# Nikon D5100 vs. D7000



## Jesse11 (Feb 13, 2012)

Hey guys. 

Been poking around a bit looking at some new cameras and these 2 have  caught my attention. Although I know the D7000 does offer more features,  fps, focus points etc., I'm really wondering if there is enough of a  difference to justify the price. In Canada it's about a $400 difference.  

So I'm looking for some input from people that own either one and their  impressions on it. Or even better someone that was looking at these same  two and what made them choose one of the other.


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## greybeard (Feb 13, 2012)

I have a d5100 it will not auto focus with older af lenses.  The d7000 will focus with the older lenses, has a bigger brighter view finder.  The d5100 does have a articulated monitor which the d7000 does not.  These are (imho) the biggest differences.


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## jdag (Feb 13, 2012)

I think you'll find that this is 1 of the most common questions brought up on this forum, so do some searching and I am sure you'll find tons of responses.  Also, be sure to search on the D5000 (predecessor to D5100) for more details.

That being said, you will also likely find a large number of recommendations for the D7000 over the D5100.  Here are a handful of reasons to support the D7000:

Focus motor built into body
Top mount LCD screen (huge advantage in my opinion)
Dual control wheels
More dedicated buttons
Larger and more robust build
Flash commander mode (I do not believe the D5100 offers this, but could be wrong)
Faster frame rate
Dual memory card slots

Personal opinion is that it is well worth the cost difference.


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## Heitz (Feb 13, 2012)

I have the D5100 and I really wish I had gone with the 7000.  Here's one simple reason.  Suppose you want to do off camera flash without SU-4 optical trigger.  With SU-4 mode, you can trigger off camera speed lights with the pop-up flash, but the pop-up flash will become part of the exposure.  The way around this is to have 2 (or more) speed lights, one of which stays mounted on the hot shoe and acts as commander for the rest.  In this way, you can trigger them without the master flash becoming part of the exposure (if you so desire).  In this scenario, you would need to buy one extra speed light to act as the commander.  So, that $400 difference may not be as big as you think.
Other notable lack of features include auto FP sync, lack of an internal motor, and fewer focus points.  So if you are into photography and think you will advance, you will likely outgrow the D5100 more quickly.


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## DY3VERSITY (Feb 13, 2012)

Heitz said:


> I have the D5100 and I really wish I had gone with the 7000.  Here's one simple reason.  Suppose you want to do off camera flash without SU-4 optical trigger.  With SU-4 mode, you can trigger off camera speed lights with the pop-up flash, but the pop-up flash will become part of the exposure.  The way around this is to have 2 (or more) speed lights, one of which stays mounted on the hot shoe and acts as commander for the rest.  In this way, you can trigger them without the master flash becoming part of the exposure (if you so desire).  In this scenario, you would need to buy one extra speed light to act as the commander.  So, that $400 difference may not be as big as you think.
> Other notable lack of features include auto FP sync, lack of an internal motor, and fewer focus points.  So if you are into photography and think you will advance, you will likely outgrow the D5100 more quickly.



This is exactly how I am feeling. After 7 months of owning my 5100. I really should of gone with the 7000, especially with the price difference. Having to buy a speedlight commander already makes up for the price.


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## jriepe (Feb 13, 2012)

I totally agree with the above advice.  I am into macro and have a macro flash bracket with two SB600 speedlights mounted on the bracket with one on each side of the lens.  These speedlights are triggered with the built flash from my D7000 or one of my D80's.  My first DSLR was a D40X and never again will I want a camera body without a lens focusing motor or a commander flash.  The D7000 also has a menu function that will adjust the focus of a lens that may not be focusing precisely.  If you buy the D7000 I recommend a very good book called "Mastering the Nikon D7000" by Darrel Young  that explains all the menu items in detail.  I recently purchased the book even though I've had my D7000 for a year and have no regrets.

