Help me choose a camera - Nikon D5300, Nikon D7100, Sony A77 II or something else

Forums › Digital Imaging › Help me choose a camera - Nikon D5300, Nikon D7100, Sony A77 II or something else

geekiegeek

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#162140 30-Jan-2015 12:53

So I'm looking to buy my first D-SLR for use mainly while travelling with a bit of event photography here and there (CrossFit competitions).

I'm looking to buy now so I can get to grips with using it before my holiday in late August. I'm going to northern europe so will be a little cold and wet.

So far I've narrowed to a shortlist of the following three.

Nikon D5300:

I like the added features of WiFi and GPS as well as the articulated screen but I'm wondering if these are just gimmicks and more suited to point and shoot.

Nikon D7100:

A bit old now but has some better specs then the D5300 although there is no WiFi and it has a fixed screen.

Sony A77 II:

I really like this but lens seem to be hard to come by in NZ.

So what are peoples thoughts on these or is there something else I should also consider?

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#1225315 30-Jan-2015 12:58

Have you considered a large sensor compact camera? I use an RX100 for holidays, the v3 is even better than my v1. It won't help you for events though.

Wifi and GPS are features for consumers designed by marketers. Get the camera that gives you the combination of image quality and external controls you like. More buttons is better, menus are slow.

I've heard good things about Sony, but I personally like Nikon. Canon I gave up on due to focus issues after years of using Canon Professional Services calibration and never being happy with the results.

rb99

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#1225369 30-Jan-2015 13:47

Am hardly an expert, but think I would consider -

Sony A6000 (RX100 with interchangeable lenses, compact with a pancake lens, good autofocus),

Canon 70D (good autofocus I believe, decent photos, lots of accessories),

Pentax K-50 (weatherproof, good value but appears to be thin on the ground in NZ, some noisy lenses)

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#1225408 30-Jan-2015 14:36

The Sony is in stock at Progear in Auckland. They usually have lenses.

Personally I would consider the Olympus EM-1 over and above all of those.

timmmay

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#1225423 30-Jan-2015 14:56

I would go Olympus over Canon, personally, though I'd want to know more about their low light focus for Xfit stuff.

alasta

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#1225522 30-Jan-2015 17:25

I don't see a lot of point in Wifi, but GPS is very useful in my view. All of the photos that I have taken in the last couple of years are geotagged which makes them a much easier to find in my library and it's great to never wonder "where did I take that".

I think anything from the reputable Japanese manufacturers will serve you well. It's likely that the D7100 will be updated in the next three months or so which might be worth waiting for. Nikon are very cagey about the weather resistance of their consumer grade equipment - see my other thread on this for details.

Fred99

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#1225544 30-Jan-2015 17:58

timmmay: I would go Olympus over Canon, personally, though I'd want to know more about their low light focus for Xfit stuff.

I wouldn't touch an Olympus or a Sony. Olympus because they've been on the brink of bankruptcy too many times, Sony because they'll exit the digital camera business on a whim as it's probably not making money and Sony are in deep doo doo. Both could leave you with an orphaned system if you've invested in lenses / accessories. For a U 4/3 system, Panasonic seems to be innovative.

D7100 would be my recommendation from the OP's list. CAM 3500 DX AF has good low light / AF tracking, with the bonus that the AF points have excellent coverage over the frame. PDAF on mirrorless systems will not keep up with action. One day perhaps - but not yet.

All camera models will be updated / "obsolete" shortly after release.

Geektastic

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#1225703 30-Jan-2015 22:58

alasta: I don't see a lot of point in Wifi, but GPS is very useful in my view. All of the photos that I have taken in the last couple of years are geotagged which makes them a much easier to find in my library and it's great to never wonder "where did I take that".

I think anything from the reputable Japanese manufacturers will serve you well. It's likely that the D7100 will be updated in the next three months or so which might be worth waiting for. Nikon are very cagey about the weather resistance of their consumer grade equipment - see my other thread on this for details.

Inbuilt GPS I may use, but sadly Nikon prefer a ludicrously clunky bolt on unit that just gets in the way.

I have to say I could probably tell you where I took all the images in my library even without that as they are usually catalogued by event and/or location, client etc etc.

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Stan

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#1225723 30-Jan-2015 23:37

geekiegeek: So I'm looking to buy my first D-SLR for use mainly while travelling with a bit of event photography here and there (CrossFit competitions).

I'm looking to buy now so I can get to grips with using it before my holiday in late August. I'm going to northern europe so will be a little cold and wet.

So far I've narrowed to a shortlist of the following three.

Nikon D5300:

I like the added features of WiFi and GPS as well as the articulated screen but I'm wondering if these are just gimmicks and more suited to point and shoot.

Nikon D7100:

A bit old now but has some better specs then the D5300 although there is no WiFi and it has a fixed screen.

Sony A77 II:

I really like this but lens seem to be hard to come by in NZ.

So what are peoples thoughts on these or is there something else I should also consider?

Full frame is getting cheaper might look at the D610 or the Sony Alpha A7 if you have the budget

Otherwise D7100 or wait for the newer version to be released.

IMHO Nikon currently make the best crop sensor dslrs on the market.

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#1225730 31-Jan-2015 00:06

Budget?

Can you carry weight?

geekiegeek

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#1225736 31-Jan-2015 06:12

joker97: Budget?

Can you carry weight?

Budget is around $2500 max including lens and I'm OK with a bit of weight.

geekiegeek

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#1225737 31-Jan-2015 06:13

Fred99:
timmmay: I would go Olympus over Canon, personally, though I'd want to know more about their low light focus for Xfit stuff.

I wouldn't touch an Olympus or a Sony. Olympus because they've been on the brink of bankruptcy too many times, Sony because they'll exit the digital camera business on a whim as it's probably not making money and Sony are in deep doo doo. Both could leave you with an orphaned system if you've invested in lenses / accessories. For a U 4/3 system, Panasonic seems to be innovative.

D7100 would be my recommendation from the OP's list. CAM 3500 DX AF has good low light / AF tracking, with the bonus that the AF points have excellent coverage over the frame. PDAF on mirrorless systems will not keep up with action. One day perhaps - but not yet.

All camera models will be updated / "obsolete" shortly after release.

Good point re Sony.

geekiegeek

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#1225738 31-Jan-2015 06:15

I guess with WiFi I like the idea of being able to post to Facebook via my iPhone without having to transfer the photos to a PC first, plus you can do it on the spot. Pretty cool when travelling to show family and friends where you are etc.

k1wi

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#1225746 31-Jan-2015 08:00

I'm going to go out on a limb here... But a nice feature that my GoPro has that my DSLR doesn’t is wifi and a cellphone app, so I can upload my photos quickly to the internet.

This came in handy while on my honeymoon as at the end of the day we could quickly upload a few photos of the lagoon etc and share them with family. Which they really appreciated. The extra steps and that little bit of extra time associated with getting photos off the DSLR meant that we didn't really bother posting them.

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#1225752 31-Jan-2015 08:28

Articulated screen is good for holding camera over your head or below your waist you can use live view to see what you're shooting. That's all

Nikon seems to be better than Canon at the moment.

You should consider a Nikon d750. A good long term investment. And if it turns out it's not your cup of tea, it will retain some resale value.

For people who don't "get" photography, dSLRs become a dead weight and a clever mirrorless usually gives better pictures. Thing is ... you don't know until you try it.

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#1225768 31-Jan-2015 09:13

or a really cheap D610 off trademe from someone who discovered dSLRs weren't their cup of tea after all :D

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