New camera or better lens ?

October 20th, 2014
I have quite an old camera ( Nikon D60) which has been with me since 2008. In the last few years however I have moved from the point as shoot method to actually trying to better my photos. Now the question I have today is do I simply upgrade y camera to a newer Nikon with all its glorious functions or do I maybe instead buy a lens more suited to my specific photographic needs? Since my budget is limited idont think I'd be able to do both so some advice will be greatly appreciated
October 20th, 2014
I don't know what lenses you already have, but with a limited budget I would invest in a good lens rather than upgrading the body. I think the "old" camera with a really good lens is more likely to result in better photos than a new camera with your "old" lenses.
October 20th, 2014
In 2005 I bought a Nikon D70s. In 2009 I bought a Nikon D200 body and loved going from 6MB to 12MB, Now, in 2014 I notice that I regularly use my D70 again with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 or a 40mm macro. I use the D70 because it is very small compared to the D200 with battery grip and because it will go on forever on one charged battery. So, the morale is: go for a lens.
October 20th, 2014
I think I would always go for the lens unless you have left behind what the body is capable of. I was given that advice by my favorite store manager.
October 20th, 2014
Jo
I had a Nikon D70s, which was a great camera to start out with but at the start of this year I bought a Nikon 5200 and I really, really love it. It's about the same size as my old camera (possibly a bit smaller and lighter) but has a bigger screen, more features and is an absolute joy to use. It's a hard call to make though, especially when budget is a concern. Is it possible to rent a lens and try it with your 'old' camera and see how it goes before making a big purchase?
October 20th, 2014
What is your budget? The D60 was a good camera in its day, but its technology must be considered old by today's standard. Low light performance (i.e. above about ISO 400) it will not perform well, irrespective of the lens you have, the 18-55 kit, or a $2,500 f/2.8 70-200. But if you are shooting in normal light, perhaps a new lens is a place to start. The Tamron 16-300, the Tamron 18-270 or the Sigma 18-250 are good general purpose all-in-one zooms that won't break the bank, all with good image stabilization, the Sigma in particular for under US$400.
October 20th, 2014
I am not a Nikon user and am not familiar with your camera, but I have a Canon T2i (like yours it is an older camera), and whilst I do well with it in daylight, it struggles mightily in low light conditions and I am itching to upgrade, especially with the winter months approaching. I think @frankhymus advice is (as always) excellent.
October 20th, 2014
Lens......next question, which one?
December 23rd, 2014
I, too, am still stuck using my D60. I appreciate it. It has worked well for me. I'm really relieved, though, to read Frank Hymus' comment about the low light performance. I've noticed that, no matter what my settings or what lens I'm using, my camera tends to introduce too much noise, and it's very annoying to me. I've added a good telephoto lens, which my boyfriend gave me, but that does not solve the problem.

I'm just glad it's not me!

Hope to upgrade my camera sometime soon, but for now, it serves me well enough.
December 24th, 2014
If you ask, then don't buy anything. You should buy new camera or lens because you have a specific need for. Are you unhappy with your lenses or camera? Maybe you just need new accessories like a good tripod or flash. How much money do you have and what lenses?

What do you need and what do you want to do with new object?

Looking at the specs of your D60 I would go for new camera with a better a sensor. Todays cameras have 24mp and are still better in high iso. But a new lens can be a wiser choice. Here are some ideas:

Super wide angle, 10-20mm
Fisheye, 8mm
Macro, 90mm
Prime, 50mm f/1.4
Better standard lens, 17-50mm f2.8
Tele, 70-300mm
December 26th, 2014
Wise words I have actually been thinking of getting the 70-300 telephoto. I think all thigs considered it suites my photography style best

Write a Reply
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.