From a D50 to...

BBW

BBW

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..to what? :/

I want to upgrade my camera as I've started doing wedding work with my mate. We both have D50's and they are great cameras. We are, however, aware that aswe progress through our careers tongue firmly in cheek there tbh) we will need better quality prints than those offered by the 6mp sensor of the D50.

Now then. Do we opt for the more user friendly D80 or bite the bullet and go for the pro(ish) level D200?

Bear in mind that we are not settings experts, I know about exposure I shoot in RAW anyway) and ISO but tbh the D200 scares me a bit.

So the question is D80 or D200?

PS. Strictly Nikon answers only please, all our stuff lenses, flash guns, filters, remotes etc) fit Nikon cameras and we don't want to replace everything. Thanks in advance...
 
I'm going to have the same problem soon :( , A mate of mine has a D200 amazing piece of kit for the money so I'm tempted to go for that. However the D80 is just a baby D200 which is missing just a few of the more pro features and will use the same memory cards as the D50 so thats a bonus. I wish I could help more but like I say I haven't decided myself :bang:
 
Well last summer I was in the same boat with my D50 - I was actually waiting for the D80 to come out but was lucky to pick up a minty used D200 - Rather steep learning curve jumping from the D50 to the D200 but I got the Thom Hogan E-book & Thom talked me through setting it up! There's lots of other help out there too ...
I'd say if your budget allows go for the D200 you'll only wonder if you should have ... Paul ;)
 
BBW said:
..to what? :/

I want to upgrade my camera as I've started doing wedding work with my mate. We both have D50's and they are great cameras. We are, however, aware that aswe progress through our careers tongue firmly in cheek there tbh) we will need better quality prints than those offered by the 6mp sensor of the D50.

Now then. Do we opt for the more user friendly D80 or bite the bullet and go for the pro(ish) level D200?

Bear in mind that we are not settings experts, I know about exposure I shoot in RAW anyway) and ISO but tbh the D200 scares me a bit.

So the question is D80 or D200?

PS. Strictly Nikon answers only please, all our stuff lenses, flash guns, filters, remotes etc) fit Nikon cameras and we don't want to replace everything. Thanks in advance...
Click to expand...


I have gone D50 to D200 and it was the best move I made. Its a great bit of kit. The other option for you could be the D40x with I think uses the same sensor.

The D200 just feels the dogs though especially with the grip on.

AJ Purdy are doing it with a free memory card (wow I Know!) for £824 or the D40x is body only at £494. Purdy's are always good for a bit of haggling though!

I decided to go for the best body I could afford at the time and based it on the same advice you get on this forum regarding buying the best glass.

Go for it and have some fun!

BobR
 
I heard that the wedding photographers tool of choice is the fuji s3 pro and although they are now discontinued they can be picked up very reasonably second hand, now that tons of wedding photographers are getting the S5 pro.

I got my s2 pro from a wedding photographer who upgraded to an S3, its all to do with the dynamic range and film simulation capabilities...also all the nikon stuff fits and works, including the flashes.

BTW the new s5 is based on the d200 body.
 
I wouldn't upgrade to get better quality prints, unless you want to go poster size. I doubt you'll see any difference in print quality on anything up to A4 size.
However if you do mean to get serious about your wedding stuff then the better camera will offer you other significant advantages.
 
For my 2-pennies worth - a large part of being a pro, even a semi-pro, is 'image' itself. Not the camera's imaging ability, but how your clients percieve you in a professional capacity.

For the odd, and lower value, weddings D50, 40s etc are fine - TheFlashCentre, Leeds, had a 20x30 print of stunning quality from a 6mp camera. The problem comes when many of the guests have the same camera as you, and they think of themselves as merely 'snappers'.

Looking the part means the D200 or even D2Xs. Mine's a D2Xs and although it has a ludicrous array of menus & sub-menus, once set-up I don't need to think about them again so it's easy to use.

Aside from looking 'pro' with obviously pro cameras, the higher pixie count means if you need to crop heavily there's still pixie's aplenty for even big enlargements. I'd suggest the D200 as fine for any wedding work, with the D50 remaining as back-up if you don't need to sell it to fund the upgrade.

Don't forget though that if you tell HMRC you've set up as a pro, all gear & related photo purchases are tax deductable - even if you never make a profit you can get the Taxman to help fund your gear!!
 
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