First DSLR 7D or D700?

[Tinstafl]

I have the D700 and have used lens I had from my nikon film days. That is a huge bonus. Also, the low light capabilities of the D700 are amazing. The down side is some of the lens are a bit more expensive but the pro series lens are very good and you do get what you pay for. I will say that the new prices are getting a bit too high though. Nikon has gone a different route than Cannon. Cannon is a fine system too. I do not own one now but have in the past and now have a bigger investment in lens than bodies. Lens will way out last the body as the next newer thing comes. Your buddy having a D700 is a great help too. The trick to get your white balance right with live view for instance is neat if you can not get a card or a white part of the shot. I will say that it is only money and the D700 takes great shots and will run almost every nikon lens. I had a D100 and a D200 and this blows them both away. The New D3s is even better I understand with ISO up to 102,400. That rocks....but it is native to 12800 I think. I have gotten great shots up to 6400 and will work up to 3200 with no problem. In fact I shot a wedding with it last weekend and the other paid photographers were shooting cannon. We kind of had a little competition at the end. I think I was envious of their lens choices and prices and they were envious of the low light abilities. Interesting choices ahead for you.

 

[MrLogic]

If anything, it requires you to use your left hand to change your ISO settings on a Nikon.

"Requires"? No, it doesn't. I only use my right hand when I change the ISO -- index finger on the ISO button, thumb on the rear command dial.

 

[inTempus]

If anything, it requires you to use your left hand to change your ISO settings on a Nikon.

"Requires"? No, it doesn't. I only use my right hand when I change the ISO -- index finger on the ISO button, thumb on the rear command dial.

On a D700? Really? Isn't that the ISO button over on the left side?

If you're reaching that with your right index, you have the longest right index finger in the world... or darn near.

 

[CxThree]

Have you used both brands? You may want to rent one of each and see which one feels best to you. Canon and Nikon both make great cameras. You just want one that makes sense to you and feels right in your hand. When you are on a shoot, you want it to feel comfortable and familiar so you can just think about your shoot. Not the camera and settings. Once you get use to either, you will take great pics.

Having said that, I LOVE my 7D. I don't think I would suggest either one of the ones you selected as a first camera though. I would buy a 50D or D90 and get some good glass. The 50D with some L series glass would be great for you and the glass will stay with you.

 

[Hobbes]

Hello all!
Newbie here..
I'm going to get my first SLR after having many Sony point and shoot cameras that I have been very disappointed with the picture quality of. My neighbor does weddings, senior pics, etc and uses a D700 and has pointed me that direction. I see the new Canon 7D is fairly similar in price to the D700. I have several older AF Nikon lenses for an 8008, but that is not a major concern in my decision - I don't even know if they would work. I'll shoot mainly scenic and family vacation photos. Thanks for any and all input.:thumbup:

When I saw those images taken by different Canon dslrs at high ISO speeds I decided not to get the 7D because it's just not worth it. I mean it's only a thousand bucks cheaper than 5Dmk2 and only around 700 bucks cheaper than D700. If you need high fps I believe the good old 40D and 50D should be good enough and if you need resolution the 5Dmk2 is the right one for you. I don't care about all those people saying those high ISO comparison is not accurate or whatever all you have to do is compare the ISO 6400 image taken by the 7D to the one by the 5D... and D700 is even better than 5Dmk2 and faster too

 

[Derrel]

Just program the FUNC button on the right front side of the camera to bring up the ISO setting.....press the FUNC button with your right, middle finger while holding the camera with one hand, then use your right hand's thumb to adjust the ISO up or down, while looking through the finder, or at the displays; the ISO in use will be displayed in three different locations; rear LCD, top deck, and through the viewfinder.

Changing the ISO setting on the D700 can be a one-handed operation if you want it to be. If you need to shift ISO a lot, it can be programmed to be brought up on the FUNC. button, with the user adjusting the ISO with the thumb wheel back right of the camera.

If you want AUTOMATIC ISO shifting, say because you need to use a particular f/stop and shutter speed, like when using a big telephoto where shutter speeds are critical AND you need to be at a specific f/stop, Nikon of course, has the best AUTO-ISO implementation of all of the d-slr manufacturers--auto ISO is something Canon is still trying to figure out how to do.

The 4-way controller's center button can also be programmed to perform several functions, if you desire.

 

[Garbz]

All sorts of claims have been made about the layout of Canon buttons by Nikon users that aren't necessarily accurate. As with most things, it's all a matter of perspective.

