Not to Belabor, but...D7100/D5300

MrDarkness · November 2013

Yes, back to that again **sigh**

Sorry, but this is a noticeable investment for me, and I get one shot at it: I'd prefer the D7100 for all sorts of conceptual reasons, but something sticks in my craw: with equal glass, wouldn't the lo-pass filterless D5300 produce images equal to the D7100, particularly considering the EXPEED 4 factor? And with an articulating screen? And onboard Wifi/GPS? Oh, and at a couple/three hundred dollars less?

spraynpray · November 2013

Welcome MrDarkness.

As far as I am concerned, the answer is personal taste. The D5300 is a one wheeler, the D7100 has two plus lots more buttons to access essential frequently needed functions easily. For me, the heavily menu driven 5300 will not work. I had the D5000 but sold it for the D90.

Performance wise there is no difference, if you use auto and scene modes then save yourself the money to use on much better glass.

John · November 2013

Yes, back to that again **sigh**

Sorry, but this is a noticeable investment for me, and I get one shot at it: I'd prefer the D7100 for all sorts of conceptual reasons, but something sticks in my craw: with equal glass, wouldn't the lo-pass filterless D5300 produce images equal to the D7100, particularly considering the EXPEED 4 factor? And with an articulating screen? And onboard Wifi/GPS? Oh, and at a couple/three hundred dollars less?

Hi MrDarkness. Don't worry. We get that a camera is a noticeable investment and that you don't upgrade every year. I myself also go a long time between camera purchases, so that a new camera is an actual leap in terms of performance and not a small increase.
So don't be afraid to ask. We have a pretty friendly community here at nikonrumors.

But let me try to answer your question.
There are 5 aspects to a camera:
- Ergonomics
- Build quality
- Features
- Sensor
- Cost

In terms of ergonomics the D7100 has lot more buttons and dials for easy access. I use the D800 myself and, for my uses, these buttons and dials are quite useful. However, as SpraynPray pointed out, this might not be the case for your use. I would suggest going to a real life store and looking at and holding the camera. Find out how it feels in your hand. Find out how easy it is to change iso, switch between A, S, P, M modes, see how easy it is to change apperture and/or speed,... Get the feel of the camera.

In terms of build quality I thing there is not going to be a lot of difference between the two. Both will be good, solid quality but you should not expect them to survice a drop of heavy exposure to water (a few raindrops should be fine; just don't go shooting in a monsoon). Both are mostly plastic so they should be fairly light as well.

Features... Yes, the D5300 has Expeed4. However, that's just a processor. Faster processors don't mean anything by themselves. You should look at things such as buffer size and frames per second shooting speed. This is where you might see a difference between the two models. Just don't automatically assume that the D5300 will be better because of Expeed 4 > Expeed 3. It's a lot more complex than that.
Then there are things like onboard wifi and gps. Sure, that's nice.
None of my camera's has ever had these features (unless you consider my phone a "camera") and I have never missed them. Will you miss them? That's for you to find out.
GPS might be handy to see your images on a map of your holiday location.
Or it might be something that you'll never use.
Also keep in mind that electronics use power. So more electronics (such as a build in GPS) will consume more power. This might have a negative impact on your battery life. (less time between recharge)
Also, don't forget to look at all the differences and not just the most obvious ones.
For example: the D7100 also has a AF motor for lenses without a build in AF motor (some older lenses).

Sensor... Both sensors are great. You might want to compare them a bit further on the DXOmark site and look at some image samples on sites like DPreview as well as the Nikon website.
But after just a quick look I think that both should do fine. (Do compare high iso performance if you need that)

Cost...
My advise is to just take a good look at both camera's. Try them out and feel them in your hands in a store and then buy the one you need. Buy according to your needs (and potentially according to your desires).
If that turns out to be the 7100 then go for that one. If that turns out to be the 5300 then go for that one.
It's about how you'll use the camera and what's best for you. Don't buy a camera because it's cheaper with more features or because it's more "pro" if it's not what you want.
After all, both cameras are pretty close together in price so you should chose based on your preferences.

I hope that this helps...

MikeGunter · November 2013

Hi,

Dual slots for SDHC cards, on board motor for lenses, more focus points, longer battery life, weather sealed - it has several significant points over the D5x00 series - although those cameras are very good.

My best,

Mike

henrik1963 · November 2013

The best way to save money is to buy the right camera the first time :-) Buying the less expensive camera only to find out that you did not get the feature you use most often = you will upgrade much faster = you end up spending more. Don´t ask me how I know :-)

Wiewfinder - penta prism or mirror
AF speed
Menu driven interface is slow compared to buttons.
Weather sealing is a lifesaver for a camera if you plan to use it much.

Look at those things.

Go to a camera store - try both and see what you think. Both cameras will make stunning pictures if you do your part.

Best of luck

Photobug · November 2013

Same comment as the others. Get into the store and handle those cameras.

Don't be afraid to invest into the D7100 over the D5300. You would not be the first individual to buy a DSLR and use it in "P" mode for a year and they grew into the other functions.

It can't not be over stated, the D7100 use of buttons is superior to the menu driven interface of the D5300. If you do any wildlife photography or do so in the future, the more AF point in the D7100 is an advantage. The flexibility of two SD cards in a nice to have feature. I like using slot #2 for overflow of slot #1and all movies go to slot #2. Keeps it separate from your single images. Finally the build in motor has it's advantage if you ever try an older lens or buy a non Nikon long lens without a built in motor.

The D5200/5300 are excellent cameras but the D7100 was better for me. Then again I am prejudiced.

rbrylawski · November 2013

Like others have commented, get the right camera and don't put yourself in the position of "wishing" you had spent just a bit more. As you commented, it's an important decision and it's also an expensive decision. If my experience can help, I had a D5100, but sold it months ago and finally was able to get what I wanted, which is the D7100.

If you're going to put your camera in auto and you won't really take advantage of the controls the camera offers to really use what the camera is capable of, by all means get the D5300. If however, you will change settings to maximize a pictures potential, having to hunt through menu after menu to change something as simple as ISO or White Balance, is flat out annoying on the D5XXX series cameras.

Yes, the D5300 has an articulated screen. And I did enjoy it.......occassionally. The truth is, there are some situations where an articulated screen can be a wonderful option, but it's not an option I used every time I took pictures. And yes, the D5300 offers built in Wifi. But for a very small added cost, you can add a WU1-A to a D7100 and voila, beam pictures to your laptop or smart device.

To me, and I suspect many others, there is no comparison between the D7100 and the D5XXX Series camera. It's all about however, what is right for you and how you use a camera.

Msmoto · November 2013

I would suggest you simply sit down with a list of features…rate each as to how important that is and then decide. In a few months there will no doubt be another crop sensor body with more stuff. One must really think about the features….like two card slots is nice for me, yet the movable monitor is also useful and the GPS built in may be important. The lack of AF motor in the D5300 prevents old AF lens use.

But, I would suggest the end result, the images, most likely I could not tell the difference…and either would be as good as my D4 in 90% of shots.

roombarobot · November 2013

The quality and speed of the AF in the body is a big deal if you are doing anything with any action. The number of "keepers" from my D800E is way, way more than I ever got with my D5100. How do the two AF systems compare?

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