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Opinions on camera choice under my circumstances!

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You might want to take a look at the reviews for both cameras on this site; specifically the pages that show the functions of the camera.

Both will have a step up in image quality from your current camera. They both have spot, center and matrix metering since you were asking. On the D90 you can press an external button to change the metering mode quickly, where on the D5100 you will have to do multiple button presses to change the metering mode.

I would think your D70 is more in line with the D90 class of camera, so I would just be looking to see if you can actually live with the changes in functionality with the D5100.
And of course go handle them in the store.

You don't mention external flashes, but if that is something important to you, D90 can do high speed sync and can control off camera Nikon CLS flash where the D5100 can't.

Good luck. I'm sure either camera would last you a long time.
 
In your circumstances, none of the lenses you have that don't have focus motors will autofocus, so I'd get the D90 if I planned on continuing to use those lenses and get the D5100 if I planned on selling the manual lenses and only keeping the AF-S ones. More broadly, I chose the D3100 over the D80 (which are similar to the D5100 vs the D90) because I only planned on buying a handful of lenses, all AF-S, and I wanted the smallest, lightest setup I could get that would enable me to shoot at high ISO. It really depends on what you will use the camera for.
 
I just did a quick search and came up with the idea you must pay about 900 dollars for a d90 and 1200 for a d7000.........and you wish the camera would last 10 years, I would get the D7000 and enjoy it for 30 bucks a year. And you would have the satisfaction of knowing you bought the best camera available at the time.
--
Gene from Western Pa

http://imageevent.com/grc6
http://grc225.zenfolio.com/
FZ 30
D50 ....D80.....D7000 - 18 to 200VR- 50mm 1.8 - 80 to 400 OS



Just trying to learn and it's slow going!
 
Look, if you go out on a nicely lit day, with a tripod and set up to take a landscape shot, you have time to set the controls, carefully compose the shot, get the focus point, aperture, color control, shutter speed, etc, that you want. You can take a D40 or a D3s and get pretty much the same shot with the same lens.

Now consider a fast-paced event, of any kind. Something where the light levels are changing or different at different points of interest. Maybe you want to zoom in on a detail and (quickly) pick a different aperture, then pan up and catch something in motion using shutter priority. Then attach a flash, change the white balance and grab a few shots in manual mode, allowing the flash to control the light level (while you control both shutter speed and aperture). Then put on a different lens, set shutter priority, adjust ISO and quickly track a subject moving toward you. Then stick on another lens, go to portrait mode color profile, aperture priority, get a few random portraits, etc. You see a bright flower so you enable bracketing, flip to an aperture you want and burst 3 shots.

All this while the light is changing so you are balancing ISO, depth of field with aperture, shutter speed with lens and subject, perhaps different autofocus settings, changing back and forth between center-weighted metering, matrix and spot, changing between different ISO settings, and under time pressure.

It doesn't matter much if the 12mp sensor is a D90 or 16mp D5100. That's a very small difference in pixels per side. It matters a lot more than you have actual controls so you aren't constantly fiddling with menus, and when you do have to use menus you can pull them off a My Menu entry right away. It matters that you have decent autofocus speed and burst capacity. It matters that you know how your camera performs and don't need to think about what settings to use or how to set them. The tougher the shooting conditions, the more you see a benefit for the features of the more expensive cameras.

When I pick up my daughter-in-law's D60, it drives me crazy. There is only one control wheel, and I don't know how to set shutter speed and aperture at the same time. This is something I do all the time when shooting with flash, because I like to shoot in manual mode with flash. I don't want to be stuck on 1/60th, F5.6. On my wife's D80, or my D200, D300 or D700, it's a very simple job to set manual mode, and use the front control wheel to adjust aperture and the rear one to set speed.

Also, the D60 seems enormously slow to display what I've just shot, so I have a problem chimping to see changes.

I also like to shoot flash off-camera, with CLS controls. (Really, that's the only time I use the built-in flash - to control an SB800 or SB900 off camera).

The sensor differences are MINOR. the rest of the differences are enormous. If you shoot only in situations where the controls become minor (easy, static conditions), then the sensor differences are magnified and the control differences become minor.

And whatever you think about sensors, there will be a better one coming along in the next year or two to 'obsolete' it. But we've been in the area of diminishing returns for a number of years already. (Except for video.)

--
Craig
http://www.cjcphoto.net
 
Thank you PHXAZCRAIG,

Now I am getting an understanding of the points you were making. I have a Canon G12. I adore the controls, love it. But wanting more range I purchased a used D70S. I have an 8008S I used to use a long time ago. I do not particularly care for the control and menu system of this camera. It is my first DSLR and I guess that is just the way things go. I shoot mostly RAW. I don't use the in camera low light noise reduction. I personally wish I had ISO 100, because even with 200 it shows noise. That is a major reason for upgrading, image quality. Normally I shoot Aperture Priority, 99% of the time. Tweak the under/over exposure. I've found at my age, that VR is a GREAT feature. The lens I've carried over from the 8008S are not VR and are not great lenses. They are good especially if using RAW manipulation. I wouldn't mind live view, I believe that is what it is called. I don't care if the camera knows the subject is blinking and I don't use it for video. Now I have a Tamron 90mm macro and a 18-55mm Nikon Vr lenses that don't require internal autofocus motor. I also have had problems with the autofocus searching for focus. Quite annoying. I usually use 8mm and centerweighted 80% and spot 20%. I am strictly amateur so I don't know about needing the ability to shoot a sports event. I am hopping for a camera that will produce great quality images under the circumstances I shoot. If you could percentage quality, what percentage improvement will I get from the D70S to the D90 and the D5100? I really again appreciate you experience and knowledge that you share. Thank you!
Glenn
 
