What dslr should I buy?

Alex Martini said:

Hello,

I know this is a really common question but I need help.
For many I am using a Nikon D5100. I had a lot of great shoots and now i thing it's the time for a small update.

I mostly prefer landscape picture and night pictures. I love impressionism so want colourful lights in my captures. Also I want clear, vivid and sharper images.

Click to expand...

Since you are familiar with Nikon, an upgrade to the D7200 would be the obvious choice, and that might be a good time to think about another lens. What lenses do you have at the moment?

Hi Alex after looking at your images on flickr the answer is easy . You would benefit from a newer sensor giving you better dynamic range and better high iso than what your current camera gives you.

So you could simply move to the 5600 to stay with something very much like you have or the D7200 for brighter view finder and more direct controls and still been able to use the lens you own or you could look to full frame . Even the D610 will be a step up from your 5100 or if money not an issue the D750.

Only issue you will have going full frame is needing new lens to match the sensor and relearning how aperture effects your images because even the slower full frame kit lens with f3.5 to f5.6 give you a shallower depth of field than what you get with your current kit.

Sicking with Nikon is just easier than switching brands and having to relearn terminology and how things work.

I looked at your photos on Flickr. I seem to struggle with high-contrast scenes and dealing properly with the direction of the light. Many of your compositions are simply not that interesting. In many shots, your horizons are not even level. It looks like you have a lot to learn still, and I think you already know that - so I'm just trying to be encouraging. For that reason, a camera "upgrade" is not going to improve your photos.

You should broaden your skillset, rather than looking for cameras with better specs. There's a LOT you can do to improve your photos before thinking about a better camera.

• Explore lighting. Get a really nice big flash or a couple of soft boxes. Perhaps set up a studio.
• Explore different lenses
• Have you mastered the use of Lightroom?
• Explore composition theory and technique.
• Explore the use of filters. Perhaps purchase a set of stackable NDs?

Bob said:

I looked at your photos on Flickr. I seem to struggle with high-contrast scenes and dealing properly with the direction of the light. Many of your compositions are simply not that interesting. In many shots, your horizons are not even level.

Click to expand...

I'm going to disagree a bit, no, a lot. There are some very well-done high contrast scenes (in Greece for instance) . Amount of light was more of a problem in a small few than was direction. I found very few of the compositions "uninteresting". Raher I thought they were above the typical beginner standard. On my first pass through the collection, I wasn't bothered by a single horizon. The one thing I did find off-putting was some uncorrected verticals, bur these weren't because the camera wasn't level. Rather they were due to keystoning or barrel distortion, etc.

Bob said:

It looks like you have a lot to learn still,

Click to expand...

That may be true.

Bob said:

and I think you already know that - so I'm just trying to be encouraging.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure you comments above will have that effect.

Bob said:

For that reason, a camera "upgrade" is not going to improve your photos.

Click to expand...

Not even one with a tilt indicator?

Bob said:

You should broaden your skillset, rather than looking for cameras with better specs.

Click to expand...

I'm not going to disagree with the premise that OP can get more improvement out of a skill upgrade than a technology upgrade. However, I'm not going to go so far as to say that OP shouldn't upgrade his camera. The two paths are not mutually exclusive. Rather, OP should be aware that he might not get as much improvement as he'd like from upgrading the camera alone.

Bob said:

There's a LOT you can do to improve your photos before thinking about a better camera.

• Explore lighting. Get a really nice big flash or a couple of soft boxes. Perhaps set up a studio.

Click to expand...

I don't think this would have helped many of the shots in his Flickr.

Bob said:

• Explore different lenses

Click to expand...

Yes.

Bob said:

• Have you mastered the use of Lightroom?

Click to expand...

Or some other development software.

Bob said:

• Explore composition theory and technique.

Click to expand...

Sure.

Bob said:

• Explore the use of filters. Perhaps purchase a set of stackable NDs?

Click to expand...

Again, this would be of limited benefit for the shots he actually takes.

FingerPainter said:

Bob said:

I looked at your photos on Flickr. I seem to struggle with high-contrast scenes and dealing properly with the direction of the light. Many of your compositions are simply not that interesting. In many shots, your horizons are not even level.

Click to expand...

I'm going to disagree a bit, no, a lot. There are some very well-done high contrast scenes (in Greece for instance) . Amount of light was more of a problem in a small few than was direction. I found very few of the compositions "uninteresting". Raher I thought they were above the typical beginner standard. On my first pass through the collection, I wasn't bothered by a single horizon. The one thing I did find off-putting was some uncorrected verticals, bur these weren't because the camera wasn't level. Rather they were due to keystoning or barrel distortion, etc.

