60D vs D7000

[bloater]

After much thought I have narrowed down my selection for my first foray in to the world of dslr's.
My main uses will be sports mainly cycling and fireworks and also it will also be my only camera other than the one on my phone.
My choice has boiled down to the 60D or the D7000, I've had a look at the Nikon and played with the Canon in the shop.
The reviews I have read say the Nikon is better in low light, but then it is also a fair bit more money.
I do like the idea of a second memory card slot on the D7000 but the dials and layout on the 60D appears easier to me.
So does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on which one to go for? and to help me make a decision.

 

[badboy1984]

I say go for the one that feels right to you. This Nikon and Canon thing will just go on forever.

D7000 low light is decent but i can't really see much of a different on both d7000 and 60D unless you crack it up very very high. The D60 feels better in my hand when i play with my friends canon.

I choose nikon at the end because it felt right in my hand, but everyone is different.

 

[squishy]

As above.
The D7000's sensor does perform a bit better, but the 60D is also very very decent, and in the long run you'll thank yourself for going with the brand who's ergonomics feel more right to you.

 

[Beardy]

For sports photography the big issue with the D7000 is the buffer size.....that is worth bearing in mind but I have no idea how it comapres to the 60D. This review has a section showing the real world impact of the buffer but they aren't using the highest spec SDHC cars...they weren't available when the D7000 was launched

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikon_D7000/

I haave a D7000 and love it....but if you think the Canon feels better that's a very strong argument. I don't know what the controls are like but make sure things like ISO are easy to change without digging into menus.

 

[StewartR]

in the long run you'll thank yourself for going with the brand who's ergonomics feel more right to you.

if you think the Canon feels better that's a very strong argument.

What they said.

Remember, this is unlikely to be your last DSLR, and you're potentially buying into a system. The different brands may establish temporary superiority over one another from time to time, either in specific areas (e.g. Canon got into DSLR video faster and better than Nikon, but Nikon pushed the envelope on high ISO settings first) or simply by offering a camera that does more of what you want to do and less of what you don't want to do. But things like ergonomics are baked deeply into their DNA and persist. So if the 60D feels more intuitive to you than the D7000, then it's likely that the 60D successor in 10 years time will feel more intuitive to you than the D7000 successor in 10 years time.

Another thing you might want to bear in mind is the other aspects of the system - such as lenses and flashes. There are some significant differences here. For example Canon have nothing to match Nikon's 14-24, and Nikon have nothing like Canon's 400/5.6.

 

[Martyn...]

They can all take a cracking photograph, providing you get it right ... best thing is to pick the one that feels right in your hand as that is where it will spend a fair bit of time.

 

[alix]

As above.
The D7000's sensor does perform a bit better, but the 60D is also very very decent, and in the long run you'll thank yourself for going with the brand who's ergonomics feel more right to you.

i shoot at rally events and the buffer on the 60D is great can snap of around 49pics befor buffer fills and with class 10 card it burns prity dam fast

 

[bloater]

Just to throw a spanner in the works when I had decided on the 60D, I have been offered a D300 at a good price which would allow me to get an extra lens and still come in under the cost of the 60D, so I'm not sure what to do.

 

[Dr_O]

Just to throw a spanner in the works when I had decided on the 60D, I have been offered a D300 at a good price which would allow me to get an extra lens and still come in under the cost of the 60D, so I'm not sure what to do.

Both are good cameras but if you can't get on with the ergonomics of the Nikon then it would seem a bit of a mute point if it is cheaper as it would likely put you off using it eventually. You really need to try both then decide- either will do the job. The D300 doesn't do video although you haven't mentioned that- having said that ,the only Nikon's I'd buy for video (if that was a key driver) are the D4 or D800 anyway.

Think about the lenses too- Canon have a wider range and are often cheaper than their Nikon counterparts although this depends on how long term you are looking and what your plans are.

There is also the Canon 50D as a cheaper alternative to the 60D. Again no video but Canon handling.

 

[Northstander]

I had the same dilema last October and I chose the D7000. I liked the feel of both, and went with the D7000 for the ISO performance, dual card slots, the 39 AF points and the better quality kit lens as I knew I'd be using the kit lens for a long time.

And, at the time, it was £20 cheaper than the 60D (not that that had a bearing on my decision, but it shows just how much the D7000 has gone up!)

 

[insomniac]

Just to throw a spanner in the works when I had decided on the 60D, I have been offered a D300 at a good price which would allow me to get an extra lens and still come in under the cost of the 60D, so I'm not sure what to do.

Hello,

To throw another spanner in the works - I was recently debating this very question - 60D vs D7000 - recently, and I got a cracking price on a D90, which is ultimately what I went with. The savings over the D7000 were about £400, which went towards the lens budget.