Jerry


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## KmH (Feb 13, 2012)

DY3VERSITY said:


> Heitz said:
> 
> 
> > I have the D5100 and I really wish I had gone with the 7000.  Here's one simple reason.  Suppose you want to do off camera flash without SU-4 optical trigger.  With SU-4 mode, you can trigger off camera speed lights with the pop-up flash, but the pop-up flash will become part of the exposure.  The way around this is to have 2 (or more) speed lights, one of which stays mounted on the hot shoe and acts as commander for the rest.  In this way, you can trigger them without the master flash becoming part of the exposure (if you so desire).  In this scenario, you would need to buy one extra speed light to act as the commander.  So, that $400 difference may not be as big as you think.
> ...


However, the irony is that using flash TTL modes is very much more complex, difficult to learn, and delivers much more inconsistant results than just using an inexpensive radio trigger and manual modes for OCF (off camera flash) use.

StudioHut 4 channel Wireless Radio Hot Shoe Flash Trigger Kit for Canon EOS, Nikon, Olympus & Pentax Flashes with 2 Receivers


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## greybeard (Feb 13, 2012)

There are several things about the d7000 that I like better.  If the d7000 had an articulated screen, it would be perfect.


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## Zembonez (Feb 13, 2012)

Not exactly what you are looking for, but so far I am quite impressed with my D7000. I didn't have the 5100 though. I upgraded from my trusty D80.


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## Heitz (Feb 13, 2012)

KmH said:


> DY3VERSITY said:
> 
> 
> > Heitz said:
> ...



You just inspired me to take out my credit card.  So thanks for that!


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## xj0hnx (Feb 13, 2012)

I love my D5100, but I would really love to have all the manual controls the D7000 has instead of just being able to assign a single function button. Though if you get a remote for the shutter, program the Fn to ISO, and set WB to auto it's not too bad. The on the body AF motor could come in handy also.


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## greybeard (Feb 13, 2012)

Like they have told you, the d5100 is a stripped down d7000.  Same sensor and picture quality but, the d7000 has more pro features and is built a bit sturdier.  I'm using a d5100 right now but if I were to buy a crop frame Nikon it would be the d7000 for sure.  Big question, can you find one?


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## KmH (Feb 13, 2012)

Yes the D7000 has a metal top panel and back panel the D5100 doesn't have, but those plates aren't there to make the camera body stronger. They are there to help disipate heat and to help shield the electronics from outside RF interference.


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## nickzou (Feb 13, 2012)

KmH said:


> Yes the D7000 has a metal top panel and back panel the D5100 doesn't have, but those plates aren't there to make the camera body stronger. They are there to help disipate heat and to help shield the electronics from outside RF interference.



I'm wondering if that is really an issue of concern. I was out with my photography class on the Canal for Winterlude (in Ottawa) and my HANDS were freezing! I kept snapping shots in RAW of everything, in burst mode only to remember that I have these metal plates that were supposed to dissipate heat. At one point I actually switched cameras with a girl in my class who had a D5100. She jumped at the chance to shoot my gripped D7000 and I really wanted to warm up my hands. So I tried the same thing with my D5100 to warm up my hands. Maybe the extreme cold was an issue (although it really wasn't that cold a day) but the camera did not seem to get any warmer than my D7000 not even a bit.

There are advantages to the D7000 I think, how it fits in your hand, the dual dials are worth it alone... I can't think of too much now but basically how the camera operates and feels in your hand is worth a lot more than beginners realize. Yeah you'll get the same image quality and honestly I think the meter in the D5100 is better but that usability quality of a camera is huge. There are a lot of superfluous features as well to be sure, but whenever I talk about cameras, it usually comes down to two things, usability and image quality. Everything else is kinda of BS.

P.S. Yes, I know I should've warn gloves, hindsight is 20/20.


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## Netskimmer (Feb 13, 2012)

I had a D5100 but returned it in favor of the D7000 in less than a month. I do miss the swivel screen from time to time but the faster FPS, dual dials, dedicated buttons, top LCD and better viewfinder more than make up for that and the extra cost.


