Hi from the Valley of California

fingernails

New member
Hello everyone,

I am having a hard time deciding what to get. You see, I am totally new to this whole Photography thing. But I need to invest in one. I am trying to decide what is better for me.

Why Nikon and not Cannon? Well, I want to take both landscape and people pictures, but I don't know what the difference is. :moody:

I want to get a Nikon D7000 kit with 2 lens, the standard lens and a 50mm - 200mm. But the Nikon D5100 is cheaper. I heard that Nikon5100 don't have the auto focus motor so it limits you on getting lenses.
So eek...

What is the maintenance of these cameras and can Canon compare to these? How long does Nikon cameras usually last before it needs repair?

So please help me. What do you use and what is best? also if you have pictures from D5100 or the D7000, please share. Thank you and enjoy this beautiful day.
 
Last edited:

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Hello everyone,

I am having a hard time deciding what to get. You see, I am totally new to this whole Photography thing. But I need to invest in one. I am trying to decide what is better for me.

Why Nikon and not Cannon? Well, I want to take both landscape and people pictures, but I don't know what the difference is. :moody:

I want to get a Nikon D7000 kit with 2 lens, the standard lens and a 50mm - 200mm. But the Nikon D5100 is cheaper. I heard that Nikon5100 don't have the auto focus motor so it limits you on getting lenses.
So eek...

What is the maintenance of these cameras and can Canon compare to these? How long does Nikon cameras usually last before it needs repair?

So please help me. What do you use and what is best? also if you have pictures from D5100 or the D7000, please share. Thank you and enjoy this beautiful day.
The difficult thing about suggesting a first DSLR is that you don't know what you need or want because you have no experience to guide you from one camera to the next since this is your first. You've not shot a DSLR extensively I assume, so you're not aware of what features you want or might find yourself wanting a year from now as your experience and understanding of photography grows. That being said, I'm not going to knock Canon; they make a good product and anyone who says otherwise should be dismissed out of hand.

Since you seem to like the Nikon D5100 and the D7000 I can tell you the nearest competitor to the Nikon D7000 in the Canon lineup that I could come up with was the Canon 7D; even the model numbers are similar. If you can compare these two cameras side by side in a camera store I think that would help you make your decision; in my hand Canon and Nikon cameras FEEL very different, from the way they sit in the hand to the feel of the controls to the layout of the menus.

If you're sure you want to go with either the Nikon D5100 or the D7000 then I'm going to suggest the D7000. Yes, it costs more but that's because it has more of everything. Seriously. In a nutshell that's the simplest and best explanation I can give you; it's just a significantly *better* camera in almost every way that matters. Now, that being said, the D5100 is a very, very capable camera and an excellent choice for someone just starting out. What you're paying for in the D7000 over the D5100 is, again, more of everything. I could regale you with information on things like color depth, exposure values, cross-type focus points, contrast detection and so forth, but I'm not sure how much that would mean to you right now. Simply put, in my opinion, between the D5100 and the D7000 the D7000 is my strong suggestion.

.....
 

nickt

Senior Member
Nikon and Canon are both good. You are on a Nikon forum, so people here are more familiar with and biased heavily toward Nikon. For a beginner, it really doesn't matter. Nikon D3x00 and d5x00 models are more menu driven. D7x00 models are more advanced leaning. They have more external control buttons and a top lcd display so you can quickly see what state the camera is in. The d7x00 bodies lend themselves to quickly changing settings for the situation. They do contain a focus motor to support older lenses. This may not be too big a deal if you are not going to make this a big hobby. Plenty of lenses that will work on the d3x00 and the d5x00 models.

So tell us about your plans and maybe we can nudge you to the more menu driven or the more button driven models. The d7x00 models will carry you more deeper into the hobby. They will require more learning and practice to get full benefit from the user interface. If you don't want to think so hard and just grab the camera and have fun, then the more menu driven d3x00 or d5x00 might suit you better. All take great pictures and all can go off of auto and allow you to be more creative. Pick a path for the type of controls you want and then we can get more deeper into specific models. If you are not going to play with this camera several times a week and get totally familiar with it, the d5x00 models might be better. I think the menu system on the d5x00 family lends itself to more easily figuring out what you want if your fingers have not memorized all the functions.

All models will last a long time if you don't bang them around. D7x00 are a bit more heavily built and weather/dust sealed. (but certainly NOT water proof)
No real maintenance. Keep it clean. You should have a blower to get dust off when needed. At some point you will need to clean your sensor or have it done professionally. Its not hard to do.
 
