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Archive 2015 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?
  
 
nickbaum
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


Hi everyone,

My wife and I are expecting our first kid any day now (!), so I'm getting my photography ducks in a row.

I have a trusted old Nikon D90. I also have a new iPhone 6S+, which I'm sure I'll use a ton for videos and spur-of-the-moment photos.

I'm considering three upgrades:

* 35mm 1.8 DX: cheapest option, fast prime for handheld photos at home.
* Fuji X100T: $1300, smaller, more modern sensor, great reviews for people photos.
* Upgrade to a new body, perhaps even a full frame. Costly, but highest quality.

Common wisdom used to be that the lens mattered a lot more than the body. However, it seems like there have been some significant improvements in low-light performance / high ISO over the last few years.

What do you folks think? Is the 35mm on a D90 going to be a big enough step up from the iPhone? Or is it worth upgrading to a newer body?

Thanks!

-Nick
Oct 24, 2015 at 03:46 PM
Brev00
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


What lenses do you already own? The cost of full frame often just starts with the body. One of the rules often cited is to go for glass over body. But, another rule is to upgrade the body every second generation. A D7200 would be a fine move and is overdo. Is full frame necessary for what you do? Just so you know, I was in a similar spot a year ago and chose to get the D7100 (no D7200 at that time). The transition was seamless.
Oct 24, 2015 at 05:19 PM
nickbaum
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


Thanks @Brev00!

Most of my photography to date has been travel/wildlife, so I have a Sigma 10-20, Nikon 18-200 and Nikon 80-400. Given that, I figured getting a fast prime would be a worthwhile upgrade over the zooms.

Re:full frame, the thought was that a mirrorless might be approaching the quality of a DX SLR, but the full frame would still have a decided advantage.

-Nick
Oct 24, 2015 at 08:43 PM
Mar73
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


I would invest in glass unless you have the budget to go full frame body and good glass.
Oct 24, 2015 at 10:04 PM
Brev00
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


The beauty of dx for both of us is that we get to keep our kit intact and can add lenses to taste. You would have to start over with both mirrorless and full frame. Getting the 35 with a D7200 would give you a fresh start today while keeping your other lenses. Then you can add or replace lenses as your budget allows. Sensible with a new one on the way. Plus, the af on the D7200 is excellent. You will thoroughly enjoy the precision and accuracy of this upgrade.
Oct 24, 2015 at 10:07 PM
DaveOls
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


You might want to pick up the Nik 50mm f/1.8 for your D 90. Images of people look more pleasing with a longer lens than the 35mm ( 42mm equiv. ). For the price, the 50mm f/1.8 is supposed to be very good. It will work well on the D 7200 when you get it also.
Oct 25, 2015 at 06:39 AM
tgrantster
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


So just my 2 cents. That D90 with the 35 will be more than enough camera for about another year. Newborns don't move much and most of your pics will be of people holding him/her in good enough light. The 35 and D90 should be more than fine.

In about a year 2 things in a camera body are going to become very important to you. Fast accurate AF and good high ISO (in that order AF>High ISO). Toddlers go from zero to a 100 between 12 and 18 months. They don't pose for pictures. They don't stop moving. They are always close to you because you can't let them get too far away (a toddler up close is more demanding on an AF system than a scrambling QB) and everything they do is awesome. You will want to upgrade your camera so that you capture as much of that as possible. In 12 to 18 months camera bodies will be that much further ahead and what you would buy today will be that much cheaper. Honestly, you'll probably want a D3S in a year...and in a year it will be that much cheaper.




Oct 25, 2015 at 10:28 AM
Mar73
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?




tgrantster wrote:
So just my 2 cents. That D90 with the 35 will be more than enough camera for about another year. Newborns don't move much and most of your pics will be of people holding him/her in good enough light. The 35 and D90 should be more than fine.

In about a year 2 things in a camera body are going to become very important to you. Fast accurate AF and good high ISO (in that order AF>High ISO). Toddlers go from zero to a 100 between 12 and 18 months. They don't pose for pictures. They don't stop moving. They are...Show more →

I could not agree more.


Oct 25, 2015 at 01:32 PM
nickbaum
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


This is super helpful. @tgrantster's idea of getting the 35mm now and upgrading the body in a year makes a ton of sense, so I'm going to go with that.

Thanks everyone!
Oct 26, 2015 at 12:42 PM
daniel4
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


Short recommendation: Buy the D750 + 50mm/1.8G. Your child memories will be worth it.

Long story:

When my son was born 2 years ago, I took photos with my phone. I deeply regret this, for the quality is awful, and the wide angle looks bad. I upgraded to a point&shoot camera but was still disappointed. Then I upgraded to a Ricoh GR camera (APS-C = DX sensor with fixed 28mm/2.8 lens). Finally I got some nice images. Except in low light.

Then I rented a D800 and was so thrilled that I bought it immediately.

So, why the D750? It's currently the cheapest full-frame camera which gives usable photos at ISO 12800. With the 50mm/1.8G you can shoot in a dimly lit living room without flash. Why not flash? Because it disturbs the baby and spouse.
Oct 26, 2015 at 11:15 PM
DaveOls
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


If you use an add on flash on your camera, you can also do bounce flash off the ceiling, if it is white. It's not as harsh looking as a direct on camera flash.
Oct 27, 2015 at 06:08 AM
nickbaum
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


@daniel4 the D750 is very tempting. I'm not quite ready to drop that amount of cash, but it'll definitely be a contender a year from now (or if I find the D90 isn't quite doing the trick).
Oct 27, 2015 at 12:15 PM
Vcook
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


DaveOls wrote:
You might want to pick up the Nik 50mm f/1.8 for your D 90. Images of people look more pleasing with a longer lens than the 35mm ( 42mm equiv. ). For the price, the 50mm f/1.8 is supposed to be very good. It will work well on the D 7200 when you get it also.

I agree on the above and if you go FF then the 50mm f1.8 will transfer as well.


Oct 27, 2015 at 03:37 PM
Squirrely Eyed
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


tgrantster wrote:
So just my 2 cents. That D90 with the 35 will be more than enough camera for about another year. Newborns don't move much and most of your pics will be of people holding him/her in good enough light. The 35 and D90 should be more than fine.

In about a year 2 things in a camera body are going to become very important to you. Fast accurate AF and good high ISO (in that order AF>High ISO). Toddlers go from zero to a 100 between 12 and 18 months. They don't pose for pictures. They don't stop moving. They are...Show more →

What tgrantster said. Fast AF and high-ISO performance are king once they hit 1. Mad props to those skilled (and maybe super lucky) photographers who can capture that beautiful f/2.0 shot with correct focus.

You will find a phone is only useful for impromptu video, unless you like to try your patience with perpetually missed AF and blurry slow-shutter shots.
Oct 27, 2015 at 10:00 PM
nickbaum
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


This thread is so helpful, thanks again to everyone who chimed in with advice!

2 days past the due date, just waiting now...
Oct 28, 2015 at 08:27 PM
nolaguy
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Kid on the way - should I upgrade from my D90?


Late in the commentary but I'll toss in that if you're going to keep working with any crop sensor, the 35 1.8 is just too good and too affordable not to own. It will smoke your 18-200. I've sometimes wondered why I don't own more than one.

Congrats,

Chuck
Oct 29, 2015 at 06:18 AM





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