Hello! I used my D3100 for a while with my 50mm F/1.8G, then I bought a 55-200mm F/4.5-5.6. I love and use both these lenses all the time, but it seems the only interesting thing around here to take pictures of are birds and deer. My 55-200mm seems to do a pretty good job of that most of the time but there's no denying that I need an upgrade.
I'm looking for a lens that has more powerful zoom with a sharper image, but the pricing for zoom lenses (and most lenses in general it seems) is really strange. For example I can get a 55-200mm for less than $200, but a 70-300mm AF-S F/4.5-5.6 seems to hover around $350-$420. This seems like a big jump in price, but lenses are expensive, no biggie. Then I see an 80-400mm F/4.5/5.6 for $1900! It seems like prices for zoom lenses start put fairly low but then jump up extremely fast. Strangely enough a 200-500mm F/5.6 is ~$1200. I also found a list of the best Nikon lenses for wildlfe photography (Best Nikon Lenses for Wildlife Photography (2024)), and there's another 500mm lens on there that's $8,000.
It seems like the pricing for Nikon zoom lenses is really strange, the naming and specs seem to have hardly any effect on the price, and when in doubt; it's ridiculously expensive. Maybe I should upgrade my camera body to a D5100? Would that help with the quality or crispness of the shot? Maybe the aperture is what makes these lenses more or less expensive and larger or smaller than lenses that seem so similar? Any info is appreciated.
Thanks!