It really is too bad that you can’t take a camera for a test drive, for free. I know of a couple places near me that you can rent equipment. Yes you can rent and try before you buy but that is expensive. A one day rental is over 20% of my monthly budget, making it out of the question.
After this last trip out, the camera I am using will not even come close to doing what I want to do. Yes I got a steal on my Nikon for $100, but my next camera is going to cost me $1000. I am choosing a camera that has been proven in the field and is reliable. It isn’t the best camera for the job, but is the best camera I can get for that price with the body, two lenses, filter kit, bag and software.
The word I heard is that the Nikon D7200 is one of the best APS-C / Cropped Sensor Cameras for Low Light. This camera has the ability to shoot at ISO’s up to 102,400. It is the big brother of the Nikon D5500 because it is more durable, handles the weather better and better auto focus capability. With proper care it could last me a generation. I won’t be able to get the latest and greatest every year or two, so find a camera that will last is very important.
I am not going to spend all after noon copy and pasting all of the details of the camera. What I did do was link the above picture to amazon.com where all of the cameras specifications are listed already. The image above is the D7200 kit wit two lenses, filters and software package for $996. I have added this to my wish list for Santa. Or if anyone reading this has recently won the lottery and wanted to change someones life for a mere $1000, cough. But seriously, from word of mouth, from blogs and from photography clubs I have heard the good and bad about this camera. The good far out weighed the bad making it my number one choice for my wish list.