Gah! D90 or D7000?!?

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I'm upgrading from my D40 that I have had forever and a day! I have wanted a D90 for eons and the time has finally come (thank you tax return!) but my dh is pushing me to consider the D7000. Take note, he knows NOTHING about photography, but since it's newer and more, he thinks it will serve me for longer.

I've looked at some specs and I'm just unsure if it will make a difference in my shots. I do shoot portraits for people, mostly friends and family, but I'm thinking the differences are slight and the D7000 is heavier and more expensive.

Have you used both and prefer one over the other? I'm thinking I could use the extra 300$ to put towards a new lens, so I think that might serve me better.

 

[Marlton Mom]

This is a tough one. Years ago I worked with the Nikon D50. When it was time to buy a camera for personal use I bought a Nikon D60 thinking that it would be better. I quickly found out that I was wrong, and what I needed was the Nikon D90 and all of it's features.

Since I had bought the D60 and spent my money I had to wait until I could afford a D90. So far it's worked out. It's not exactly what I crave (Full frame, better focusing and better low light performance) but I can work with it until I win the lottery and buy a D4.

My advice to you is to be sure of knowing what you want and know how the camera models you are considering will meet those needs. With technology, everything has a freshness date and right now the D7000 is the camera that is the most up to date for what your price range is. Once you make that purchase you are stuck in a "technology freeze point" for the camera model you purchased. Those advancements in technology come with some serious advantages. It's up to you to decide if you need that advantage for what you are doing.

Personally speaking I am always trying to grow my abilities with my camera. I'm starting to find some of those technology freeze points a disadvantage with my D90. An important consideration is thinking ahead about where you want to go with your photography. Portraits may be fine today but maybe in the future you'll find yourself shooting sports for example. Will the camera you've chosen be able to go there with you and perform in a way that won't hinder you. The bottom line is to try and think ahead of where you are today and see if your chosen model will help you get there.

Well I hope that helps. Good luck with your decision!!

~Marlton Mom

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Thanks Marlton Mom, great thoughts! That's basically why my dh is pushing the D7000 because he sees that I have outgrown my D40 (hello...only THREE focus points?!?!?) but I'm actually concerned that the D7000 will be such a huge jump from the D40 that I'll be overwhelmed. 39 focus points? HOW is that even possible? I shoot in manual, will I just be standing there for 20 minutes clicking through all 39 of them to get to the one I want???

 

[rossb]

I've had both (see my avatar) and have taken many pictures with both cameras side by side. IMO the D7000 has better features, better video, and a much better interface. The D7000 has a higher flash sync speed and lower base ISO, which are two features I use hand in hand all the time. With respect to still image performance and IQ, they are very close. They are both great cameras.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I was in the same dilemma for awhile. My first DSLR (prior to that I was shooting a film SLR and some digital P & S') was introduced in 2006 and when I bought it, it was great for the time. After awhile, three generations of new cameras were introduced. Fortunately, I got the deal of a century on the latest version my manufacturer made and I haven't regretted it. Was there a steep learning curve, OH YEAH?! It took several months to be comfortable with the camera. Now when I go back to my previous camera (its my back-up and second camera), I'm out of sorts! It has made my photogaphy so much easier. I have become a firm believer in purchasing a camera that is beyond my current skill level because you will grow into it. It has now happened twice for me.

 

[Marlton Mom]

Thanks Marlton Mom, great thoughts! That's basically why my dh is pushing the D7000 because he sees that I have outgrown my D40 (hello...only THREE focus points?!?!?) but I'm actually concerned that the D7000 will be such a huge jump from the D40 that I'll be overwhelmed. 39 focus points? HOW is that even possible? I shoot in manual, will I just be standing there for 20 minutes clicking through all 39 of them to get to the one I want???

I think you can do it! Photography takes a little work and it's one of those things that is always pushing us out of our comfort levels and into something Newer and Better! Remember, this camera will have various focus modes aside from "Hunt and fish through 39 points" so there is bound to be something you can benefit from!

Go for it!

~MM

 

[Frantasmic]

If you have a spouse/SO, not into photography, that okays purchase of better equipment than what you want, thank your polaroids and purchase the better equipment.

 

[NLD]

If you have a spouse/SO, not into photography, that okays purchase of better equipment than what you want, thank your polaroids and purchase the better equipment.

So true!

 

[mom2rtk]

If you have a spouse/SO, not into photography, that okays purchase of better equipment than what you want, thank your polaroids and purchase the better equipment.

Amen!

 

[photo_chick]

Totally agree with being sure that you know what you want. And be sure you understand the feature differences and how they will or will not affect your shooting style.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

If you have a spouse/SO, not into photography, that okays purchase of better equipment than what you want, thank your polaroids and purchase the better equipment.