Yeah definitely. My opinion that Canon's layout is crap is BECAUSE I am a Nikon user. The camera feels counter intuitive, just like my camera would feel counter intuitive to a 5D user. What it really comes down to is how comfortable BrettD will be with either camera, which is why he needs to actually physically go out and hold them, and not listen to our ramblings

If you're reaching that with your right index, you have the longest right index finger in the world... or darn near.

Maybe he didn't know left from right , or maybe he assigned FUNC to ISO. In either case how often do you change ISO? I'm more interested in where my focus icon selector is

 

[Mike_E]

Did anyone ask what he wanted to shoot? It only matters of course if he wants to shoot wildlife but if so..

To the OP, You wouldn't marry a mail order bride would you?

Go hold 'em both!

 

[MrLogic]

If anything, it requires you to use your left hand to change your ISO settings on a Nikon.

"Requires"? No, it doesn't. I only use my right hand when I change the ISO -- index finger on the ISO button, thumb on the rear command dial.

On a D700? Really? Isn't that the ISO button over on the left side?

If you're reaching that with your right index, you have the longest right index finger in the world... or darn near.

I know where the damn buttons are... and while I have big hands, my right index finger isn't that long.

No, you can't reach it the conventional way, unless you have very long fingers. So you have to raise your right hand, rotate your wrist and reach over with your index finger so that you can reach both buttons at the same time. Unconventional, maybe, but it works for me. Canon's layout makes much more sense here, but it's a non-issue for me. It becomes second nature after a while.

Am I the only Nikon user who does this? I guess so.

I never got the ergonomics / layout thing some people are on, by the way. I don't need to hold a 7D to know that I would get used to it after a while.

 

[inTempus]

I never got the ergonomics / layout thing some people are on, by the way. I don't need to hold a 7D to know that I would get used to it after a while.

You and me both. Some Nikonians pretend like Canon cameras have the buttons on the bottom of the body clustered around the tripod socket the way they ramble on about ergonomics.

As I said, it's all a matter of what you're used to and personal preference.

 

[KmH]

Now getting the D700 and have it depreciate because the S model is released a month or two after would really irritate me. layball:

DSLR's aren't like film cameras when it comes to depreciation. New Nikon and Canon cameras come out every 3 or 4 years so your going to get dinged no matter what you decide to do.

Besides, the way you're going to be using the camera, it will only be worth a fraction of its original price by the time you've used it up.

 

[Hobbes]

Did anyone ask what he wanted to shoot? It only matters of course if he wants to shoot wildlife but if so..

that's because those big pro-photographers seem to think that buttons are more important than image quality and I think we have to listen to them because they are experts

 

[Antithesis]

I found that each brand has its perks. Nikon's button layout is a bit more intuitive for shooting, but I loved the 'wheel' for reviewing and stuff on my old 5D. I think the D700 is going to give you more actual bang for your buck. Full frame with better ISO performance and is backwards compatible with a lot of F-mount Nikon glass. The Canon is only usable with EF and EF-S glass, which only goes back to the 80's.

I also have to agree with people that a $2000 camera body for casual snaps might be overkill. You can spend a quarter of that and get a camera that will give you good results too, leaving yourself a lot of money for the more important part of the equation: lenses.

 

[cfusionpm]

The Canon is only usable with EF and EF-S glass, which only goes back to the 80's.

"Only"? There are about 120 first-party Canon lenses available for EF and EF-S mounts, with focal length ranging from 10mm to 1200mm. It's also compatible with third party Sigma and Tamron lenses. So unless you have a massive collection of vintage lenses, I don't see how having a wide range of modern lenses is a bad thing. :raisedbrow:

 

[Antithesis]

The Canon is only usable with EF and EF-S glass, which only goes back to the 80's.

"Only"? There are about 120 first-party Canon lenses available for EF and EF-S mounts, with focal length ranging from 10mm to 1200mm. It's also compatible with third party Sigma and Tamron lenses. So unless you have a massive collection of vintage lenses, I don't see how having a wide range of modern lenses is a bad thing. :raisedbrow:

I'm not saying that EF glass is bad, I'm just saying that Nikon has a much broader timeline of glass to choose from. Most people probably won't be too concerned about it, but there is some funky old glass out there that can achieve some awesome results.

Obviously, ergonomics is the probably going to be the deciding factor between the two bodies. I was just pointing out some possible concerns for someone who knows little of the two systems in question.