Jumping back into Nikon - Which body?

[NateS]

Ok, so the wife said no to the $1499 price tag on the D7000 kit, she said I can buy that expensive of a camera after i buy her the $3000 earrings i've been promising her for ages

Anyway, so after looking around a bit more, i've ruled out the D3100 or anything else with a low res screen. i remember how annoying it was to see something that looked sharp on my old low res camera screens only to come home and find out its way out of focus. So that helps narrow the competition.

I know I kinda ruled Canon's out in the OP, but should I be taking a closer look at the Canon T2i? It fits right what i'm looking to spend (and what the wife will accept) at $700-$800 with a kit lens (albiet it a crap kit lens), has a high res screen, bracketing, slighly better video mode (which I see supports 60fps in 720p which would be cool for slow-mo), but I dunno if I want to go for another Canon knowing how disappointed I was with the XSi. Not too concerned about auto-focus in Video as i'll likely only use it in manual.

So i'm now looking at;
Canon T2i - $800 with workable, but kinda junky kit lens
Nikon D7000 - $1320 with 50mm f/1.8 pocket rocket (still higher than I think my wife wants me to spend)

The price difference is enough that I could easily get the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 for the Canon and still be $300 under the price of the D7000 with only the nifty fifty.

Hrmph. Nikon needs an update to the D5000 STAT! I hate having to factor price into this equation, but in order to keep the wife happy, decisions like this need her "blessing"

Does it have to be new (i.e. do you have to spend the gift card toward it?). If not, you can get a low shutter count D300 used for $1000 or under these days, and I would take a D300 over a D7k personally. It is a pro body, better AF, etc.... no video though. I personally wouldn't care about the video...video in DSLR's are not all that great yet. Getting better each new model release, but still not something I would rely on too heavily.

T2i is supposedly a great camera with a really nice sensor.....but I HATE the feel of the entry level Canon's. They feel like a plasticky toy and I could never get past that.

Here might be your solution:

- Pick up a used Canon 40d or D90 (500-600) which are both excellent cameras.
- Pick up a 50mm f1.8 (100 or under used)
- Pick up a good HD Camcorder for use seperately (use the best buy card on this).

Maybe that would fit your budget and needs a little better.

 

[jhorowitz]

Does it have to be new (i.e. do you have to spend the gift card toward it?). If not, you can get a low shutter count D300 used for $1000 or under these days, and I would take a D300 over a D7k personally. It is a pro body, better AF, etc.... no video though. I personally wouldn't care about the video...video in DSLR's are not all that great yet. Getting better each new model release, but still not something I would rely on too heavily.

T2i is supposedly a great camera with a really nice sensor.....but I HATE the feel of the entry level Canon's. They feel like a plasticky toy and I could never get past that.

Here might be your solution:

- Pick up a used Canon 40d or D90 (500-600) which are both excellent cameras.
- Pick up a 50mm f1.8 (100 or under used)
- Pick up a good HD Camcorder for use seperately (use the best buy card on this).

Maybe that would fit your budget and needs a little better.

While I wouldn't mind going for a used body at all, I would really prefer to use the giftcards if possible as there's not much else I would need them for and they are just burning a hole in my pocket I could always try and trade someone the giftcards for their body, but I don't think i'll likely end up coming out ahead in the transaction.

Have you felt the T2i? I hope it doesn't feel as much like a toy that the XSi did, I didnt care for that feeling as well.

 

[NateS]

While I wouldn't mind going for a used body at all, I would really prefer to use the giftcards if possible as there's not much else I would need them for and they are just burning a hole in my pocket I could always try and trade someone the giftcards for their body, but I don't think i'll likely end up coming out ahead in the transaction.

Have you felt the T2i? I hope it doesn't feel as much like a toy that the XSi did, I didnt care for that feeling as well.

Well, you are going to have to put money with the giftcard regardless....probably a good 600 bucks (sounds like 1100)...so why not use that extra 550-600 on a used 40D or D90 and use your gift card to get you a 50mm f1.8 and an HD Camcorder...it would still use up the gift card and have the same out of pocket money as if you spent it all at Best Buy on a new D90 kit.

I haven't felt the T2i, but I'm pretty sure they didn't change the construction any from their previous consumer line. The 40d is a semi-pro body and built as such...will feel much more sturdy.

 

[jhorowitz]

Well, you are going to have to put money with the giftcard regardless....probably a good 600 bucks (sounds like 1100)...so why not use that extra 550-600 on a used 40D or D90 and use your gift card to get you a 50mm f1.8 and an HD Camcorder...it would still use up the gift card and have the same out of pocket money as if you spent it all at Best Buy on a new D90 kit.

I haven't felt the T2i, but I'm pretty sure they didn't change the construction any from their previous consumer line. The 40d is a semi-pro body and built as such...will feel much more sturdy.

I'm not gonna worry about getting an HD camcorder anytime soon, thats just more than I need and my iPhone 4 works great for simple everyday HD videos with surprisingly decent video quality and fun in-camera editing with iMovie.

I think I need to take a trip to Wolf camera tonight and hopefully get to play with both of them (as well as the other models you mentioned) in hand and see what I think.

 

[Holcomb]

I drove 135 miles to look at the D7k at the only camera store in Colorado who had a body in stock. A week later I ordered one from BB to take advantage of their financing. I have been loving it sense I got it. I don't care for the video function though. Admittedly, I am limited in my experience w/ digital, but the focus is hard to use in video mode. It jumps around and goes out completely when I zoom in on a subject. Operator error, probably.

