Hello there, I could use a little help.
My father bought a D7100 in spring and I own a D3100.
Now I consider upgrading to a D5200. I own my D3100 since April 2012 and my personal family critic (my father) thinks that I don't need a new one as long as I haven't fully mastered the old one, to which I agree.
Now he tells me he wants to sell his Nikon D7100 and some of his lenses and if I wanted to buy his D7100 from him.
Would you rather tell me to buy a D5200 or a D7100?
I personally feel that there is not so much technical difference between the two.
The D5200 is lighter and made of plastic, the D7100 has a body containing magnesium and is therefore a bit heavier. Plus the D5200 has an adjustable screen. But the D7100 is a Pro Camera so I wouldn't have to upgrade again in a few years.
I'm a bit torn between the two and I hope you can help me to decide which one to buy
The D7100 is bigger and heavier than the D5200, but it fits better in my hands than does the 5100, and I presume the 5200 although I have never held the 5200. The hand grip too is much firmer on the 7100 and it is seldom I carry the 7100 around my neck on a strap. Perhaps I should to be safe?
I do see that Nikon has just announced the D5300, but I have no idea when it will be available. I have not really looked to see the enhancements over the 5200.
The 7100 is a "semi pro" APS-C cropped sensor camera if there can be such a thing, and the absolute top of the line from Nikon for an APS-C camera. As such, it has lots of buttons on the body that you use to change almost all of the shooting parameters rather than having to go into the menus or the info/shooting screen as you do with the 3xxx and 5xxx cameras. You will have to go through a re-education process to get used to it I think. Since the 7100 doesn't use the "info" screen for common shooting information (you can if you really must but you have to activate it with a button push), but the second screen, the LCD on top, its larger battery lasts considerably longer than for the 5xxx and 3xxx. More buttons on the 7100 to customize too, and a U1 and U2 setting to save shooting presets, inherited from the D600 I think.
The Auto Focus is a significant enhancement over the 5xxx cameras. Actually a radical improvement, not just an enhancement. Its bracketing is up to five images; the 5xxx is only three. Even the D600 full frame camera has only 3, but I don't know about its recent enhancement the D610. The High ISO performance is significantly better than even the new 5200. A much higher quality 24 mp sensor and more sophisticated image processor than on the 24mp 5200. The fastest shutter is 1/8000, not the 1/4000 on the 5xxx cameras, if you would ever want to shoot that fast. WiFi. And the absence of an Anti-Aliasing filter - which slightly blurs all images to squash "moire" effects - over the sensor gives you tack sharp shots, with a good sharp lens of course. I have yet to see unexpected moire problems on the 7100. The continuous shooting speed is up to over 7 frames a second if shooting jpegs. Two card slots is a nice pro feature, but I don't need it, and I can't imagine amateurs needing it either.
If you want to shoot video, the 7100 has stereo mikes built in, and the sound is a significant improvement over the 3xxx and 5xxx cameras. The significantly enhanced auto focus in Live View, quite different from through the viewfinder with contrast detection and not phase detection as used through the viewfinder, with face recognition even, is a great plus for video, and for stills if you use Live View a lot. Which I don't, but if you like the swivel screen on the 5xxx perhaps that would be plus for the 5200 for you.
Your dad can't have had the 7100 for long, It has not been 9 months in the US marketplace.
If you do want to upgrade from the 3100, then I would go with your Dad's 7100 without question. But do you really want to upgrade at all? What does the 3100 not do that you want to? Think long and hard about that, and don't get taken in by just the megapixel number. I did upgrade from the 5100 several months ago, but really only because I wanted 2 DSLRs, one to be converted to Infra Red. If I was not into that, I doubt I would have purchased the 7100. As always with modern cameras, even the 3100 is one, it's the quality of the lenses, not the camera primarily, that is the linchpin for good shots.
Hope that helps you work it out. Shoot with your Dad's 7100 and see if you like it enough to invest. You are lucky that you have a source of a used one that you can take out for a spin.
I have a D3100 and have used it for a couple of years but I think it's time for me to upgrade to the D7100. Two major reasons for me are I bought a 70-200 F/2.8 lens which is quite heavy and the lens mounting brackets on the D3100 are not strong enough to hold such a heavy lens. Over time this bracket will fail unless I upgrade to a better built body that is meant to handle heavy lens'.
The second reason is that any pictures at iso400 or higher have too much noise and the camera is pretty much useless to me in dark light settings.
There are other considerations as well: the D7100 is the most value I can get for my money and also it's the most expensive body I can afford right now.
Of course more megapixel is better for digitally zooming in to pictures, I take a lot of wildlife shots and would like to zoom in without as much pixelation.
The 7 fps is also a good improvement which is handy for wildlife photography.
I also like the built in intervelometer that will help with the time lapse photography.
@lichtecht Thank you Marie for posting this question, and thanks everyone for your suggestions and help especially @frankhymus Frank.
Wow, when I posted this, I wouldn't have dreamed of so many and so detailled informations!
