D7000 or D300S What would you do?

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Vixen

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Hello people, please can someone kindly give me their view on which camera would be the best buy out of the above two (they are in my budget and I have taken a while narrowing them down). I have begun to do Wedding photography (please don't tut or sigh!!) I absolutely love it to bits. My other passion is portraits. I would like to delve into landscapes but time does not allow it yet. I have at the moment D3000, Nikon 60mm AFS Macro Lens, the 18-55mm AFS ( DX kit lens), and a 50mm AF prime. I am wanting to invest in the best camera that I can afford at this time and I can't decide to go with the D7000 - which seems to have great iso capability or should I really go with the D300s that has a full frame sensor? I know the D7000 is compatible with lots of other lenses but is that enough?. I just don't know what to do, my mind is a muddle of f-stops and exposure and now I have to make a huge decision like this. begging some good advice please!! ooh would love a speed light too

I should add I have read the other thread with the same question, but I don't feel it answers my question.
 
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1st of all, the D300s in NOT a full frame sensor. it is a DX, just like the D7000.
Of the 2, go for the D7000, it's new technology, and a great camera.
 
If you do a search, there are a couple of threads which have discussed this choice already. The simple answer appears to be get the 300 for better build quality or the 7000 for slightly better high iso. Looking at the other threads will go into far better detail

Also, the d300s is a crop sensor, same size as the d7000. The cheapest full frame camera from Nikon is currently the D700 which is almost double the price of the others
 
lovely, thanks you two. I was leaning towards the D7000 and it seems very popular on here. Theres just no where local to me to go and look at it. Even Jessops have no stock in currently. Seems I kind of answered my own question - just a teeny bit lacking confidence.
 
I had the same choice to make and I went for the D7000 due to the better ISO performance, better focussing and exposure technology.
As for the build quality, I think the D300 is possibly slightly better sealed, but the D7000 is made of magnesium alloy, and is very well made.
I love mine, and I would (and do) recommend it to anyone.
Good luck.
 
Thank you for the reply Gary, I will be ordering it in the next couple of weeks! (tapping foot impatiently!).
 
Vixen said:
lovely, thanks you two. I was leaning towards the D7000 and it seems very popular on here. Theres just no where local to me to go and look at it. Even Jessops have no stock in currently. Seems I kind of answered my own question - just a teeny bit lacking confidence.
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D7000 is very poorly built the battery door has fallen off mine twice.But the sensor is fantastic, great high ISO.Unless you are going to knock the camera around buy the D7000.:thumbs:
 
hmmm, maybe I need to take out that 'fix it for me' insurance... or buy some gaffer tape!
 
kestral said:
D7000 is very poorly built the battery door has fallen off mine twice.But the sensor is fantastic, great high ISO.Unless you are going to knock the camera around buy the D7000.:thumbs:
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Bit of a sweeping statement to say it's poorly built. If it was that bad, I'm sure forums like this would be full of people moaning about it.
Maybe you just got a bad one. It does happen in large manufacturing runs.
 
Oh, just thought I know I definately read somewhere that the D300s has quieter mechanics- does anyone know if this is true? I was quite conscious during a recent Wedding that my camera sounded a bit like 'clunk' whenever I took a shot - especially during the exchange of rings. No one said they noticed any noise but even so...
 
the D7000 has a "quiet mode", and it does exactly what is says. No problems with using it in a hushed environment.
 
I had the choice of both the D300s and D7000 and i went with the D300S. I can not fault this camera at all! Iv used it at weddings, events, landscape, macro ect...

Best bet would be to just wait for them both to be in stock and have a play with both.
 
sweet. I will leave it at that. Thank you for the quick replys.

eek, now you went and gave me two choices again! Better go and hassle that bloke in Jessops then.
 
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I have used a D300 professionally and can state there is very little, if any visual or noticeable build quality between the D300 and D7000.

