Upgrading Nikon d3100....but to what?

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MelS

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Mel
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I have a Nikon D3100, with a reasonable set up for an amateur - standard Nikon AF-S 18-55mm VR lens, a AF-S 70-300mm VR zoom, a Sigma 500mm f4.5 EX DG (for birds) and a 2x teleconverter (for fun).

The original plan was to just upgrade to the next model up - to get some minor upgrade features and wifi connectivity, but obviously the camera world has changed dramatically with DSLRs seemingly being overtaken by mirrorless cameras and I'm now stuck, so hoping for some advice about how to proceed.

The options I can see are:
1) upgrade to the D7500; pros: simple upgrade, significantly better than current prospect; cons: very expensive and presumably will be the next model canned by Nikon.
2) upgrade to the Nikon z50 with the FTZ adapter; pros: mirrorless (current, developing tech), smaller, much cheaper (for very similar specs to the d7500), can keep existing lenses; cons: battery life, not sure about cost/benefits of adapter? Not sure about build quality on these? Native lenses limited (not a problem if adapter is a great solution).
3) sell all current kit and start from scratch with a new mirrorless setup; pros: not limited to any brand, build set with native lenses; cons: probably more expensive overall, no real idea where to start, emotional attachment to a couple of the lenses I'd have to sell...

So, my questions are: what should I do? Has anyone had any issues with the z50? If I start over, what is the best mirrorless option (no real reason to move away from APS-C) out there?

Thanks!
 
My 2p worth. I'm not a mirrorless user (except compact) but looking into it a few months back and funnily enough on the weekend I'm staying DSLR
All my friends who have gone mirrorless have issues with it. Most are sorry they switched. Biggest whinge seems to be compatability issues with old lens, focus issues and battery life.
On the weekend I was talking to two random people, one a Canon and one a Nikon mirrorless shooter, the Nikon shooter let me have a play with her camera... after telling me she didnt like it and couldnt get a decent pic out of it compared to her previous Nikon DSLR. The Canon shooter tried to sell me his camera so he could go back to a "proper" camera as he called it.
Hardly a proper study, but it makes me think twice.
To make this fair I should mention the saleman at my local camera shop who swears by his Canon R5, his only grumble was a battery grip was the best part of £400. And theres plenty on here who sem happy with mirrorless.
Your money your choice.
 
swanseamale47 said:
My 2p worth. I'm not a mirrorless user (except compact) but looking into it a few months back and funnily enough on the weekend I'm staying DSLR
All my friends who have gone mirrorless have issues with it. Most are sorry they switched. Biggest whinge seems to be compatability issues with old lens, focus issues and battery life.
On the weekend I was talking to two random people, one a Canon and one a Nikon mirrorless shooter, the Nikon shooter let me have a play with her camera... after telling me she didnt like it and couldnt get a decent pic out of it compared to her previous Nikon DSLR. The Canon shooter tried to sell me his camera so he could go back to a "proper" camera as he called it.
Hardly a proper study, but it makes me think twice.
To make this fair I should mention the saleman at my local camera shop who swears by his Canon R5, his only grumble was a battery grip was the best part of £400. And theres plenty on here who sem happy with mirrorless.
Your money your choice.
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I'm one of the ones who changed to mirrorless and am completely happy.
I got my 650D out today to charge the batteries and use it a bit, and it feels like going back to a film SLR :)
Yes, it works well, and I still have lenses, but it just feels so clunky, like a 1950s Landrover.

Like you say, its a choice each has to make.
 
Many thanks for this - really useful.

Were the focusing issues due to using the adapter with old lenses or are they an issue anyway (if you know)?

I was aware of the battery life issue. I thought that a couple of extra batteries would be required, but I also understand that Nikon are now mean-spiritedly clamping down (through software) on people using the much cheaper after-market batteries that are available (that would make it more viable to carry around a bucketload to overcome the limited battery life problem).
 
Sangoma said:
I'm one of the ones who changed to mirrorless and am completely happy.
I got my 650D out today to charge the batteries and use it a bit, and it feels like going back to a film SLR :)
Yes, it works well, and I still have lenses, but it just feels so clunky, like a 1950s Landrover.

