Nikon D5100 or D7000

[cbear]

I am relatively new to photography. I went to my local camera store and inquired about the Nikon D5100 and the Nikon D7000. The staff wasn't overly helpful. I was told to buy the D7000 because it was a better camera with a better lens, nothing else. I can buy the D51000 and save some money to buy an even better lens.
My wife owns a dancing school and we take pictures for her recital book and web site. I know that the D7000 has alot more features, a better prizm..... I also know that it's the same sensor and processing technology. I will be renting lenses to get good shots of the recital due to the lighting.
Is it worth the extra money to get the D7000 over the D5100?

Shot this with my Sony Alpha 200 and a 55-200mm Lens
http://www.mdtdance.com/albums/album...75/5240816.htm

[Franglais]

You made two posts about the same subject. Confusing.

The D5100 might do but get the D7000. What you want to do is actually rather difficult. It requires a good control of the camera, some specific lenses..

- The D5100 is an "entry-level" model intended for people who aren't very interested. Many options that you might need are hidden in menus where you can't find them quickly. The autofocus system only works with lenses that have a focussing motor built into them i.e. recent ones
- The D7000 is the "expert" model. There are lots of buttons and controls to enable you to set things immediately in the heat of the action. The autofocus works with most Nikon lenses (I find my 50mm f1.8 and 85mm f1.8 very useful for stage productions). The viewfinder is big and clear and covers 100% of the image. Etc.

[cbear]

Sorry about the double post. Trying to delete the first one. I am definitely leaning toward the D7000. Did alot of research on the internet, but wasn't impressed with my local salesperson. Just wanted to get some good advice from people that know what their talking about.
Thanks

[Photo-John]

First of all, here's my Nikon D5100 article, where I do a bit of comparison to the D7000: http://reviews.photographyreview.com...e-1-stereo-mic

Since the image quality should be the same, I'm inclined to recommend the D5100 over the D7000 unless you really need more speed. I think the D5100 auto focus will be fine for the kind of shooting you're doing. I'd be more concerned if you were shooting high-speed action sports with continuous auto focus. As for lenses - unless you already own older Nikon lenses, I don't think it's a big deal. There are plenty of AF-S lenses available. I think the need to use non-AFS lenses is probably limited to a very few photographers - mostly those who already own older glass.

Have you considered the Sony Alpha A55? By all accounts it uses the same sensor as the Nikon D7000 and the D5100. It's also faster than the D7000 and the auto focus probably splits the difference between the D7000 and the D5100. I have been working on a review of the A55 and it's almost done. If you check my D7000 pro review you'll find direct image quality comparison between the A55 and the D7000 - their pretty much exactly the same. And if you do any video at all, the A55 is top of the heap right now for auto focus. There isn't a digital SLR on the market that can compete. Like I said, I'm working on wrapping up a complete review right now. But in the meantime, take a look at my 2010 Camera Of The Year article: http://reviews.photographyreview.com...ra-of-the-year

[volks]

Sold my D5000 and got the D7000.
For it's overall capabilities, features and price, you can't go wrong.

[cbear]

I looked at the Sony cameras already. I was actually going to buy a Canon T2i a few months ago when I read about the Sony SLT55 and the Nikon D7000. I then decided to wait and see what the reviews looked like. I really like alot of the sony features, but was trying to move into a tried and tested brand. I am not knocking Sony at all, I like the SLT design, just want to make sure the technology will be here to stay. With the Nikon or Canon options I have alot of lens options, and an overall great product that will last.

[Photo-John]

Sold my D5000 and got the D7000.
For it's overall capabilities, features and price, you can't go wrong.

Well, if you bought the D7000 and could only afford a standard kit lens, then you'd be going wrong. At least I think so. Honestly, I could probably do 85% of what I do with the D5100. It's only high-speed action where I would need the added performance and features of the D7000. For photographers who primarily shoot on a tripod, I think the tilt-swivel LCD will make a lot more difference than the improved auto focus and burst rate of the D7000. I'm not knocking the D7000 - I love that camera. However, I think it's really easy to get sucked into the glamour of a newer, better camera body and lose sight of what our real needs are. It's my job to try to bring us all back down to earth and be practical

[Photo-John]

Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure you'd considered the A55. Last year was a big year for Sony cameras and I think 2011 is going to be even bigger. I would be really surprised if they weren't here to stay. But I understand where you're coming from. And you can't go wrong with Canon or Nikon

[Bright Eye]

I'll agree with that. If most of your photography is done in auto mode, you could be wasting much of a DSLR's potential and your own money. A D3100 and a good lens (possibly two or three lenses with the money you save from the D7000) could be worth considering.

