Decisions decisions- d90 or d3200

ladysue

ladysue

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Sue
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My D60 isnt working and I am seriously thinking of buying a new camera rather than paying a lot to get my well used ( 37,000 clicks) camera repaired.
I could spend up to £500 to get a new Nikon body. I have been happy with Nikon and have a few lenses so I want to stay with them.

Two cameras have caught my eye- I have remembered several people praising the D90 and have often thought that would be my next camera when I could afford one. However there is a D3200 that looks good too and I wonder if anyone has experience of these two cameras and could help me choose.I dont have very strong hands so weight is a consideration.
 
I had my D60 for 12 months and then upgraded to the D90 2 years ago.

I loved the D90 as soon as I tried it and have never had any regrets whatsoever. I have skinny fingers and fairly small hands and I find it fairly lightweight even when I attach the battery grip.

Image wise it was slightly better than the D60 but it's hardly noticeable and likely down to the extra 2 mega pixel sensor on the D90 - but then the D60 doesn't produce bad shots anyway. The video on the D90 is fairly rubbish with no autofocus but that doesn't bother me as I don't need/want video.

Main plus points over D60 are having the top LCD and not having to look at the colour LCD screen to see camera settings (you can still use the main colour LCD if you want), the extra focus points, the built in focus motor and the extra buttons on the exterior that save going through menus like on the D60. Some people say the menu system on the D90 is complicated and long winded but I always found it to be fine and not much different to the D60.

Basically the D90 was the camera I should've started with and not the D60. I've since bought a D700 but I still use my D90 as I just love it's functionality and ease of use. IMO it's one of those cameras where Nikon seemed to get everything just about right. At around £530 for a brand new body it's a bargain. The fact it's 4 years old, still available to buy new in it's original guise and still not been killed off by it's superior replacement (D7000) sums up the D90 in a nutshell.

I can't comment on the D3200 as I've never tried it but technically it's way ahead of the D60 so again I'm sure you would also like it. I know which one I'd get though:thumbs:
 
D90 - so good I have 2 :) lol

Great cameras, and lots to learn from them

I would love to go full frame when I upgrade from the D90 - need some more work to pay off the lenses first :)
 
You could also look at the D5100, much better image quality than the D90 and as they are about to be replaced about £420.
 
I would hardly say the D5100 is much better IQ that the D90 and given the choce I'd take the D90 any day of the week.

AS for the original question, I doubt anyone here has actually used the D3200 but to me it looks massively over priced. I guess it depends on what you want from it, if you want a camera for taking photos then the D90 would be great (I loved mine), if you want a video camera then get the D3200 or even just the D3100 which is a cracking camera (the IQ is a good step up from the D60 and I plan to replace my D60 with one as my lightweight camera for when I can't be bothered to lug around the D700, I just haven't got around to it yet).

Also remember that to get the most out of the 24mp on the D3200 you'll need pretty decent lenses.
 
Nawty said:
I would hardly say the D5100 is much better IQ that the D90 and given the choce I'd take the D90 any day of the week.

AS for the original question, I doubt anyone here has actually used the D3200 but to me it looks massively over priced. I guess it depends on what you want from it, if you want a camera for taking photos then the D90 would be great (I loved mine), if you want a video camera then get the D3200 or even just the D3100 which is a cracking camera (the IQ is a good step up from the D60 and I plan to replace my D60 with one as my lightweight camera for when I can't be bothered to lug around the D700, I just haven't got around to it yet).

Also remember that to get the most out of the 24mp on the D3200 you'll need pretty decent lenses.
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Image quality IS significantly better on the d5100 (better DR, High iso performace, more mps). But I would also pick the d90 for functionality reasons ;)
 
iced_jacob said:
Image quality IS significantly better on the d5100 (better DR, High iso performace, more mps). But I would also pick the d90 for functionality reasons ;)
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I think it pays to clarify 'significantly' better IQ. At higher iso, the D5100 will offer far better noise control, at least one stop, maybe more. Video quality is night and day better. If blowing up to huge sizes (A1+) or heavily cropping, the D5100 will have an advantage by virtue of having 30% more mp to play with. In just about any other situation, the difference will be negligible. I'd agree though that I'd far rather have a D90 with it's additional controls and chunkier body but maybe coming from a D60, the D5100 is a more natural swap.
 
