Zoom with your feet doesn't work with wildlife in general, even backyard birds. Sometimes the 150 mm (300 35 equivalent) isn't enough long enough even in my backyard.
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Canon 60D vs Nikon D7000
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I'm a big fan of "zoom with your feet," but that really doesn't work when your subject is across that sheer drop, or there's a protective fence between you (think zoo). Just food for thought
Also, even with my 105mm macro lens, I still zoom with my feet.
Oh, I don't think it holds true for all situations... I have a 70-200mm which sometimes isn't enough.
But I'm not a fan of the 18-200mm that was mentioned there. I learned on a 50mm prime and not having the zoom really forced me to learn to use the camera and adopt good technique and theory, which was what I was more going at.
And also, I'll leave with the war-photographer Robert Capa's quote: "If your picture isn't good enough, you're not close enough."
Actually, I ended up getting a free Nikon D60 from the camera shop I went to for work experience.
LOL - see me resurrect a dead thread
Funny enough, my D7000 was the only camera I've bought without playing with it in-store first. Years ago, if I'd had $200 more to spend, I'd have bought the D40x instead of my Olympus, as it had the better manual focus of the two, but the Olympus felt perfect in my hands. It's taking me a little getting used to the D7000 (the grip on that thing is a beast in my hands - I love it!), but I've also only had this camera a little more than a week.
The more I read up on the D7000, the more I realize I made the right choice when I went with this camera, particularly since I was switching brands. One of the deciding factors for me was when I compared the D7000 to Olympus' "top of the line" DSLR, E5 and realized that despite the E5 being newer, the D7000 was still a better camera (and I think it ends up being a little less, too). I think the E5 had one thing over the D7000, and it was so insignificant, I couldn't even tell you what it was.
That said, I'll absolutely echo what everyone else has said: if you have the opportunity, go play with both cameras in the store. Use the menus, figure out where things are at, and what makes sense to you.
Funny enough, my D7000 was the only camera I've bought without playing with it in-store first. Years ago, if I'd had $200 more to spend, I'd have bought the D40x instead of my Olympus, as it had the better manual focus of the two, but the Olympus felt perfect in my hands. It's taking me a little getting used to the D7000 (the grip on that thing is a beast in my hands - I love it!), but I've also only had this camera a little more than a week.
The more I read up on the D7000, the more I realize I made the right choice when I went with this camera, particularly since I was switching brands. One of the deciding factors for me was when I compared the D7000 to Olympus' "top of the line" DSLR, E5 and realized that despite the E5 being newer, the D7000 was still a better camera (and I think it ends up being a little less, too). I think the E5 had one thing over the D7000, and it was so insignificant, I couldn't even tell you what it was.
That said, I'll absolutely echo what everyone else has said: if you have the opportunity, go play with both cameras in the store. Use the menus, figure out where things are at, and what makes sense to you.
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I bought a 60D a few months back and have used it for mostly stills. I am still in the process of learning photography, but from my experience thus far the 60D is a very capable camera. Low light isn't as good as, say the 5D Mark II or Mark III, but the photos aren't terribly noisy and are acceptable even at ISO 6400 (ISO 12800 is pushing it). The 5.3 frames per second is also awesome, and the overall image quality is pretty good, even with the lens I'm using (55-250mm). Obviously, a better lens will equate to better image quality.
I haven't shot a ton of video from the 60D yet, but from what I have shot and from what I have seen elsewhere, it's quite remarkable! The tilt-and-swivel screen is also a huge plus for shooting video, as is the manual audio adjusting capabilities.
If you want to know more about the 60D, I would check out reviews from sites like dpreview.com, or from the guys at DigitalRevTV on YouTube. Those reviews are very in-depth and will dive deeper into the details.
One last thing: Every so often, Canon will do a 20% off sale on their refurbished products, including camera bodies, lenses, flashes etc. If you wait to buy the 60D until then, you will be able to buy it for $640 ($800 reg for refurb 60D), which is what I did. At that point, the 60D is a steal and I am very happy with the condition of which the 60D was - mine had 113 clicks and was cosmetically brand new.
As others have said, both are great cameras and it really comes down to what feels better to you.
I have a D7000 and love it. I can't add much on the canon vs Nikon but I will comment on your lens question.
For vacation I'd suggest the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 and a 70-300 if you want telephoto or the sigma 10-20 if you want wide angle.
I have a D7000 and love it. I can't add much on the canon vs Nikon but I will comment on your lens question.
For vacation I'd suggest the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 and a 70-300 if you want telephoto or the sigma 10-20 if you want wide angle.
I was contemplating between these two about a month ago. I ended up getting the Canon. The overall package was in my eyes better, and the video features didn't hurt either. Not to mention, I also got the 60D kit for almost $400 less than a comparable D7000 kit. I ended up getting the extended warranty, backpack, memory card and filter as well, and it was still cheaper. For me that value was worth it.
