Is upgrading from D3200 to D7200 a good move?

If you need much better autofocus, more control over your shooting especially if you move away from auto then the D7200 is of course a good move. Money apart it is a lot larger and heavier but has many more features. such as significantly better AF, better battery life, a better buffer and fps much better viewfinder....

But having said that for the majority of shots they will take the same photos at the same quality.

As far as lens are concerned, if you have the old 18-55 kit lens then the 18-140 is a better lens, if you have the new 18-55 that is not the case but as the camera is 4 years old I assume you have an older version.

The 16-85 would be an excellent upgrade your D3200 setup, you may be able to find a refurbished or second hand version.

marzkat said:

I've had the Nikon D3200 for about 4 years now, and it's been a great camera with some small annoyances. I'm wanting to upgrade and I'm very drawn to the D7200 for the extra controls and more focal points (that's a huge draw for me). I've been doing a lot of research and a lot of people say that a new lens is more important and that the D3200 is fine.

In the world of lenses, I've currently got:

• Nikkor 35mm f/1.8g
• Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G
• and the 18-55mm kit lens.

The 18-140mm that comes on the D7200 is also one of the big draws for me for that camera. (Is that a good lens?)

Bottom Line: So I'm looking for whether I should really upgrade my whole camera, or if I should keep it a while longer and just buy more glass (like the Nikkor 16-85mm)?

(PS. I did think about upgrading from DX to FX, and was looking at someday going to the D750 or D610, but after thinking about it, I'm happy to stay in the DX realm.)

Also I'm looking at buying the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 or Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 or the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5 for some landscape and night-sky shoots, if there are any opinions on those out there.

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The D7200 is the obvious choice, and the 18-140mm lens is regarded as one of Nikon's best. It has some minor flaws (distortion at 18mm and vignetting at 140mm), but these can either be corrected/cropped or ignored, depending on your requirements.

There's quite a bit to learn when you take on something like the D7200. I remember being impressed with the range and depth of features of the D7100 after some early experience with the D3200. I still have the D3200 for general use, and have fitted the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 which is a handy focal range for travel.

The Sigma 10-20mm works well on Nikon DX, and although others rave about the Tokina 11-16mm, the wider range of the Sigma is handier, since 20mm can be used for "normal" shots if the need arises. You'll find the 35mm f/1.8 useful on the D7200.

Sell the 18-55mm with the D3200, and only keep the 55-300mm if it's a good one. Many prefer the Tamron 70-300mm as an introductory sports lens, rather than the Nikon 55-300mm.

"Going Full Frame" is chiefly a money game, and only really worthwhile if you can afford the high resolution models, or have good lenses that can take advantage of the DoF characteristics of FF. If you are mainly interested in IQ, just stick with DX (APS-C).

I have an entry-level FF Sony a7, and it's only marginally better in IQ than its APS-C cousin, the Sony a6000. There's DoF advantages, and some of the lenses work to best advantage on FF, but exploring these options can be expensive. I mainly have FF lenses for my Sonys, and swap them between bodies as required.

You'll have more dedicated buttons to change settings and a better viewfinder but using the same lens on both bodies will give you the same results. It's all about convenience.

I have a D7000 and a D5100 but I use the D5100 more. It's lighter and it has a articulating LCD. For my purposes the D5100 is suffice.

The D7200's viewfinder has a pentaprism, makes for a sharper view than the pentamirror in your D3200.

I have the D7200 and like it. The larger size is better for my hands. I started with a D90 and didn't upgrade to the D7000 or D7100. But, the D7200 seemed to offer enough of a difference to make it worthwhile. You've listed some of the other pluses of the D7200. You will have access to a wider range of lenses, including access to older style Nikon lenses. But, as has been said, it will take time to master the differences.

If you are considering the Tokina 11-16, you might want to look at the newer Tokina 11-20. It gives more focal length range, still f2.8 at all focal lengths and has some better optical properties. Given that the prices isn't that much different, it might be a better options.

Others already gave good answers. Let me confirm those, or add a couple of points if needed.

marzkat said:

I've had the Nikon D3200 for about 4 years now, and it's been a great camera with some small annoyances. I'm wanting to upgrade and I'm very drawn to the D7200 for the extra controls and more focal points (that's a huge draw for me). I've been doing a lot of research and a lot of people say that a new lens is more important and that the D3200 is fine.

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D3200 has a very capable 24 MP sensor and the D7200 has a bit newer/better sensor. That itself doesn't warrant an upgrade. If you're facing any specific issues with your camera or sensor, you can research how D7200 does better in those areas.

The better build quality and AF are all good reasons to upgrade. The extra controls are useful if you're digging into the menus of D3200 a lot and feeling that it is slowing down your shooting. Otherwise, you may not need them right away but will get used to them quickly.

marzkat said:

In the world of lenses, I've currently got:

• Nikkor 35mm f/1.8g

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That is still a good lens and works well on any DX camera.

marzkat said:

• Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G
• and the 18-55mm kit lens.

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Nikon has updated the 18-55 and 55-200 to VR II versions, but I believe that the 55-300 is left out. Many folks prefer the 70-300 (Nikon or Tamron) for slightly better AF.

marzkat said:

The 18-140mm that comes on the D7200 is also one of the big draws for me for that camera. (Is that a good lens?)

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I like it on my D7200. I don't need to change the lens most of the time, especially in the focal range that it covers.

marzkat said:

Bottom Line: So I'm looking for whether I should really upgrade my whole camera, or if I should keep it a while longer and just buy more glass (like the Nikkor 16-85mm)?

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I suggest saving the money and waiting longer on the body.

I would recommend Sigma 17-70 C to replace the 18-55.

marzkat said:

(PS. I did think about upgrading from DX to FX, and was looking at someday going to the D750 or D610, but after thinking about it, I'm happy to stay in the DX realm.)

Also I'm looking at buying the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 or Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 or the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5 for some landscape and night-sky shoots, if there are any opinions on those out there.

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I rarely felt the need for a lens wider than my 18mm lenses. Tamron just announced a 10-24mm with stabilization. Unless you're in urgent need of one, you can wait and see how its reviews turn out.

All the best.

Finally broke down and ordered a d7200 to upgrade my d5300. Weight was ONE of the issues but I just calculated with everything loaded including flash I'm at about 1600 grams already!

Unless of course you've already stopped by best buy a dozen times to play around with the settings