Which Nikon should I go for?

Two_In

Two_In

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Which Nikon should I go for? I have a budget up to £400 and an existing 18-55mm lens (fits my D200). 2nd hand should make my money go further.

I have been recommended the following that come within my price bracket:

D3200/3300/3400

Just to recap:

I want a camera that has more megapixels than the D200 for photographing paintings for prints and canvas prints in Printify.
 
Hi

If you are upgrading from D200 I would look for d7100 or 7200 used.
 
If all you’re wanting it for is taking photos of paintings it wouldn’t really matter which one you choose tbh, I don’t think there’s much to choose between sensor performance and the other differences won’t make any difference to you, unless noise is an issue then the D3300 supposedly has marginally better noise handling than the D3200 and D3400. Buying used would mean you’d likely spend less than half your budget.
 
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Ditch the existing 18-55 and get a macro lens. Even if it’s an old manual focus one.

Then buy a body with whatever change you have left.
 
twist said:
D7100, under budget, taken 2000 odd shots, like new
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Am I right in thinking that the higher the number the newer the camera. So D7100 is newer than a D3500?

I'm getting that the lens is important. I'll look at Macro.

Thanks for everyone's advice btw. I've had to go from 0 to 60 - still only at 42 though, but getting there...
 
Two_In said:
Am I right in thinking that the higher the number the newer the camera. So D7100 is newer than a D3500?

I'm getting that the lens is important. I'll look at Macro.

Thanks for everyone's advice btw. I've had to go from 0 to 60 - still only at 42 though, but getting there...
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Not sure you'll need macro for photographing paintings to be honest, unless you need to get close ups of blemishes or detail.
 
Two_In said:
Am I right in thinking that the higher the number the newer the camera. So D7100 is newer than a D3500?

I'm getting that the lens is important. I'll look at Macro.

Thanks for everyone's advice btw. I've had to go from 0 to 60 - still only at 42 though, but getting there...
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No you’re not right in the numbers. Entry level are D3xxx, mid range D5xxx and then higher end D7xxx. Of those designations the higher number is newer, ie a D3500 is newer than a D3200
 
Brazo said:
It’s not for close ups. It’s for a super sharp lens to resolve the new sensor and of course most importantly a flat plane of view.
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:plus1:

kit lenses are some of the worst for distortions
 
So would a D5600 be a good compromise?
 
Two_In said:
So would a D5600 be a good compromise?
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To be honest, all the 'clever bits' on the higher end cameras will be of absolutely zero use for the job you have outlined. They all share similar sensors, but the higher end cameras will have extra control wheels and buttons on the outside and some additional functions that would be useful in more conventional photographic situations. For the purposes that you describe, a recent entry level camera will produce images exactly as good as those from the most expensive of the cameras named. A D3300 for £170 used will be completely fine.

As suggested already by Brazo, a macro lens will give you excellent sharpness that is far superior to the kit zoom you have. Something like the Nikon 60mm f2.8 which is designed for a crop sensor camera:
https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-AF-S-60mm-f2.8-G-ED-micro-/-macro-G-ED_246349.html £230
https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-AF-S-60mm-F2.8-G-ED-N-Macro_256602.html £250

There are other cheaper macro lenses available, but they will not all autofocus with an entry level body. These 2 will be fully compatible.
 
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twist said:
The sensors are all 24mp. If that’s what you’re mostly concerned about just buy the cheapest.
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:agree:

There are some cheap 24mp bodies at camera jungle with the 20% off.
Spend the remainder on a macro lens
 
Two_In said:
So would a D5600 be a good compromise?
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As I said earlier for what you want there’s no point buying a more expensive body, you’ll be paying for features you don’t need. The sensors in the D3xxx bodies are pretty much the same, if not the same as those in the equivalent D5xxx and D7xxx bodies.
 
