In the market for a good semi-pro camera (thinking of Canon EOS 7D), any suggestions?

[rk25123]

Hello, as the title says I'm looking for a good semi-professional camera, I was thinking of a Canon EOS 7D (although I probably should wait for the refresh, since it was launched in 2009), but that's because Canon is all I know, does Nikon have something interesting in the same price range? Suggestions?

 

[Nikon_Josh]

Nikon has the D7000, which is an amazing camera! It would seem the best Semi pro camera you can get at the moment though is the Nikon D800, might be out of your budget though!

The Canon 7D is a great camera, but with all these recent amazing releases. I would think twice before buying one!

 

[irfan.in.tx]

Nikon has the D7000, which is an amazing camera! It would seem the best Semi pro camera you can get at the moment though is the Nikon D800, might be out of your budget though!

The Canon 7D is a great camera, but with all these recent amazing releases. I would think twice before buying one!

Unless you have investment in Canon lenses, do look at the D7000 and the Pentax K-5 as alternatives.
Also, the mirrorless cameras are catching up to the mid-range SLRs (in some, but not all respects). The Olympus OM-D EM5 is quite a capable camera.

 

[rk25123]

Thanks for the feedback!
Well, the D800 sure looks like a hell of a camera (a little low fps maybe), but I think that in terms of quality and price it should be compared to the Canon 5D Mark III, which unfortunately is out of my budget. The D7000 seems in the same range of the 7D, but what about the D300s? I think these 3 cameras are the best ones I can afford, or am I missing something? (the 5D Mark II now is in that price range, but seems old-tech, doesn't it?)
Maybe I should wait to see what Canon will offer with the 7D's refresh (should not take long).
Which one would you choose between these:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 7D
Nikon D300s
Nikon D7000

 

[jaomul]

The 7d and D300s are more comparable to each other. If you have canon lenses it shouldn't be tough to decide. If not The d7000 is nice but is a higher consumer camera according to many posts here. For out and out picture quality the 5d ii is best. I would consider the 7d a good all rounder

 

[Nikon_Josh]

Thanks for the feedback!
Well, the D800 sure looks like a hell of a camera (a little low fps maybe), but I think that in terms of quality and price it should be compared to the Canon 5D Mark III, which unfortunately is out of my budget. The D7000 seems in the same range of the 7D, but what about the D300s? I think these 3 cameras are the best ones I can afford, or am I missing something? (the 5D Mark II now is in that price range, but seems old-tech, doesn't it?)
Maybe I should wait to see what Canon will offer with the 7D's refresh (should not take long).
Which one would you choose between these:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 7D
Nikon D300s
Nikon D7000

The amazing thing the D7000 can do which the other three you mention can't do as well, is lifting shadows! Shadow recovery is simply incredible on the D7000. Which means you could expose for the sky during a sunset, lift the shadows and get a usable image! This to me is a fantastic benefit of the D7000 and goes to show smaller sensor technology can sometimes even be better than some full frame sensor technology.

The 5D Mark II and 7D are both amazing cameras but they both exhibit shadow banding, which in my opinion is there one and only downside. Nonetheless, this factor would be important to me and my work.

Sunset | Flickr - Photo Sharing! .. Check this out, Phillip has lifted a D800 image by 100% in the shadows and still hardly any noise to be seen! Simply staggering, if you notice he also mentions that the D7000 can do the same thing. This is an amazing factor in my opinion! And is why in the future I will probably be getting a D7000 at some point, even if it just is as a backup.

The D300S is amazing, but remember it is now old technology! The D7000 is the newest technology, so I think it is your best bet. Not to mention the fact that you can get lenses such as the 35 1.8G for next to no money to bring out it's incredible resolution.

 

[Big Mike]

What type of shooting do you predominantly like/want to do?

 

[rk25123]

What type of shooting do you predominantly like/want to do?

Good question, I like wildlife shooting the most, but I don't dislike any kind of photography.

 

[Overread19 7]

What lenses do you currently have?
A camera body can only perform as well as the glass that's put infront of it - use low end glass and you won't be getting the best performance from the body. That AF speed gain and quality boost won't be for anything if the AF motors in the lens itself are not up to the task and if the glass can't resolve the detail to a high enough standard.

 

[prodigy2k7]

What lenses do you currently have?
A camera body can only perform as well as the glass that's put infront of it - use low end glass and you won't be getting the best performance from the body. That AF speed gain and quality boost won't be for anything if the AF motors in the lens itself are not up to the task and if the glass can't resolve the detail to a high enough standard.

What type of shooting do you predominantly like/want to do?

Thank both of you guys for actually asking the proper questions before just throwing out bodies that may or may not be what this person is looking for!

I agree, make sure you got solid glass before getting a solid body! It makes a large difference.

 

[StandingBear1983]

If you already have Canon Lenses go for the 7d, if your starting from scratch, go for the Nikon D7000, or wait a few more months for the D7100/D8000 (whatever replaces the d7000)