Camera Search

[avalanche1201]

For the past couple months I have been looking into dslr cameras and have narrowed the search down to the following options for the most part

 

Canon eos 60D

Sony a65

Pentax K-30 or K-5

Nikon D7000

 

I was wondering if anyone has any additional input negative or positive about any of the models listed above.

 

Thanks for your time and input

-Scott

[pablom617]

All I can suggest is invest your money in glass. Bodies come and go, good glass can last a lifetime.

 

A good lens+ okay Body = Good pictures

 

An Okay lens+good body = Okay pictures

[05XRunner]

All I can suggest is invest your money in glass. Bodies come and go, good glass can last a lifetime.

 

A good lens+ okay Body = Good pictures

 

An Okay lens+good body = Okay pictures

yea i disagree 100%

top of the Line glass and top of the line body and crappy person behind the camera = crappy pics

 

entry level camera and entry level glass with someone who knows how to use it = good photos.

 

Gear will help you to get some more difficult shots and better quality lenses will help you squeeze out that bit more sharpness and color and contrast. but if you dont understand how to capture a good image to begin with gear will not help you much.

I will say invest in the one that gives you room to grow and fill your needs..that pretty much eliminates the pentax and Sony. They do not have the entire system like Canon or Nikon

[Withers]

I'm not sure either of you are wrong.

 

pretty much any body you could buy today would give you room to grow and allow you to learn the ropes.

 

it seems like it's more like

 

okay body + okay lens + no skill = crap

 

okay body + okay lens + skill = good

 

okay body + good lens + skill = great

 

good body + good lens + skill = excellent

 

 

 

so i guess in the end, just pick whichever body you find most user intuitive (and is a canon or nikon). IMO buying an ok body and pushing it to the limits will make you a better photographer faster than if you have a good body that let's you do whatever you want without ever really understanding why. i'm constantly trying to get better low light pictures out of my 40D, and that pushes me to find alternative methods to just increasing ISO to get what I need.

[TheWAND]

For the past couple months I have been looking into dslr cameras and have narrowed the search down to the following options for the most part

 

Canon eos 60D

Sony a65

Pentax K-30 or K-5

Nikon D7000

 

I was wondering if anyone has any additional input negative or positive about any of the models listed above.

 

Thanks for your time and input

-Scott

You can't really go wrong with the D7000. This coming from a Canon shooter, I wouldn't pick another camera on that list over the D7000. It's low light capabilities are pretty good for a crop sensor, and Nikon easily beats Canon in the entry level lens category. My favorite entry level lens from Nikon is the 35mm 1.8G DX. Gives really great bang for your buck at under $200. I love Nikon for starters because their entry level lenses don't really have entry level build quality like Canon's.

[Bishop]

You can't really go wrong with the D7000. This coming from a Canon shooter, I wouldn't pick another camera on that list over the D7000. It's low light capabilities are pretty good for a crop sensor, and Nikon easily beats Canon in the entry level lens category. My favorite entry level lens from Nikon is the 35mm 1.8G DX. Gives really great bang for your buck at under $200. I love Nikon for starters because their entry level lenses don't really have entry level build quality like Canon's.

 

That's actually really good info. For my two cents, I Love my Canon but my brother shoots with Nikon and we both have a good collection of low level lenses. It could be just the ones I see or maybe that I get to spend more detailed time looking at my own images but I always feel that his low level lenses give a better image than mine.

 

As for what I actually know about lens quality, The 28mm 1.8 is actually a very high quality lens, very close to "L" quality. A large part of image quality in this lens does come from it being a prime though. This lens is noticebly better in image quality than 50 mm as well as being able to use a wider aperture without going soft.

 

This is just my personal experience with the lenses I have but I think I would be most happy if my lens collection was the 17-55mm 2.8, 85mm 1.8, and a 100-400mm L.

[pablom617]

yea i disagree 100%

top of the Line glass and top of the line body and crappy person behind the camera = crappy pics

 

entry level camera and entry level glass with someone who knows how to use it = good photos.

 

Gear will help you to get some more difficult shots and better quality lenses will help you squeeze out that bit more sharpness and color and contrast. but if you dont understand how to capture a good image to begin with gear will not help you much.

I will say invest in the one that gives you room to grow and fill your needs..that pretty much eliminates the pentax and Sony. They do not have the entire system like Canon or Nikon

 

Was that really you argument? I suggested to invest money in good glass... you went off on a skill tangent. Skill comes with time and practice.. no camera system ensures that. But carry on..

[TheWAND]

TBH I don't have issues with Pentax's system either. They make really high quality lenses. DSLR technology is really leveling out now so buy into an ecosystem where you can get lenses that will work for you. Nikon cameras still can use older lenses where Canon cameras aren't compatible with FD mount. This means you can get great lenses for a fraction of their modern counterparts if you go with Nikon. D7000 has an AF motor built in I believe which will allow you to use AF on the body too.

[05XRunner]

Was that really you argument? I suggested to invest money in good glass... you went off on a skill tangent. Skill comes with time and practice.. no camera system ensures that. But carry on..

no you clearly fed info saying buy better lenses will make your pictures good. that is 100% false. in hands of someone who has skills behind a camera will make a difference but someone starting out buying an OK body with L glass wont make a difference for them. You can have great pics with low quality gear and great pics in high end gear..the gear doesnt determine how well your pictures are going to be like how you say. PLENTY of people out there could put someone to shame with a DSLR and they have proper skills with a P&S

[Yves17]

First of all you didn't say for what you want your camera? I am a professional photographer and I own a D7000, is better than the 60D. And Pentax and Sony... forget about it, they are good but you don't want to put them on a list alongside with Canon or Nikon. If you like photography as a hobby I would recommend the Nikon D5100 it is and updated camera already and not like the D7000 that we are expecting an update soon... The D5100 and the D7000 have the same sensor and the image quality so for image quality they are almost the same. The D5100 on camera photo edit is an awesome feature and the video is awesome too... So I guess it depends for what you want your camera, the D7000 is for advanced hobbyist if you are one is your better option on that list.