Look at this:
DXO
The Nikon is delivering way better high-iso, and way better D-range. The first very important for sports and low light, the second even more important for landscapes. The near 14 stops d-range is a real marvel with landscapes and giving almost a very natural HDR look out of the box.
OOPS.
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Starting from scratch, and picking between the 60D and D7000, I would go D7000.
The Canon 7D is more of a direct competitor to the D7000, and is a toss up between the two.
Whenever someone starts from scratch when shopping for a dSLR and is picking two equivalent cameras between two different brands, if they're serious about shooting, my usual recommendation is to buy the camera brand that their friends own. The reason is so they can borrow lenses from their friends and get help when applicable.
I have quite a few serious photographer friends (serious as in photography as source of income). It's about even split between Canon and Nikon shooters, so I'm fortunate enough to where if I need anything from either brand, I can borrow it. But since I shoot Canon, I do have a source of equipment if I'm in a pinch. For instance, one time a friend of mine was heading out of town but wanted a 24-70 f/2.8 for some indoor hotel suite shooting, so I traded my 24-70 for his 24-105 for a week. Or another time, a friend of mine was looking to get the Canon 35 f/1.4L and was heading to Vegas for the weekend, so I just loaned him mine to try out while he was out there.
So if you have friends that shoot Canon or Nikon, that you know well enough to swap gear, you might want to consider the brand they shoot.
There really isn't much practical difference between Canon or Nikon cameras, so you won't go wrong with either platform.
I am getting ridiculous, I have been deciding between these two cameras for MONTHS now. I am pulling my hair out on picking one. I bought one and returned for the other and then returned it beacuse I always felt like I wanted the other one more. The 60d and d7000 are so even to me its crazy, help me out guys
I am getting ridiculous, I have been deciding between these two cameras for MONTHS now. I am pulling my hair out on picking one. I bought one and returned for the other and then returned it beacuse I always felt like I wanted the other one more. The 60d and d7000 are so even to me its crazy, help me out guys
I <3 my D7000, and I've only had it about a month.
Does that help?
We have a winner. I have several friends who are into photography and we all bought our bodies around the same time. It's great being able to share flashes/lenses/etc. If I had to choose though, I'd go D7000; it has better low-light performance than the Canon.
Yea i liked when i used the d7000, but something wasn't right, the indoor shots were really yellow even after the white balance was adjusted. Thats the only thing holding me back.
Then you're not adjusting the white balance correctly. Do you shoot RAW or jpg? If you're shooting RAW, the RAW converter is responsible for choosing the correct white balance, and the camera's preset mainly influence the small preview jpg that comes with the RAW image and perhaps the preset of the RAW converter. Getting the »right« look (i. e. the look you want) can be tricky if the image lacks a neutral grey target or you would like to add some warmth/cold, for instance. But that has nothing to do with the D7000 as it applies to all digital cameras.
I am getting ridiculous, I have been deciding between these two cameras for MONTHS now. I am pulling my hair out on picking one. I bought one and returned for the other and then returned it beacuse I always felt like I wanted the other one more. The 60d and d7000 are so even to me its crazy, help me out guys
Go for the D7000, it's a slightly higher end camera, like a 7D. The 60D is a bit more basic.
I admit - I had to use a 60D+15-85mm EF-S and 430 flash yesterday in an emergency. I know someone above mentioned an equal split of pro photographers using one brand or the other. I must be one of those who uses both Canon and Nikon - although it is Nikon that is my main camera I use, and I'm a NPS member accordingly, rather than being in CPS.
We make do with the camera equipment available at the time for short notice stuff.
Have someone hold a neutral grey piece of paper or a clean white sheet of paper and take a reference shot of that, or measure the white-balance from that. You can adjust in raw later based on that reference photo if you don't use the measure white-balance feature.
Don't base your decision on the cameras...
Both Canon and Nikon cameras are excellent, and I'm not going to try and persuade you one way or the other. You need to make your decision on the lens and, to a lesser extent, the accessory, ranges of each brand.
A camera body will eventually die and need replacing, but your lens range will last for a very long time and can be a real investment if you choose what is right for you.
If you still can't make your mind up, go into a store and ask to hold each of the models. That's what I did a few years back, and based on how they felt in my hand, I went with a Nikon D80 and haven't looked back. Still got it now, with an ever-expanding lens range!
Both Canon and Nikon cameras are excellent, and I'm not going to try and persuade you one way or the other. You need to make your decision on the lens and, to a lesser extent, the accessory, ranges of each brand.
A camera body will eventually die and need replacing, but your lens range will last for a very long time and can be a real investment if you choose what is right for you.
If you still can't make your mind up, go into a store and ask to hold each of the models. That's what I did a few years back, and based on how they felt in my hand, I went with a Nikon D80 and haven't looked back. Still got it now, with an ever-expanding lens range!