Thank you for all the suggestions. I now have another model to consider- the 5100. I have had so many people tell me the D90 is great but I am concerned that it is getting old and may not have enough megapixels.Having said that - I havent got very special lenses- an 18-55 kit lens, a 55-200 VR nikon, a 1.8 35mm Nikon and tamron 90 mm macro.So maybe the 24 megapixels on the D3200 would be wasted on those.

I dont want to take videos. I am only interested in photos so the fact that the D90 is not so good on video doesnt matter at all.
 
ladysue said:
Thank you for all the suggestions. I now have another model to consider- the 5100. I have had so many people tell me the D90 is great but I am concerned that it is getting old and may not have enough megapixels.Having said that - I havent got very special lenses- an 18-55 kit lens, a 55-200 VR nikon, a 1.8 35mm Nikon and tamron 90 mm macro.So maybe the 24 megapixels on the D3200 would be wasted on those.

I dont want to take videos. I am only interested in photos so the fact that the D90 is not so good on video doesnt matter at all.
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I wouldn't get overly worried about mega pixels unless you intend to print very large indeed and even then I'd start to worry more about lenses than mp. I've printed a couple of A1 images using a 12mp camera and they looked great.

Bear in mind that many pro photographers are using a Nikon D3S with 'only' 12mp and you don't hear many complaining.
 
photography isnt all about how many megapixels your camera has ( the lens is the most important part of a camera setup ) and just because the camera is old doesnt mean its a bad camera, im running a 5 year old D200 and thats still a great body

having a really good body + a really bad lens will make bad photos
having a good body and + a good lens will make much better photos
 
Its not all about MP's though. 10MPs is more than enough for most people. 12mps is great. The D90 would be my choice too.
 
Its not all about MP's but the D5100 also has better high ISO performance, better dynamic range and is cheaper.
 
How high in ISO does one need to go though. The D90 has more than adequate ISO for most jobs.
 
Thank you all. This is helping me as I dont know much about the different cameras. Before mine conked out I hadnt considered buying another one because I dont have a lot of money. Fortunately I can get my hands on £500 this month.

Can anyone tell me if the cameras being suggested have the capability to auto focus with lenses that dont have autofocus?
 
ladysue said:
Thank you all. This is helping me as I dont know much about the different cameras. Before mine conked out I hadnt considered buying another one because I dont have a lot of money. Fortunately I can get my hands on £500 this month.

Can anyone tell me if the cameras being suggested have the capability to auto focus with lenses that dont have autofocus?
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The D90 has a built in auto focus motor, the D3200 and D5100 do not. This means that the D90 can auto focus with any auto focus lenses that do not have built in auto focus motors. In Nikon speak, these are AF and AF-D lenses. AF-S and AF-I lenses have built in auto focus motors and so will work fully on any nikon body.

The D90 (nor any other Nikon camera) will not give you auto focus on a manual lens.

I hope that makes some sense! All the lenses that you mentioned earlier will work 100% on any camera being discussed. I'm making the assumption that your Tamron auto focuses ok on your D60, in which case it must have a built in motor.
 
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gad-westy said:
The D90 has a built in auto focus motor, the D3200 and D5100 do not. This means that the D90 can auto focus with any auto focus lenses that do not have built in auto focus motors. In Nikon speak, these are AF and AF-D lenses. AF-S and AF-I lenses have built in auto focus motors and so will work fully on any nikon body.

The D90 (nor any other Nikon camera) will not give you auto focus on a manual lens.