Click to expand...

+1

I love the shots!

@Alex Martini -- Your shots are amazing! I love them!

I have the Nikon D5100. I also have a D7000 and D750.

I still use the D5100 often as I think its output still holds its own. I still consider it a contemporary and competent camera! I just used it last week on our camping trip.

Reasons to upgrade from the D5100 can include . . .

1. More features . . . such as if you get into off camera flash. The Nikon D7x00 and all the full frame dSLR cameras offer a way to get into off camera flash. It is possible with the D5100 with a pair of wireless triggers, but even if you go that route, the Nikon D5100 does not offer FP-sync mode, which would allow it to do a type of high speed sync flash with the Nikon flash units. And also microfocus adjust if you get into faster lenses.

2. The full frame dSLR cameras can get clearer and sharper pictures in a much wider range of lighting. So you can go after more shots.

FingerPainter said:

FingerPainter said:

It looks like you have a lot to learn still,

Click to expand...

That may be true.

Click to expand...

Everyone can learn something new every day.

Even if you have mastered one type of photography, there are so many other types of photography out there.

FingerPainter said:

FingerPainter said:

and I think you already know that - so I'm just trying to be encouraging.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure you comments above will have that effect.

FingerPainter said:

For that reason, a camera "upgrade" is not going to improve your photos.

Click to expand...

Not even one with a tilt indicator?

FingerPainter said:

You should broaden your skillset, rather than looking for cameras with better specs.

Click to expand...

I'm not going to disagree with the premise that OP can get more improvement out of a skill upgrade than a technology upgrade. However, I'm not going to go so far as to say that OP shouldn't upgrade his camera. The two paths are not mutually exclusive. Rather, OP should be aware that he might not get as much improvement as he'd like from upgrading the camera alone.

FingerPainter said:

There's a LOT you can do to improve your photos before thinking about a better camera.

• Explore lighting. Get a really nice big flash or a couple of soft boxes. Perhaps set up a studio.

Click to expand...

I don't think this would have helped many of the shots in his Flickr.

Click to expand...

But if the OP has not explored off camera flash, it really is something that is a big opportunity.

FingerPainter said:

FingerPainter said:

• Explore different lenses

Click to expand...

Yes.

Click to expand...

+1

FingerPainter said:

FingerPainter said:

• Have you mastered the use of Lightroom?

Click to expand...

Or some other development software.

Click to expand...

+1

FingerPainter said:

FingerPainter said:

• Explore composition theory and technique.

Click to expand...

Sure.

Click to expand...

+1

FingerPainter said:

FingerPainter said:

• Explore the use of filters. Perhaps purchase a set of stackable NDs?

Click to expand...

Again, this would be of limited benefit for the shots he actually takes.

Click to expand...

+1

@OP

Besides the camera, there are a lot of gear that can enhance and expand the shots you go after.

Off camera flash, if you haven't already gotten into it, can really expand the types of shots you go after.

Personally . . . if you haven't gotten into off camera flash, I think it would be a great thing to get into. Even before upgrading your camera.

As for the camera, I think you are pushing that D5100 pretty well. Yes, you could go to a D7x00 series camera. I think that might me the next logical step. But . . . going up to a full frame would be a big step up in IQ, if that is what you are going after. More dynamic range. Cleaner images in a wider range of lighting conditions.

Take care & Happy Shooting!


--
My Personal Flickr Favs . . .
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tacticdesigns/sets/72157631300869284/
[FL][RP][LS][GC]

Alex Martini said:

Hello,

I know this is a really common question but I need help.
For many I am using a Nikon D5100. I had a lot of great shoots and now i thing it's the time for a small update.

I mostly prefer landscape picture and night pictures. I love impressionism so want colourful lights in my captures. Also I want clear, vivid and sharper images.

Because I am self taught, I am trying to read everything about photography but I am still on the beginning.

This is my flickr and you can see what I am doing and understand what i need: Flickr .

Thank you so much and looking forwand for your opinions.

Click to expand...

I see based on your photos you like to take a lot of photos. And a lot of night life photos. Nice.....

If you like your camera, consider the Nikon D5500 to upgrade. It is the only Nikon camera with the same button layout. And, it has a sensor that is much better for low light than the D5100. This will give you the ability to shoot in lower light with higher settings. Thus, allow you to capture photos where you may have been limited before.

