# 7D vs D7000 for fast action sports?



## outdoors (Jul 13, 2011)

I'm in need of a camera that will do a good job for high speed fast action sports. 6fps is the bare min I can get away with and more is better. Fast and accurate autofocus is must. Nearly everything will be shot during the day so low light performance isn't much of an issue for 95% of the work.

In the prosumer price range the 7D could be the winner based on the 8fps. But buffer size (continuous shooting at max fps) is very important too. Will be shooting jpeg so RAW performance isn't a concern.

Weather resistance is another benefit I'm looking for.

Has anyone done a comparison of continuous high FPS shooting between the 7D and D7000?


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## EPPhoto (Jul 13, 2011)

I cant comment much on the 7D as I've never used one...so I won't lol

Here's an idea possibly for you:
 The Nikon D300 can shoot 8fps.  An the 52 pt. AF is decent, PLUS they can be had at a pretty good prices right now.

Or if you want something newer, then the D7000 is the answer.

I have a D7000 and a couple D300's and I'm not gonna lie the D7000 is a sick body!!  The new EXSpeed II processor is astounding!  Fast and incredibly accurate in all AF modes.  The only thing the D300 has on it is that its faster fps (8)  and has more AF points (52), but that's about all it has on the 7000.  In everything else, the 7000 blows it away!


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## BJF (Jul 13, 2011)

Here you are two links with sample photos and videos:

7D + price

D7000 + price


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## outdoors (Jul 13, 2011)

EPPhoto said:


> In everything else, the 7000 blows it away!



How many frames can you get at 6fps before the buffer fills and begins to slow down?


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## penfolderoldo (Jul 14, 2011)

Like EPPhoto, i'm not going to comment on the D7000 as i've never used it, but I use the 7D almost every day at work, as a fair chunk of my work is sports pics. The AF is superb - accurate and fast. I've covered football and motor racing with it with no hunting issues at all. My only gripe with it is the relatively low RAW buffer (15), tho as you said you'll be shooting in JPG the buffer of 125 should be fine (tho these are only with a UDMA card). I was covering cricket at the weekend and the heavens opened, me and my gear got drenched - 7D included - with no adverse effects whatsoever. Its as good as my 1D mark 3, and i'd argue the 7D's AF is as accurate as that, and may be fractionally faster.


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## EPPhoto (Jul 14, 2011)

outdoors said:
			
		

> How many frames can you get at 6fps before the buffer fills and begins to slow down?



I think the buffer on jpgs is 100 @ 6fps


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## outdoors (Jul 14, 2011)

Has anyone seen anything like the following done for the D7000?

Jump down to the Frame Rate section of this link:

From Ken Rockwell's review of the 7D -


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## kylehess10 (Jul 15, 2011)

I use the D7000 for fast-action sports and it's perfect IMO. I do wish the 6fps could be a little faster, but it's still a good speed. I've also shot a lot of images up to 3200 ISO during night games and they look great!  My stream on Flickr were all taken with the D7000 for samples:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53312364@N00/sets/72157626336244707/detail/

[URL]http://www.flickr.com/photos/53312364@N00/sets/72157626461176090/detail/[/URL]


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## outdoors (Jul 15, 2011)

kylehess10 said:


> I use the D7000 for fast-action sports and it's perfect IMO.



Cool. Would you be willing to run your D7000 through the test situation that Ken Rockwell used for the 7D above? A head to head comparison would be very useful.

Have you had your D7000 in any wet weather conditions?

And your pics are wonderful. Do you have any sample image sequences of really fast action (like motocross, bike racing or ski racing)?


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## outdoors (Jul 17, 2011)

There is some great sports related info on the D7000 here:

Flickr: Discussing D7000 - Sports Photography Perfromance Review in NIKON D7000 CLUB

http://sportsphotoguy.com/nikon-d7000-raw-burst-test/


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## outdoors (Jul 19, 2011)

outdoors said:


> How many frames can you get at 6fps before the buffer fills and begins to slow down?



http://vimeo.com/17675705


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## worrptangl (Jul 19, 2011)

kylehess10 I love the shot of Chipper Jones. The bend in the bat is awesome!!!!


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## EPPhoto (Jul 19, 2011)

You'd honestly be better off shooting with a D300.  
-It has more AF points (51) 
-Faster fps (very important)
-Iit's weather sealed better than the D7000.  
-Lastly...it's cheaper!!

  I can't comment on the Canon side of things.  Sorry.


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## outdoors (Jul 20, 2011)

The D300 is a contender but I didn't mention it because I have reservations about buying older tech. I know its stupid as the camera clearly takes great pictures. Plus the camera feels big once the grip is added.


