D90 or D7000

[Ratpack]

Looking to update from my D50 and was wondering what the consensus is between a D90 and a D7000. Is the D7000 worth the extra money or would I be better going with the D90 and some additional lenses for the same money? I am just the average photographer, far from a pro. Thoughts?

 

[Evad]

I would like to know this also as I have been pondering an upgrade as well.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I'm not a Nikon shooter, but since the new sensor is very,very similar to the one used in the new Pentax and Sony's, the 7000 does have some distinct advantages of high ISO and low noise, increased fps and resolution (DR). If those things are important to you then, you might consider an upgrade.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp

 

[Marlton Mom]

I'm far from being an expert on the advantages and disadvantages between the D90 and the D7000.

I own a D90 and I'm currently working on practicing the operation of all it's features and capabilities so that manipulation of the features becomes instinctive when I shoot.

I will point out this though.... If Video is a consideration:

D90 Video AVI Motion JPEG Movie with sound
HD (1280 x 720 @ 24fps)
VGA 640 x 424 @ 24fps)
QVGA 320 x 216 @ 24fps)
Clip length limited to 5 minutes

D7000 Video
Video Recording Yes
Recording Formats H.264/MPEG-4, MOV
Video Resolution NTSC: 1920 x 1080/24p 1280 x 720/30p 1280 x 720/24p 640 x 424/30p

PAL: 1920 x 1080/24p 1280 x 720/25p 1280 x 720/24p 640 x 424/25p
Video Clip Length Maximum recording time: approximately 20 minutes
Audio Recording Built-in monaural or external stereo microphone recording

I was using the video capabilities of the D90 during Thanksgiving and I thought it did well for what I was trying to do with it. I have not been able to transfer the video out of the camera and into my 'puter as my hard drive is bursting at the seams, so the proof of the pudding will lie there.

Sometimes we tend to focus on particular photography related features of one model over another and you really need to consider all of a particular models features when making a choice. I recommend purchasing your camera based on your future needs and then you should grow into it by fully utilizing all that is has to offer.

Therefore, I think the most important question you can ask when deciding between the two is whether or not you will be using the added features that are included in the D7000 or if you can save some $$$ and the features on the D90 will suit your needs.

I used the D50 intensively for many years and it was an AWESOME camera. My D60 disappointed me tremendously, mainly because of the 3 focus points. My D90 gives me that warm and tingly D50 feeling all over again!

Good luck with your task.



Marlton Mom

 

[WDWFigment]

The D90 is a great camera, but the D7000 blows it away--from features to dynamic range to ISO performance.

You won't be disappointed if you get the D90, but the D7000 definitely gives you more room to grow.

 

[Evad]

The D90 is a great camera, but the D7000 blows it away--from features to dynamic range to ISO performance.

You won't be disappointed if you get the D90, but the D7000 definitely gives you more room to grow.

That's what I was afraid of......

Looks like I may have to save up a little bit longer

 

[Quicklabs]

You do such amazing work with the D80! I've never been able to achieve near what you have with it.
Actually, I'm looking at the D7000 as well....

I would like to know this also as I have been pondering an upgrade as well.

 

[Gdad]

Paging rossb....paging rossb....

 

[Evad]

You do such amazing work with the D80! I've never been able to achieve near what you have with it.
Actually, I'm looking at the D7000 as well....

Don't let my wife hear that or I will never be able to upgrade....lol

 

[campinggal]

Paging rossb....paging rossb....

 

[Experiment_626]

http://photofocus.com/2010/11/24/2010-camera-of-the-year/

 

[rossb]

Paging rossb....paging rossb....

I have them both and just got back from WDW with the D7000. I've shot them both side by side, the D7000 has better features on the body but the IQ and ISO performance are both essentially the same as the D90. In some respects the D90 is actually better. Don't upgrade if you are looking for a significant gain in IQ.

 

[TinTin]

Is the D7000 worth the extra money or would I be better going with the D90 and some additional lenses for the same money?

Hi, I'm new here, just looking for discounts on Disney tickets.. I see now they don't seem to exist, lol. But after that disappointment, I did see the Photography forum and came across this thread.

To the OP...
Some possible things to consider here are the importance of getting a new lens vs. the upgraded features of the D7000 over the D90.

Some of the new features the D7000 has that the D90 doesn't:
- 16 MP vs. 12 MP
- faster frames per second (6 vs. 4.5),
- better,faster autofocus (39 point vs. 11 point)
- 1080p HD video (D90 is only 720p)
- 30 frames per second video, max. (D90 is 24)
- autofocus WHILE shooting video (D90 doesn't)
- 20 min video at a time (D90 is limited to 5)
- larger viewfinder than D90 (100% vs. 96%)
- ability to meter with old lenses
- longer shutter life
- stronger, more durable body
- slots for 2 memory cards, meaning you can hold twice as many shots -OR- shoot photos on one, video on the other -OR- JPEG on one, RAW on the other -OR- shoot on both at same time for back up.
- ISO capabilites far succeed the D90. Less noise in low light shots, the ability to shoot ISO 100 again (removed from the D90 for some reason, even the D80 shot at 100), higher ISO ability, not just better (lots of comparison testing out there showing these results).