Alex Martini said:

Also I want clear, vivid and sharper images.

Click to expand...

You have a fairly modern camera with a good-sized sensor that isn’t too particularly limited in its capabilities. The kit lens is pretty good as well. They should be capable of producing clear, vivid, and sharp images.

Getting vivid images is easy, if what you mean by ‘vivid’ is intense coloration or saturated colors. That’s a camera setting and it can be adjusted on the computer as well. But it does seem that many of your images are quite saturated already, maybe too saturated, so something else might be going on. A good neutral white balance can help expand the range of colors in an image, and allow you to use more saturation without harming colors. Certainly selecting colorful subjects is the most important factor, which you understand already.

Sharpness is another camera setting, and this can also be added on the computer. However, there are shooting techniques you can use to increase sharpness as well:

• Avoid camera shake by an adequately high shutter speed, or by using a tripod whenever you aren’t shooting in broad daylight.
• Use the camera base ISO if possible.
• Use focus and depth of field wisely. Cameras often focus on the closest object, which may not be what you want in landscape photography.
• Avoid too tight of an aperture: any f/stop larger than f/8 will give you easily noticeable diffraction softening, but this can be countered partially by adding sharpening.

I’m not too certain by what you mean by “clear”. Certainly there is a “Clarity” adjustment in some software, which enhances details. In general, it’s great if you have good amounts of visible detail throughout the entire tonal range of the image, including the highlights and shadows: but this has more to do with the lighting or how the image is processed and not with the camera or lens. For example, I’ll usually brighten the shadows a bit, using a tool that not only brightens but enhances detail as well, while traditionally, this is done via added lighting or reflectors.

Do you do any adjustment of your images on a computer? If so, what computer and software are you using? Unfortunately, this is a process that can do considerable harm to an image if things aren’t set up right. Windows and Mac computers have rudimentary monitor calibration in their system settings, so I’d try that first. Some will suggest getting a hardware monitor calibration device, but these aren’t cheap nor necessarily easy to use; however, the calibrator might end up telling you that your monitor is incapable of displaying the full gamut of colors that can be found in your images. Many of your images look oversaturated, and this can happen with some uncalibated monitors.

A better camera could very well give you better sharpness or more detail in your images, but you need to have reasonable expectations. More megapixels and a larger sensor can help, but you’ll also likely need very good lenses as well, and still you have use better technique anyway.

As your camera is still pretty good, you’ll likely see a notable difference with a full-frame camera with considerably more megapixels and better lenses. Otherwise, you might be disappointed with only an incremental upgrade.

Comsider the D610, D750, or used D800, D800e, or D810 models. The D850 is expensive and hard to find.

Lenses are another matter altogether. One thing to keep in mind is that many high-quality lenses perform excellently when shot wide open, and can take decent advantage of high megapixel cameras, but may not be worth the extra amount if shot stopped down a lot for landscape photography.

I don't think you need as much help as you think ou do. I quite like your photos and we only urge you to continue to experiment. There are a couple of shots there where the horizon is wrong but that's a 5 second fix in any editor.

I do think you'd benefit from a more modern sensor but there's no real need to go full-frame unless you can make money out of it or are happy to carry very heavy, bulky gear. I'm not, which is why I went mirrorless.

If you insist on SLR's I'd look at the D5600 or, if you can afford it, the D7200. At least then you'd have the option of being able to use your existing lenses.

Don't sweat it. You seem to have a good eye and you'll only get better.

Lenses should be your next step; with a lot of these pictures, there would be a bigger difference moving to a better lens versus just adding a stop and a half of light with a full frame sensor.

I have Nikon D5100 and the best crop sensor camera up to date (Nikon D7200) although some will argue that Nikon D500 is better but it has the same IQ and better AF.

If it works and you didn't find a very limiting flaw of Nikon D5100 I would not be hard pressed to change the body.

Here are two photos in normal light.


Nikon D5100

Full resolution:



Nikon D7200

Full resolution:
--
Victor
Bucuresti, Romania

Bob said:

I looked at your photos on Flickr. I seem to struggle with high-contrast scenes and dealing properly with the direction of the light. Many of your compositions are simply not that interesting. In many shots, your horizons are not even level. It looks like you have a lot to learn still, and I think you already know that - so I'm just trying to be encouraging. For that reason, a camera "upgrade" is not going to improve your photos.

You should broaden your skillset, rather than looking for cameras with better specs. There's a LOT you can do to improve your photos before thinking about a better camera.

