Hmmmm ..... Wild life photography is expensive ..... in fact it can be very expensive.
If you are looking at Birding, you'll also need a sturdy tripod and a good gimbal head.
For micro photography, a good ball head, a tripod that has a column that can tilt or go horizontal and optional flash or close up lighting system.
For wild life photography, among D300s, D7000 and D7100, IMHO, go for D7100 that gives you 6 FPS
FPS should not be your main consideration for a start unless you are going straight into Wild life action photography and you are doing those multiple frame overlay productions. ISO and AF at small apertures of f/5.6 should be your main consideration. Inconsistent AF and noisy image means your shots wont be sharp enough, always in focus with the right color retention.
Different photographers have differing opinions but IMHO, depending on budget, the following would be a good start
Body: D7100 for good ISO even up to ISO 2500 (You'll be shooting at pretty high shutter speeds and it is not uncommon to shoot in the range of 1/800s to 1/1250s), Good mix of cross type and vertical type AF points and good consistent AF accuracy at f/5.6. Excellent resolution to make up for detail retention and slight cropping.
Lens: For a start, Nikon 300mm f/4D AFS with Nikon TC-14E II to combine and provide an effect focal range of 420mm @ f/5.6 with very good sharpness. The equivalent FoV shall be 1.5 x 420 = 630mm. Good for bigger birds like Owls, Herons, Eagles and Bigger sized king fishers like the stork bill at closer range if you can get to it. It is maybe also suitable for smaller birds that are not so skittish like the Crimson Sunbird or in general the Sunbird family. This combination is also light weight and suitable for those Kenya Big 5 shoots depending on light conditions and how close you can get to the subject.
Anything below an equivalent FoV of 420mm wont provide the kind of resolution you want out of Birds depending on their size. This is why I wont suggest those 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses. And as a general rule of thumb, Zoom lenses are not as competent as prime lens in Wild life photography.
Tripod: There is a wide selection of tripods out there but I continue to use the Manfrotto 190 X Pro-B that allows the Column to be displaced horizontally that I used for my landscape photography. You can check out the Sirui series if cost is a concern. If not, Gitzo system or mountaineer series is the best.
Gimbal head and lens plate: It is recommended to change the Nikon 300mm f/4D AFS collar to a post market one. If you do not yet want to, it is fine. For Gimbal and Lens, I recommend the Jobu Jr 3 and a Markins or Jobu lens plate.
Total cost for this setup would be estimated to be in the range of SGD $4,800 - 5,200
*** For Wild life photography, you cannot get away with "Cheaper" lenses. IMHO, entry level starts with the Nikon 300mm f/4D AFS ***
(Note, other photographers could suggest the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 VR as the entry level Wild life lens)
Hi, Thank you for all your opinions. My reason for going with another body is considering the fact that i will go for wildlife photography.. as far as my budget goes, the highest fps i can get for continuous shooting is within d300s and d7000.
Also looking for a body with motor because i can buy much cheaper lenses.
your opinions?