TRUTH.

Why am I even questioning this?!?!

 

[Pooh2]

I actually went with the D90 over the D7000 last summer, because of the price difference and the size difference. So far, I am pleased with my purchase.

I do not do alot of lowlight photography so the better ISO was not much of a factor, and the larger files were not important to me.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I actually went with the D90 over the D7000 last summer, because of the price difference and the size difference. So far, I am pleased with my purchase.

I do not do alot of lowlight photography so the better ISO was not much of a factor, and the larger files were not important to me.

Well, to be honest, I WANT the 7000, but will most likely go with the 90 because of price. Even though my DH may THINK I deserve the best stuff (which does not go unnoticed!)...he doesn't pay the bills and money is a HUGE factor here. It will take me quite a while to save for the lens I want, even with the 300-400$ I will set aside getting the d90 instead of the d7000.

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

D7K FTW
I am very happy with mine!
Hey if he like expensive gear...you should tell him about the new D800!

 

[handicap18]

but I'm actually concerned that the D7000 will be such a huge jump from the D40 that I'll be overwhelmed. 39 focus points? HOW is that even possible? I shoot in manual, will I just be standing there for 20 minutes clicking through all 39 of them to get to the one I want???

The D90 and D7000 are a lot closer in features and learning curve than the D40 and the D90 are.

As for the 39 focus points; don't sweat it. My D300 has 51, but I never have it set to have them all active. I think I only have 11 focus points active. The 51 (or 39 in the case of the D7000) are for when your letting the camera decide what will be in focus. It gives it more choice.

The D7000 has a faster fps (6 vs 4.5), shoots video in 1080p vs 720p, has video autofocus and a microphone input jack, longer battery life, 9 cross-type focus points vs 1 (the D40 also only has 1, this is more important than 39 focus points vs 11 focus points. This is why I have 11 focus points set on my D300, they are all cross-type [Cross focusing points focus on contrast changes both horizontally and vertically (2 dimensional focusing) where as normal focus points work vertically only (single dimension). this will assist in making focusing even faster] Dynamic range is 1.4 f/stops better on the D7000 and also has a slightly better image quality. The D7000 also has 2 SD Card slots vs 1 on the D90.

Really, you can't go wrong with either, but I would go with the D7000 over the D90 myself.

 

[Pixel Dust]

This is my first post on the Disboards but I have been lurking around for a while. I saw this thread and wanted to chime in as I was in a similar situation about a year ago. I needed to upgrade from the D70s that I was using for the longest time.

Everyone is right in saying that the D90 and D7000 are very similar. Those little differences may be enough to sway you one way or the other. But let me first start off and say that both are great cameras no matter what you pick. It really depends on what you want to shoot and your shooting style.

dpreview has a great review on the D7000 and also has a chart comparing the features to the D90.
dpreview.com/reviews/nikond7000/

In the end I went with the D7000 and I love it! Here's my list of features that tipped the scaled for me:

-ISO sensitivity- I like taking pictures of family, friends and that usually happens indoors. I don't like the look of the built-in flash nor do I have my large flash with me all the time. Bumping the ISO up and still have a clean image was a must for me. (it's no D700, but that costs a lot more)
-Twin SD card slots- I use them both all the time. It's currently set to record raw NEF to one card then JPG to the other. You can do "overflow" where everything goes to one card until its full then automatically switch to the other. Then there is the "backup" mode where it records everything to both cards at the same time. If one card should fail, it's on the other.
-39 point AF- Yes, all 39 can be overwhelming. Mine is set to 11 points. My old D70s had 5, so this was a very nice upgrade. You can always press the OK button and it will return to the center focus point.
-1080p HD- I don't really use the video feature much but this is a significant leap over the D90. Not just over the D90's 720p but in terms of ergonomics. On the D7000 there is a lever on the back to switch to live view then the record button is in the middle of that. It can be accessed from any mode quickly. It also focuses in Live View, which the D90 does not. But the live view focus is not really that accurate.
-Quiet Mode- I actually find myself using the more and more. It's very nice for quiet places like churches. It's not completely silent but is much more dampened from the usual CLICK!
-U1/U2- My favorite feature, User Customizable modes. It sits on the mode dial with with all the automatic scene modes and the P S A M modes for easy access. This basically saves your settings for you. Maybe you want one for outdoor and the other for indoor. Or you can have one setting for you and the other for when someone else uses your camera. The switch back and forth is seamless. No need to fumble around with settings.

Those are what made the decision for me. What ever you choose, Happy Shooting!

Samples? Here our last trip in October taken with the D7000. Pictures start on the second page.
disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2823214


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