Cropped sensor camera: Nikon D7000 or Canon 60D Wich is better?

[hassiman]

Trying to choose between Nikon D7000 and the Canon 60D.  Anuyone have an opinion or used both of these cameras?  Both with the Kit 18 - 200 Zoom lens.

For my wife.  Which cameras has the better Kit lens?

Thanks.

[BernardLanguillier]

Trying to choose between Nikon D7000 and the Canon 60D.  Anuyone have an opinion or used both of these cameras?  Both with the Kit 18 - 200 Zoom lens.

For my wife.  Which cameras has the better Kit lens?

The D7000 is closer to the 7D in terms of specification at a price point close to that of the 60D.

Besides the better image quality, the #1 selling point of the D7000 is IMHO its much better optical viewfinder. I started shooting with a D7000 a few weeks ago and have been very impressed by its image quality compared to the D3x I have been using till now.

Regarding the lenses, the kits are probably fairly close to one another, but I would advise going for the much superior 16-85 VR.

Cheers,
Bernard

[JohnKoerner]

Trying to choose between Nikon D7000 and the Canon 60D.  Anuyone have an opinion or used both of these cameras?  Both with the Kit 18 - 200 Zoom lens.
For my wife.  Which cameras has the better Kit lens?
Thanks.

What does your wife like to shoot?

The 60D is $200 less expensive and it is a great 18 mpx camera for the price. Even though the Nikon D7000 $200 more expensive, it too is a fantastic 16 mpx camera for the money. The former shoots @ 5.3 fps; the latter shoots @ 6fps.

The D7000 has the advantage of two memory card slots which can be important in heavy-duty shooting, it has a superior 39-pt AF system, as well as better ISO handling;
The 60D has the advantage of an articulating viewfinder (which can be important in certain kinds of photography), it has much better HD video recording, and it is also supported by the most complete lens system available.

The truth is, your wife will probably not notice any difference whatsoever in quality/usability between either camera, so the question will really boil down to price and lens preference (wide-angle/zoom or super-telephoto/macro).

Regarding kit lenses, I would never buy them. I would clarify what kind of photography your wife tends to be most interested in, and purchase the best bargain/quality lens seperately.

Jack


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[MarkVanBergh]

If you are willing to consider the D7000 or 60D for your wife with a super-zoom lens (which means that the extent of a camera system's lens offerings is not really an issue), why not also consider something from Sony, Pentax or Olympus that might be just as well suited, or better suited, to what your wife's interests are?  Too many people never seem to consider other alternatives besides Canon or Nikon.  It may be that the 60D or D7000 is best for your wife, but it also may be that they are not.  For example, if your wife is more interested in a smaller and lighter camera, something like the Sony A580 or A55, or Pentax's or Olympuses latest models (I'm not as up on the latter two as the other manufacturers) might be better for her, particularly if you are talking about a camera and one lens combination.  Also, whatever camera she ends up with you may also want to consider other alternatives to the Canon or Nikon (or other camera manufacturer's) 18-200 "kit" zoom, particularly lenses such as the Sigma 18-250 OS or Tamron 18-270 VC.

Finally, since the camera is for your wife, it would be best if she has a chance to try the different cameras and see how she likes holding and operating the controls of whatever is under consideration.  Given that all these cameras perform pretty well (or better), and have similar features (but with some differences that could be meaningful depending on your wife's interests), a camera's ergonomics and comfort in use are particularly important.

[Ellis Vener]

I shot a lot with both when I was reviewing them last year. I would not say that either body was better than the other, rather:  each is better in different ways.

For me, the really big plus for the Nikon are the dual SD slots; for the Canon, the swing out LCD surprised me as being far more practical than I expected it to be.
I generally like d the "kit lens bundled with the nikon but the Canon EF "kit" lens was no slouch. Both are fine general purposes lenses for most people. neither is great , neither is terrible. I made very attractive photos with both.

Whether this will be your only DSLR and lens purchase or you are looking at either as a gateway to either system I suggest you go to a camera store that stocks both and play with the them to see how each feels in your hands and when you are looking through the viewfinder, and which menu navigation system and control layout is the best fit for you   and which one feels better. Each line of lenses has unique lenses but generally speaking  both are comparable in quality and depth.

I don't shoot JPEGs or movies so you'll need to speak with someone else about those areas.

[Scott O.]

The last suggestion makes the most sense to me. While not a real serious photographer, my wife is very opinionated as to what camera feels good in her hands. And if she doesn't like the feel it won't get used. Both cameras are excellent and will take fine pictures. Don't over-think the issue and let her choose what she will use.

[joneil]

  I would tell any new photographer to base their decision on lenses first, bodies second.  Look at the lens lines of each company and decide what you like best.  Odds are whatever camera you choose today will be surpassed if not downright "obsolete" in 2-4 years, but a good lens can last you for years.

   For example, all things being equal, you  might be better off looking at a D3100 vs a Rebel, but asking, what is the best lens you can get for your price range.

   bottom line, I use a D7000, but I have always used Nikon.  The "killer" for me was the fact that the D7000 has dual SD slots.   My personal opinion, anything even remotely important, you should use a DLR body that has dual card slots, and set the second one to "backup".  It's a hard lesson learned when you spend a day shooting and due to moisture or even a static carpet shock, you loose a day's worth of shooting.   Maybe some day we will see all DSLRs with dual card slots, at least, IMO, that's the way to go.

good luck

[cecelia]

I ended up with the Pentax K-5 because I wanted the tiny primes (15 f4, 43 f1.9 and 70 f2.4).  The downside is that there don't appear to be any really good zooms for Pentax, so for those moments when I would have used my Nikon 24-70 I am stuck.   

The in body stabilization on the Pentax is pretty nice.

-Cecelia

[marcmccalmont]

The Pentax K5 is a great camera will fit a smaller hand has superior image quality as far as zooms go the sigma 18-200 is compact and better than the Pentax zooms
Marc