I hope that makes some sense! All the lenses that you mentioned earlier will work 100% on any camera being discussed. I'm making the assumption that your Tamron auto focuses ok on your D60, in which case it must have a built in motor.
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Thanks Graham. Yes my Tamron ( my favourite lens) does have a motor. I was looking at getting a 50mm lens and remember people saying it wouldnt auto focus on my D60.

Do cameras have built-in VR or is that only lenses? I have very shaky hands
 
ladysue said:
Thanks Graham. Yes my Tamron ( my favourite lens) does have a motor. I was looking at getting a 50mm lens and remember people saying it wouldnt auto focus on my D60.

Do cameras have built-in VR or is that only lenses? I have very shaky hands
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There is now a *ahem* cheapish 50mm with a built in motor which would work on your D60 but the cheapest option is the 50mm 1.8 AFD and that doesn't have it's own focus motor and so wouldn't give you auto focus on the D60 (or D3200 or D5100) but would work on a D90. The 50mm AFS version is about £80 more which will auto focus on anything.

None of the Nikon range of cameras have built in VR so it would need to be on the lens itself.
 
The D90 also has a top LCD which is very helpful in making quick adjustments to settings without having to go into menus.
 
Just because the D90 is getting on a bit does not mean it's any less capable. I really like mine and wont sell it, and with the extra MP of newer cameras comes the slight problem of much bigger file sizes, which take much longer to process, and to upload if you want to order prints.

I think the real issue is the 12mp crop of cameras produce excellent images, and any improvement will only be beneficial in a few rare circumstances. Of course some will always chase the ultimate, but will pay a heavy price and wont get better pictures for spending the money.

Get a D90, learn to use it inside out and you will be delighted.
 
having much more MP isn't noticeable on normal photographs only if you blow photos up into mega size, A1 or A2 and when you start realising the your files are 60mb+ then you may start to think again about a high MP body
 
Hi Sue :wave:

I've got a D90 as a second body and can't really fault it. it works well alongside, often I have a long zoom on the main camera and the D90 macro rigged or with a shorter zoom, depending what I am doing and TBH you can't really tell the difference.
If you want to try the D90 sometime, give me a shout and we can meet up somewhere :thumbs:
 
The Nikon D90 still a great camera, personally although older tech, offer far more than the D3200 or D5100 cameras and yes the ISO capabilities might be slightly improved, more MP's also cause inherent problems with IQs and noise. Average joe doesn't need more than 10 or 12 mp's. Personally, its not about the camera, its more about the right lenses........

If you put the right lens on the front, its still a great camera.......(only 4 years old)

Shots from a canon 20D (8 years old) + 70-200mm f2.8 or 300mm f2.8 lenses

IMG_5997_copy_1.jpg


IMG_6068_copy_1.jpg


IMG_6377_copy_1.jpg
 
How about a used D300?? Its what i moved to after the D5000 i had. Different kettle of fish to any of the 'consumer' bodies. Feels almost indestructible having a maagnesium alloy body rather than the plastic of the other cameras mentioned. Has in body AF motor and very very customisable. They go for around the £500 mark on ebay if your lucky....mine had 9k clicks and i got it for £540. the shutter life on one of these is supposed to be around 100k.

Neil
 
gad-westy said:
There is now a *ahem* cheapish 50mm with a built in motor which would work on your D60 but the cheapest option is the 50mm 1.8 AFD and that doesn't have it's own focus motor and so wouldn't give you auto focus on the D60 (or D3200 or D5100) but would work on a D90. The 50mm AFS version is about £80 more which will auto focus on anything.

None of the Nikon range of cameras have built in VR so it would need to be on the lens itself.
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Thanks for this information.I knew there was some reason I couldnt buy the cheapest 50mm for my D60

ShoeQueen said:
The D90 also has a top LCD which is very helpful in making quick adjustments to settings without having to go into menus.
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I'm liking the D90 more and more

Dave Pickett said:
Just because the D90 is getting on a bit does not mean it's any less capable. I really like mine and wont sell it, and with the extra MP of newer cameras comes the slight problem of much bigger file sizes, which take much longer to process, and to upload if you want to order prints.

