Buy D7100 or D610 for Real Estate?

Msmoto

@PaRealtor

The D400 (when and if it arrives) will be a camera which has the control layout which is more like a D800. It should have the ability to change settings easier. For your purposes I would think the D7100 would be quite adequate unless you are planning on expanding your photo interests way beyond the original query.

heartyfisher

Rented the D7100. Will rent the D610 next week
Really want a D400!
If it doesn't happened in January, will go with the D7100. It's enough for real estate.
(Now watch I change that after trying the D610 next week!!!).
Dan at the camera shop agreed with you, unless I need a life size picture of a house, even the D7100 is over kill.
Tried to get me to buy a D5200/5300. He had plenty!!

I told him, I want a D400!
He said, dream about it, it may appear in 2015!

LOL! A surprisingly knowledgeable camera shop guy ! ;-) , his recommendation is the same as mine. I agree with him get the D5300 ! like I said the flip out screen will help in the tight corners .. and the IQ is better than the D7100!

PaRealtor

Yes Msmoto
It would be nice to add to my photography skills beyond Real Estate. Was thinking of my children. And I'm sure, sooner or later I will have grandchildren! )
My boys love basketball. Some action shots would be nice too!
Would like to try some new lenses as well.
Pretty sure the announcement will be the D4, but if it's a D400, I will jump for joy!
If not, Dan will be selling me a D7100. :-w

Btw, Heartyfisher, the RED D5300 is cute!

DaveyJ

I for one DISAGREE with the notion that a D400 is the camera for this work. All of the posters on this topic have had EXCELLENT input. The PROBLEMS for a D400 are many! Initially the price would be too high. It isn't even out yet. The D7100 is plenty enough camera for the real estate high quality photos. The D610 is also a lovely camera and although I do not like the centered focus grids it is still a very usable FX Nikon digital. So ANY foray into the wild blue yonder of not available yet, etc. is a wild goose chase.

Look at the length of the D400 thread (actually labelled successor to the D300 and D300s) to see what interest there is. Hopefully Nikon is taking positive action for such a desirable camera. But for many of us the D400 is NOT a practical solution for our upcoming real life projects. It is quite simply a Long Shot! I regard this thread personally as very important and see it as a landscape, residential and even commercial property photo quest.

I do not see it as just a quest for photos to sell clients on a piece of property and guess myself that PaRealtor actually sees it as a catch all tool and as such either the D7100 and D610 will prove to be a very versatile camera. then pairing it with a few of the RIGHT lens will be a good investment. After that get out there and USE the camera! And get set up to store and catalog your images and find the best way to show them to clients. We use slide shows to quickly show a variety of images that could lead to sales and visitation. Listing in real estate sales fliers usually is not very taxing for resolution. I think several of us are pretty interested in what you finally select!

Photobug

Buy what is available now and enjoy months and months of shooting, mastering that camera. If, and it's a big one, the D400 comes about, then deal with the decision at that time. If you wait for the D400 look at all those months of shooting you will miss.

Easy decision, buy what is available now. Just make sure the D610 or D7100 fits how you will use this camera.

spraynpray

I can't believe we are on the 5th page of this thread. By half way down the first page you had all the info that you needed to act on, but since then had just kept going round in circles. There will be nothing said in the future that has not been said already, so go buy a D7100, 5300 or 610 with a wide or ultra-wide zoom as recommended and channel your time into learning to use it. You will not get better results with a 'D400' if it ever arrives than with any of the above, nor will you notice a difference in the results from any of them for what you need to do. I recommended a D7100, but I now throw in the 5300 for the tilt screen as it is so convenient.

Like the man said Just Do It!

brownie314

OK. Since everyone else is throwing in there 2 cents I might as well.
Real estate photos will probably be posted and viewed mostly online. Keeping that in mind, would you really see a difference between a D7100 and a D7000? I don't think so. But for the extra $500 dollars you save, you could buy a SB910, or 2 SB700's, or couple of studio stobes and some cheap ebay radio triggers. And with some creative placement of lighting, you REALLY could see some difference. I am just not sure the extra premium you pay for the D7100 is worth it for this application.

FreezeAction

OK. Since everyone else is throwing in there 2 cents I might as well.
Real estate photos will probably be posted and viewed mostly online. Keeping that in mind, would you really see a difference between a D7100 and a D7000? I don't think so. But for the extra $500 dollars you save, you could buy a SB910, or 2 SB700's, or couple of studio stobes and some cheap ebay radio triggers. And with some creative placement of lighting, you REALLY could see some difference. I am just not sure the extra premium you pay for the D7100 is worth it for this application.

Much agreed most of the time. I still think the ability of the full frame D610 you really get the goody out of a wide angle lens of better quality. I'm in talks now to shoot some real estate and was told today at the agency they paid $500 for some photos of a million dollar listing. All out of focus and the photog would not make good. Think I got my foot in the door. Because of all the other venues I like to do I'm holding out for a D800E. Best sensor in 35mm dslr format in the world right now and see no reason to wait for better. Yes, I'd like a new D400/D4X or what ever they name it for fast action but not sure the ROI is there for me now.

