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D5200 new lens?


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#1
Clayton28

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I have a D5200 that is around 10 years old. I was wondering if I could get better pictures with an upgraded camera, or if just purchasing a newer lens would help? I have the lens that came with it and the telephoto lens as well (55-300mm)

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#2
Merco_61

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The D5200 is good enough that you won’t get much better quality by getting something newer at a similar price point. What will give you better, more consistent results is to shoot more and evaluate each and every photo you take so you learn from both hits and misses.

 

Upgrading to a D7500 or D500 will give you ergonomics that are easier to use on the fly when the shooting pace is high. The D7500 is a nice allrounder and the D500 is optimized for birds in flight and sports. They  share the same sensor with significantly higher dynamic range at base ISO and better signal to noise ratio at high ISO compared to the 24 MP sensors.

 

Going mirrorless is another option. The little Z50 is surprisingly nice to use and has inherited more from the D7xxx series than the D5xxx. The kit zooms are much better than the 18-55/55-x00 sets of old. The problem is that they are the only DX lenses in Z-mount yet and the compactness is lost when using the FTZ to mount F-mount lenses or when using FX Z-mount.

 

Going FX is the way if you want the highest DR and S/N you can get, but you have to budget for all new glass as well as the more expensive body. 
 

Your lenses are good, dependable workhorses that match the D5200 well. A 16-80 will give you better quality and feel better to use, but only marginally. A 17-55 will be even better, but i bet you won’t like how front-heavy it is on the D5xxx bodies. 
Replacing your 55-300 with something better will be difficult as the AF-S 70-300 VR has been out of production for 4 years now and the AF-P lenses don’t AF on your D5200.

 

Upgradeitis and NAS are natural, but Nikons from the start of the 24 MP era onwards are good enough that the photographer matters more than the gear, just like it was towards the end of the analog era. If you have some spare cash burning a hole in your pocket, spending it on tuition or a specialised lens that makes something that you can’t do today possible would be a better use.