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## One2 (Feb 14, 2012)

I think for a mere $400, I would pick the D7000.  Here in the states the price gap is more significant.  You can pick up the D5100 with the kit lens for $750 but the D7000 is about $1500 (I've seen them for more than this).  That's almost double the price.  I personally couldn't justify the cost.  I ended up with a D90.  I chose that for the internal focus motor and the ability to make most of my important exposure changes without having to go into the menu.


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## ZapoTeX (Feb 14, 2012)

> Focus motor built into body
> Top mount LCD screen (huge advantage in my opinion)
> Dual control wheels
> More dedicated buttons
> ...


I'm reporting a list of advantages of the D7000 from a previous post. The first six of these items (everything but the last two) are available at a price lower than the D5100...


> I ended up with a D90.


...exactly 

The D90 costs less than the D5100 and all it misses from the D7000 is 4 MP (12MP vs. 16MP), a slightly improved focused system, a slightly improved high-ISO performance and metering with REALLY old, manual focus lenses (AI).

Best way to tell whether that's worth the price is to try both. If you look at my signature, you'll see that my personal answer is no (especially since the difference will buy some good glass), but that's up to you to decide.


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## orunraandoreo (Feb 14, 2012)

I think D7000 has CLS but D5100 doesn't, not sure though. 

But what I'm sure is you can use manual focus lenses on D7000 and it'll give you light metering. This is what interests me most.


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## RedLeg (Feb 15, 2012)

anyone have any idea when the D7000's are going to be in the stores?


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## jriepe (Feb 15, 2012)

ZapoTeX said:


> > Focus motor built into body
> > Top mount LCD screen (huge advantage in my opinion)
> > Dual control wheels
> > More dedicated buttons
> ...



Two or three more:

1080 vs 720 video
Auto focus vs manual focus in video
And not sure if the D90 has a fine tune focus adjustment for different lenses

I do agree he may be very happy with the D90.  When the D90 first came out I wanted to step up from a D40X but then decided to go with the D80 because of the huge difference in cost and video is not important to me.  I have the D7000 but still use the D80 occasionally.

Jerry


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## zorro53 (Feb 15, 2012)

Let me start by saying this: I just got through (literally) with an in depth due diligence in regard to a new camera purchase. I am retired (young retired) and therefore have the time to do this. My wife and I spent hours and hours looking through forums, and reading posts, sifting through reviews on Amazon, Costco, DPreview, Snapsort, looking at videos on you tube from proffesionals watching the differences in cameras in the video reviews, reading, watching, comparing, blah, blah, blah.

We were comparing these models and manufacturers against each other Canon D60 and D7, Nikon D7000 and D5100 - (keep in mind we were fighting against the almighty $$$ in regards to great deals being offered by Costco on some of these camera's)...

Rather than bore you with the details I will just say this for what we wanted and how long we wanted it for we ended up with the D7000 for a lot of VERY GOOD reasons two of which were the body build and dual media cards and a whole host of other reasons. 

I will tell you this, I was simply blown away by the many reviews I read about how bad the D5100 was in terms of reliability, about five reviewers all different, all said that the camera body was CHEAP and CHEESY feeling - with very immature basic stripped down controls and that for no apparent reason the camera started taking black pictures (sensor went dead) happened to all five. (Amazon reviews) That was the nail for me. Hope this helps you from making a mistake.

One more thing "The Nikon store" yes Mother Nikons online store had as of last night brand new body only units for sale for $1199.00 yes I know because I bought.


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## xj0hnx (Feb 15, 2012)

zorro53 said:


> I was simply blown away by the many reviews I read about how bad the D5100 was in terms of reliability, about five reviewers all different, all said that the camera body was CHEAP and CHEESY feeling



That makes me wonder if they ever actually even have seen one in person.


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## zorro53 (Feb 15, 2012)

Well I have had one in my hands and I wasn't impressed - as for the reviewers who knows...


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## RedLeg (Feb 15, 2012)

zorro53 said:


> One more thing "The Nikon store" yes Mother Nikons online store had as of last night brand new body only units for sale for $1199.00 yes I know because I bought.



just checked and they are all gone.


