Upgrade to Nikon D7000 or D5300??

Hi everybody,
Not to sure if i'm posting this in the correct/ best place as I'm new here but I was wondering if anybody could help me, at the moment i'm shooting with a Nikon D3000 which has served me really well but it's got to the time that I would like to upgrade as I am moving to Australia in a month and feel it just doesn't give me the quality or features that I would like for my trip, but after reading reviews and comparisons I'm really stuck between the D7000 and the D5300.. at the moment I'm leaning more towards the D7000 but if anyone has any useful information on either then I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,
Craig

Craig Griggs said:

Hi everybody,
Not to sure if i'm posting this in the correct/ best place as I'm new here but I was wondering if anybody could help me, at the moment i'm shooting with a Nikon D3000 which has served me really well but it's got to the time that I would like to upgrade as I am moving to Australia in a month and feel it just doesn't give me the quality or features that I would like for my trip, but after reading reviews and comparisons I'm really stuck between the D7000 and the D5300.. at the moment I'm leaning more towards the D7000 but if anyone has any useful information on either then I would really appreciate it.

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This is a tough call. One I agonized over myself recently when I decided to upgrade my girlfriends D3200.

Both cameras have a lot going for them that the other lacks. In a nutshell (and I think this will probably tick off a lot of people) I'd say if image quality is of primary concern, get the D5300. If features are more important then get the D7000. Now, that being said, the D7K takes amazing pictures, full stop. I'll repeat that so there's no confusion: The Nikon D7000 takes amazingly good pictures. The D5300, however, has had the OLPF removed, has better color depth, higher resolution and lower noise at higher ISO's which all contribute to why I say if image quality is of top concern, go with the D5300. I also like that the D5300 has the built in GPS and the most current Nikon processor the Expeed 4. The D7000 has the weather sealing, the internal focus motor, the dual card slots... Stuff like that. And those *ARE* some pretty compelling features. So again, if you want the camera with the most features, D7000. If you want the camera with the better image quality of those two cameras, get the D5300.

Either one of those cameras would be a huge upgrade over your current D3000 but if I had to choose one over the other, and I did recently, I'd side with the D5300. I've seen what one can do and I wouldn't trade it, personally, for a D7000. Not even.
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D7100....Or D5300..

It really comes down to what features you want. You'll be used to the controls of the 5300 and get things like in-cam HDR, a fold out screen, built-in GPS/WiFi and 24MP (vs 16 on the 7000). The 7000 offers a greater ease of control (after a slight learning curve), weather sealing and the ability to use a broader range of lenses with the built in AF motor, plus AF fine tuning. BOTH are great cameras.

I lean toward saving up a bit more and getting the D7100 myself, but I'm prejudiced.

If you're upgrading then make sure you get the features and technology that make it worthwhile. The D7K is a good camera ... and almost 4 years old. Its replacement has been around for almost 2 years. The D5300 at least has the latest in sensor technology, but it lacks some of the pro features that you'd get from the 7000 series. Like ShootRAW, I heartily suggest you consider the D7100 instead. If that's prohibitive budget-wise then the D5300 is a better way to go than the older technology.

I understand in an ideal world the D7100 would be the way to go and i'm not completely ruling this out but personally I feel that would it not be better for now to get the D7000 and put the extra cash towards better lenses??
I've just finished college and I'm moving to Australia for a bit and would like the better camera to get the best landscape, wildlife shots as well as some portraiture and travel shots.
Also could anybody tell me the major difference between the HDR setting on the D5300 and the AEB on D7000, is it just a matter of HDR does in camera what you would have to do post processing for AEB? Or am I completely wrong haha

craiggriggs said:

I understand in an ideal world the D7100 would be the way to go and i'm not completely ruling this out but personally I feel that would it not be better for now to get the D7000 and put the extra cash towards better lenses?? I've just finished college and I'm moving to Australia for a bit and would like the better camera to get the best landscape, wildlife shots as well as some portraiture and travel shots.

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The D7100 would be my best suggestion as well, but keeping things to the two cameras you listed, and for your stated purposes, I stand by my suggestion you opt for the D5300. Then too it's starting to sound like you've decided on the D7000 and are looking for support of that decision...

craiggriggs said:

Also could anybody tell me the major difference between the HDR setting on the D5300 and the AEB on D7000, is it just a matter of HDR does in camera what you would have to do post processing for AEB? Or am I completely wrong haha

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The in-camera HDR function of the D5300 takes two shots: one exposed for the highligts, the other exposed for the shadows. These two shots are then merged to create one HDR photo. All of this is done in camera and you wind up with one shot on your card.

