL mode but it certainly will in manual mode, or via suitable TTL cable you can have full TTL suport. In addition any camera with a hotshoe, can fire remote flashes, using cheap radio triggers.

Budget gear for this is easily within your limit.
IIRC my pair of radio triggers were well under £50, and the TTL cables I've brought (several different lengths & for both Pentax & MFT systems) were all under £20. In fact I've also picked up a new studio flash, lightstands & umbrellas etc for only ~£200 more

This sort of kit probably wouldn't stand up to professional use, but works perfectly for light use.
 
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