Gear – More Advanced Options
The trick with photography is to get the gear that is right for YOU. This will depend on your level of expertise (or the level you intend to work up to), what type of photography you are going to do, and your budget. Generally our advice would be you get what you pay for.
More Advanced DSLR Camera Bodies
As we mentioned on our beginner to intermediate page, we feel that at the moment we can only recommend Nikon, because that is what we shoot. We will try and give you some information about Canon at a later date. All the cameras we mention below are full frame cameras, from Nikon's FX range. There is not a bad camera in this range. We've arranged them from the cheapest on the left to the more expensive on the right.
Nikon D610
This is Nikons "cheapest" full frame DSLR. It is a quality camera. It has 24.3 megapixels, and is a full frame camera.
We nearly bought this camera ourselves, however bought the D800 instead. We have no regrets, but our bank account does...
We have heard this camera criticised for it's handling in the hand compared to the D750 (right) for having a shallow uncomfortable grip. It also has a much lower ISO range than the cameras to the right - which can be an issue if you're serious about your photography. The D610 offer ISO 100-6400 without going into the expanded ISO, compared with the D750's top end (unexpanded) ISO of 12,800
This is a great camera, for the budget end of the FX range.
Nikon D750
This model was introduced in September 2014 to "bridge the gap" between the D610 (left) and D810 (right). Like the D610 it has 24.3 Megapixels, and it is a full frame camera.
There are improvements on the D610 here on build, and more importantly the auto-focus system. It has more auto-focus points which are more spread out which can make a huge difference - especially if you are shooting moving subjects such as wildlife.
It has a higher ISO range than the D610 (see left)
This is the only camera in the range to have a screen that tilts vertically 90 degrees allowing you, for example to hold the camera above your head and still see what the camera is seeing.
If you can afford this camera over the D610 we think it is well worth the money.
Nikon D810
This camera packs a full frame format and 36 megapixels - but megapixels aren't everything. That said this camera has just about everything. The previous version of this camera, the D800 has been owned by Bart's sidekick C S Wimsey for some considerable time now, and it is adored. The D800 was pretty ground-breaking. The D810 isn't a complete re-invention of the D800, but improvements have been made. The D810 has an improved sensor, improved ISO range, shoots more frames per second, a better LCD display. It's basically a better version of something which was amazing in the first place.
The interface on this camera is far more geared towards giving you easier manual control - something we absolutely love - the creativity for us is in controlling what the camera does. If you want to easily put the camera in an automatic mode and shoot, the cameras to the left may be more suitable for you. The D810's main advantage over the cameras to the left is picture quality and detail.
We have heard of many who have made the upgrade from the D800 to the D810 because of its performance in low light and its video capabilities. We decided not to upgrade, but if we were in the market for a new camera now the D810 is what we would buy, and we wish we had one! (We're slightly salivating writing this...)
Highly recommended. Amazing Camera. We love this so much!
Nikon D5
There is a massive jump in price to the D5 from the D810. This really is a professional full frame body - a flagship body so to speak. Although at "only" 21 megapixels (compared to 16.2 in it's predecessor the D4s), it does have some advantages over the D810 - for example:
1. The ability to shoot up to 14 frames per second (compared to 5 on the D810).
2. A huge buffer capacity. The D5's buffer allows up to 200 NEF (RAW) images to be captured during one high-speed burst. (That's pretty darn massive when you shoot moving subjects).
3. It's focusing range is far superior with 153 focus points and 99 cross-type sensors. This will make a massive difference when focus tracking moving subjects.
This camera is Nikon's current "top banana".
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Other More Advanced Options Coming Soon
Flash Gels
Other Flash Modifiers (e.g. diffusers)
Flash extenders (e.g. Better Beamer)
Advanced Tripods and Heads (essential)
Mono-pods
Stand alone light meters
Reflectors
Higher end lenses - with more emphasis on prime lenses
Photo Backdrops
Lighting rigs
Shutter release cables
These pages contain lots of advice and some recommendations. We only recommend products that we love. It would be a dis-service to you and therefore harmful to Bart to recommend things we don't genuinely believe in. This page does contain affiliate links which will earn us a small commission (at no extra cost to you) on any purchases you make via our recommendation. This helps to support all the helpful free content and the maintenance of this website. Without this we couldn't provide you the service we feel you deserve. We'd be so grateful if you could support us, if you are minded to buy, so that we can keep supplying you with even more new and free content. Thank You and Enjoy!