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## zorro53 (Feb 15, 2012)

RedLeg said:


> zorro53 said:
> 
> 
> > One more thing "The Nikon store" yes Mother Nikons online store had as of last night brand new body only units for sale for $1199.00 yes I know because I bought.
> ...



well I just checked and the web site still shows that you can add them to your cart and according to the store if that feature is active that means there is stock and that feature is still active as of three seconds ago - so not sure what's up with what happened to you ...?

http://shop.nikonusa.com/store/niko...parentCategoryID.43886700/categoryID.43886800


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## xj0hnx (Feb 15, 2012)

zorro53 said:


> RedLeg said:
> 
> 
> > zorro53 said:
> ...



Maybe clear your browser cache, they are out of stock. If I use your link, it shows in stock, but if I refresh the page they turn to "Where to Buy" instead of "Shop Now".


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## zorro53 (Feb 16, 2012)

O.K. - well WoW ... that didn't take long - I must of got one of the last ones ...


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## ZapoTeX (Feb 17, 2012)

> Two or three more:
> 
> 1080 vs 720 video
> Auto focus vs manual focus in video
> And not sure if the D90 has a fine tune focus adjustment for different lenses


Absolutely, I hope my post was not misleading. I just mentioned the features that are most commonly used. But it is true that the D7000 has far better video capabilities. And for the focus fine tuning I honestly did not know 



> We were comparing these models and manufacturers against each other Canon D60 and D7, Nikon D7000 and D5100


Then you were not just choosing the model, you were also choosing the category of camera you wanted! The D5100 is an advanced entry level, the D7000 and the 60D are medium end APS-Cs and the 7D is probably the highest-end APSc on the market today. Anyway, I would have picked the same as you did 

Bye bye!


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## Netskimmer (Feb 17, 2012)

ZapoTeX said:


> > Two or three more:
> >
> > 1080 vs 720 video
> > Auto focus vs manual focus in video
> ...



I don't know if one could say the 7D is in a completely higher category than the D7000. I have never used a 7D but most of the reviews I have read/watched seem to put them pretty neck and neck. Even if the D7 is better, saying that they aren't even in the same catagory is a bit of a stretch. 

I would also point out that the D7000 have far more over the D90 than a few mega pixels and a little ISO performance. More dynamic range, better color depth, less shutter lag, faster FPS, weather sealing, and more focus points just to name a few.


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## RedLeg (Feb 17, 2012)

the D7000 is available now on bestbuy.com


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## zamanakhan (Feb 20, 2012)

I used to have the d5000, and when i had it it was always: "oh man i wish i had the d90, autofocus motor and cls are soooooooo great" i eventually sold the d5000 and i was half right... The d5000 rocked in that it was smaller, and while i had it didnt think too much of the articulating screen, i REALLY miss it now, esp for video or really low shots. I used to take shots from really odd angles when i had the 5000, no so much anymore with the 7000. The other big thing is i thought i would buy alot more AF lenses as they are cheaper, and the only AF lens i purchased was the 50 1.8, which i quickly sold of. At 1.8 the AF-D wasnt all that great, i picked up a pro nikon 2.8 zoom and even that had a motor built in, i could of stayed with the 5000 and would of been happy. I also thought i would buy more AIS lenses and get more use out of my lensbaby, i have a 28mm series e lens and i barely mount it on the camera, again wide open performance is sub par and i pixel peep quite a bit, the only way you are going to be truly happy with manual focus performance for street photography is if you get yourself a split screen. I also dont use the lesbaby at all still. 