I have been shooting the D5100 for a while now and it is truly a wonder camera especially for the money. The D5100 and the D7000 share the same sensor so the final image quality is virtually the same. I can tell you that I have a D7000 on the way to my house now. The reason for the upgrade is for the additional features that the D7000 has. Like weather sealing, commander mode for the flash and more focus points. These may not mean much now but if you get serious about photography then they will. Being a beginner though you might have a easier time learning and shooting the D5100.

which ever camera you get just skip the 18-55 kit lens and start with the 18-105 zoom. You will thank me for that later.
 

nickt

Senior Member
which ever camera you get just skip the 18-55 kit lens and start with the 18-105 zoom. You will thank me for that later.
^^^^^ Yes! Good point. The 18-105 will live on your camera. You might want to hold off on the 55-200 for awhile and think about what you really want from a zoom. I had the 18-55 and 55-200. I find the 18-105 much more handy for daily use and when I do want zoom, I want more than 200mm so I ended up with a 70-300.
 
Another idea for buying your camera is to buy a Refurbished camera. I got my D5100 and have on order my D7000 from http://www.cameta.com. I also purchased my 18-105 as a refurbished lens and saved a bundle. Depending on your budget you might be able to stop up the the D7100 for the same money you had budgeted. The nice thing about this company is that you get a full year warranty.
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
Not going to add any input other than get your hands on the cameras and see what feels the best. If you can work a body with more features into the budget, it's certainly not going to hurt, but with most of the DSLR's on the market today, you're going to get a highly capable camera with plenty of room to learn and grow!

Search out some of the other threads on the forums here, and you'll find a lot of discussion between pros and cons of each model.

​And WELCOME to the forums!
 

fingernails

New member
Not going to add any input other than get your hands on the cameras and see what feels the best. If you can work a body with more features into the budget, it's certainly not going to hurt, but with most of the DSLR's on the market today, you're going to get a highly capable camera with plenty of room to learn and grow!

Search out some of the other threads on the forums here, and you'll find a lot of discussion between pros and cons of each model.

​And WELCOME to the forums!

Thank you! One thing I know for sure is, I am definitely going to get a Nikon. Thanks for the advice. :D
 

fingernails

New member
thank you : )
awesome pics! I was thinking since the newer camera is already out, the d7000 should be less, but its still up there in the 1000's.
 

dramtastic

Senior Member
thank you : )
awesome pics! I was thinking since the newer camera is already out, the d7000 should be less, but its still up there in the 1000's.

Hi Fingernails,
Are you saying the D7000 is in the thousands? If so where? Or are you saying with a lens kit. I only buy retail if retails prices are equal to the online prices. I bought my D7K body online for only $680 about 4 mths ago. Should be even cheaper now.
 

fingernails

New member
Hi Fingernails,
Are you saying the D7000 is in the thousands? If so where? Or are you saying with a lens kit. I only buy retail if retails prices are equal to the online prices. I bought my D7K body online for only $680 about 4 mths ago. Should be even cheaper now.

Oh forgot to clarify. With the kit. :adoration:
 

fingernails

New member
Consider refurbished cameras. Nikon D7000 Digital SLR Camera Body - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty
They have other refurb models and lenses too. One year warranty. I think Don has one on the way now.
B&H and Adorama are also good places to buy from, but I don't think they are offering a one year warranty on refurbs like Cameta is.

Correct me if I heard wrong, some people (not from this site) has told me not to go with refurbished because of the fault it may still have...and its pretty much like a used camera, with wear and tear...? I personally, wouldn't mind a used or refurbished camera at all. But I would like to know if refurbished electronics are this way, especially for a camera...? thanks!
 

nickt

Senior Member
Correct me if I heard wrong, some people (not from this site) has told me not to go with refurbished because of the fault it may still have...and its pretty much like a used camera, with wear and tear...? I personally, wouldn't mind a used or refurbished camera at all. But I would like to know if refurbished electronics are this way, especially for a camera...? thanks!

I've only bought a refurbished lens a few months back. Other than the brown box, it was absolutely new. No signs of use, no tell-tale marks on the mount. No dust, no fingerprints. Other people here have bought many refurbished lenses and bodies with the same experience. With Cameta giving a 1 year warranty, I don't think you can go wrong. I believe refurbs are mainly returns during a store's return period. I HAVE NO DATA, I'M JUST GUESSING, but I would bet a large percentage of refurbs were returned just because the customer changed his mind or didn't know how to use it. They go back to Nikon, get checked out, and sold as refurbs. There are no real lemon-like problems on the d7000 or any of the d5x00 either. I don't think any big problem or well worn cameras will end up in the refurb stream. If someone's camera starts acting up after 6 months, its theirs forever. They send it in to Nikon and they fix it and return the same camera to the same owner. No routine exchanges. A 'Used' camera would be a different story. That could be worn out or have ongoing problems and probably has not been checked out by Nikon.

I understand your concern, I just returned my daughter's iphone with a bad power button and got a refurb back with a good power button, but a poorly focusing camera. I don't think we have seen refurb problems with Nikons.
 
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