If it's only between the D5100 and D7000 then the former would probably be a wiser investment.

[djkmann]

I wrote a blog post comparing these cameras - the D7000 and D5100 (along with the D90 and D3100) - including their different features and why you may or may not want or need them. Hopefully you will find it helpful in making this decision:
http://blog.dojoklo.com/2011/04/14/n...00-vs-d90-etc/

[Eleanor Maw]

What ever you do buy a good lens, If I was you I would buy a D5100 & 16-85VR than a D7000 & 18-200 VR, for two reasons, one it will save you a lot of money and you end up with a better quality lens and the you can buy a Nikon D400 next year and have something that will blow the D7000 out of the window

[Tazzers]

Hello cbear. I am new to the forum but not to photography. That doesn't make me an expert by the way, I am just persistent and mildly obsessed.

I'll play devil's advocate here. My mate uses consumer canon gear and I use semi pro Nikon gear. He is a bit more experienced than me and has qualifications in photography to boot. He has just ordered his 3rd Canon consumer DSLR in as many years because after a while they start acting up on him. It is because of hard usage more than anything else and I pointed out to him that in the same time I have had just one DSLR (my D300) and apart from the rubber grip starting to come away it just keeps going and going.

My point is that there is some mileage in a more pro-spec camera body (I think the shutter on the D7000 is rated the same as my D300) but I think it is only if you intend to get hard usage out of it.

Cheers and good luck.

Phil

[volks]

It is still a big wait and see if the upcoming D400 will blow the D7000 out of the window. It remains to be seen if the additional cost will be worth the additional features, whatever they turn out to be.

[n8]

I would guess not by much. If my info is correct, the sensor and af in the d7000 is new compared to the d300, so the d7000 got posed as the 300's more capable little brother. We could only assume the 400 will get what makes the 7000 so bloody cool, plus a few more perks, like 50+ af points, higher fps, improved video af, a couple more external controls, and maybe better iso performance.

[Eleanor Maw]

I must admit that I was not waiting any longer for the D400 so I could not resist buying a new Nikon D7000, I had just got a big pay cheque for a photo assignment so 40% of it when on the New Nikon SLR, must say there is a hell of a lot going for this camera

[Grandpaw]

I have the Nikon D7000 and the Nikon 18-200VR and think they would do a very fine job for you for some time. If you are the type that has to keep up with the other guy then it doesn't matter what you get because there will always be something better every several months. The D7000 is a very capable camera and that lens gives you everything from a nice wide angle to a fairly nice telephoto all in one lens. I have printed and sold many 20x30 photos with using that lens, Jeff

[xtian]

My brother in law got his D7000 last week and it was very nice indeed.

[iceman2058]

I would guess not by much. If my info is correct, the sensor and af in the d7000 is new compared to the d300, so the d7000 got posed as the 300's more capable little brother. We could only assume the 400 will get what makes the 7000 so bloody cool, plus a few more perks, like 50+ af points, higher fps, improved video af, a couple more external controls, and maybe better iso performance.

Higher fps? We are just assuming that at this point, right? Because otherwise, I'm going to wait for the D400 and not pull the trigger on a D7000...60fps would be a true killer app for me.

[ruosis]

my choice is D7000. buying lens is a longtime work.

[daoliv]

Definitely go with the D7000. I just upgraded from the D5000 and love it. One difference is it has the new image sensor. Another is it does have titanium in the fram and also has the focusing motor in the body. If I recall correctly with the D5100 all of your lenses will have to have the focusing motor in the lens.

[Franglais]

That's magnesium alloy, not titanium. And the D5100 has the same image sensor as the D7000.

I would still go for the D7000. You haven't mentioned the big 100% viewfinder. That's a big plus point for me. I like to be able to see what I'm shooting

[fotomatix]

It's not that the 5100 is a bad choice, it's just that 6 months later when you have significantly explored and dazzled yourself with the great quality pics, you would be ready to experiment and have more control or look for more details.....and then you'll say "hmmm, wonder if I I had spent those several (350) $$hundreds more for the 7000....."
Hope you got the 7000.....I know that's the one I'm saving for

[fotomatix]

Well, I had to bite down and go with what I could afford, for the time being. Like it has been said, D5100 is a solid choice.
It has the same sensor as the d7000. Has a swivel LCD (d7000 does not), and shoots 1080p at 30fps (d7000 does not). These are the only pros I categorize as important that are in favor of the d5100. However the d7000 has so many other pros....for $350 to $400 more.....and if I could afford it, I would have....however I still think there is much value in the D5100 and glad I switched over from the Olympus E-PL3 and chose it instead of Canon T3i.