Paralysis by analysis D3300 upgrade

[Haydn Clarke]

So I seem to be over thinking things regarding which way forward t upgrade from my Nikon D3300.

When I first bought the D3300 I followed the conventional wisdom of “Save if for the glass...” and as a consequence I find myself quite heavily invested in Nikon DX lenses. These are as follows:

Sigma 105 f.2.8 macro
Nikon 18-55 F 3.5 kit lens
Sigma 10-20 F3.5
Sigma 18-250 F3.5
Tamron 70-300 F3.5
Nikon 35mm F1.8

Admittedly, some of the above purchases were driven partly by curiosity but never the less, I do use them all and even though none are what you’d call high end lenses, I’m happy with the shooting possibilities that owing them allows.

And so to my dilema...

I feel that I’d like to upgrade from my D3300 - the lack of focus poins, exposure bracketing and relatively poor battery life being particularly frustrating. Currently, I’ve been thinking of either the D7200 or D7500. There’s little to split the difference on price, quite honestly, so my initial thoughts were to just get the newer 7500. However, the fact that it has a lower resolution sensor than the 7200 (lower even than my current D3300) and also less battery life leaves me thinking that somehow this “upgrade” is not quite as it should be? Does a anyone have any thought on this? Should I simply ignore the 4 mp reduction in resolution in favour of the other improvments?

Also, and I do realise that this is quite possibly throwing a simple yay or nay question wide open but what are the general thoughts from other forum users as to upgrading within the dlsr format. Would you still do it now, given that there seems to be a shift towards mirrorless, or would you simply wait untill n
nikon Mirrorless becomes more affordable?

 

[scott199]

I don’t have years in this like others but my other business sense says DSLR will go on for years, Nikon brought out glass a few years back and looking at the life (70-200 vr11 and the new 70-200 FL) they don’t change yearly and most old glass still holds good value, so the second hand market will always be there, meaning DSLR will still be around and even if not top of the list for “new” tech will still be serviced.

As for a body I had the same dilemma when moving from the D5100 for the same reasons, I ended up going with the D500, the reason for me was AF points, AF speed, better controls and more “pro” like handling but mainly FPS for sports. I believe (someone can confirm????) the D7500 pretty much uses the same sensor and internal systems as the D500 minus a few things and the D500 imho is epic for action, sports, birds etc.

What you use yours for might give us an idea of what’s best ??

 

[droj]

the fact that it has a lower resolution sensor than the 7200 (lower even than my current D3300)

How big are you printing???

Would you still do it now, given that there seems to be a shift towards mirrorless, or would you simply wait untill n
nikon Mirrorless becomes more affordable?

Such things are always imponderable, and really hardly matter - the point is to make images! Bite the bullet!

 

[ancient_mariner]

20MP or 24MP - there's not much difference in real terms, and I'd be much more concerned about which had better dynamic range, lower noise, better colour rendering.

Mirrorless is OK if: a) you're not already invested somewhat in DSLRs b) it offers something not readily available in a DSLR that would enable you to take better pictures. That might be better focus system (not available in all mirrorless though) lower weight, EVF, compatibility with lots of lenses through adapters etc. You also haven't said what kind of pictures you take.

 

[Haydn Clarke]

yes, should have added that information.

Sort of stuff I like shooting is landscape, found still life, architectural details, urbex. More often than not I use a tripod.

Don’t do too much wildlife but occasionally like some macro/close up on flowers. Never do sport or portraiture.

 

[redhed17]

There's not much difference between 21Mp and 24Mp, only 432 x 288 pixels. Looking at DxO there would be a slight improvement with the newer 24Mp and 21Mp sensors, but would it be that noticeable! I have the D500 and the AF is brilliant, especially the larger coverage. I used the 51 point AF for many years though and that would be a huge improvement over the 11 points of the D3300, and is still great compared to some other manufacturers.

Just seen your post above as I write this, and if you don't do sport or fast moving stuff, then AF coverage may be the only improvement to change. If I were using a tripod a lot though, I would be using Live View a lot where the coverage is the whole scene, and if nothing is moving, the contrast AF could be more accurate.The Bracketing is really easy to adjust on the D500 as it has a dedicated button. Never really used any of the D7***'s, so not sure about altering bracketing on them. I would see if you could go somewhere to hold and try anything you are interested in, and how easy it is to change the things you want, like bracketing.