DSLRs died, now what..

Chris2500dk

Top Veteran
When it rains it pours :(

Earlier this week my D5100 broke down, in live view mode it gives me a "shutter error" about half the time which I have to exit and re-enter live view mode to clear. In PDAF mode the central AF point front focuses like crazy on and off while the other AF points seem to be fine. Obviously I can't live with that, I need the camera to work all the time, not just now and again.
Sending it in for repairs doesn't look like an option, it'll quickly end up costing too much to be worth it.

Then today when I took out my D40 I found that it had apparently entered a suicide pact with the D5100. The AF motor is completely dead on it, none of my lenses will autofocus, but I can focus manually with the confirmation light coming on.
I guess it's not that big a loss, the D40 was ancient anyway, but it would have let me at least have a DSLR in case I needed one.

So now I have to figure out if I'm going to take the obvious route and pick up a D3200 body (around €350 locally), or sell off my DSLR lenses and accessories and go for something different.

I wouldn't mind having a smaller system, both m43 and NEX has their advantages, but I don't think I'll be able to get the same image quality without spending a lot more.
The bigger NEX models will probably deliver the same quality as the D3200, but I doubt any of the m43 will, not even the E-M5 or GX7.
Another option would be to supplement my DP1M with a DP3M.

Or I could just stick with the DP1M and RX100 until I find something I really need another camera for, but what fun would that be? :dance2:
 
Sorry to hear all this. Maybe the new Sony A7/7r? The only problem is that lens section is limited. Mu43, especially newer bodies like the EM1, compare favorably to APS-C and have a much better lens selction. If I were you, I would go over to dpreview and check out their image comparison tool with the EM1/M5 vs the DSLRs you are looking at.

I took my own advice and went o Dpreview. The EM5 IQ seems to me much better than the 3200, both in Raw or Jpeg:

Nikon D3200 Review

The EM1 is probably out of your price range, but the EM5 may be a real alternative for you. Of course, there is new EM10 coming, which is probably a lower end model than the EM5. I suspect this means the same IQ but less buttons and probably no weather sealing.
 
If I didn't mind carrying around DSLR sized gear, I'd be shooting with it. But probably full frame, because I don't think APS DSLRs are any better (in terms of IQ) than APS mirrorless options and are only very slightly better than current m43 bodies. So if you're happy with what you had, I expect you'd be that much happier yet with the newer sensors in the newer bodies. And you've got the lenses already. To me the appeal of m43 (and Fuji and other mirrorless APS models) is the reduction in size and weight with more than adequate IQ. I don't think you get notably better IQ unless you go to full frame and whether that level of IQ really matters is purely an individual preference sort of call. Based on your description of what you had and how you liked it, I'd just get another APS Nikon body and carry on...

-Ray
 
DP1M and RX100 doesn't sound too bad :)
I went from D40 (really nice camera), D80 and D5000 to an EM-5. I didn't have too many lenses, so it wasn't a huge deal. (NOW I have a lot of lenses, but that's a different story :) )

What kind of lenses do you have for your DSLRs?
 
I mainly used the 50mm f1.8G on the D5100, I also have the two kit lenses 18-55VR and 55-200VR but never used them much. So it's not a huge investment in glass.

I downloaded the DPReview samples of D7100, D3200 and E-M5, at base ISO RAW converted with Lightroom. It's really close in the details, but I'd put it D7100>D3200>E-M5 which makes sense due to the higher resolution of the DSLRs and the missing AA filter in the D7100.
At ISO 3200 it's close enough for me not to care about the differences, and I don't shoot much high ISO anyway.
Pretty much what I expected, and rather impressive from the m43 sensor.

The E-M5 is quite expensive though, €850 for the body only or €950 with the 12-50 compared to €350 for the D3200 body, so while I'm sure I'd be fine with the image quality it's a big price difference.
I could get much the same quality with a E-PM2 for around €450, so that's an option as well.
Selling the DSLR lenses would cover at least the Olympus 45mm f1.8 which I see as my best option to replace the 50mm f1.8G.

Nikon's rumored to present a D3300 on CES, so I'll wait to see what that's all about, but I kinda doubt it will cost €350 at launch :)
 
have you tried reinstalling or (updating) the Firmware


a good used D300/D300S might be worth considering

In lots of ways I still prefer my D300 to my D7100
both are "great" bodies - couldn't wish for anything better
 
Nikon's rumored to present a D3300 on CES, so I'll wait to see what that's all about, but I kinda doubt it will cost €350 at launch :)

I'd say: waiting for the introduction of the D3300 might be a good idea then. You could be able to get an even better deal on the D3200.
In the meantime you've got some great cameras with the RX100 and DP1m :)
 
Just remember one thing as you work toward your decision, Chris: The fallacy of the 100 percent view in online camera tests. Do you typically view the images you shoot at 100 percent? If not, I wouldn't worry about it. The difference in image quality between the latest micro four-thirds cameras and APS-C cameras is less than a full stop. And I'd say it's even less than that when it comes to the sensor in your D3200. I'd say price is your main concern now.

I can't help much from this side of the pond. But check out the price of a refurbished E-M5 with 12-50mm lens from Olympus (Oly has periodic sales on refurbs, too). The new E-M10 is supposed to be announced by the end of January. See what happens to E-M5 prices - new and refurbished - after the announcement. Or, as Tilman suggests, do the same thing with the D3200: Wait for the D3300 announcement.
 
Something like an E-M5 is much more than just a smaller version of a DSLR, and particularly a basic one like the D3200, but whether the differences are of value to you is something you'll have to decide for yourself. Because your Nikon kit is quite small anyway there doesn't seem to be any reason to stay because of "inertia". To me DSLRs are a dead technology that I don't want to buy back into, but the DSLR format has many years left in it, particularly since the Canon/Nikon stranglehold on the market will make it the first choice in ILCs for many photographers.
 
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