PaRealtor

)
Its been fun learning all about both cameras and listening to all of your opinions.
$500.00 for a session FreezeAction? That's great! Most agents in our area take their own pictures and the ones who don't pay less then half of that.
Believe me, you can only see the difference in our brochures and website photos. They're bigger and that's when they look clearer and Nicer! That's where Clients notice the difference.

Best Wishes!!!

PaRealtor

No rush!
Learning how to use the Nikon D7100 and D610.
Pretty sure it's the D4 that's coming in January. What's the harm in waiting???
Dan at the Camera Shop has been extremely patient with me (you all too).
So, I'm patiently waiting to see what comes out in January and THEN will purchase my NEW Nikon Beauty!!!!
In the mean time, I'm on this forum nearly everyday reading, learning and exploring all about Nikon.
Renting isn't bad. Learning all about controls. (Have to say, Canon was much easier!)
Have tripod, ballhead, flash, filters, camera bag and sd cards.....the only other item I need now is software!
Will post my choice as soon as I make one.
Thanks again for all of your great advise.

Btw....considered the D5300 ONLY because of the tilt screen. (And it comes in RED!!)
Wonder if the D400 will have a tilt screen? 8-> 8-> 8->

Ok, going to find a forum about software.

Msmoto

A word about sensors.... Some think the D7100 is the best Nikon has now. No AA filter, higher pixel density than a D800
The D800 splits the light as if it were an AA filter, then puts the beam back together. The D7100 simply has no AA filter at all, as I understand it.

spraynpray

I wish I knew what that meant - sounds interesting though....

Ironheart

I believe the D5300 is also sans AA filter as well. And yes, the Vari-angle screen is a godsend for tight interior spaces (and about 100 other things too :-)

spraynpray

I would have loved one while doing Astro with my D7100 the other night.

PaRealtor

#:-S
Glad to see I'm not the only one who didn't understand about shared lighting or what an AA filter was!
Msmoto, can you explain or do I need to go to another forum?

ChasCS

AA = Anti Aliasing Filter... Hahaha

PaRealtor

Thank you ChasCS! Found it on the Internet.

ChasCS

PaRealtor,
There are many places to discover the terminology and meanings of abbreviations...
I found this site to be helpful! For me.
check it out
A~Z

FreezeAction

)
Its been fun learning all about both cameras and listening to all of your opinions.
$500.00 for a session FreezeAction? That's great! Most agents in our area take their own pictures and the ones who don't pay less then half of that.
Believe me, you can only see the difference in our brochures and website photos. They're bigger and that's when they look clearer and Nicer! That's where Clients notice the difference.

Best Wishes!!!

The $500 shoot was an aerial of a million plus property on the beach. The photographer had to pay plane or heli expense but he may have done more than one in a day. What he should have rented or bought if he specializes in aerial photos is one of these. http://www.ken-lab.com/stabilizers/2012-02-04-21-28-47/gyro-kits/ks-8-gyro-kit-detail

I've seen the results from using them 10 years back in photos of off shore racing boats shot from a heli.
I've shot aerial out the window of a Cessna way back in the 70's using Kodachrome 25 and they were tack sharp. I knew enough to shoot at around 1/2000 sec shutter speed using a 50mm lens. To my advantage the subjects were less finicky crop fields.

My thoughts on presentations to clients are not just good brochures & web images but for that extra mile an 18x24" album for the high rent district. 300k & up. Either camera, 610 or 7100 is more than capable of 18x24 albums given the right glass and some practice by the taker. Our local MLS listing site is pathetic. While looking at houses a year ago it started some wheels turning in my head then. I still believe in full frame for interiors to get the best use out of wide angle lenses.

Ironheart

I still believe in full frame for interiors to get the best use out of wide angle lenses.

Not quite sure what you mean by that. In the DX world the 10-24 lens will get you 109° angle of view for $800. The 16-35 FX lens on FX gets you 107° angle of view, but costs $1300. Finally the 14-24 FX gets you 114° but costs $2000.

Seems to me the best value (degrees/dollar) for wide angles sits with DX.

WestEndBoy

Best value (degrees/dollar) is a subset of an age old argument and is determined by many things beyond the technical apects.

The 14-24 is super sharp in the corners at 14mm which is why it is a legend. In my view, this is why it offers great value especially for applications where people are looking in the corners (real estate perhaps?).

Also, if you are shooting anything professionally more than occassionly, then the best value is closer to the high end than the low end in my opinion.

spraynpray

Best value (degrees/dollar) is a subset of an age old argument and is determined by many things beyond the technical apects.

