Right now, I’m using a Micro Four Thirds camera called Olympus Pen PL2 (with a kit lens and a 45-150mm zoom lens) I’m pretty happy with the image quality right now but I’m thinking about upgrading for the greater range of advance features/option/controls and lens availability. However, I don’t plan on getting that many lenses in the foreseeable future in order to consider the D90’s internal AF motor over the D5100.
Along with this, I’m buying the cameras used. I could get the D5100’s body and kit lens, or get a D90’s body and about 100$ for another lens.
At the end of the day, I just want greater ranges of control and IQ improvements on the side. Which one should I consider? (My budget is stretched to about 500$. Please don’t suggest getting a D7000, which is out of my budget-range)
Categorized | Affiliate Marketing 101
Upgrade To Nikon D90 Or D5100?
Posted on April 4, 2013.
Do not discount the need for buying lenses. Kit lenses are just there to get you by until you can afford a better lens. And since the photo quality depends on both camera AND lens, the lens should actually be considered first, before the camera.
In that regard, do not discount the importance of an internal focus motor – a feature the D90 has but the D5100 lacks. In fact, I would expect to see bigger discounts on the D7000 in the months to come, so that might also be a consideration.
Nikon produces 3 basic types of lenses.
1. Consumer grade AF-S (with autofocus motor) lenses.
2. Professional grade AF-S (also with autofocus motor) lenses. Highly superior.
3. Professional grade AF (requiring a focus motor camera). These are high quality legacy lenses.
The dark secret with Nikon is that the AF lenses can often be purchased for significantly less money, and often perform as well, or nearly as well as the professional grade Nikon AF-S lenses – and certainly much better than the AF-S consumer-grade lenses.
For example, if you are in the market for a sports lens; the 70-200mm f/2.8 is a professional grade lens. However, it costs $2,400. But if you have a camera with focus motor, you can use the 80-200mm f/2.8, which is nearly as good, but lacks an autofocus motor and VR.
However, at half the price ($1,200), it is a bargain, and is often called the poor-man’s 70-200. In reality though, the 80-200 is in the range of many amateurs, but the 70-200 may only be cost-effective for professionals.
But if you have an entry level camera such as the D5100, you cannot autofocus the 80-200mm f/2.8, so you are stuck with a consumer grade lens, such as the comparatively slow 55-200mm f/4~5.6 ($250), or will have to shell out $2,400 for the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8.
The difference between the consumer-grade 55-200mm and professional grade 70-200mm cannot be overstated. The more expensive lens is 2 EV faster at 200mm, and much sharper. If you are doing sports, you may not be able to obtain an acceptable photo with the 55-200 as you will have to bump the ISO up into the “noise zone”.
But given that a focus-motor camera, such as the D90, D7000, or D7100 can use the 80-200mm f/2.8 and get the same shots as the 70-200mm f/2.8 (at least in 99% of the situations), the $1,200 savings more than offsets the $400 or so you pay extra for these cameras over the D5100.
And that is just one example.
I have a D90 (and will likely upgrade to the D7100), and I have several of the legacy AF lenses, including the 80-200mm f/2.8. I cannot imaging going back to only using consumer-grade lenses.
A DSLR should not be a spot purchase. In reality, a DSLR is a system – with multiple lenses. So much so, the lenses are more important than the camera. You may save a few dollars up front now by buying a D5100, but that gets you nowhere.
You will not see a difference in the image quality between the D5100 and even the D90 due to their sensors, but you will see a difference in image quality when you use upgraded glass on the D90 that you cannot afford to put on the D5100.
The Nikon D90 was a classic and was unique because it had environmental seals to keep moisture and dust from getting into the camera, could use legacy Nikkor AF lenses and Nikkor AI manual lenses, something that entry level cameras like the D5100 cannot.
Visit a proper camera shop and look at the D5100 and D7000 (the follow on camera of the D90) They are very similar in size and weight, however the D5100 and successor D5200 have articulating LCD’s which may or may not influence your choiceshttp://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d90.htmhttp://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d5100.h…