should I upgrade

I have a Nikon D80 and a 55-200 lens. We are going on a river cruise and I am wondering if it will be strong enough to take pictures while cruising. I am ready to upgrade if it is beneficial, and if I do go stronger what do cruisers recommend?

The answer is -- your camera is certainly perfectly capable of getting good pictures on a river cruise, especially outside in day light.

The answer is also --- that is an older camera, an upgrade will bring useful features, faster and better autofocus, higher resolution and better image quality.

I'd upgrade camera and lens, but that's me. I'd probably look at the Nikon D7200 along with the Tamron 17-50/2.8 lens.

I love my camera so will probably just upgrade the lens. Thanks for your input.

I'd also upgrade the lens with something in a wider range before upgrading the camera, UNLESS a newer version has a feature you really need (I went to the D500 for fps for wildlife photography for example). Either add something like the Tamron (or I prefer the Sigma ART 24-105) or go single lens the Nikon 18-300 if budget permits...

I had a Nikon D80 and switched to a Nikon D750. Then I took my D80 and had it converted for IR photography. I do like my D750 much better than the D80, but I think most people would not enjoy the price of the D750. If you are into landscape photography, I would highly recommend something in the 12-18mm range. I have a Rokinon 14mm that I really like.

Your D80 is a more than capable camera, even today. If ou fel the absolute need to upgrade, you should look at new glass. You ay find that the 55-200mm you are using is not wide enough for what you may need it for. I would certainly look for something wider, like an 18-300mm. You may sacrifice a very small bit of image quality at both focal length extremes but there is also the chance that you may not notice it. Tamron has a 16-300mm that has been getting pretty good reviews. I would give that a look.

Have you considered renting a lens for your trip? I am considering that for my cruise next year.

Also, as another poster stated earlier, a newer camera body may give you more advanced features and easier controls, like, faster autofocus, easier access menus, wifi, touchscreen, video, better low light performance (this may prove very important) and longer battery life. Remember though, cameras don't get worse so if your camera was delivering beautiful images when it was new, it will still do so. New cameras have gotten better but older cameras have not gotten worse. I have a 10 year old Nikon D300 that I have no intention of letting go of anytime soon because the image quality is as stunning as the day it was new.

I am also going on a river cruise and was wondering if 200mm is a long enough lens.

It should be. I am assuming that you are using a DSLR that uses a crop sensor (also known as APS-C and DX Format). Simply put...wiith that said, a 200mm lens on a crop sensor body, given the 1.5X or 1.6X crop factor, depending on the camera, will give you an effective focal length of 300mm - 320mm (based on the standard 35mm film body) which should be long enough for any shooting you will need to do on a river cruise. I have only used longer lenses when shooting wildlife when i could not get close and did not want to disturb them.

I hope that helps.

Enjoy your cruise,

Brian J.

I will say it might depend on the river, for the Rhine, I think 200mm would give you enough reach for both sides especially if your image size is large enough for cropping, but for a Nile cruise or even a Missisippi I might want a little more reach in places

I am also going on a river cruise and was wondering if 200mm is a long enough lens.

This photo was taken on the Rhine River. I use a Nikon D7100 camera with a Nikon 70-300mm lens. Since this is a crop sensor camera, I found this lens has plenty of range for the river. Your wide angle lens will be helpful as well. Since I shoot primarily with both a 17-70mm & the 70mm-300mm they covered all my needs traveling throughout Europe. Like others have stated the Tammy 16-300mm is also a good choice if you don't want to change lens. Your current camera will do just fine for your up coming adventure. Happy Travels... John

This is an awesome picture. Of course your 300mm is getting you closer than my 200mm.

Happy Travels... John

 

Do you also own a Nikon D40?

To Glaciers

Yes I do still have the Nikon D40. My reference was to what I am currently shooting today. I had forgotten about this trip & took all my pictures with the D40. Did not get the Nikon D7100 until 2013 just prior to a trip to South Africa. Still a decent photo for a 6mp camera. Thanks for correcting me... John

To Glaciers

 

Yes I do still have the Nikon D40. My reference was to what I am currently shooting today. I had forgotten about this trip & took all my pictures with the D40. Did not get the Nikon D7100 until 2013 just prior to a trip to South Africa. Still a decent photo for a 6mp camera. Thanks for correcting me... John

Yes, it's a wonderful photo, particularly for 6mp!

I use a Canon 60D.