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Nikon 7100 or Canon 70d? Looking for your opinion.

L

lukejc1

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 6, 2013
410
3
Wisconsin
I am trying to decide between a Nikon 7100 and a Canon 70d. This is my first DSLR so I have not invested in any lenses. I take mostly landscape shots. I am not interested much in video.

I've read plenty of reviews and comparisons, I have played around with both at Best Buy as well. I like both of them. I like the touchscreen and wifi of the 70D but the D7100 reportedly has a better sensor and can produce sharper shots with less noise.


So my question is what are your thoughts on these two cameras?
 
lukejc1 said:
I am trying to decide between a Nikon 7100 and a Canon 70d. This is my first DSLR so I have not invested in any lenses. I take mostly landscape shots. I am not interested much in video.

I've read plenty of reviews and comparisons, I have played around with both at Best Buy as well. I like both of them. I like the touchscreen and wifi of the 70D but the D7100 reportedly has a better sensor and can produce sharper shots with less noise.


So my question is what are your thoughts on these two cameras?
Click to expand...

D7100 user here. I've been shooting for about a year. Check out my Flickr or the shots on POTD. However the glass you use is more important than the body.
 
Do you have good friends that own dSLR(s)? If so, get the brand that they use so you can borrow gear.

Otherwise, you're just going to have to do your own research and pick one that best fits your desires. Frankly, you can pick either one and be fine.
 
ocabj said:
Do you have good friends that own dSLR(s)? If so, get the brand that they use so you can borrow gear.

Otherwise, you're just going to have to do your own research and pick one that best fits your desires. Frankly, you can pick either one and be fine.
Click to expand...

I don't lend my gear! But yes that's a good idea. Also trying them out in a camera store.
 
Apple fanboy said:
I don't lend my gear! But yes that's a good idea. Also trying them out in a camera store.
Click to expand...

I won't just lend my gear to someone I don't know. But my friends and I share our gear often. One time my friend had a hotel shoot and needed my 35L for tight quarters. I borrowed my friend's 100 f/2.8L macro for a while when I was debating whether or not to repurchase a macro lens. My friend's ABR800 was stolen so I let him use mine for a commercial shoot since he was working on trying to get a replacement (and back then, the ABR800 was backordered at Paul C Buff for a long time some reason).

Granted, my photographer friends are people I know who can afford to pay me back if they break my gear, and who I trust will actually own up to it.
 
lukejc1 said:
I am trying to decide between a Nikon 7100 and a Canon 70d. This is my first DSLR so I have not invested in any lenses. I take mostly landscape shots. I am not interested much in video.

So my question is what are your thoughts on these two cameras?
Click to expand...
The D7100 it is!
For video the 70d is worth a second look.
 
When I first moved to digital SLR I had narrowed my search down to a Canon body and a Nikon. I think it was D80 vs Canon 20D. The friends that I polled were about 50/50 Canon/Nikon Users. So I went back to the store and tested them out again. I looked around the outside and through the menu.. The menu was the key for me. One of the cameras I navigated easily without having to ask a question or pick up a manual just to do basic stuff. So I went with a Nikon DSLR.


@OP both are great choices. You can look around flickr and see what others are doing with theirs. What images you like. Also, play around the buttons on each camera. Remember you will be holding this camera for awhile. Remember when you learn more about photography and your gear… the images will be sharper. Especially if you have some good glass.

Check out this guys review that gives you a perspective of what's inside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItEwu3dNr2I
 
I have the D7100 and before I had the D5000. What made me jump to the new one was the dual SD slots (there are several ways to use them). Also the D7100 can use non-motorized lenses which was also a nice feature for me.
 
Don;t know how soon you want to pull the trigger, but Adorama via Ebay has a refurb D7100 for $799!

LINK

I got my D5200 as a refurb from them, and it had 0 shutter clicks on it. Great option to buy.
 
as others have stated, both brands and cameras are good.

I prefer the Nikon controls and feel (been with Nikon since film) I have had the N70, D70 and D7000 (plus a D70s Infrared Camera)

I still say go to the store and shoot some more. switch to different settings, etc.