Like you say, its a choice each has to make.
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I guess you are using a full native system without the adapter?

I do like a 1950s landrover though ;)
 
Yes some were using adaptors, but others had the proper lens, one was a retired pro wedding tog so he knows what he's doing too. It's luck of the draw I think. If it works for you thats good. As Steve says it works for lots of people.
 
Some general observations:

Cameras that once took good pictures will still take good pictures, assuming you are happy with some technical limitations.

The problem with mirrorless cameras cited by @swanseamale47 are most likely to be in the 12 inches behind the camera. Perhaps they were sold poor/faulty/wrong equipment?

Adapted lenses won't work as well as native, but will be fine if you understand and can work with the built-in limitations.

So upgrades. If you are happy to stay with DSLR then buy used, not new, because the used value of such a model will be relatively low, especially in the future. If I were looking at Nikon crop DSLRs then I'd probably want a used D500 for the best AF, sensor tech and long life. Or you could stick with plan A, buy a used D52XX or D72XX for a lower price and remain not too heavily financially committed to the older format. I really wouldn't buy a new camera at a high cost in this format.
 
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ancient_mariner said:
Some general observations:

Cameras that once took good pictures will still take good pictures, assuming you are happy with some technical limitations.

The problem with mirrorless cameras cited by @swanseamale47 are most likely to be in the 12 inches behind the camera. Perhaps they were sold poor/faulty/wrong equipment?

Adapted lenses won't work as well as native, but will be fine if you understand and can work with the built-in limitations.

So upgrades. If you are happy to stay with DSLR then buy used, not new, because the used value of such a model will be relatively low, especially in the future. If I were looking at Nikon crop DSLRs then I'd probably want a used D500 for the best AF, sensor tech and long life. Or you could stick with plan A, buy a used D52XX or D72XX for a lower price and remain not too heavily financially committed to the older format. I really wouldn't buy a new camera at a high cost in this format.
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Thanks - that was the concern really; I'm happy enough with the DSLR system, so it's the expense of upgrading is what is driving the possible switch. I'll have a look at the D500; hadn't looked at it as I was thinking of new rather than second hand. I am a bit worried about older cameras giving up I guess.
 
MelS said:
Thanks - that was the concern really; I'm happy enough with the DSLR system, so it's the expense of upgrading is what is driving the possible switch. I'll have a look at the D500; hadn't looked at it as I was thinking of new rather than second hand. I am a bit worried about older cameras giving up I guess.
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If you buy used from a shop like LCE or Wex - not eBay - then you get a warranty.
 
MelS said:
Thanks - that was the concern really; I'm happy enough with the DSLR system, so it's the expense of upgrading is what is driving the possible switch. I'll have a look at the D500; hadn't looked at it as I was thinking of new rather than second hand. I am a bit worried about older cameras giving up I guess.
Click to expand...

New cameras can give up too! It seems to me if you get a used camera in good condition from a reputable dealer plus a 6 months warranty the fact that the camera has already lasted a longish time already rather raises the chances of it lasting a lot longer.
 
Second the suggestion for a d500. If you do go with something below that in line up i’d strongly recommend d7x00 rather than d5x00 or d3x00. The two command dials make a huge difference in usability

i have a d500, d850 and a z7. I do find battery life an issue with the z7 but i suspect the rear screen used more than on the d850, image/ focus wise no issues
 
There is a huge market in second hand cameras and you can get a significant upgrade for a couple of hundred pounds. They are old but they still take pictures.

A D7500 gives you a touchscreen but not much more than a D7200 (£400 second hand).
A Z50 gives you an electronic viewfinder on top, which some like/some don't.

If you need a high iso (eg for birds) then I would consider a D7200, otherwise a cheaper D7100.

A D500 is better than both of them (D7200 might be better for landscapes), especially for birds. It is still one of the best crop sensor wildlife cameras so prices will remain high until Nikon make a better mirrorless version.
 
D500 is a lot heavier than what you have now, bear that in mind if weight is a problem for you
 
Erty said:
There is a huge market in second hand cameras and you can get a significant upgrade for a couple of hundred pounds. They are old but they still take pictures.

