Nikon d5100 - good deal?

[LinkinReef]

I found someone local that's selling a Nikon d5100 with a 18-200 lens and a 32g memory card for $300. He said he doesn't use it anymore because he uses a d7000 now. Said it works 100% no problems

Is this a good deal or should I just invest in a new one instead?

 

[installman]

I have no experience with the d5100 but the 18-200 lens is probably worth what he is asking for both it is a really nice all around lens. That said if you want to be able to get really close up shots you will be spending another several hundred for a decent macro lens to go with it.

 

[LinkinReef]

I was thinking of getting a macro eventually as long as the 5100 was worth it used for that price. I was also thinking of grabbing a new 5200 if it was better than the 5100

 

[installman]

I have the d3200 and my daughter has a d80. The 3200 is a bit less confusing and twice the megapixels but if you look at my pics thread you can see the old d80 can take some really nice pics. I would think the 5100 can too. One of the advantages of the 7000 series is they have an internal focus motor allowing then to autofocus on more lenses. The 3200 and I am pretty sure the 5100 do not so you need a lens with a built-in focus motor. Not a big deal to me as most new lenses have one anyway.

 

[LinkinReef]

I read a little bit on the lenses with built-in focus but I did see that most new lenses do come with it anyway.

So basically if I get this used one and eventually grab a macro lens, would I still be getting a better deal than buying a new one? I'm just the type that if it's a $100-200 difference for a new one, the warranty might make me grab a new one but I would pretty much be getting this one at half the price of a new one.

What would be the most important factors to watch out for in a used one? Age, how many shots, etc?

 

[installman]

The shutter in the d5100 is supposed to be good for over 100,000 cycles so unless he has really used it a lot the shutter is ok. Personally I would buy it if it were me because I haven seen the 18-200 mm lense go for that cheap around here. Look it up on ebay. Ultimately though it comes down to what you want. Photography is kind of like reefkeeping as far as expense goes you can spend a lot of $ in a short time and no matter what you buy there will always be something you still want. The lenses are what cost the real $ in this hobby no matter what brand or model of camera you buy.

 

[LinkinReef]

Well, I just picked it up and turns out the lens is a tamron 28-200. Not sure if that's still good but that lens seems cheaper online. I've been taking a few picture and they seem to be coming out very grainy looking.

 

[installman]

Pics from that camera shouldn't be grainy. What are you taking pics of and under what light. I have no experience with the lens you are talking about now. What settings are you using for the photos?

 

[LinkinReef]

I've been trying on manual, macro and auto shooting at my tank under MH and outside pictures with manual and auto. They still come very grainy.

 

[installman]

Can you post a pic? What iso are you shooting at? The only time I get grainy pics is under low light or high iso.

 

[LinkinReef]

Been playing around with it and have been using manual with a 320 ISO and they seem to be coming out a little bit better. I think the issue is also that this lens I got doesn't allow me to shoot from a close distance. I don't mean macro, but just regular close distance. I have to stand a good 6 feet away from the object and with no zoom at all to get a decent shot.

 

[LinkinReef]

Nikon d5100 - good deal?

What would be a best lens for reef shots and portrait shots? A nikon 50mm or a tamron 18-200?

 

[installman]

I use a 60 mm nikon macro lens for my coral pics mainly because I haven't got a 105 mm macro yet. To take a fts of my 180 I need to be about 12' away to cover the 6' width. For close ups you will want a true macro lens nikon calls them micro. So far I have stuck with nikon lenses and even the 18-55 kit lens is decent and can be found used for cheap. When we go out to take pics at a park or garden I usually end up with the nikon 18-140 that came with the d80 on my d3200 because of the versatility. Since you already have the 28-200 why not shoot with it for a while and then decide.

 

[LinkinReef]

I might just stick with the 28-200 for a little bit while I practice and play around with the setting.

Is there any major difference between the 18-200 and the 28-200? And the 50mm wouldn't be considered a macro right? I found the 50mm used for $80 and the 18-200 used for $180.