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## Derrel (Jul 20, 2011)

Rockwell's review of the Canon 7D has some major negatives listed:http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/7d.htm

"If you can get over this graffiti in the finder, the 7D's AF system usually works great, and especially intriguing is how well it works in dim light with slow zoom lenses with no need for an AF illuminator. By "usually," it's fast, but in the auto-sensor-select mode, it usually picks the closest thing, which isn't always your subject. The Nikon D3 is uncanny at finding and focusing on the subjects eyeball, while the 7D just guesses. Worse, instead of the 7D needing just one button to select the AF sensor you want when the auto-select doesn't get you there, you have to use three different controls in exact sequence! ([ + ], M-Fn, then the little thumb controller or control dials.)"--Ken Rockwell

"The Canon 7D adds the first completely new AF system in Canon's amateur cameras in a very long time, which sounds nice, but it's still not as good as Nikon's 51-point systems in their better cameras. Nikon's better AF sensors don't go black and block your finder, either. The Nikon D300 isn't all that exciting, but the AF system of the Nikon D3 is worlds better than the 7D.The side AF sensors are less precise than the center sensor, if you're using a lens at least as fast as f/2.8. With a fast lens, like the 50mm f//1.8 II, I get much better results using only the center sensor. Unlike the Nikon D3, which really uses facial recognition acquired with its full-color three-dimensional 1,005 zone light meter to nail focus right on the closest eye of your subject, the relatively primitive 7D has no such ability. In its auto-AF select mode, the 7D merely focuses on whatever's closest, which may or may not be your subject."--Ken Rockwell​
"Tracking AF, where the 7D tries to move AF sensors as the subject flies around the finder, is nowhere near as good as Nikon's 51-point color 3D system. The 7D is simply too blind to capture and track subjects across the finder, compared to all the data the Nikon systems use to keep that AF sensor uncannily on your subject as it moves around, or as you change composition. There is no AF illuminator, and the 7D doesn't need it. Be careful; sometimes the 7D will try to pop off a flash for AF assist unless you disable that in a menu. If it's very dark, the AF zones will blink in red for a moment as selected, but they also stay black until after you shoot. I'm not all that impressed with the 7D's AF performance. The ergonomics are worse than older AF systems as in the 5D Mark II, and when shooting action at 8 FPS with an 18-135mm EF-S, I don't see that I got particularly well-tracking autofocus. I prefer the 5D Mark II, sorry."--Ken Rockwell


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## penfolderoldo (Jul 20, 2011)

Interesting. I've never had the 7D 'pop off a flash' as Ken Rockwell mentions, and i've never disabled it either. Personally, i'd never use AF auto select anyway, so for me its not an issue, even if it does focus on the closest thing (which it doesn't, incidentally, certainly not on my model at at any rate). Perhaps i'm missing something here, but I REALLY don't have a massive issue with the AF points staying black - IF it obscures anything its a tiny part of the centre image.

Ken may well be a great photographer, however his personal preference is QUITE CLEARLY for Nikon, which tends to be reflected in his reviews, and for me anyone who states that '6mp is all anyone needs for anything' may not be as worldly-wise as it may appear (it may be all YOU need for anything Ken, but try doing a football match in November in Scotland at ISO 3200 with 6mp's and you'll see the flaw in that statement!)


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## Scuba (Jul 22, 2011)

From the reviews I have read the buffer on the D7000 is an issue because it is small.  I was comparing it to the 60D so I haven't read up on the 7D that much.


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## Derrel (Jul 22, 2011)

The 7D has a really odd problem in low light levels, and it is mentioned on page 93 of the camera's manual. In lower light levels, the camera's top firing rate drops from 8 frames per second to 4 fps. No matter if the shutter speeds are fast, the top cyclic rate drops to 50% of normal with the 7D....weird...


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## bentcountershaft (Jul 22, 2011)

Derrel said:


> The 7D has a really odd problem in low light levels, and it is mentioned on page 93 of the camera's manual. In lower light levels, the camera's top firing rate drops from 8 frames per second to 4 fps. No matter if the shutter speeds are fast, the top cyclic rate drops to 50% of normal with the 7D....weird...



That is weird.  Seems like it has to be related to focus if it's only in low light.  I guess someone could try it in manual focus and see if it slows down.


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## penfolderoldo (Jul 22, 2011)

bentcountershaft said:


> Derrel said:
> 
> 
> > The 7D has a really odd problem in low light levels, and it is mentioned on page 93 of the camera's manual. In lower light levels, the camera's top firing rate drops from 8 frames per second to 4 fps. No matter if the shutter speeds are fast, the top cyclic rate drops to 50% of normal with the 7D....weird...
> ...



Strange indeed. I'm doing a gig tonight so i'll check it out, but up till now i've never noticed it dropping as low as that. Think bentcountershaft might be spot on, sounds like a focus issue.


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