A D7500 gives you a touchscreen but not much more than a D7200 (£400 second hand).
A Z50 gives you an electronic viewfinder on top, which some like/some don't.

If you need a high iso (eg for birds) then I would consider a D7200, otherwise a cheaper D7100.

A D500 is better than both of them (D7200 might be better for landscapes), especially for birds. It is still one of the best crop sensor wildlife cameras so prices will remain high until Nikon make a better mirrorless version.
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That's very comprehensive; thanks very much.
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
D500 is a lot heavier than what you have now, bear that in mind if weight is a problem for you
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Yes, I'll have to check that; I know my d3100 is tiny in comparison with the d7000 series and I think the d500 may be slightly bigger again, so def something I'll need to take into consideration, than ks.
 
Just did a quick scan for prices using usedlens.co.uk (run by Dan Cook from this forum) and a D500 is about £670-700 in reasonable condition from LCE.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Just did a quick scan for prices using usedlens.co.uk (run by Dan Cook from this forum) and a D500 is about £670-700 in reasonable condition from LCE.
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Thanks - that site is very helpful.
My thinking is now moving towards sticking with a DSLR for the time being and going second hand, probably either the D500, 7200 or 7500.

The D500 is clearly excellent, but very chunky indeed and also has no built-in flash (I know they are a bit crap, but better than nothing and an external flash is something extra to get and carry around).

The 7500 has a nice tilt-screen and a lot of the best bits of the 500, but only one card slot and similar price to the D500.

The 7200 is a cheap and cheerful big step up from what I've currently got, but older tech overall.

My head is hurting!
 
Note that the D7500 has the same sensor as the D500 so is still a very good option if the D500 is too large for you.
 
Went for the D7200 in the end - got one that included a grip and had an extremely low shutter count (3.5k!) for £449 from Clifton Cameras with a 6 month warranty. Thanks for all the tips - they really helped focus my thinking and I'm very happy with the camera!
 
swanseamale47 said:
My 2p worth. I'm not a mirrorless user (except compact) but looking into it a few months back and funnily enough on the weekend I'm staying DSLR
All my friends who have gone mirrorless have issues with it. Most are sorry they switched. Biggest whinge seems to be compatability issues with old lens, focus issues and battery life.
On the weekend I was talking to two random people, one a Canon and one a Nikon mirrorless shooter, the Nikon shooter let me have a play with her camera... after telling me she didnt like it and couldnt get a decent pic out of it compared to her previous Nikon DSLR. The Canon shooter tried to sell me his camera so he could go back to a "proper" camera as he called it.
Hardly a proper study, but it makes me think twice.
To make this fair I should mention the saleman at my local camera shop who swears by his Canon R5, his only grumble was a battery grip was the best part of £400. And theres plenty on here who sem happy with mirrorless.
Your money your choice.
Click to expand...
Does depend on the mount you choose... For example, the RF mount is amazing, it takes all EF lens made from 1985 I believe, with full AF. However the Z mount will technically only work fully with AFS lens, which are only the last 10 years I think. Curveball; Get the Z to EF adapter an dyou can mount all EF lens from 1985 on the Z bodies and they're terrific. I have that on a Z7. But native Nikon F lens are not great - not Leica SL2 doesn't have the phase detect AF that the Z7 does. But it's still pretty good - happily use Canon 2.8 200. L 70-300 and a few more.
 
Can't comment on Nikon, but I added a Canon R7 to my bag recently with the EF-RF adaptor. I've very impressed with the converter, I can use all my existing lenses and there is no loss of performance with the adaptor. I've found the AF to be very good as well, I'm disappointed that Canon don't do a grip for the R7 with portrait controls, and the form factor is a little too small for large hands.
 
andrewc said:
Can't comment on Nikon, but I added a Canon R7 to my bag recently with the EF-RF adaptor. I've very impressed with the converter, I can use all my existing lenses and there is no loss of performance with the adaptor. I've found the AF to be very good as well, I'm disappointed that Canon don't do a grip for the R7 with portrait controls, and the form factor is a little too small for large hands.
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Agreed! If I was 100 percent staying with canon, I’d get the control ring adapter…
 
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