Sorry, first post, not allowed to post links, just copy and paste into your browser...
cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikon_D7000/noise_JPEG.shtml

Scroll down that page for ISO comparisons and remember any color differences may make one look better, but what's important is what the actual colors in the scene were... which we don't know. You can always alter photos to make the colors look this way or that, but you're stuck with much of the noise in the shadows... software can only remove so much before losing details in the photo.

There are more features than those listed but these are the most important ones for the "casual novice".

So you have to ask yourself, do any of these features matter to you? They are just features, they don't make you a better photographer. That said, they can really help you out.
As far as actual IQ, it just depends on your shooting conditions. In low light, the D7000 will give you cleaner photos and in good light outdoors it will give you cleaner skies. Both are good cameras though.

So the lens you would buy with the D90...
I know you said "lenses" but for the price difference I'm not sure you would be able to get more than one... unless buying used. Regardless, what do you already have? what would you want? If you have a decent assortment already then maybe the upgraded camera is the way to go. If, however, there is a lens or 2 you are really wanting, then by all means the D90 should be plenty for you.

In that case, you may want to look at the D3100 and D5000 also, they have many of the same or better features than the D90 (lacking many too) and are quite a bit cheaper. Althought you will need AF-S lenses if you rely on autofocus.

There are a lot more differences between the two but hopefully this covered any of your concerns.

A great place to do your research:
dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1034

Hope this helps at least a little...

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Hi, I'm new here, just looking for discounts on Disney tickets.. I see now they don't seem to exist, lol. But after that disappointment, I did see the Photography forum and came across this thread.

A little OT but Undercovertourist sells discounted Disney tickets and is reputable. You'll generally save around the amount of sales tax. Disney quotes without sales tax and UT the full price.

If you go to mousesavers.com and find the link to Undercovertourist you might save a couple dollars more.

 

[Gdad]

Don't you know you can get in big trouble taking a tripod to Downtown Disney? Just ask Wbeem.

 

[Ratpack]

Thanks all for the info, I am not sure which way I will go yet. The lenses I wanted were the 18-105 VR and the 70-300 VR. I could get the D90 with both of those for the same price as the D7000 with just the 18-105 VR. Perhaps I should just go with the D7000 and sell my D50 and the lenses I have on it to get the set up I want. Those lenses are the Tamron 18-270 and the standard 70-300 Nikon non VR.

 

[Gdad]

For the record I am really liking my D7000 so far. I use it with the 70-300vr also but for a kit I skipped the 18-xxx zoom and went with a 10-24 UWA and just cover the mid range with a couple primes- 35mm and 50mm- and could not be happier.

 

[WDWFigment]

Thanks all for the info, I am not sure which way I will go yet. The lenses I wanted were the 18-105 VR and the 70-300 VR. I could get the D90 with both of those for the same price as the D7000 with just the 18-105 VR. Perhaps I should just go with the D7000 and sell my D50 and the lenses I have on it to get the set up I want. Those lenses are the Tamron 18-270 and the standard 70-300 Nikon non VR.

Why would you sell the Tamron 18-270? Everything I've heard about that suggests it's an excellent lens that performs very comparably to the Nikon 18-200 VR (except with 70mm extra). I am considering selling the 18-200 my wife uses to get it, in fact.

My experience with the D7000 thus far has been much more in line with Gdad's (and almost every single review out there thus far) than it has with rossb's. I've noticed gains in high ISO performance and dynamic range. That, plus the litany of added features and controls made it a no-brainer for me.

Then again, I am fairly satisfied with my catalog of lenses. If I were not, I'd probably build that first.

 

[Groucho]

I can comment on purely sensor issues... I've got the Pentax K-x (same sensor as the D90) and K-5 (same sensor at the D7000) and I think there is a clear difference between the two in terms of IQ.

Not only is there better noise control (and remember, if you're looking at 100% zoom, there's 33% more pixels coming out of the 16mp sensor), but the dynamic range is the big difference. I've seen shot after shot demonstrating the massive recovery that is possible with this Sony Exmoor sensor. Of course, you need to shoot Raw and be willing to tweak in Lightroom to take advantage of the DR, but you'll find amazing things with the Recovery and Fill Light sliders.

One note about video, if you're interested in that, too - my understanding is that all the pre-D7000 Nikon DSLRs with video only recorded audio at 11kHz, and I believe the D7000 records 44kHz like everyone else now. This may be a worthwhile difference when comparing the two.

 

[rossb]

Don't you know you can get in big trouble taking a tripod to Downtown Disney? Just ask Wbeem.

I carried that rig around for over 3 hours in all three Downtown sections and nobody said anything to me.

My wife would was not thrilled with my tripod use so I did not bring it into any parks. I shot handheld at night @ high ISO.

Numerous park photographers took our picture with my D7k. The D90 seemed to be standard issue for all of the Disney photographers.