I have a friend who has a NIKON d90 and she suggested that I may want to look into this also instead of the canon 7d. Does anyone have a any thoughts on this? It was under my impression that the canon 7d was a better dslr. As I don't want to have to buy multiple cameras. I would prefer to purchase one then up grade to a full frame model. Any thoughts on which one is better?
Intriguing. Okay, you have one friend with a Canon 7D and a 18-270 and another friend with a Nikon D90 and ?
When somebody asks what camera system they should buy, there are a few important things to consider. All of the manufacturers make good cameras, and just about all of the camera models are priced pretty competitively with similar features. There is no best. If there was, the others would be out of business.
Next thing, most will say go with what feels best in your hands. I typically agree with this line of thought, but I have also been conditioned by what I have used in the past. For me, shooting with a Canon is like trying to staple two pieces of paper together with a hammer. It can be done, but it's not exactly natural. Nikon for me just feels right. Canon shooters feel the same way. I think it's more the familiarity than the 'comfort'. In any case, it one is just horrible for you, rule it out.
Last consideration is why I found your post intriguing...All things being equal(which they usually are), I would say go with what your friends shoot. They provide an invaluable support network. Everything from questions about how to do things, borrowing gear you don't have, getting to use gear before you buy it, and last minute emergencies. When I first started assisting weddings, my battery charger for my camera died(I dropped it). Couldn't charge my battery. I was in a panic, and the day of the wedding was standing outside the only camera store in my area that carried it(45 miles away) at 6 a.m. waiting for them to open. It would have been a lot easier to call up a friend the night it happened and ask to borrow theirs.
In any case, Nikon/Canon/any of the big names will serve you well. My advice would be to go with where you have the biggest support network. FWIW, if I had been shooting Pentax/Sony/Sigma, I would have missed that wedding, because there is no way a local camera store would have had it in stock.