The 14-24 is super sharp in the corners at 14mm which is why it is a legend. In my view, this is why it offers great value especially for applications where people are looking in the corners (real estate perhaps?).

Also, if you are shooting anything professionally more than occassionly, then the best value is closer to the high end than the low end in my opinion.

@jshickele: Care to explain the DX sigma 18-35 f1.8 using that argument? Sharper, faster, cheaper.

FreezeAction

I still believe in full frame for interiors to get the best use out of wide angle lenses.

Not quite sure what you mean by that. In the DX world the 10-24 lens will get you 109° angle of view for $800. The 16-35 FX lens on FX gets you 107° angle of view, but costs $1300. Finally the 14-24 FX gets you 114° but costs $2000.

Seems to me the best value (degrees/dollar) for wide angles sits with DX.

I've been spending hours in the DXOMark.com site and evaluating both senors and lenses.
Looking at the Nikon 14-24 2.8 and comparing on a D610 VS D7100

Sharpness on a D610 17 and CA is 10
Sharpness on a D7100 without AA filter is only 13 and CA up another notch to 11

After market Sigma 18-35 DX lens sharpness is 17 and CA an improved 8 but unless you plan to stick with only DX for ever, I'm not bitng on DX glass even when good for now.

DX sensors are in a way just like all other. You can pack just so many pixels on a given size. I don't understand the limits because I'm not the physics major but my brother is and I don't even try to understand it. I just know that infinity is not true for all things. I've purchase my first FX Nikon mount glass and as much as I want the D610 or better I'm looking really hard at the D7100 for several reasons beyond price. I've shot heavy pro bodies for a decade and have not liked the idea of plastic bodies for anything from any maker. The only current offering from Nikon that I like for an all around body is the D4. So that leaves me shooting most likely a D7100 until a few k are spent on new glass. All the Canon glass has been sold off except for a 24-70 2.8L that I'm keeping as a backup on my 1D MII in case the Nikon has to be sent in for repair. I don't want to be without a body and lens of some kind. The D4 there again is the only step up for me unless I bought a new Canon 1D M IV and it is just not the camera the D4 is. At least I'm hoping the continuous focus is as good on a D4 as it is on the Canon 1D M II. I will rent the D7100 before I buy. Image quality and total performance are both important. If I don't like the D7100 I can shoot Nikon glass in the meantime on 7D. Canon wins on body build and weather sealing and Frames Per Second. Nikon wins on image quality but I'd have to see a torture test on the D7100 to believe it can take the punishment the 7D can. I made the switch to Nikon because I can't wait any longer for improved image quality in low light.

A word about the heavy pro metal bodies. I dropped mine getting out of the car from waist high and it hit cement lens down. Both still working without repairs needed. $4500 + $1400 well spent. I've never had an issue of any kind with that pro Canon system with L glass. Not a single one not relating to myself. Hardware has always been flawless. Never a pin problem or such. I did dirty the senor in the field in the grass on my belly swapping out lenses. That is not a hardware failure that was my fault. Simple cleaning no big deal. Never an oil spot. I keep reading here about the issues with non totally pro bodies and it makes me nervous but I still most likely start with the D7100 and if it craps out then the D4* is still and option to move good glass too.

Back to the real estate issue. The D4 in the high rent district, which is all around me, is the most versatile body if other venues are put in the bag. Totally weather sealed and the FPS will meet any need. It also makes a cry to be used on a panorama support for some of the real estate around me. Beach front homes with shots taken from the water side. I've made no mention of the 1DX because it is not worth the effort to type it in. Big failure on Canon's part. Images I've downloaded from Canon can't touch a D4. Had Canon continued to develop the H crop sensor I'd most likely still be there. There may never be the all in one body I'd like but having multiples is a great option too. OK. My 3¢ worth. Nap Time.

WestEndBoy

Also, if you are shooting anything professionally more than occassionly, then the best value is closer to the high end than the low end in my opinion.

@jshickele: Care to explain the DX sigma 18-35 f1.8 using that argument? Sharper, faster, cheaper.

I will assume that you meant the portion of the paragraph that I have quoted? If so, I am not aware of any high end DX glass. The Nikon 17-55 2.8 is certainly more expensive, but I would classify it as overpriced low/medium end, particularly in light of the Sigma that you are referring to. However, in fairness to the Nikon, it is not apples to apples. The Sigma has a very narrow zoom range (and an odd one it seems). The Nikon's wider zoom range will cause more of a tradeoff in quality.

But still..........I am inclined to think that it isn't worth what Nikon is asking for it.

Ironheart

I'm not arguing "best of the best of the best, sir, with honors". I was responding to the original popster who wants to take decent photos of real estate that he has on the market. For that, a DX body with the 10-24 is way more than enough to get the job done, sell the property, and pay the bills. Anything beyond that is pure pixel peeping and for muti-million dollar listings might be worth it. @PaRealtor, get the D7100 with the 10-24 and you will be overjoyed with the results.