Time for new kit but is it new camera or new lenses.

So ive had a few cameras and like I said I love my D3100 but as a photographer I think your always looking for ways to improve image quality and one of the most obvious is new kit, but whats the best way to go new camera or new lens ? Well id been looking at a d7000 as my next step up ive seen amazing shots from my flickr contacts taken with one and nearly went and got one, but I decided to go for new a lens as id done all I could with the D3100 with the kit lens yet something in me wanted to see what the camera could do with better quality glass.
 Now lenses are not cheap and I did a lot of research on what glass lens would be a good upgrade and that made me realise just how expensive they are. I shoot mostly landscape so I wanted to go for a wide angle lens the Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 or the 17-50mm f2.8 were perfect apart from the cost my budget just wouldn't cover it, so I looked at 3rd party lens and found Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 I checked review after review and all said it was top quality glass, good fast focus with brilliant image quality and less than half the price of the Nikons so I went and got one.

 

This is a shot of a stream running through Fardross forest park taken with my D3100 and the sigma 18-50mm f2.8

 

Im so glad I went with the lens instead of the new camera as the image quality is so much crisper and sharper and if anything its made me love the D3100 even more as it shows even with a basic camera if you get some good glass for the front you can get stunning shots that are brilliantly sharp and detailed.