-Depending on how you shoot, your style maybe different, but i choose single point af-s or af-c and i rarely use the far end focus points, in fact i have alot of the focus points turned off so i can get to other focus points faster, i notice no difference between d7000 and d5000, atleast for me. 
-resolution is the same, so that wont be a problem, you should get very very close results at the same settings on either camera. 
-Although the d5000 does not have an AF motor, will you actually purchase lenses that requires a motor? or already have lenses? most of the nice dx lenses fx lenses now have a motor built in anyways. The ones that have both an AF-D (no motor) and AFS(motor driven) versions, the G or AFS version seems to be better across the board. Take for example the 50 1.8, this was the main reason i wanted the d90, everyone said it was a great lens and it seemed to have a magical lore around it, that lens now has a motored version and the motored version is significantly SHARPER!!!! this was a bigger deal with the d90 as this lens was about the cheapest nikon lens you could buy, and when you first buy your camera you want to buy everything for it, dont fall into that trap.
-If you go with either the 5100 or 7000 basically your next lens will probably be a zoom or 35 1.8 or 50 1.8, both lenses are super sharp and work on both cameras, you wont loose anything by going with the d5100. same if you decide to get a zoom, the 55-200, 55-300, 70-300 18-200 are all AFS lenses. 
-FPS, do u see yourself shooting sports often? even then 4fps isnt exactly slow, i cant recall a single time when i shot the full 6fps on my d7000. Pick your shots you wont need that high of fps, it also clogs up your card pretty quickly especially if your shooting raw.
-D5100 is a great camera, i don't own one but i had the d5000 and the d5100 is miles more convenient that the 5000, the screen is located at a better joint, better resolution better everything total upgrade AWESOME CAMERA!!!

Now having said all that... would i have gotten the d5100 instead of the d7000? Absolutely not... having had the d5000 i learned tons about photography, actually i believe if i had gotten the d90 to begin with i probably would of been confused for the first couple of weeks of shooting. I also would of spent more money on flashes and might of purchased a ton of diffrent lenses that i would now find useless, like a 70-300AF-D or off brand zooms with slow aperatures. Like I said before when you get your new camera, you want to buy all sorts of goodies for it. I purchased to crappy ebay wide angle, fisheye and telephoto attachement. WHAT A DISSAPOINTMENT. Stick with nikon gear or well reviewed offbrand gear.

-What i love about the d7000 is the U1 and U2 setting modes, GOD I LOVE THIS FEATURE, being able to recall all your settings and save them to two distinct dial modes is awesome. But you wont have to worry about this with your first camera, at least not for a while. I wouldnt miss this feature if i never experiened it.
-CLS, i have 3 nikon sb speed lights and being able to fire them wireless in full auto is very very very convenient, but again also a feature you will probably not use for a long time... if you do decide to, an sb-700 is only $300 and another sb-600 is about $200 used you only loose about $100, but when u do upgrade and have a body with cls you'll have 2 flashes, its win win.
-it took a while to get used to the double adjustment wheels and i actually mised the d5000 interface for a while, you can change settings just as fast with the d5100 as you can with the d7000, dont let people tell you that its better to have more dials blah blah blah. When you get comfortable with a camera you learn to shoot it and change settings on the fly just as fast as any other camera.
-i think thats about it, those are the features that i REALLY use other than that everything else is just fluff or things i barely use, just the cls and and user settings mode, once i've gotten used the dual command dials and such tho i dont think i could go back.

There are a few other features that i use quite often but now that i have used them, they aren't really a deal breaker, like the dual card slots, extra dial with diffrent shutter modes (mup, quiet, remote etc,) horizon, manual lens metering. These are all conveneice features, i would miss them if they were gone, but i dont think i would pay an extra $400 just for these. For these, along with CLS and AF motor i would. 


You will be happy with either of them, if money is tight i would go for the d5100, if money isnt tight i would still go for the d5100 and perhaps the 35 1.8dx and 50 1.8dx. If you have even more money i would spring for a d7000 without kit lens and get a 35 1.8.

D7000 is without a doubt better built and has better features, but in the end quite a few of those features are just "Convenience" you can do the EXACT same thing with either of them. As you get deeper and deeper into the nikon system however you'll realize that $400 doesn't always go that far in terms of lenses, the only lenses worth having under $400 that i can think of off the top of my head are a few primes, and maybe an off brand zoom here and there. Personally i cant live without CLS and for $400 you can get CLS on your d5100 via sb-700.

If your are hard to please and want every feature even if you wont use it, go for the 7000 if not d5100 will suit you 100%. Neither of them are the wrong choice "period"


I'd even be ok with a d3100... Having said all that... I am actually itching for the d800... i know i dont "NEED" it but i want it, (and may actually put the money down in the summer.)



