What Nikon lens upgrades?

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Ranald

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Hi there,

With the launch of the D7100, I have been very tempted to upgrade my D3100 to a used D7000 as they can be found very cheaply now.

However, I feel that I ought to upgrade my lenses beforehand.

I currently own:
Nikon 18-55mm
Nikon 35mm
Nikon 55-200mm

I use them all relatively equally. I tend to use the 18-55 for the wide end,the 35 for people/family/pets etc. and the 55-200 for wildlife and a bit of sport.

Where do you think I should go from here? I don't have an enormous budget, perhaps £500, but I don't need to upgrade all the lenses within that budget.

If it helps, my dream lens setup for full frame would be the 16-35mm, 50mm and 70-200mm. These are not lenses I am looking towards at the moment, just what I dream about!

Thanks for all your assistance!
 
Depends how much you are looking into full frame. I have a D7000 and 90% of the time I use a Nikon 17-55mm f2.8, it really is a cracking lens. I also have the 70-200mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4 and 35mm f1.8 but its the 17-55mm that offers the flexibility that's hard to beat. Only issue is that you would have to swap if you went FF.
 
What "upgrade" do you think the d7000 will give you over a d3100? As its a question I keep asking myself.

For the moment, my d3100 produces fine enough images for me with the lenses I've got.

Maybe new glass would be better spent unless you are restricted by the d3100?

After 2 years of chopping and changing I've settled on Nikon 35mm, Tamron 17-50 2.8, Sigma 70-200 2.8 and a Nikon 18-200 for lazy days. :)

If you sold your 18-55 and 55-200 to add to your £500 budget you'd have enough for a 2nd pair of 17-50 and 70-200? or at a push, maybe the 16-85 you seek and a 70-200?
 
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Zarch, like you I am very happy with the images taken by the D3100 - I am not seeking an upgrade for image quality solely. I am just really tempted by the greater number of physical controls, the build quality, more features etc.
As I said in the original post, I currently want to upgrade my glass before making the jump to the D7000. Thanks for the lens suggestions!


Tunbridge and Aledafis, yes - the 17-55 2.8 is a lens that I am very tempted by indeed, but I am slightly unsure whether I need a midrange zoom. I tend to be at a wide angle or telephoto and anywhere in between I like shooting with primes (specifically my 35 1.8). For this reason, I think I am more after a wide zoom and a telephoto zoom, then I can keep my 35mm and perhaps add an 85mm. Thank for the recommendations anyway!


Architectfadi, I like to shoot all sorts! Landscapes/scenery, portraits, wildlife, portraits, sports etc. That is why I am after a three lens kit which covers me for all of the aforementioned subjects!


Thanks all!
 
I am in a similar position re d3100 to d7000. I have a sigma 10-20, 35mm 1.8 and a 70-300 VR but am juggling between upgrading the kit lens to a tamron 17-50 next or upgrading the body.

Not sure which is better for me as one will mean the other has to wait a few more months. I don't know which option would see most improvements for me..
 
Better lenses is a better upgrade option than camera provided the d3100 controls are not annoying you too much. The d7000 has about half a stop advantage in iso noise performance. Using something like the tamron 17-50 f2.8, you're not only getting a sharper lens its 2/3 of a stop faster at the wide end and 2 stop at the long end, giving you a potential bigger advantage in low light than buying a d7000 alone. Faster lens won't help you if you want to shoot with larger DOF though.
 
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Not annoying ( apart from the low res display ) and the low light performance

Edit - thanks. Didn't see your full reply
 
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I've recently upgraded from the D3100 to the D7000.

If I am being honest I can't see any real noticeable difference in quality when comparing the two shots with the same lens, only at higher ISO settings.

What you do get is easier and more accessable controls, a more robust and better quality body, two SD card slots, built in motor which opens up other lens options, compatbility with remote controls, auto bracketing etc.

I bought the D7000 for £600 new and managed to sell my D3100 for £280 with the kit lens - £320 for the upgrade was well worth it for me. The D3100 is still a cracking piece of kit, most of the controls are there its just that you need to dig a bit deeper through the menu function to find them - on the D7000 they are all at your finger tips.

I just bought the body so went for a 2nd hand Nikon17-55mm F2.8 DX and although its early days, Im loving the results.
 
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Since FF is on the cards, I would advise against any investment in any Dx only lenses. FF lenses work extremely well on Dx bodies but the reverse cannot be said! I would probably also put the body upgrade aside and keep saving for the FF body instead - the D7000 is supposed to be better in many ways but unless you feel you need the extra features it offers, it'll probably just be a drain on resources.
 
Thanks for your input windrunner! I really appreciate hearing from someone in the same boat!

Nod, thank you also for your suggestion. I think going full frame is a long way off, as I never see myself as going beyond an amateur photographer, and have no intentions of ever trying to do paid work. Having said that, as full frame cameras are getting cheaper, it may be something that I will move to in the future.

If this is the case, what full frame lenses do you suggest I invest in, as some are not suitable ranges for my DX camera (24-70/120 certainly springs to mind!)

Thanks again everyone for your advice - I am most grateful!
 
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