Choosing between Nikon D5100 and D90.. Any help greatly appreciated!

apaflo wrote:

Yep, that's the point. If you want to learn photography, look at the system you'll be putting together over the next several months and then years. Plan ahead, and spend money wisely with a view to the long run and your ultimate goal.

Well, I used an 80-200mm f/2.8D for years, and did not upgrade for either the AF-S model or when the first 70-200mm f/2.8 VR came out. It just wasn't worth that much money for my work. When the D3S and the new 70-200mm VRII came out, I bought both of them at the same time on the day they were released. The AF-S version turned out to be a dud because it can't be repaired, so that was a good decision. The first 70-200mm had VR but it isn't sharp around the edges (not too big a problem for DX cameras, but by that time I had a D3). The 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII is expensive, but it has VR, does not vignette even on an FX body, is about the sharpest zoom ever made, and the AF is as fast as it gets. I love it. If it broke tomorrow I'd be upset, but the old 80-200mm would be just fine (I use a tripod a lot anyway).

Given all of the things you have mentioned, I would think that a two ring 80-200mm f/2.8D is probably the next lens you'll want to own.

If you want versatility, don't buy the cheapest camera you can find. Buy one with the functionality you will want in a year, or you'll be kicking yourself next year for having wasted both money and time.

All of them are cheap kit lenses. They have limitations that expensive lenses don't have, but they will take most of the pictures you want, and they won't break the bank doing it.