PS:

to anyone saying they had to go into the menu to make important exposure changes or if a salesman is trying to upsell you a 7000 by saying that all the functions have their own dial and you dont have to go into menus:
With the d5000 and iam 99.9999% sure the d5100 will be like this as well, you dont have to go into the menu's to change major settings. Basically the only settings most people change are 1. shutter speed 2. aperature 3. iso

I shot mainly Aperature prioroty and in this mode i had no problems settings aperature via command dial and iso via button plus command dial, it was just as fast to change settings on the 5000 as it is on the d7000. These 3 settings are what you will change the majority of the time, other settings also have dedicated buttons and you simply use the command dial.


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## markj (Feb 27, 2012)

how do I delete this post?


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## markj (Feb 27, 2012)

My justification for purchasing the d5100 over the d7000 is simple. I find both these cameras to be temporary. Let's face it, in less than two years from now<br>the D800 will be at the same price point of today's D7000. That's when I upgrade. With both cameras (d5100 & d7000) possessing the same sensor, I'm assuming greybeard is correct in saying that the picture quality is the same. To me, that's bottom line. So for the money I saved with the D5100, I invested into a nikkor 105mm f2.8g lens. Wonder how that will look snapped into the D800?


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## zorro53 (Feb 27, 2012)

markj said:


> My justification for purchasing the d5100 over the d7000 is simple. I find both these cameras to be temporary. Let's face it, in less than two years from now<br>the D800 will be at the same price point of today's D7000. That's when I upgrade. With both cameras (d5100 & d7000) possessing the same sensor, I'm assuming greybeard is correct in saying that the picture quality is the same. To me, that's bottom line. So for the money I saved with the D5100, I invested into a nikkor 105mm f2.8g lens. Wonder how that will look snapped into the D800?



Well after giving the D7000 a run - it is all it is cracked up to be and more - enjoy the 5100 and I hope all your dreams come true...


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## markj (Feb 27, 2012)

Than you Zorro, it's been quite awhile since anyone hoped my dreams come true. Even my wife gave up some time ago.


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## ZapoTeX (Feb 28, 2012)

> I don't know if one could say the 7D is in a completely higher category than the D7000. I have never used a 7D but most of the reviews I have read/watched seem to put them pretty neck and neck. Even if the D7 is better, saying that they aren't even in the same catagory is a bit of a stretch.



Sorry for the very late reply!
You're actually right, categories are blurring out lately. What I meant was that, traditionally, the APS-C were divided into:

1) Low end entry level: 1000D, D3000 (and following models)
2) High-end entry level: 500D, D5000 (and following models)
3) Medium range: 50D, D90
4) High-end, basically an APS-C sensor in a pro-body: D300, D300s and 7D

The differences between 2 and 3 were: penta-prism vs. penta-mirror, double wheel, auxiliary LCD display on top of the camera
The differences between 3 and 4 were: 100% (or close to that) viewfinder, weather sealing, fast burst

These days things are blurring out. While the D90 was slightly lower end than the 50D (not just in price, the body was a little smaller, there was more plastic and less magnesium, etc...), the D7000 is definitely higher and shares some of the features of category 4, such as some kind of weather sealing and a 100% viewfinder. The D7000 is intermediate between 3 and 4. However, I still believe that the 7D (and the hopefully soon-to-come D400) are a higher category, for example because of faster burst and even tighter weather sealing.



> I would also point out that the D7000 have far more over the D90 than a few mega pixels and a little ISO performance. More dynamic range, better color depth, less shutter lag, faster FPS, weather sealing, and more focus points just to name a few.


Totally agree with you, I again apologize if my message was misleading. When I wrote "ISO performance" I implied "better sensor in general". Concerning the shutter lag: the one on the D90 does not bother me at all, even when I do sports or birds, but maybe it's just that I'm not good enough to feel this limit  The AF, on the other hand, is definitely the one and only weak point of the D90 (at least for the way I use it).

Bye bye!


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