Canon 7D or Nikon D7000

Lightsearcher

Hi,

I am an advanced-amateur photographer and I use Olympus cameras and lens.

I shot landscapes, cityscapes and portraits... I love my gear and it is perfect for this kind of photography but when I have to shoot weddings or fashion shows is in this field when Olympus have some issues with auto focus and dynamic range.

I'm not selling my Olympus gear just want to start with a new system (Canon or Nikon) to use it in low light situations and when I need fast auto focus response from my camera and lens.

I am thinking to go with Canon 7D or Nikon D7000, what do you think about this to cameras and what lens should I buy for a wedding or a fashion show?

Thank you in advance for your advice and feedback.

Regards.

Marcelo

ThatCanonGuy

Between those two, the 7D. The Nikon D300s is a better comparison to the Canon 7D. However, since the Nikon D7000 is quite a bit newer than the D300s, it often gets compared to the 7D. But the 7D has higher-end features (as does the D300s) that the D7000 doesn't have. So I'd say either a Canon 7D or a Nikon D300s.

As for lenses, there are many options... the 70-200 2.8 (any of them) sounds good. There are many fast primes to choose from as well: 24mm f/1.4, 35 f/1.4, 50 1.2, 85 1.2, and 135 f2, to name a few high-end Canon examples.

ziggy53

The Canon 7D and the Nikon D300s are the top-of-the-line APS-C format camera bodies for their respective manufacturers. There is no 1:1 relationship between Canon and Nikon, so it's best to choose your equipment based on your needs and how "you" work with the camera. This includes the user interface and location of controls, etc.

I am most familiar with the Canon cameras, so I'll discuss the 7D first. The 7D does nicely for weddings and there are quite a few wedding photographers who use the 7D. The AF does suffer somewhat in terribly low light, but if you have an on-camera external flash with AF assist, it does fine. Dual image processors help speed the data flow and 14-bit images at 18 megapixels are generally no problem.

An almost ideal wedding and event lens for the Canon APS-C format bodies is the Canon EF-S 17-55mm, f2.8 IS USM. It handles extremely well in most situations and the image quality is very much like Canon's very best "L" series lenses. My Canon 17-55mm, f2.8 lens is one lens that I would replace immediately if anything happened to it. I also recommend an EF 70-200mm, f2.8L USM (with or without IS) to assist in larger venues, especially where a couple of different things might be going on at once at some distance.

The Nikon D300s is also extremely competent for weddings and you'll find many wedding and event shooters with that body. I do recommend using 12-bit mode for best speed, and 12 bits is plenty and very high image quality. Similar to the Canon, I suggest using an external flash with AF assist in lower light situations.

I recommend the Nikkor 17-55mm, f2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX as the standard zoom, and you would also pair that with one of the Nikkor 80-200mm or 70-200mm, f2.8 zooms for the same reasons as above. These lenses are easily equal to the Canon counterparts.

With either system I also recommend a couple of DIY flash modifiers:

http://www.fototime.com/inv/908195739C4C0D3

http://abetterbouncecard.com/

Joe Demb also makes an interesting device for sale (reasonable):

http://www.dembflashproducts.com/flipit/

I own a FlipIt product and it works well and is very well made.

A site showing various modifiers in use:

http://www.the-meissners.org/2006-small-albums/2006-flashmod/index.html

wpbarr

Pick your lenses first, then add the camera. You will need one lens for weddings, another for runways.

Lightsearcher

ThatCanonGuy wrote: »

Between those two, the 7D. The Nikon D300s is a better comparison to the Canon 7D. However, since the Nikon D7000 is quite a bit newer than the D300s, it often gets compared to the 7D. But the 7D has higher-end features (as does the D300s) that the D7000 doesn't have. So I'd say either a Canon 7D or a Nikon D300s.

As for lenses, there are many options... the 70-200 2.8 (any of them) sounds good. There are many fast primes to choose from as well: 24mm f/1.4, 35 f/1.4, 50 1.2, 85 1.2, and 135 f2, to name a few high-end Canon examples.

Thank you for your reply,

I agree with you about the comparison of the canon 7D with the Nikon D300's and according with some reviews the AF of this camera is faster than the D7000 but what i noticed some pro photographers are using the D7000 for weddings.

About the lenses, the 70-200 2.8 and the 50 1.2 have very good reviews.

Thank you for your time.

Regards.

Marcelo

Lightsearcher

Ziggy
Hi Ziggy,

Thank you for taking the time to write a very detailed review about my options, I really appreciate it.