Thank you John. I am definitely seeing a pattern. I was just thinking that the higher resolution would stand the test of time. Now that the functional capacities are being brought out, I am beginning to understand the differences in the basic cameras.
Appreciated
Glenn
 
Howdy pansycan,

Thanks for your inciteful opinion. I do like having the meter switch on the outside. I guess I will go to the store and play with them and get the feel. But you and the other members have provided me with great information and I am beginning to lean.
Glenn
pansycan said:
You might want to take a look at the reviews for both cameras on this site; specifically the pages that show the functions of the camera.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Frida,

I am now beginning to understand the functionality of the cameras and can make a decision on value of the added image quality over the loss of controls. I have finally become familiar enough with the D70S that I would value the similarity.
Glenn
 
Hello genece,

I have found the d90 for around 800 so the difference is more. If I win a lottery I do know which I would choose! Thanks for you sharing your opinion!
Glenn
 
I just a quick search and you can pay around $640 for a refurb D90 body at Adorama (I do this all the time), $660 for a refurb D5100 + 18-55 VR. In your circumstance I'd say D90 because it is a great camera and will work with all your current lenses. Which probably been said a hundred times on this thread. Wait, I meant D5100 with the great 18-55 VR. Hey, both great deals.

BTW, I just sold my D90 to fund a purchase of a (what else) refurbished D7000. And I have a D5100 which is a great camera, like a D7000-lite. And, oh yeah, a D5000 which is a D90-lite.
 
I've used D70s for about a year, until I got a D200. While I felt the (10mp) D200 had about the same IQ as the (6mp) D70s, I simply quit using the D70s. The viewfinder alone was so much better on the D200 that I didn't want to go back to looking through a long, small tube. The LCD was a lot better (and of course the D90 is WAY better there), the AF was better, the frame rate was better, etc. I don't shoot sports that much, but I do shoot family events, wildlife, and plenty of travel. I appreciate being able to quickly change settings as I do that a lot in reaction to the subject and lighting conditions I'm faced with.

I can't really say much about the 5100 because I've not used one. But it's hard enough for me to go back to a D80/D90 type of camera once I'm used to the D300/D700 class of camera. Not on IQ, but on handling. ALL of the cameras have good IQ! If anything, I'm least happy with the D80 IQ (compared to my D70s, D200, D300 and D700) because the metering just seems so bad on it in matrix mode.

I'm sure a D5100 has just fine IQ. So does the D90. I just wouldn't make my decision trying to nitpick IQ differences. There probably are some, in favor of the D5100. For almost everything else, the D90 is better, in my opinion.

The biggest difference in IQ that I've seen going from D70s to D700 is in performance at high ISO. Dynamic range is better on D700 too, but that doesn't mean that much to me in low ISO situations.

--
Craig
http://www.cjcphoto.net
 
I have both the D90 and D70s. I think the D70s with a fast prime is an excellent camera. My D90 has a grip on it so I really enjoy the light weight of the D70s.
 
Hello footlong,

I to like the D70s. But I want a marked improvement in image quality and more functionality! Thanks for your opinion!
Glenn
footlong said:
I have both the D90 and D70s. I think the D70s with a fast prime is an excellent camera. My D90 has a grip on it so I really enjoy the light weight of the D70s.
Click to expand...
 
Coming from D70s D5100 would be a downgrade.

How many times you need to shoot at ISO12800? Up to ISO6400 it is a very slim difference between the two bodies.
Here is ISO 2200 on Nikon D90:



You can have a larger version at https://picasaweb.google.com/103587065473346910938/PalazzoVecchio#5661514890314682482
--
Victor
Bucuresti, Romania
http://picasaweb.google.com/victorpetcu69/
http://picasaweb.google.com/teodor.nitica/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpreallize/
http://picasaweb.google.com/v.petcu.gci/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpetcu.gci.arhiva/
 
Thanks for your time and reply. I appreciate you opinions and POV, got my D70s from Adorama Refurbished!!!
Glenn
toomanycanons said:
I just a quick search and you can pay around $640 for a refurb D90 body at Adorama (I do this all the time), $660 for a refurb D5100 + 18-55 VR. In your circumstance I'd say D90 because it is a great camera and will work with all your current lenses. Which probably been said a hundred times on this thread. Wait, I meant D5100 with the great 18-55 VR. Hey, both great deals.

BTW, I just sold my D90 to fund a purchase of a (what else) refurbished D7000. And I have a D5100 which is a great camera, like a D7000-lite. And, oh yeah, a D5000 which is a D90-lite.
Click to expand...
 
Hello Victor,

Wow. The D90 at that ISO, it is more than I need. I think this is putting me well over the top! I like the more functionality of the D70S so the 90 will be an easier transition.
Thank you!
Glenn
baloo_buc said:
Coming from D70s D5100 would be a downgrade.

How many times you need to shoot at ISO12800? Up to ISO6400 it is a very slim difference between the two bodies.
Here is ISO 2200 on Nikon D90:



You can have a larger version at https://picasaweb.google.com/103587065473346910938/PalazzoVecchio#5661514890314682482
--
Victor
Bucuresti, Romania
http://picasaweb.google.com/victorpetcu69/
http://picasaweb.google.com/teodor.nitica/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpreallize/
http://picasaweb.google.com/v.petcu.gci/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpetcu.gci.arhiva/
Click to expand...
 
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