 

[jhorowitz]

I drove 135 miles to look at the D7k at the only camera store in Colorado who had a body in stock. A week later I ordered one from BB to take advantage of their financing. I have been loving it sense I got it. I don't care for the video function though. Admittedly, I am limited in my experience w/ digital, but the focus is hard to use in video mode. It jumps around and goes out completely when I zoom in on a subject. Operator error, probably.

Actually from what i've seen, thats kinda how the continuous video autofocus works, not really that functional I guess.

 

[GBNova]

Sounds to me like the AF lag when zooming creates a rather lengthy period where the video is out of focus. It may be more successful in keeping focus when tracking a moving subject while keeping the focal length fixed. Obviously we are still in the "development period" when it comes to DSLR video.

 

[jhorowitz]

Sounds to me like the AF lag when zooming creates a rather lengthy period where the video is out of focus. It may be more successful in keeping focus when tracking a moving subject while keeping the focal length fixed. Obviously we are still in the "development period" when it comes to DSLR video.

Yah, looks like your correct after viewing the videos again.

 

[jhorowitz]

Just a quick update - Still havent had the chance to try out a D7000 yet, no one is a 50 mile radius has them in stock, or a demo to try.

I have played around with the T2i and while its a little close in feel to the XSi I didn't care for, the added features make it much more appealing in my eyes than the XSi I previously sold.

Really hoping to get my hands on a D7000 soon, otherwise I may just end up with the Canon :|

 

[jhorowitz]

Sounds like you need a nice, gently used (@5000 clicks), one year old D5000 body for $500 from a reputable guy who just doesn't have the 300 comments to make it into the classified section of his favorite camera forum.

Haha, thx for the offer

Def holding out for a model with a high res screen, just can't do without anymore.

 

[philippsfrt]

Haha, thx for the offer

Def holding out for a model with a high res screen, just can't do without anymore.

Id suggest the D7000...

 

[jhorowitz]

Id suggest the D7000...

Thx for your opinion - as of now i'm in no rush but i'll keep you all in informed when I do decide.

 

[dmccardle]

Thx for your opinion - as of now i'm in no rush but i'll keep you all in informed when I do decide.

The hard part will be finding one. I know...I'm looking too...and I'm willing to tackle someone.

 

[jhorowitz]

The hard part will be finding one. I know...I'm looking too...and I'm willing to tackle someone.

Very true, so i guess holding out a little while might not be a bad idea after all.

 

[Varmint]

Love the Matterhorn shot!

I'd skip all the riff-raff and go straight to a D50.

 

[khiromu]

I have both D7000 and T2i.
I like D7000 better than T2i for following reasons.

D7000 has more AF coverage, more configurable AF, and to me, more accurate AF.
T2i is small, but to me, it's too small to hold.
D7000 has better finder.

Image quality wise, both produce good enough IQ to me. No real big difference. High ISO on both bodies are good, too.

Hiromu

 

[jhorowitz]

I have both D7000 and T2i.
I like D7000 better than T2i for following reasons.

D7000 has more AF coverage, more configurable AF, and to me, more accurate AF.
T2i is small, but to me, it's too small to hold.
D7000 has better finder.

Image quality wise, both produce good enough IQ to me. No real big difference. High ISO on both bodies are good, too.

Hiromu

Excellent, thanks for the comparison.

 

[jhorowitz]

So i went out to Best Buy to look for something and low and behold, they had a D7000 on display that had been put out just a few days earlier. Naturally I was super excited to give it a try and was even happier when I found they had a 4gb SDHC card on sale for just $10 for me to test out some image samples between the two.

So my first impressions of the D7000 - WOW, this thing is a BEAST! It felt incredibly well made with excellent attention to detail. I was immediately at home in the menu system and with finding where things are, but at times I almost felt as if it was TOO much camera for me, making it difficult to change some simple things (such as showing as showing a clean image with no info for playback, etc). Don't get me wrong, i LOVED the camera, I just worry that its more than I need on two fronts - Size and features. It was a bit bigger than I expected (maybe it just felt so big since I was comparing it to the T2i right next to it), and it had so many things on there I dunno if I would use 70% of them. I loved using the camera, it felt like a professional tool. The T2i on the other hand felt like a toy (just like my old XSi did). Didn't care for the continuous AF in video, so i immediately went to manual focus in video. Just from a quick look, the T2i still seemed to have the edge in Video, just in sheer smoothness of the representation.

Anyway, I was able to snap off a few sample pics and i'm gonna pixel peep tonight and see how they compare. One odd thing I noticed was that the D7000 was having a rough time correcting the WB for the lights in Best Buy, while the T2i seemed to be ok. I made sure to reset both cameras before using them incase someone had messed with any settings. The D7000 kept skewing yellow on the bright white lights of the store. I kept my samples to ISO 800 and above because I didn't think there would be much discernable difference any lower.

Anyway, super happy to have checked them both out. As much as I loved the D7000, i'm really debating if its more camera than I need.

 

[lexdiamonnyc]

Anyway, super happy to have checked them both out. As much as I loved the D7000, i'm really debating if its more camera than I need.

funny, once you master it then it won't be enough camera for you............


honestly, I think it's better to grow into a camera than to get something with fewer features only to upgrade down the road....my $0.02

 

[jhorowitz]

funny, once you master it then it won't be enough camera for you............


honestly, I think it's better to grow into a camera than to get something with fewer features only to upgrade down the road....my $0.02

Very true, point well taken.