Nikon D7000 vs Canon 7D

[de_tec_tive]

hi everyone, i need some help deciding which camera to buy please
i had all my gear stolen last week and literally everything was taken, i had it all in my camera bag in my car and i'd shot a festival over NYE so it was all still packed together.

firstly i shoot bands 95% of the time, so that's pretty much what i'm buying for. i previously owned a nikon D80, kit lens, 50mm f1.8 and 70-200mm f2.8 (my baby).
most of my friends who shoot gigs own canon, so i was thinking of switching to canon purely for convenience so that i can easily borrow lenses etc because i can't afford to replace all my gear at once. i love nikon though, and have read that canon's don't function as well in low light and they don't focus as quick/sharp.

my camera bag was found the following day and there were two memory cards and two batteries in there, so if i bought Nikon that's about $200 i'd be saving on extras, but in comparison to the $5000 of stuff i lost it's obviously not much.

here's an example of some of my photos - Flickr: de-tec-tive's Photostream

i shoot at alot of small-medium size venues and some will often have crappy lighting that's mostly red, so i'd end up shooting sometimes on ISO 1600 with 1/60 f1.8. this is probably a typical example of lighting i have to work with:
Paul Dempsey 08.10.2010 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

any help would be appreciated! i've heard so many different opinions from people that i don't know who to listen to. thanks in advance!
PS this is really great forum

 

[Overread]

My advice would be to consider the cheapest nikon fullframe camera body option (I've no idea of Nikons names nor which are fullframe or not) since for the type of shooting you are doing the wider angle of view and the improved noise reduction that fullframe camera bodies come with would be ideal for you.

On the canon front; should you choose to go down that line I would strongly recommend choosing a Canon 5D (either second hand or reconditioned) or (if you can afford it) a 5DM2 (the M2 is the ideal top range choice whilst the original is the discontinued but still very impressive cheaper choice).

 

[Light Artisan]

^ That would be the Nikon D700.

 

[Overread]

In that case the fight is between the Nikon D700 and the Canon 5D or 5DM2

 

[de_tec_tive]

thanks. i'm probably looking to spend around $2000 for now on a body, 50mm f1.4 and maybe a kit lens. my concert photography is a hobby which i love, but i don't consider myself 'mega serious' about it so i'm not really looking at bodies such as a 5D.

 

[Light Artisan]

D7000 $1200
50mm 1.4D $350
Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 $599 or Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 HSM Macro

That might be a fun combo around your budget.

 

[Overread]

thanks. i'm probably looking to spend around $2000 for now on a body, 50mm f1.4 and maybe a kit lens. my concert photography is a hobby which i love, but i don't consider myself 'mega serious' about it so i'm not really looking at bodies such as a 5D.

Last I checked in the UK the 5D camera body is retailing second hand/reconditioned at less than the price of the 7D camera body so its well within your budget and its the "right tool for the job" (most would say).

It's just as pro as the 7D you are considering; save that its far better suited toward the type of photography that you're intending to do. (heck the 7D is even more complex a camera with its AF system! )

 

[Derrel]

D7000 over the 7D...significantly better sensor in the new Nikon...better at HIGH ISO settings. Too bad about getting ripped off...that reallllly sucks....I know first-hand.

 

[de_tec_tive]

D7000 over the 7D...significantly better sensor in the new Nikon...better at HIGH ISO settings. Too bad about getting ripped off...that reallllly sucks....I know first-hand.

thanks alot. yeah it was pretty depressing, especially because they clearly broke into my car just for the $300 GPS, and they would have grabbed my bag just because it was there not knowing it's worth $5000

 

[sierramister]

ISO 6400 on my D7000 at 2.8 requires very little NR in Lightroom. Quite an upgrade from 1600 in the D90. The D7000 is amazing for low light!

 

[karenli]

D7000 HD video quality is good!

 

[o hey tyler]

If you're looking for Fast AF in low light, the 7D has 19 (all of them) Cross Type AF points that work well in low light from the tests I've seen. From my understanding the D7000 has 9 cross type. The 7D also beats it in speed with the ability to shoot 8 fps, if that's a concern to you. Along with Dual DIGIC4 processors to handle noise at high ISO.

I suppose for your needs either camera would do the trick. If you're used to shooting Nikon then stick with them.

 

[nahtanoj]

 

[o hey tyler]

YouTube - Nikon D7000 vs Canon 7D - which one is better?

That pretty much sums it up. They're both good cameras. You really can't go wrong with either.

 

[shaunly]

Even though the D7000 is priced to be in a lower class, these two camera are pretty much neck to neck. You can't go wrong with neither choice. The D7000 is about $300 cheaper and it handles high ISO a little better too. So in your case, the D7000 is probably the better choice.