Are you going to use Auto a lot or switch to Manual settings, White Balance, etc? if the latter, look into how to do that with each, and see how switching between several different methods feels to you.

Buying body only or Kit or Body and Lens? check out the lenses, either with kit or a la carte.

I know, not too much help here. Post processing (PP) can help out a lot. as Cameras are just the exposure method, knowing how to use PP helps out too. You can look at many photos on Flickr, 500px, smugmug and the same camera can have different "styles" but that is simply the photographer. know the camera and PP and you can get most anything from either/any camera.


---------------------------------------

I use my D7000 dual slot for just added memory/digital-film. I shoot in RAW. post process in Aperture.
 
I got my 70D less than a month ago, so I just recently went through the same decision making process. For me, the distinct advantages of each camera were:

D7100
  • Better image quality and low light performance
  • Dual SD cards

70D
  • Articulating screen
  • Touch screen
  • Wifi
  • Slightly better autofocus (traditional)
  • Significantly better live view / movie autofocus

For me, it mostly came down to the extra flexibility I would have with the Canon's features versus the Nikon. I really hate to give up the image quality, but the difference is tiny in most situations. Eventually moving to a full frame sensor would blow both out of the water, so I'm not going to worry much about the small difference. I'd also like to have the dual SD card slots for automatic backup on trips, but I ended up buying a cheap device (Kingston Mobilelite) to handle that.

The fact that I already had older Canon DSLR gear (D30 and D60 - the two models before they reversed the naming convention to xxD) probably factored in slightly, but I didn't plan on reusing the older/cheap lenses I have for those, so it wasn't a big consideration. But I was definitely more familiar with the Canon menu system, so that probably helped push me to that side.
 
lukejc1 said:
I.... I take mostly landscape shots. I am not interested much in video.

...I like the touchscreen and wifi of the 70D but the D7100 reportedly has a better sensor and can produce sharper shots with less noise....
Click to expand...


A touch screen and wifi are of no use for landscape photos. In fact the D7100 is over kill for such an easy subject. You would never need ISO = 6400 for a landscape because you can use a tripod. Mst of the features of the camera are not gong to be used for landscapes. Not even the multipoint autofocus.

The way to decide Nikon v. Canon is to think about which lenses you might want now and in the future. For landscapes you don't need "fast" lenses and the 18-55mm kit lens will work fine. (Yes the Nikon 18-55 is not a bad landscape lens.)

Canon and Nikon both make god lenses but Canon's low-end glass is not as good. Nikon's entry level 18-55 really is good. For tripod shots of landscapes the Nikon D3300 with the kit 18-55 might be better.

I'd have a completely different answer if you were shooting shorts from the side lines.

Also, for the price of a high end dSLR you could shot medium format or large format film and have dramatically better image quality. I would not bother with 35mm film not now that the larger formats are so cheap on the used market.

But maybe you do other subjects too. The complete opposite of landscapes are "birds in flight". I'd give 180 degree different advice for that - think about future needs. Will you always be uninterested in video? Why?
 
If you're strictly shooting landscapes, and my choices were between those two cameras, I would go with the D7100. Not that the Canon is horrible, but I have noticed that Canon DSLR's have more vested in their video capabilities than their sensors. I couldn't care less about video because I'm making images, not video. The OP really isn't interested in video either, so I would certainly start off with the Nikon. Also, I would suggest visiting your local camera store or (gasp) Best Buy where you can hold and play around with both cameras. See what menu system works for you and what feels better in your hand. Make a decision from there.
 
ChrisA said:
You would never need ISO = 6400 for a landscape because you can use a tripod.
Click to expand...

If you shoot dynamic landscapes when the light is low, then a tripod doesn't help in a lot of cases. Storms, waves and urban landscapes can all have subject motion that you can't tripod your way out of.

Paul
 
think outside of the box and be mobile

It is true that you cannot go wrong with either Nikon or Canon. However, you can do better.