• Explore lighting. Get a really nice big flash or a couple of soft boxes. Perhaps set up a studio.
• Explore different lenses
• Have you mastered the use of Lightroom?
• Explore composition theory and technique.
• Explore the use of filters. Perhaps purchase a set of stackable NDs?

Click to expand...

..and I respect your opinions..

..but.. ;-)


..'Ward, weren't you a little hard on the Beaver last night?'..

***********

..Cheers..

--
Regards, John..
..down with naysayers!
[YI M1 camera, Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens, firmware 3.0]

You deserves some credit as the pics are with a kit 18-55!

Get one great lens.

Ask, maybe, in NIKON SLR Lens Talk forum. Not sure for you to go for a prime or zoom.

Change camera later. Save lots to get the Nikon mirrorless, next year!

What great places you get to for photos!

Best wishes,

Steve

Alex Martini said:

Hello,

I know this is a really common question but I need help.
For many I am using a Nikon D5100. I had a lot of great shoots and now i thing it's the time for a small update.

I mostly prefer landscape picture and night pictures. I love impressionism so want colourful lights in my captures. Also I want clear, vivid and sharper images.

Because I am self taught, I am trying to read everything about photography but I am still on the beginning.

This is my flickr and you can see what I am doing and understand what i need: Flickr .

Thank you so much and looking forwand for your opinions.

Click to expand...

Good morning,

Guys I want to thank all of you. I didn't expect all that help! I would realy like to answer to all of you but I can't.

So, I use only photoshop to edit a few things like contrast and color. Lightroom i have tried once but...I don't know why i didn't continue.

Lenses, I use Nikon 18-55 and 55-200. They both came with my camera so if you have something good for my need, please tell me!

Yes, I am amateur and I need more practice and reading but I don't have much time and I am trying to shoot only in vacations.

I was for a couple of years in UK but I live in Greece and I use UV filters. They helped me a lot with the sun here.

Finaly, I never used a flash. I don't like it and I think it's useless for the kind of pictures that I want to take. If I am wrong please correct me.

I am realy gratefull for your answers.

Alex.

Alex Martini said:

I love impressionism so want colourful lights in my captures.

Click to expand...

That's up to what is actually in the scene. A camera won't add colorful lights, just capture what color of light is there (golden hour, harsh/soft sunlight, studio light, gel lighting, etc.). How this comes out can also have to do with white balance, or how the camera sees colors in relation to each other. For example, the camera's meter can be fooled into making a scene appear too warm or too cold or have a certain color cast. The color data is still there and manipulating white balance too correct this is much easier when working with raw files. Messing with white balance is also a great tool for changing the mood of a scene.

Photography isn't about capturing objects or images, it's quite literally about capturing light and how this interacts with objects in an environment. There are situations where you could have a beautiful subject but the light could be described as "meh" and there are also situations where you could have a boring subject, but bathed in interesting light. In most cases, a photo of the second scenario is far preferable to the first. Lighting is very important, but it is up to your eye to see, not the camera! If you are talking about bokeh rendering (the out of focus areas), that depends upon the lens.

Alex Martini said:

Also I want clear, vivid and sharper images.

Click to expand...

A new camera will only sort of affect the "vivid" part based off of the color depth that it's sensor can pick up. Saturation and hue (what color the color is, i.e. red/green/blue) can be completely altered in post or even changed using in-camera profiles.

"clear" and "sharper" will be controlled by your lens. Scrolling through your flickr page, it looks like you primarily use the 18-55 and the 55-200 kit lenses. Some people like to disparage kit lenses because they typically aren't as sharp or have as wide of apertures as primes or pro zooms. There is nothing wrong with using them, however, and you have captured some very nice images with them, so bravo to you. If you want sharper images, look into other lenses that may be sharper, not a new camera with another kit lens. You could also look at getting high quality UV, haze, skylight, and/or polarizing filters to change up the look of your work and add contrast or punch, especially in landscapes.

Aside from the photos where you purposefully selected a more muted color palette, you have many landscapes that look rather clear and vivid to me. Both of these looks are nice in your work

All of that aside, here's what you will get from a newer camera:

• Faster autofocus. Most of your portfolio seems to be landscapes, so this might not interest you as much.
• Higher dynamic range and exposure latitude. You will be able to capture a wider range of tones from black to white in the same scene. This can mean fewer clipped highlights or crushed shadows. You will also be able to adjust exposure in raw files and play with stretching shadows/highlights further before things look unnatural.
• Noise performance. You will have less noise showing up at higher ISO and for long exposures at night.
• Better jpgs. If you just want nice shots straight out of camera with no editing, newer cameras have more powerful processors and will typically produce better jpg results. If you do work with editing the raw files, this won't be as big of a deal, although it is nice to have a baseline when editing or a quick way to share pictures.
• Overall performance. You will get some fancy tech upgrades, potentially better auto white balance, maybe more customizable buttons, in-camera raw development, wifi sharing, and faster overall operation.