I think I've got it now-I'm not as confused as I was when I started the thread. Thanks for all your advice! I'm going to go for a D3400 body. I'll use my existing lens for now, and if the Printify thing starts working, I'll invest in a 2nd hand Macro lens (approx cost £250).
 
Two_In said:
I think I've got it now-I'm not as confused as I was when I started the thread. Thanks for all your advice! I'm going to go for a D3400 body. I'll use my existing lens for now, and if the Printify thing starts working, I'll invest in a 2nd hand Macro lens (approx cost £250).
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I'll see if I can help. The sensor is the part of the camera that captures the image and along with the lens is responsible for the overall image quality (assuming good technique and light). However, cameras have a multitude of other aspects to them such as autofocus systems, weather sealing, functions etc and it is these that generally dictate the 'level' of the camera. So:-

Nikon D3xxx good sensor, basic autofocus system and features
Nikon D5xxx good sensor, mid range autofocus system and features
Nikon D7xxx good sensor, high end autofocus system and features, plus weather sealing.

For taking static photos of paintings you don't need an all singing all dancing autofocus system, nor do you need an array of features or controls and that's why you've been advised to get the D3xxx body. If you bought a D5xxx or D7xxx body you'd be paying for things that you don't need.
 
Just to add to that, different lenses have different resolving power. That kit lens is unlikely to resolve more detail than your D200 sensor can record i.e. the D200 sensor can record 10MP worth of information, but the kit lens probably only provides 8MP* worth of data, so that an image recorded at 10MP will show no more detail than one recorded at 36MP or 100MP - only the individual pixels will be smaller. If you wanted more highly detailed images, then you would be better off using a lens with greater resolving power on your D200 than you would be buying a camera with more pixels on the sensor.

I know you want more pixels for your output, but this could easily be acheived by up-scaling in software, rather than buying a camera body with more pixels on the sensor.

*https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Nikon/AF-S-DX-Nikkor-18-55mm-f-3.5-5.6G-VR
 
Get the latest model, they are slowly getting better even though on paper they all look like 24mp cameras.
If you dig into details there are faster this and better that under the hood
 
Caerus said:
Get the latest model, they are slowly getting better even though on paper they all look like 24mp cameras.
If you dig into details there are faster this and better that under the hood
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That depends what you're interested in/require. The D3300 has better noise handling than the D3400 but not as good dynamic range (y)
 
snerkler said:
That depends what you're interested in/require. The D3300 has better noise handling than the D3400 but not as good dynamic range (y)
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The newer one has 500 shot more per battery charge. Better to have it in case you decide you actually want to venture outside your house with it
 
I've now decided (almost) to go for a D3200 and a 60mm Macro. There's a couple of bodies available with cosmetic scratches and wear for about £100, which means I can afford the lens. Does that sound like a good plan?
 
Two_In said:
I've now decided (almost) to go for a D3200 and a 60mm Macro. There's a couple of bodies available with cosmetic scratches and wear for about £100, which means I can afford the lens. Does that sound like a good plan?
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For what you've said you want to use it for I would say yes.
 
Two_In said:
I've now decided (almost) to go for a D3200 and a 60mm Macro. There's a couple of bodies available with cosmetic scratches and wear for about £100, which means I can afford the lens. Does that sound like a good plan?
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Yes. This makes the most sense to me, where what you're after is a high quality copying system.
 
Two_In said:
I've now decided (almost) to go for a D3200 and a 60mm Macro. There's a couple of bodies available with cosmetic scratches and wear for about £100, which means I can afford the lens. Does that sound like a good plan?
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yep makes most sense to me too. TBH I would even go as far as saying, don't buy the body now. Buy the lens. Use it on your D200 and try stitching multiple files (there are many free tools that do this very well now) to increase you MP count.
see how you get along ;)

you might even be able to make 300dpi A1 prints this way from your D200 ;)
 
Check the shutter count before buying any used camera, A high shutter count the camera may not last much longer
 
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