I think the real issue is the 12mp crop of cameras produce excellent images, and any improvement will only be beneficial in a few rare circumstances. Of course some will always chase the ultimate, but will pay a heavy price and wont get better pictures for spending the money.

Get a D90, learn to use it inside out and you will be delighted.
Click to expand...

I think I will probably get the D90. people that have owned it have all liked it

callumduff said:
having much more MP isn't noticeable on normal photographs only if you blow photos up into mega size, A1 or A2 and when you start realising the your files are 60mb+ then you may start to think again about a high MP body
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Because I dont have a long lens I often have to crop pictures and that is where I think the extra pixels would be useful.

Gremlin said:
Hi Sue :wave:

I've got a D90 as a second body and can't really fault it. it works well alongside, often I have a long zoom on the main camera and the D90 macro rigged or with a shorter zoom, depending what I am doing and TBH you can't really tell the difference.
If you want to try the D90 sometime, give me a shout and we can meet up somewhere :thumbs:
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hello Ingrid. Thanks. I may take you up on that offer although I am in a bit of a hurry as I hate being without a camera.

pete.rush said:
The Nikon D90 still a great camera, personally although older tech, offer far more than the D3200 or D5100 cameras and yes the ISO capabilities might be slightly improved, more MP's also cause inherent problems with IQs and noise. Average joe doesn't need more than 10 or 12 mp's. Personally, its not about the camera, its more about the right lenses........

If you put the right lens on the front, its still a great camera.......(only 4 years old)

Shots from a canon 20D (8 years old) + 70-200mm f2.8 or 300mm f2.8 lenses

IMG_5997_copy_1.jpg


IMG_6068_copy_1.jpg


IMG_6377_copy_1.jpg
Click to expand...

Lovely photos. Unfortunately I dont have anything like enough money to buy the 2.8 lenses.

neilos100 said:
How about a used D300?? Its what i moved to after the D5000 i had. Different kettle of fish to any of the 'consumer' bodies. Feels almost indestructible having a maagnesium alloy body rather than the plastic of the other cameras mentioned. Has in body AF motor and very very customisable. They go for around the £500 mark on ebay if your lucky....mine had 9k clicks and i got it for £540. the shutter life on one of these is supposed to be around 100k.

Neil
Click to expand...

Mmmm. Another option I guess but I dont know if I would be able to find a good one quickly at a price I could afford.
 
well Sue if you want to meet up this weekend I have 3 days free can dive up that way, do you still have my hone number, ring if you like :thumbs:
 
Thanks for the links to second hand D300s. I am not going for one of those now. I have definitely settled for the D90 ( having handled both the D90 and D5100 in Jessops) and am picking it up, from jessops tomorrow morning. The Jessops assistant( Cambridge) was very helpful.
 
samems said:
Why didnt you go 2nd hand?
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Impatience I suspect!

I would probably have done the same as once I have decided I want something, I want it NOW!:D

Good choice, you won't be disappointed!

Heather
 
I bought a D90 this morning, tried it out this afternoon and I'm really happy with it. Using the same lenses I can see a definite improvement on the D60. Thanks everyone for your advice.
Sue
 
Good stuff Sue, I loved my D90 (that I upgraded to from a D60) and I'm sure you'll like yours.
 
ladysue said:
I bought a D90 this morning, tried it out this afternoon and I'm really happy with it. Using the same lenses I can see a definite improvement on the D60. Thanks everyone for your advice.
Sue
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Great stuff. Enjoy.
 
ladysue said:
I bought a D90 this morning, tried it out this afternoon and I'm really happy with it. Using the same lenses I can see a definite improvement on the D60. Thanks everyone for your advice.
Sue
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What was actually wrong with your D60, if you don't mind me asking.....
 
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