Based off of your comments further down in the thread, I would suggest exploring different lenses, filters, and learning more about post-processing. For lenses, nobody can tell you what to get because every photographer is different, but landscapes usually use wide-angle lenses. This is not a hard rule of course, because there are also beautiful telephoto landscapes, but a place to start looking. Find out what focal length you like to use the most and maybe get a nice prime for that focal length. Do you wish that you could get wider pictures? Or maybe more zoom? Get something to fill that gap in if you are interested in it. Nice photos, have fun taking more!

Alex Martini said:

Hello,

I know this is a really common question but I need help.
For many I am using a Nikon D5100. I had a lot of great shoots and now i thing it's the time for a small update.

Click to expand...

Do you often use the FULLY-articulating LCD for more unique and creative shooting positions ???

And if you have indeed tried that, has the delayed (Live-View) AF been a problem ???

Would you use the FA-LCD more if there was "no" AF-delay ???

BTW: You do some NICE work, very nice images.

Alex Martini said:

I mostly prefer landscape picture and night pictures. I love impressionism so want colourful lights in my captures. Also I want clear, vivid and sharper images.

Because I am self taught, I am trying to read everything about photography but I am still on the beginning.

This is my flickr and you can see what I am doing and understand what i need: Flickr .

Thank you so much and looking forwand for your opinions.

Click to expand...

Alex Martini said:

Good morning,

Guys I want to thank all of you. I didn't expect all that help! I would realy like to answer to all of you but I can't.

Click to expand...

+1

Alex Martini said:

So, I use only photoshop to edit a few things like contrast and color. Lightroom i have tried once but...I don't know why i didn't continue.

Click to expand...

+1

Alex Martini said:

Lenses, I use Nikon 18-55 and 55-200. They both came with my camera so if you have something good for my need, please tell me!

Click to expand...

+1

When I got my Nikon D5100, I really did not use the kit lens. I got the kit lens because it came with the camera, and, although I had one Nikon compatible lens already it did not have a built-in focus motor since it was old. (I was using it on a Nikon D70s). So the kit lens let me test the camera to make sure the autofocus worked.

I actually had already decided to get a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens for my Nikon D5100 even before I got the D5100. I got that lens to chase my daughter around at cheer and gymnastics competitions.

Comparing images between that lens and the kit, pixel peeping to see a difference, there is a difference. The more expensive Tamron f/2.8 lens gives cleaner images.

Some of that will be because that lens is letting more image forming light to reach the sensor, versus the kit lens.

I suspect that part of that increase in IQ is through better made glass as well.

Alex Martini said:

Yes, I am amateur and I need more practice and reading but I don't have much time and I am trying to shoot only in vacations.

I was for a couple of years in UK but I live in Greece and I use UV filters. They helped me a lot with the sun here.

Finaly, I never used a flash. I don't like it and I think it's useless for the kind of pictures that I want to take. If I am wrong please correct me.

Click to expand...

Ok. Let me correct you! LOL.

Assuming that you and I know that to get better composition or ideas for our photographs, it is required for us to become better photographers. This has nothing to do with cameras.

So . . . if you want a better camera, it is to either get more features / benefits that will let you get the picture you are after, that your old camera would not let you get. Such as if shooting sports, you'd want a big buffer, with a fast FPS (frame per second) with great AF. If your current camera is lacking in any of those, upgrading to a different more capable camera would let you get more shots.

The other reason to upgrade your camera is to get better IQ. Cleaner pictures with more dynamic range. Better colours, etc.

Well . . . if you want better IQ . . . adding an external flash can help you with that as well.

Take this picture of yours as an example.


Great picture. Lots of emotion.

Zoom into the face (by clicking on the image.)

Now look at my picture using flash (and a full frame camera.)


Click on the image and look at the detail in the face.

A lot more clean detail in the face. And that telltale highlight in the eyes.

Using flash can help quite a few ways.

1. It provides more light, which means more light through the lens to hit the sensor which then means cleaner images.

2. It can provide a full spectrum of light (where as available light may be restricted in some colours) which means the colours in your pictures will stand out more.