 

There's a lot of cameras you can look at you know but in my opinion I prefer Nikon, but you can find a lot of cheaper lenses owning a Canon. But if you choose the D5100 you can buy at least 2 good lenses or one super lens with the money you will save.

[05XRunner]

oh and you can get a 7D for less then price of a D7000 and can get a 60D for under 700

 

Overview - The Canon Loyalty Program provides the opportunity to trade in an existing Canon product for a refurbished Canon Digital SLR. There are Point and Shoot and Video options available, but this Thread will focus on the DSLR options. The program initially required the trade in product to be broken (easy to accomplish), but recently they have relaxed this restriction to simply being out of warranty. There have been reports of Film Cameras being accepted, but for now assume that you will need a broken (or out of warranty) Canon Digital camera (P&S or DSLR).

 

This is a very fluid program. Pricing, availability, requirements, and eligibility have changed almost on a daily basis. You will also find a wide range of answers from the Customer Service Representatives at the CLP - especially regarding product availability. If you read about a new development and don't like the answer you initially get when calling, I would recommend calling back and checking with a different CSR.

 

How do I contact Canon? The phone number for the CLP is 1 (866) 443-8002. Select option "2".

 

When are they open? They are open 7 days a week. Phone lines are answered from 8:00AM to Midnight Eastern.

 

I have searched the Canon website and can't find anything about the Canon Loyalty Program. Why is that? Because it is not published on the website. The only way to order is via the phone number above.

 

What models are available? Current DSLR availability includes:

Canon XS (Removed from Program March 1, 2011)

Canon XS with 18-55 IS Kit Lens

 

Canon T3 with 18-55 Kit Lens (Added to Program April 24, 2012)

 

Canon T1i

Canon T1i with 18-55 IS Kit Lens

 

Canon T2i

Canon T2i with 18-55 IS Kit Lens

 

Canon T3i (Added to Program Jan 4, 2012)

Canon T3i with 18-55 IS Kit Lens (Added to Program Jan 4, 2012)

 

Canon 40D (Removed from Program March 1, 2011)

Canon 40D with 28-135 IS Kit Lens (Removed from Program March 1, 2011)

 

Canon 50D

Canon 50D with 28-135 IS Kit Lens

 

Canon 60D (Added to Program August 20, 2011)

Canon 60D with 18-135 IS Kit Lens (Added to Program August 20, 2011)

 

Canon 7D

 

Canon 5D Mark II (Returned to Program April 23, 2012 after being removed from the Program since November 1, 2010).

 

Are there any Powershot Models available thru the CLP? If you are in the market for a refurbished Powershot camera, I would check the availability at the Canon Direct site and then call the phone number above and ask if the model you want is available thru the CLP. The link for Powershot models on Canon Direct is: http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs...10051_-1_29252

 

What is the cost? Prices as of April 24, 2012:

Canon XS with 18-55 IS Kit Lens - $281.59

 

Canon T3 with 18-55 Kit Lens - $351.99

 

Canon T1i - $332.79

Canon T1i with 18-55 IS Kit Lens - $383.99

 

Canon T2i - $383.99

Canon T2i with 18-55 IS Kit Lens - $447.99

 

Canon T3i - $479.99

Canon T3i with 18-55 IS Kit Lens - $543.99

 

Canon 50D - $562.69

Canon 50D with 28-135 IS Kit Lens - $665.09

 

Canon 60D - $639.99

Canon 60D with 18-135 IS Kit Lens - $831.36

 

Canon 7D - $1,087.20

 

all you need is a broke canon camera off ebay for 10bucks and you qualify I bought 2 7D's this way

something like this..you can look around and probably find cheaper

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPARE-PART-AS-IS-B...=item27beee8d28

I paid $10 for my broke camera.

[Yves17]

oh and you can get a 7D for less then price of a D7000 and can get a 60D for under 700

 

 

 

all you need is a broke canon camera off ebay for 10bucks and you qualify I bought 2 7D's this way

something like this..you can look around and probably find cheaper

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPARE-PART-AS-IS-B...=item27beee8d28

I paid $10 for my broke camera.

 

 

That's a great option

 

You can look for a reburbished d7000 too if you like it, but idk all of this is up to you.

 

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EOS_7D-vs-Nikon_D7000

 

Detailed comparison.

[avalanche1201]

Thanks for the input guys. After reviewing research and comparing between the Canon and Nikon I believe I am going to go with the Nikon D7000 over the Canon Eos 60D

 

I really like the articulating screen on the Eos 60D and feel it would work great for high/low angle shots and I think it felt slightly better in my hand when I compared the two side by side for the first time. However, on the D7000 I enjoy the fact its a 100% viewfinder as opposed to the 96% on the Eos. Furthermore its constructed better against the elements which will help for when I'm down at the beach or on my gf's boat. Also more FPS on the D7000 was an added point.

 

I appreciate O5XRunner telling me about the Canon loyalty program. I gave it some good thought but I use to have a refurbished phone and time to time it gave me some problems so I think I will pass on this for now.

 

Thanks for the help guys.

-Scott