Originally Posted by Cmike2780

Just so you know, I believe Nikon is updating the D600 soon. Jumping to a camera with a FX sensor may be worth the wait. They already dropped the price on the D600 and I guarantee it's only going to get cheaper once the D610 or whatever they call it comes out. The D7100 is a great camera, don't get me wrong, but not the one I would choose at the moment. The D7100 is slightly sharper than the D600, but it's only because they removed the AA filter. I believe that's something they will do for the D600 replacement. The only thing I don't like about the D600 is the way the AF points are clustered together in the middle. They used the same AF system as the D7000 on an FX sensor.

Also, I usually go with refurbished gear from Nikon and shop at Cameta.com or B&H if they have it in stock. They're pretty indistinguishable from new and a few hundred dollars cheaper. Cameta Camera has a 1 year warranty included (6 months from Nikon/6 months from Cameta). Not bad if you ask me.

It really depends on your budget. If you're looking to save a few bucks and stick with a DX sensor, even the D7000 is worth looking into. A new one now runs about $900...$700 for a refurbished. That leaves a lot left for some quality lenses. D7100 runs about $1,050 refurbished ($100 less than new). .....while the D600 runs $1,550 refurbished...about $400 more than a brand new D7100.

There isn't a huge difference in image quality between the D7000 and D7100, even with the updated EXPEED 3 processing engine. I've tried both and they're pretty identical to be honest. You need to have each pic side by side @150% magnification to tell them apart. Even then, it's only slightly sharper. You get more megapixels with the D7100, but it doesn't mean much in actual use. 16mp is more than plenty. You get a better AF system with the D7100, but again, that too is only a marginal difference in actual use.

It wasn't worth it for me to upgrade from a D7000. FX or a pro level DX is the logical next step. As always, you usually see more profound results by getting better glass....not always with a better body.