Bland: then get a D5100 and use the rest of your money for lenses, as you need them.

donaldejose......in my case the D90 is all I need with the exception of the low light benefits that a D7000 offers. I found out today the D5100 has the same low light benefits of the D7000, so that's where my question derived from.

The D7000 is obvious supreme to the D5100 but I'm not sure I really need all of the extras the D7000 provides. Plus I can buy (2) D5100 for almost the same price as {1} D7000.

Bland: I have a D5100 and a D90. The D5100 is better in some ways and not as good in other ways. The D5100 is lighter, better sensor, better video but not as robust built as the D90. However, you are making a flawed comparison. The correct comparison is the D5100 to the D7000, which I also have. The D90 is not in the current generation of Nikons and is no longer produced. I wouldn't recommend anyone buy a new, or nearly new D90. My D90 is great but not as great as my D7000. It is best to stay within the most current generation of Nikon cameras when buying a new body. So choose between the D3100, the D5100, the D7000 and soon to be the D400, D800 and D4. Don't buy any other camera body new or nearly new unless you want it for an historical artifact.

I recently purchased a D40 body on E-bay for $200 just to see if its 6 megapixel sensor could fill a 55 inch HDTV screen and look good. It really can. It is true that the average shooter who is going to look at his/her images on a 24 inch monitor and print no larger than a sheet of photo paper in an inkjet printer can do both with 6 megapixels. You can even view those images on a 55 inch HDTV and they will be fine. All the talk about a meaningless megapixel race is correct. Then I gave the D40 away to someone who didn't have a DSLR and wanted one because I know I was going to prefer to use my unneeded 16 megapixel D7000! And if Nikon produces a 24 megapixel D400 and a 36 megapixel D800 I am sure I am going to want to get them.

nice question Bland

you should get many replies on this one

my take: is a Ferrari better than a Range Rover?

Just a question, is the D5100 a better camera than a D90?

Hi Guys,

Thanks very much for your prompt and useful responses.

I think I will go for the D7000 option, just waiting on final confirmation from the insurance as to when I can hit the go button.

In the interim I have got my little P7000 carry me over.

I will definitely check out the thread by Adamz.

Once again thanks very much for your help.

Cheers.

SkintBrit said:
With the risk of getting banned from the forum, based on the type of photography you say you plan to do, I'd recommend one of Sony's SLT cameras. As jonnyapple said, the D7000 is a very highly regarded camera and would be the most logical replacement. You wont be dissapointed if you go that route.

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well I would not go so far as to say you should be banned, but made to serve coffee and donuts for the next three months as punishment. smile

lewyfly

the advice given here is spot on, with $200-300 to spend with your insurance refund you cannot go wrong with the suggestions liste above. D7000 will carry you very far. run a search on the D7000 on this forum.

Adamz has started a fantastic thread concerning the choice of camera lens combinations. Check it out for different folks opinions on the packages suggested by the members of this forum.

welcome to the forum and good luck with your journey into photography.

I would opt for the standard option #1 - d7000/d5100 (first one if You are more into sports, second if You are more into family snaps) + 18-105 + 70-300 (if You are into sports)

Welcome lewefly, sorry to hear about you loosing your gear, but well done for having it insured. With the risk of getting banned from the forum, based on the type of photography you say you plan to do, I'd recommend one of Sony's SLT cameras. For outdoor use the loss of light transmission inherent to the system shouldn't be that much of an issue, and the advantage of very high maximum frame rates and being able to autofocus while shooting video, might be more important? The things against buying into the Sony system?, well I think most people would agree the quality and quantity of their optics and other accessories like flashes and battery grips available are not up to the standard offered by Nikon, but in general use I think the system has a lot going for it. As jonnyapple said, the D7000 is a very highly regarded camera and would be the most logical replacement. You wont be dissapointed if you go that route.

Welcome, lewyfly. Too bad about your gear. The D7000 seems like an obvious replacement, but I'm not sure what your budget is in spite of the description. Do you mean current D90 price or what you paid for it 6mos ago? Also, what do you mean by family and not portraits?

An inexpensive lens for sports that won't be long enough for some sports is the 85 1.8. The 18-105 is nice for the price and might fit the bill for outdoor. I guess you would probably know which focal lengths you prefer by now and whether 18 is wide enough.

Hi All,

I am a newbie all the way from New Zealand!!

I am very new to DSLR photography but i decided to give it a crack about 6 months ago. I bought a D90 second hand and added a AFS DX 18 - 55 VR lens and a 55 - 300 VR lens to it to get started. I have yet to enrol in any classes, it is on my to do list!.

I have recently lost my camera bag with the camera etc. My insurance policy is new for old, so they will pay me out for a new D90 and the lenses above.

I will also have the option to change the model, the insurance will pay out for the D90 and i can add more to it for an alternative option (no cash back for a lesser model).

The main type of photography I would like to think I would to get into is outdoor, sports/action, family. Not into taking portraits or pictures of flowers etc. Also some short movie recording

Could you please give me a couple of ideas on set up which you believe would best meet my needs, keeping in the similar price range as the original set up, maybe $200 - $300 more at a maximum.

Thanks very much in advance.