where there’s smoke there’s forum fire
RAW comparison of D3100, D300s and D700 using RAW and CNX2 (NR off). Files from Imaging Resources
3200 (D700 is 6400, not 3200 as in crop):
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=36569288
6400 (D700 is 12800):
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=36569830
Given ISO starts at 100, very good results, I'd say 1/2 stop better than D300s and 1 1/2 stop under D700.
@CasualHobyist: Again I have used the D3100 a lot. I am certain the D5100 will be a better camera due to more serious features. I have used the D90 and a D3100 side by side. The D3100 beat the D90 for video and nothing else. All that said the D3100 is a very good entry level camera. I repeat, very good. If you are studying this very much though I might suggest that no amount of study will make the D3100 the camera that the D7000 is. How important is having better HD video. To me, HD video is important. We own maybe a dozen video cameras. I use the D90 video more than the real video cameras. But in HD video the D90 just plain needed an upgrade. So many features on the D3100 are some much better than the D3000 Nikon it is a real tribute to the D3100!! But if you are that serious I do not think the D3100 is for you unless that smaller size is for some reason very attractive. Combined with a 18-55VR and an 55-300VR it is very good. But having shot that side by side with D90 with a 18-105VR and the 70-300VR I would in still give the edge to the D90! Factor in the newer video on the D3100 and the picture gets muddier. For YOU and you alone, it sure would be nice if Nikon's D5100 was already here. But I would humbly suggest that the D7000 may give you more room to grow and it is here soon for delivery. Once you make your choice you have a camera that will work for years to come. That is value! You were wise to study this through NR as you will get good advice and yes we all have our party lines! Nikon is not really fast to introduce new cameras or lenses though and that I believe is precisely why NR is very useful. It does give you a better crystal ball than just are own intuition.
@DaveyJ: Thanks for that input. It confirms how I'm leaning on this. I think I would like more camera than what the D3100 offers. However, I think the D7000 is more than what I need, although I would be very happy with the D7000 if I were the only one using it. My wife will end up taking more pictures than me with what ever I buy. She's very good at composing pictures and takes a lot of good ones of our family. On the other hand, she has no interest in reading manuals or fooling around with a camera to figure out how to use the different functions. (Her biggest flaw in composition is putting the sun or whatever light behind her subject, so I think the D lighting will be great for her.) I would still be tempted to go with the D7000, but my wife is small with small hands, so I'm afraid the D7000 might be too large for her.
So for now, I think the best solution is to patiently wait for the D7000. I just have to believe that Nikon will be introducing one in the not too distant future, because the D5000 is selling for less than the D3100 right now.
I have two wonderful lady friends who are both amateurs but love to take photos. They both are small and do not want to spend all their money on camera gear. A D90 works perfectly for them. The D7000 will be better. As to pointing at backlight subjects those gals get the lens specular highlights pretty regularly, in my photos they are almost absent. I think the size of these cameras is a poor way to buy cameras. One of the best examples i can think of is an international travel agent who is in some amazing places. Picking a Coolpix 80 or P100 gives her many images that fall way short of perfection. A D3100 is a very good entry camera and that actually would be perfect for your wife. The way you achieve real value is to buy gear which never needs to be replaced. You'd get better value for both of you with the higher level camera. A D3100 is far above Coolpix or Powershot P&S. It is a real bargain. But the more serious your wife becomes..... the more you really are better with the better level rig. Once even a small lady gets set to photograph, braced etc., the slightly heavier camera is just as good, probably better at doing the scene justice.
Hi CasualHobbyist:
I am pretty much in the same boat as you are. I have a heavily used D40 and am looking for an upgrade. I have decided to wait for D5100 for a few reasons: 1. D7000 is too big and heavy for me as I travel a lot. 2. Hope that D5100 will have a better resolution LCD like the one on D90/D7000. 3. I really don't want to buy the D3100 with another 18-55 kit lens. The one came with my D40 has virtually never been used. Like you, I am using 18-200 VR almost exclusively (until recently I got an excellent 35mm/f1.8 for indoor use). I am hoping when D5100 comes out, it will have a body-only option.
Cheers
Hi guys,
Nikon has two ways it can go: It can upscale the 14 megapixel processor with the Multi-Cam 1000 autofocus sensor module or it can downscale the 16 megapixel processor with the Multi-CAM 4800DX autofocus sensor module. Since both are new to their DSLRs, either one is a legitimate strategy and would be popular choices.
If it upscales the 14 megapixel processor, it's a good bet that the LCD will be 920K, and that it will have a stereo plug-in for the video. Whether the LCD will be articulated is less clear, especially since video was fairly new in the d5000 and articulation was likely being tested as a feature. Their market research will give them the answer on this one. Could they have a low res articulated screen and stereo plug-in? That's possible as well? What you almost certainly won't have is dual storage cards, two selection wheels, and the nifty AF selection button.
If it downscales the 16 megapixel processor, you'll lose any chance of a high res LCD and probably the stereo plug-in. Think today's d5000 with the 16 megapixel processor. The same factor applies to the articulated screen as before. If Nikon's research shows it was useful, they'll keep it.
When will it come? Based on past life spans, you can expect it sometime from April to July 2011. Which one will it be? I think this is a tough one because both strategies would likely be popular. Awesome processor and pedestrian supporting cast or good processor and upscale supporting cast. You can probably make a good argument for either. Personally, I'd go with good processor and upscale supporting cast, like a 920K LCD and stereo plug-in.
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