3. You can move the light around (external off camera flash) so this can let you do things like having the sun shine through the leaves in the background (like my picture above), but then have enough light hitting your subjects face to help record a clean image. And . . . by moving the flash around a bit, you can use the shadows that it creates to help render the volume of your subject so that you can see / feel the form better, and see more detail.

4. It can let you freeze motion.


5. It can let you increase depth of field.



6. It can let you take shots that aren't really there . . .

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tacticdesigns/16027064033/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tacticdesigns/3035326957/in/album-72157631300869284/

Both these shots were taken during the day in a lit room. They only seem dark because I underexposed the ambient light and cranked up the external flash light so that the flash light ended up being brighter in the picture.

That's the thing. Using flash is like taking 2 pictures at the same time. That which is lit by the ambient light and that which is lit by the flash.

I got interested in external flash after reading "The Strobist".

http://strobist.blogspot.com/

IMHO . . . getting an external flash was a great thing! After all, photography the word means to "draw with light" (photo means light, graphy means to write). So, photography is a lot about the light.

Having an external flash unit is like having your own sun to move around.

And once you get the power to move the sun around, it really begs you to be more observant of the light that is making your image.

It can really open up the types of shots you go after and let you get a wider range of shots.

Of course, if you get an external flash unit and learn how to use it, even if you end up deciding not to use flash in the end, IMHO I think you end up taking better pictures.

Just MHO.

You already have a good eye. Flash can be something fun to add to the mix.

Take care & Happy Shooting!

Alex Martini said:

I am realy gratefull for your answers.

Alex.

Click to expand...

--
My Personal Flickr Favs . . .
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tacticdesigns/sets/72157631300869284/

[FL][RP][LS][GC]

Alex Martini said:

Lenses, I use Nikon 18-55 and 55-200. They both came with my camera so if you have something good for my need, please tell me!

Click to expand...

The first step after kit lenses is a sharp but inexpensive prime; the majority of your photos seem almost tailored to the 35mm focal length, which would give you a big bump in sharpness. There's also the option of the 50mm f/1.8, which on a crop sensor camera is essentially a portrait lens, quite restrictive in that you can't really do landscapes with it, but the background blur when shooting people will open your eyes to new possibilities. Either lens is ~$120.

Alex Martini said:

So, I use only photoshop to edit a few things like contrast and color. Lightroom i have tried once but...I don't know why i didn't continue.

Click to expand...

Post-processing when used properly takes all the info the camera captured and results in a picture that the/any camera couldn't have shot. A very powerful tool for those wanting to get the most out of their camera, but know that it requires the same amount of time and effort as learning the camera did.


Before


After

--
Digital Camera and Adobe Photoshop user since 1999.
Adobe Lightroom is my adult coloring book.

Alex Martini said:

Hello,

I know this is a really common question but I need help.
For many I am using a Nikon D5100. I had a lot of great shoots and now i thing it's the time for a small update.

I mostly prefer landscape picture and night pictures. I love impressionism so want colourful lights in my captures. Also I want clear, vivid and sharper images.

Because I am self taught, I am trying to read everything about photography but I am still on the beginning.

This is my flickr and you can see what I am doing and understand what i need: Flickr .

Thank you so much and looking forwand for your opinions.

Click to expand...

..the D5100 (16mp dx) is a fine & capable camera..

..had viewed your flickr pictures, and they seem really nice to me..

..being 'perfect' (just like life) is a journey, and not a destination..

..many here has recommended the D7200 (24mp dx), and it is a fine & capable camera..

..however, for me, I'm going to recommend taking a look at the D7500 (20.9mp dx) camera..

..the D7500 uses the same sensor and has many of the features found in the D500 camera..

..as long as doesn't mind about not having a second memory card slot, and does not have the option for a vertical grip.. and as long as not planning to use Nikon's vintage 50 year old lenses.. then maybe can consider the D7500 as an option..

..below are a few pictures from my D7500 camera, these images were extracted from the Raw Nef files.. full sized images, and no post processings..

..used the D7500 camera & 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 DX VR lens..


..D7500, image extracted from raw..


..D7500, image extracted from raw..


..D7500, image extracted from raw..

..from seeing the pictures in your flickr..

..also recommend considering the Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4 lens, as this lens seems to go wide enough for your landscape photos, and is capable taking pictures in lower light situations..

..in my opinion, both the D7500 & your existing D5100, should make a nice combination for your collection..

..Cheers..

--
Regards, John..
..down with naysayers!
[YI M1 camera, Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens, firmware 3.0]