"The 7D does nicely for weddings and there are quite a few wedding photographers who use the 7D. The AF does suffer somewhat in terribly low light, but if you have an on-camera external flash with AF assist, it does fine"

This statement makes me think twice about the 7D, I have some issues with AF with Oly E5 and what I want to find is a system to offer a faster AF, maybe the D300's is a better option for me.

The selection of lens you suggested is a great help for me and I really appreciate it.

Have a great day.

Marcelo

Brett1000

Lightsearcher wrote: »

Hi,

I am an advanced-amateur photographer and I use Olympus cameras and lens.

I shot landscapes, cityscapes and portraits... I love my gear and it is perfect for this kind of photography but when I have to shoot weddings or fashion shows is in this field when Olympus have some issues with auto focus and dynamic range.

I'm not selling my Olympus gear just want to start with a new system (Canon or Nikon) to use it in low light situations and when I need fast auto focus response from my camera and lens.
I am thinking to go with Canon 7D or Nikon D7000, what do you think about this to cameras and what lens should I buy for a wedding or a fashion show?
Thank you in advance for your advice and feedback.
Regards.

Marcelo

a comparison between the Canon 60D and the Nikon D7000 -
http://www.popphoto.com/gear/2011/01/lab-test-canon-60d?quicktabs_1=2#quicktabs-1

Matthew Saville

Lightsearcher wrote: »

Hi Ziggy,

Thank you for taking the time to write a very detailed review about my options, I really appreciate it.

"The 7D does nicely for weddings and there are quite a few wedding photographers who use the 7D. The AF does suffer somewhat in terribly low light, but if you have an on-camera external flash with AF assist, it does fine"

This statement makes me think twice about the 7D, I have some issues with AF with Oly E5 and what I want to find is a system to offer a faster AF, maybe the D300's is a better option for me.

The selection of lens you suggested is a great help for me and I really appreciate it.

Have a great day.

Marcelo

I wouldn't consider the D300 to be any sort of champion as far as focusing in low light is concerned. I worked with a D300 for years and ~300,000 images, mostly weddings, and I didn't find it to be anything special. The only place I notice a REAL difference in low-light focusing performance is the transition between the D300 / D7000, and the D700. The D700 definitely has the chops to get any low-light job done. Nikon says that the D300 and D700 are almost exactly the same, but my experience tells me there's a clear difference.

In general, it sounds like you need a "jack of all trades" system, and that in my opinion is Nikon. Canon's cameras are much more specialty oriented, and often beat out Nikon on paper or in the lab, but Nikon just packs in so many useful features that I just can't imagine not using Nikon now, as someone who shoots weddings for work and then goes out to shoot star time lapses in the off season.

You will have the most versatile shooting experience as a wedding photographer using the D700. You will have a very good, versatile shooting experience as a general outdoor / cityscape photographer using a camera like the D7000.

That isn't to say youcan't have a good experience shooting a 7D (or 5D mk2, etc. etc.) as well. I just prefer the Nikons for their added features and versatility.

=Matt=

Lightsearcher

Thank you Mathew for your sharing your experience and observations about the D300-700-7000.

Is confuse to read reviews about the D300 that state this camera has a better AF than the D7000 and photographers according with their experience confirm the contrary, I was checking also the comparometer at dpreview.com and the pictures at high ISO from the D300 looks much better (noise free) thank the D7000.

I think I have to do a test by myself and I'm planing to visit B&H tomorrow at my lunch time, I'll bring with me my memory card and and check the files and the behavior of this cameras.

Have a great day.

Marcelo

Matthew Saville

Lightsearcher wrote: »

Thank you Mathew for your sharing your experience and observations about the D300-700-7000.

Is confuse to read reviews about the D300 that state this camera has a better AF than the D7000 and photographers according with their experience confirm the contrary, I was checking also the comparometer at dpreview.com and the pictures at high ISO from the D300 looks much better (noise free) thank the D7000.

I think I have to do a test by myself and I'm planing to visit B&H tomorrow at my lunch time, I'll bring with me my memory card and and check the files and the behavior of this cameras.

Have a great day.

Marcelo

I dunno about definitive tests comparing autofocus performance, but in my experience there is FAR less difference between the two cameras, compared to simply pursuing better focusing technique. In other words- If I had good technique and was shooting generally, I could do great with either. But on the other hand, to nail focus in near-darnkess at f/1.4, hand-held, I would rather have something better than both.

When it comes to ISO however, I can definitely say that the D7000 is one of the best crop sensor cameras on the market for low noise...

=Matt=