The AEB function of the D7000 brackets three shots: one exposed "normally", one exposed at, say for instance, +1EV and another at -1EV. You then have three shots on your card, each with a different EV. The amount of EV in the bracketing can be up to 2EV in either direction.

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Thanks for the response I am kind of leaning to the D7000 but I'm starting to think it would be better for me and better in the long run just to save that little extra and get the D7100. But a quick question about the D7100 as I know it has Hdr but does it have AEB? As I would like to start taking hdr images but would prefer the control that aeb gives you, obviously I know this can still be done manually

Craig Griggs said:

Thanks for the response I am kind of leaning to the D7000 but I'm starting to think it would be better for me and better in the long run just to save that little extra and get the D7100. But a quick question about the D7100 as I know it has Hdr but does it have AEB? As I would like to start taking hdr images but would prefer the control that aeb gives you, obviously I know this can still be done manually

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The D7100 is the best of both worlds. I wish it had the articulating screen and built-in GPS of the D5300, but... All that being said, it has more focus points, dual card slots and lots of external controls.

Yes, the D7100 has Auto Exposure Bracketing, up to five exposures.

• If you are bracketing two shots the available EV increments are (+/-): 0.3, 0.7, 1, 2 & 3
• If you are bracketing three shots the available EV increments are (+/-): 0.3, 0.7, 1, 2 & 3
• If you are bracketing five shots the available EV increments are (+/-): 0.3, 0.7, 1 & 2

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Yeah they were the features that were tearing me between the two, looks like I'll just have to get on the ground and get my maps out

Craig Griggs said:

Yeah they were the features that were tearing me between the two, looks like I'll just have to get on the ground and get my maps out

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Well you can always add an external GPS module to your D7100, they're out there and they work well, so there's that to consider. I do a lot of hiking and woods/desert bumming and the built-in GPS function of the '5300 generates jealous stares every time my girlfriend fires hers up.

If you think you're going to be at all serious about "doing photography" I can only suggest you beg, borrow or steal the extra cash and get the D7100; you won't regret it. Top it off with the Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens and you'll be good to go.

Now, all that being said, I could be very happy with my GF's D5300 if I couldn't have my D7100. The D7000 however, while an excellent camera in its own right, has been inarguably eclipsed by these latter two cameras.
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Welcome to Nikonites! I'm a pro features type of guy so that is the direction I would go myself. And if there is any way you can jump up to the D7100, that would be what would suggest too. That camera seems to be a really popular model with a ton of great features, and after being out for a while it has gotten a lot of fans. The D7000 also does great, but it is older tech, and I haven't heard anything about it having features the D7100 doesn't equal.

The 3xxx and 5xxx series can preform awesome as stated, and one of my favorite shots was with the D3100. But they are all menu based and lack the pro features other models have which I "Highly" recommend even if it has less MPs.

Now if your happy with your D3000 and just want the extra MPs and newer tech, then the D5300 might work fantastic for you. But if your really wanting to go to a more pro capable style Nikon then I would go to the D7xxx series if your looking for new tech too.

I have the D300 which is a pro grade Nikon with a stronger frame and pro features, but it is older tech, lower MPs, and poorer I so abilities. But I love it, and it's the only pro DX Nikon so far. But the D7100 has pretty much everything except the heavy duty frame as the D300 from what I understand, and is new tech. So I think you'd be very happy with it, and it's features are awesome from what I've heard.

Between the D5xxx series and the D7xxx series, I'd choose the D7xxx series, and the D7100 is the model I'd shoot for.

Again welcome to Nikonites, my home away from home!

Thank you everyone for the replies you've been a great help, I don't plan to purchase until september or october but when I do I plan to get the D7100

Craig~

I have the D7000 and my way around the issue with the GPS is that I use an "Eye-Fi" SD card...this connects to either your mobile smartphone/tablet and/or PC/Mac.
It will upload the photos to Eye-Fi's app/program via wifi when the selected internet network service is detected when the camera is in range.
It will download to the dedicated folder you have selected...this also include the GPS information where the photos were taken.

The camera must be turned on for this connection to be enabled.

I hope this helps.

Can't comment on the D5300 but I recent upgraded to the D7000 and it's a fantastic bit of kit. The ow light shooting properties pushed me towards it. There's also the bonus of a massive range of lenses due to the internal focus motor so I didn't need to buy new lenses.

I would not advise you to get the D7000 as it is quite old technology. If you like the functionality of D7000, then save up and get the D7100.

If you are happy with features of the D3000, and want to save money and at the same time have best IQ, then think of getting the D3300. If has the latest sensor and latest processor, and HD at 60 fps - same as D5300. You can use the money saved for better lenses.