If you want to be mobile for your landscape images, you should consider these articles:

http://blog.roycruz.com/?p=1750

http://www.scoop.it/t/fuji-x-pro1

http://www.fujirumors.com

I still have Canon lenses and bodies for action shots once in a while, but I use Fuji X-100s over 95% of the time for the past year.

Here are my photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/happyshutters/
 
Thank you everyone for your input. I spending another hour or so in Best Buy playing with both cameras, I ended up going with the Nikon D7100. I think the image quality is just a little better and I liked the menu system better.

I can't wait to start using it!
 
compuwar said:
If you shoot dynamic landscapes when the light is low, then a tripod doesn't help in a lot of cases. Storms, waves and urban landscapes can all have subject motion that you can't tripod your way out of.

Paul
Click to expand...

Let's say you are at the beach and want to record waves breaking on a rock and want to freeze the water splashes. Say we have a 35mm lens and it's over cast and an hour before sunset. My guess at a realistic exposure might be ISO=200, f/4.0, 1/500. With a medium to wide lens 1/500th will freeze motion. If you need more DOF, go with ISO=400 and f/5.6

It's unlikely you'd want to shoot a landscape at ISO=6400. You want to minimize ISO to keep the image clean. I can't count how many times I did this using Velvia at ISO 50.

If yu do want "faster" the newer D3300 beats the older D7100 and costs less.
 
ChrisA said:
Let's say you are at the beach and want to record waves breaking on a rock and want to freeze the water splashes. Say we have a 35mm lens and it's over cast and an hour before sunset. My guess at a realistic exposure might be ISO=200, f/4.0, 1/500. With a medium to wide lens 1/500th will freeze motion. If you need more DOF, go with ISO=400 and f/5.6
Click to expand...

Take that same image at or just after sunset to get the wonderful colors in the sky and suddenly you're at 1600, add a CPL for the clouds and... Anyone can engineer a situation where any particular setting is necessary... Make those clouds the inky black thunderheads and seek to contrast the bright spray of the breakers...

ChrisA said:
It's unlikely you'd want to shoot a landscape at ISO=6400. You want to minimize ISO to keep the image clean. I can't count how many times I did this using Velvia at ISO 50.
Click to expand...

I can't count the number of times I shot Velvia at EI 80 (because at it's base it's really an EI 40 film but a one stop push made it more Velvia than Velvia.) Heck, once Provia 100F hit the scene, I'd carry that in some of my film holders because I could shoot that at EI 160!

That's neither here nor there though- if your idea of "landscape" is only "static daylight scene" then not being able to shoot at high-ISO is no big deal.

If however, you want to capture nature at her finest, then it's going to be dark, and there's going to be movement, and in those cases, maximal flexibility is a good thing. Also, in those conditions, or say the wonderful huge thunderstorms that roll across the prairie, there's going to be rain or hail, and gritty actually works better for many images than clean does, it certainly doesn't detract from the right conditions.

Paul
 
compuwar said:
If you shoot dynamic landscapes when the light is low, then a tripod doesn't help in a lot of cases. Storms, waves and urban landscapes can all have subject motion that you can't tripod your way out of.

Paul
Click to expand...

Also foreground flowers in a breeze during sunset/sunrise when the light is low. If you are focus bracketing/blending/making a pano or anything like that and you need your flowers sharp you need to get at least one frame with them not moving, and that might involve using high iso.
 
compuwar said:
That's neither here nor there though- if your idea of "landscape" is only "static daylight scene" then not being able to shoot at high-ISO is no big deal.

If however, you want to capture nature at her finest, then it's going to be dark, and there's going to be movement, and in those cases, maximal flexibility is a good thing. Also, in those conditions, or say the wonderful huge thunderstorms that roll across the prairie, there's going to be rain or hail, and gritty actually works better for many images than clean does, it certainly doesn't detract from the right conditions.

Paul
Click to expand...

Dark? Movement? I asked them nicely to hold the ISS still for a few minutes.

10469224_750944598291375_1305025179621997848_n.jpg
 
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