Thanks especially @frankhymus for your detailled overview of both of the cameras. You're right, I should use the opportunity to get this camera from my father. What is holding me back at the moment is that the body itself is quite heavy. I often shoot with the Nikon Nikkor 70-300 AF-S 4,5-5.6 and that lens is quite heavy as well.
On the other hand I don't use Live View all that much, so the screen of the 5200 would be almost never used by me. Or maybe I would use it more if I could. I don't know.
I'm also quite satisfied with the camera I have right now. And with the 7100 I would have to learn it all over again, because so much is new and different than I have known it from the 3100, wouldn't I?
I have to think that through for a bit longer ... My father doesn't want to sell his 7100 before christmas, so I'll have plenty of time to consider ...
I own the D5200 and couldn't be happier...it was the right camera for me. Having said that, if a direct relative had a D7100 to sell me at a reduced price I would have done it without hesitation...on paper its the better camera. But comparing both specs and retail price sticker side by side as I had to, I decided to save the $500+ on the body and invest in glass.
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I do see that Nikon has just announced the D5300, but I have no idea when it will be available. I have not really looked to see the enhancements over the 5200.
The 7100 is a "semi pro" APS-C cropped sensor camera if there can be such a thing, and the absolute top of the line from Nikon for an APS-C camera. As such, it has lots of buttons on the body that you use to change almost all of the shooting parameters rather than having to go into the menus or the info/shooting screen as you do with the 3xxx and 5xxx cameras. You will have to go through a re-education process to get used to it I think. Since the 7100 doesn't use the "info" screen for common shooting information (you can if you really must but you have to activate it with a button push), but the second screen, the LCD on top, its larger battery lasts considerably longer than for the 5xxx and 3xxx. More buttons on the 7100 to customize too, and a U1 and U2 setting to save shooting presets, inherited from the D600 I think.
The Auto Focus is a significant enhancement over the 5xxx cameras. Actually a radical improvement, not just an enhancement. Its bracketing is up to five images; the 5xxx is only three. Even the D600 full frame camera has only 3, but I don't know about its recent enhancement the D610. The High ISO performance is significantly better than even the new 5200. A much higher quality 24 mp sensor and more sophisticated image processor than on the 24mp 5200. The fastest shutter is 1/8000, not the 1/4000 on the 5xxx cameras, if you would ever want to shoot that fast. WiFi. And the absence of an Anti-Aliasing filter - which slightly blurs all images to squash "moire" effects - over the sensor gives you tack sharp shots, with a good sharp lens of course. I have yet to see unexpected moire problems on the 7100. The continuous shooting speed is up to over 7 frames a second if shooting jpegs. Two card slots is a nice pro feature, but I don't need it, and I can't imagine amateurs needing it either.
If you want to shoot video, the 7100 has stereo mikes built in, and the sound is a significant improvement over the 3xxx and 5xxx cameras. The significantly enhanced auto focus in Live View, quite different from through the viewfinder with contrast detection and not phase detection as used through the viewfinder, with face recognition even, is a great plus for video, and for stills if you use Live View a lot. Which I don't, but if you like the swivel screen on the 5xxx perhaps that would be plus for the 5200 for you.
Your dad can't have had the 7100 for long, It has not been 9 months in the US marketplace.
If you do want to upgrade from the 3100, then I would go with your Dad's 7100 without question. But do you really want to upgrade at all? What does the 3100 not do that you want to? Think long and hard about that, and don't get taken in by just the megapixel number. I did upgrade from the 5100 several months ago, but really only because I wanted 2 DSLRs, one to be converted to Infra Red. If I was not into that, I doubt I would have purchased the 7100. As always with modern cameras, even the 3100 is one, it's the quality of the lenses, not the camera primarily, that is the linchpin for good shots.
Hope that helps you work it out. Shoot with your Dad's 7100 and see if you like it enough to invest. You are lucky that you have a source of a used one that you can take out for a spin.
Good luck and good shooting!
The second reason is that any pictures at iso400 or higher have too much noise and the camera is pretty much useless to me in dark light settings.
There are other considerations as well: the D7100 is the most value I can get for my money and also it's the most expensive body I can afford right now.
Of course more megapixel is better for digitally zooming in to pictures, I take a lot of wildlife shots and would like to zoom in without as much pixelation.
The 7 fps is also a good improvement which is handy for wildlife photography.
I also like the built in intervelometer that will help with the time lapse photography.
@lichtecht Thank you Marie for posting this question, and thanks everyone for your suggestions and help especially @frankhymus Frank.
Thanks especially @frankhymus for your detailled overview of both of the cameras. You're right, I should use the opportunity to get this camera from my father. What is holding me back at the moment is that the body itself is quite heavy. I often shoot with the Nikon Nikkor 70-300 AF-S 4,5-5.6 and that lens is quite heavy as well.
On the other hand I don't use Live View all that much, so the screen of the 5200 would be almost never used by me. Or maybe I would use it more if I could. I don't know.
I'm also quite satisfied with the camera I have right now. And with the 7100 I would have to learn it all over again, because so much is new and different than I have known it from the 3100, wouldn't I?
I have to think that through for a bit longer ... My father doesn't want to sell his 7100 before christmas, so I'll have plenty of time to consider ...