7 replies to this topic

[LordOdin]

Hi Everyone

 

As the title says i am a newbie to Nikon though i have had Camera's since i was a kid. I started with Canon as my main brand and had a couple for a while including the 650D. I switched to Pentax in 2014 and bought a brand new K-S2 which i still have and would probably never part with, infact i know i wouldn't part with it. I have joined this Forum to get help and advice, i don't actually own a Nikon Camera yet and am looking at something for a budget of around £200-£250. I know it's not a massive amount but it's all i can afford at the moment. I have seen a couple of Nikon Camera's which are the D3300 and the D5200 both look in decent condition and come with the Kit Lens, think its the 18-55mm one, i know the shutter count on the D5200 is just over 8k but not sure on the D3300. The D3300 looks like it's better condition out of the 2 and to me looks newer, i have got to make a decision on either one hence me coming here for advice. The D3300 also comes in it's original packaging as well, i am not sure which one to get, i am leaning towards the D5200 as the shutter count on the D3300 is unknown to me and it's one of the things that concerns me when buying a used DSLR. Any help or advice appreciated.

 

TIA

Tim

[g4aaw pete]

Hello Tim

 

The D3300 is a great little camera - I have one & wouldn't sell it. However, precedence has been given to a D800E, which I've been using since last year.

Shutter count is important, the D3300 is tested to 100,000 by Nikon. Mine is at 18,000.

 

I suppose it depends what type of photography you generally pursue. Certainly, D3300 isn't great in low light.

Check what options are available on the two models. Specifically, remote shutter release. Many that can be used on the D3300 are not available on the D3400 & D3500, even though the specs are almost the same.

 

I've never had a D5xxx series, so can't comment.

[Ron]

Welcome to the forums!

 

You're not gonna get anything approaching new for that money, but there are good used cameras in that range. Personally, I would eschew any members of the Nikon pentamirror DSLR series, of which both the D3000 and D5000 cameras belong to. 

 

My suggestion would be a nice D7000 series camera with a fairly low shutter count. This includes the D7000, D7100 and D7200 series. I'd probably avoid the newer D7500 but then it's libel to be outside your price range anyway. These cameras are more full featured than the D3000/D5000 series and have the advantage of being able to mount and use just about any Nikon lens manufactured in the last 30 years which the D3000/D5000 series can't. In fact, one of the main reasons to avoid the newer D7500 (aside from price) is that Nikon removed the ability to mount and use many older lenses.

 

I personally own a D7000 and, like your Pentax, I probably will never part with it. I'm not dissing the D3000/D5000 cameras. They do have some advantages, such as being lighter (partly due to their use of mirrors rather than prisms in the viewfinder), but that also makes them a bit more fragile and reduces the brightness of the viewfinder image. But they are nice cameras if you can find a lightly used example.

 

Good luck!

 

--Ron 

[LordOdin]

Hi Guys

First of all Thanks for the replies. I think i struck lucky by buying a D5300 (used) for £210 which is $248.62 roughly. It has 13.5k Shutter Count which i have been told isn't that high on Nikon Camera's. One of the main reasons for getting the Nikon is the Pentax K-S2 are known to have a problem called Aperture Block which causes dark images, it is an easy fix however so not overly concerned. I have already got a new solenoid in anticipation. Going back to the D5300, not sure if it comes with a Lens, the pictures on eBay of it don't show one but in the description it says nothing wrong with the Camera or Lens so fingers crossed, it should arrive on Saturday or Monday at the latest. I also have a Nikon Fit Sigma 70-300 F4-F5.6 Macro Lens and a Meike Speedlight that i bought a few years ago when i was going to get a Nikon back then but a deal on a Camera fell through. Both are new and unused. I am now wanting a 50mm Prime Lens for either the Pentax though most probably the D5300.

[Merco_61]

Congratulations on getting a nice little camera. Remember that the D5xxx and D3xxx series’ don’t have a built-in focus motor and rely on the lens having the motor. For Nikon lenses, this means that the model name starts with AF-S or AF-P. The third-party providers all have their own nomenclature.

 

If you want to be able to run AF-P lenses, you need the latest firmware in your camera as those lenses are newer than the camera.

 

One thing to remember when looking for a cheap portrait lens for either Nikon or Pentax is that the Nikon AF-S 50/1.8 is better on DX bodies than its f/1.4 counterpart, unlike the Pentax pair where the f/1.4 has a smoother transition from sharp to unsharp than the f/1.7 lens. Another good lens that can sometimes be found cheap is the Voigtländer 58/1.4. It is manual focus, but it is chipped so the light meter will work and the digital rangefinder is more precise than using unchipped lenses.

[LordOdin]

I bought a couple of 50mm Prime 1.8 Lenses yesterday, i got 1 for my Pentax and a Yongnuo for my Nikon. Since getting it i have read that it's not that good at f1.8 but is not bad at the higher f stops, i really should read before buying on impulse.

[LordOdin]

Well my Nikon D5300 arrived yesterday and have to say the condition of the body and screen is mint. On first picking it up it surprised me how light it was, my Pentax feels a fair bit heavier. I will have to get my Scales out to see. I do like that it's lighter, i also like the clicky feel of the buttons and the mode dial feels firm and robust. The Screen is also a bit larger than the Pentax and the Nikon feels smaller but side by side they look pretty similar. It didn't come with a Lens but at the price i got it for didn't really expect one. I put my Sigma 70-300mm on it to try and i didn't realise how large the Lens was not using it before, it's massive compared to my Pentax 55-300mm. My first impression is it's a light Camera but seems solid at the same time, the Menu's seem pretty straightforward to get through and overall i really like it. I will have to get the 18-55mm Kit Lens, the VR one and also get a SD Card which i thought i had but didn't. Look forward to getting to know this Camera and shooting some Pics.

[Merco_61]

One thing to keep in mind when looking for a kit lens is that the AF-P 18-55 VR has more precise, faster and more quiet AF than the AF-S predecessors, but you need C firmware 1.01 or later to use this latest and probably last version.