D7000 and the T3i

[Shawn7656]

I've settled in on the Nikon D7000 as my next body of choice, but I know it's competitors on the Canon side are the T3i and the 60D. Anyways, I went into Best Buy just to get a look at the cameras and, compared to the D7000, the T3i feels like a toy! The shutter button felt like it was flimsy, and so did the rest of the body. My Sony a100 has a way better build quality and it sold for barely more than the t3i when it was new (6 years ago). Maybe people have just messed it up, but it was such a turn-off. Is the 60D any better with this? For some reason the display model wasn't up anymore when I went there so I didn't get to try it out.


PS - Not trying to start a Nikon VS Canon debate with this at all. I was just surprised by the feel and was wondering if this was how the cameras actually are, or if it was simply the display model or what. Thanks in advance

[Scottm]

Hi Shawn...

The D7000 is a great camera, but I believe that your comparison between these Nikon and Canon bodies could be a little skewed. Sure, the 60D could be considered a competitor to the D7000, but so could the 7D. From a pricing perspective, the cameras stack up from the top as 7D, D7000, 60D and I would include the D5100. I do not know the T3i. Many reports compare the D7000 to the 7D, and some people believe that these are worthy competitors.

Having said that, I believe that few people would (or should) go out and buy either a 7D or D7000 as their first DSLR. Most "beginners" would initially buy into a brand at the lower end and then when looking to upgrade, would be close to being "locked in" to their chosen brand by virtue of having a selection of equipment dedicated to that brand. (investment in lenses, flashlights, etc)

[ceremus]

It's hardly a fair comparison to put the D7000 against the T3i. The T3i is the Rebel series, AKA the beginner/intermediate body. In that tier you're not going to get a magnesium-lined body, so it's certainly going to feel much lighter or "toy like" as you described it. It doesn't mean the build quality is sub-par. The 60D doesn't have a magnesium body either (nor does it have AF microadjustment like the previous XXD models, the 60D doesn't excite me particularly) but then again the 60D is cheaper than both the 7D and D7000, and those are the more direct competitors in that tier as Scottm points out.

If the shutter felt flimsy it's likely because the display model was abused. I've handled the 60D, 7D, 5Dmkii, and a couple of midrange to high-end Nikons (forget the exact models off the top of my head) and none of the shutter releases struck me as all that different to the T3i.

[Shawn7656]

Alright I was just making sure. I wasn't trying to knock it in any way, I was just really surprised at the different build qualities (but I guess it's just the floor model). I didn't really realize the price difference between the two but I knew the D7k had the mag body and the T3i didn't.


As for

I believe that few people would (or should) go out and buy either a 7D or D7000 as their first DSLR. Most "beginners" would initially buy into a brand at the lower end and then when looking to upgrade, would be close to being "locked in" to their chosen brand by virtue of having a selection of equipment dedicated to that brand. (investment in lenses, flashlights, etc)

I'm not sure if you meant me, but this will be my second (sorta 3rd, or even 4th if you really wanna stretch it) SLR. I used my dad's Nikon D5100 back in the day when he had one, then I bought the Sony a100 that I've used for the last year, I recently picked up a Minolta X-700, and now I've chosen to switch from Sony to Nikon because I don't have much equipment and I really like the feature set and picture quality of the D7k compared to the competitors Sony wise (a580 and a65) in most respects. I've done about a month of research now, it's not just on a whim

[Scottm]

Hi again Shawn

My comments were not aimed at you personally, but a broad, general statement, which, in my view, I back-up with the following opinion;

In general, a "beginner"(someone that has never used an SLR before) will probably take some time to get to grips with all the nuances of photography, even longer to become skilled in exploiting the technology. By investing in a lower-end model up-front (such as the D5100), the financial savings at that time could be used for extras such as an external flash, a decent tripod, an additional lens (35/50mm f1.8 ??) or a remote release, all for the same cash outlay as a new fancy camera that they will not be able to fully exploit for some time. By the time he or she gets to a point where they will have "outgrown" their camera body, a newer, upgraded model will probably be available and they will probably be far better equiped to exploit it more fully.

You cannot go wrong with a D7000. It is a great piece of equipment and will take some time to learn and fully exploit its technology.....