Camera upgrade

Messages
1,614
Name
Roger
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi guy's. I have been shooting with my Nikon D300 for a lot of years now. What would be a good upgrade for me, bearing in mind i would still like to use the lenses i already have. I think i would be looking at a top quality used model.
My lenses include Nikon 28-70 f2.8, Nikon 80-200 f2.8 and the Sigma 10-20 DC HSM. I also have a few other lenses, and i mainly shoot lansdcape. Thank you.
 
I think the sigma 10-20 is a crop only lens. Full frame could be good for landscapes so D750 upwards or D800 upwards. crop only lenses won’t meet the full image circle on full frame and aren’t recommended to be used as you don’t get the full frame experience/performance.

You don’t mention budget which would be useful to know to give recommendations.
 
Last edited:
I think where my life is at the moment the budget would be around 650-700. I can upgrade the 10-20, but i want to keep the other 2. Thanks for replying.
 
On your budget, sticking with crop bodies to uses all your current lenses IHMO the D7200, D7500 or taking advantage of Full Frame perhaps a D610.
I personally upgraded from a D3200 to a D610 and was very happy with the results for my limited budget, I have since added a D7500 for wildlife.
I found this site useful when making comparisons : - https://cameradecision.com/compare/Nikon-D300-vs-Nikon-D610
 
I reckon your budget will allow for a good D750 and leave some change in the kitty to put towards an Fx UWA to replace the 10-20. In the meantime, crop mode will allow you to keep the same AoV that you're used to from the 10-20 - perhaps even a few degrees more with a little vignetting.
 
Thank you Nod and Steve. Bothy comments are food for thought. Can i still use the Nikon 28-70 f2.8, Nikon 80-200 f2.8 on both options?
 
Yes. Even if your 80-200 is the old screw driven type.
 
Hi guy's. I have been shooting with my Nikon D300 for a lot of years now. What would be a good upgrade for me,
In my opinion, the best reason to upgrade is to fix a problem or fill a hole you have with your current gear. The question to ask is, "How is my current camera limiting me?"

Example: With my Sony A6000 the biggest limitation is the speed of my (kit) lenses. The obvious upgrade for me woudl be an 18-55/2.8. But I'm too cheap to spend $1,400 on the lens (or even $550 on the Sigma alternative) so I make do with what I have. (That money buys a LOT of film cameras, which is what I prefer.)

I suppose you could say "Wait, he shoots a Sony a6000? Now THERE is a guy NOT worth listening to." But I think it kind of makes my point -- my Sony is six+ years old, and I love it and cannot come up with a good reason to replace it*. I can't bring myself to upgrade for the sake of upgrading. I love the camera's size and form factor, I'm happy with how my photos come out, and while I would love another stop or two out of the lens, that's not too much of a problem to work around. So I keep the Sony.

* I have found one good reason: Going full-frame would allow me to use my film lenses at their "native" focal lengths, and that'd certainly be useful... but the only camera that would match my Sony's form factor is the A7C, and until those come down in price, I will have to stick with the Sony.

I would say a good upgrade would be the camera that eliminates the thing in your D300 that is holding you back. If there's nothing in your D300 that is holding you back, I don't know that an upgrade will make you all that happy - unless you love getting new stuff, and there's nothing wrong with that.

FWIW I helped a friend shoot a wedding using his Nikon D850. I was so excited to be using such a top-end camera. The effing thing damn near gave me a hernia. Turns out my friend was shooting with his "lesser" D810 because it was the camera he knew better. He spend big $$ on the D850 when it first came out and I don't know that he's found any advantage to it.

Anyway -- Hope my grumpy old opinion helps.

Aaron
 
When updating from the D300 I briefly dallied with the D600 (due to budget) but that was quickly changed for the D610. The next stop on my journey, to where I am now, was the D750 and that move was prompted by the better AF system in the D750 (borrowed from the D810) which I felt was lacking in the D610 for wildlife photography. If landscape is your genre of choice then I'm not sure the improvements in AF are significant (only you can tell that). I should stress that the D610 always focussed accurately but it was a bit slow when trying to shoot moving subjects.

The D610 and D750 share a lot of features and functions, the same sensor, menu layout, shutter, etc., but the D750 does handle noise better due to the EXPEED 4 processor introduced with the D810. Some models of the D600 were plagued by the shutter spraying particles onto the sensor (mine did that) and was quickly replaced by the D610 - basically a D600 with a new shutter mechanism. This problem appears to have tarnished the reputation of both cameras, which is a shame as the images from the D6X0 has beautiful tones, especially skin tones.

There is a comparison of the specifications of the D610 and D750 here - https://photographylife.com/nikon-d750-vs-d610

I hope that helps :)
 
Back
Top