I would suggest that having used both cameras on daily basis the quality is very similar including the battery door. (occasionally an inferior camera leaves the factory floor, that is same for any manufacturer or model.). It certanley feels good in your hands and dosent feel like a toy.It is a joy to use.

I was recently going to purchase a D300 for my personal use but opted for the D7000 because of its quality of the features such as the DX-format CMOS image sensor with 16.2 effective megapixels. I strongly suspect the D300 will be disappearing form the retail market very shortly.

My unbiased advice to you is to read up on as much as you can and get 'hands on' on both cameras before committing yourself to a purchase.
 
I briefly owned a D300s then switched to a D7000. Much preferred the updated sensor and iso capabilities. Might be parting with it soon actually!
 
Do you ever get down to London from Sunny Shropshire? If you do, it's definitely worth taking an hour or so to visit Gray's of Westminster. It's a cathedral to all things Nikon so you will be able to try both bodies, any lens you fancy, get advice etc. etc. Be sure to take a memory card or two. When you buy, the support you get from them is terrific. (They do interest free credit too in case you decide on a D700.)

For what its worth, when I had the same dilemma last year I bought the D300s because it just felt so much better in my big hands than the D7000. Hewn from granite and all that.

BUT... if I was in your shoes now, I'd save, beg, borrow and steal to get a D700 for its full-frame loveliness, autofocus system and low light performance. Trouble is, you then need a load more money for lenses. Aaaaaargh.
 
Thank you everyone, some fantastic advice and views on both models. I have just been to another Jessops and they had the D7000, so I've had a good look at it. There does seem to be more for your money with the D7000. The iso levels are higher - but I suspect you will still get issues with noise, just at what level though? think I better do some more reading. thanks again everyone your opinions are much appreciated.
 
Until a couple of days ago I had a D7000. Due to my own fault it has gone to the great camera heaven :shake:

It had to be replaced so yet again I read all the reviews and was debating between the 300s or the D7K.

They both have features that would make you want to buy either, for me I ended up buying a D700.
 
GHP said:
Bit of a sweeping statement to say it's poorly built. If it was that bad, I'm sure forums like this would be full of people moaning about it.
Maybe you just got a bad one. It does happen in large manufacturing runs.
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No it is not a sweeping statement it is a fact.Go and look at one and you will see.The build is very poor on all of them.Just pick up a Canon 7d and a Nikon D7000 and you will KNOW it is not a sweeping statement.:cuckoo:
 
kestral said:
No it is not a sweeping statement it is a fact.Go and look at one and you will see.The build is very poor on all of them.Just pick up a Canon 7d and a Nikon D7000 and you will KNOW it is not a sweeping statement.:cuckoo:
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No, it's not a fact at all.
I don't need to go and look at one, because I use one every day.
As for the build is very poor on all of them, well, that is total BS.
This isn't the first thread where you start slagging Nikon. If you love Canon that much, go and get one.
 
I've held both but own a D300s...the D300s is a tank of a camera and I love it...:D

The best thing for me, though, being quite lazy is the top left dial with the easy to us ISO/quality/WB/timer settings.

My advice...visit a camera shop and try both out...:thumbs: and let us know how you get on.

Cheers.
 
I don't really understand why people feel they need a tank for a camera anyway...don't we all take care of our equipment???

I find the D7000 build fine, obviously I wouldn't smash it around but neither would I with any other camera...
 
kestral said:
D7000 is very poorly built the battery door has fallen off mine twice.
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Yeah, that can happen with almost all Nikon DSLRs, with the exception of the Dx range. It's caused by the user not clicking the door back into place properly after they've removed/refitted it, for example when replacing it after removing a grip....;)
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Yeah, that can happen with almost all Nikon DSLRs, with the exception of the Dx range. It's caused by the user not clicking the door back into place properly after they've removed/refitted it, for example when replacing it after removing a grip....;)
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....you don't take the battery door off to use a grip on the D7000...
 
I also had the option of both when i bought mine. After playing with both at numerous Jessops stores, i decided on the D7000. As for build, the D300s does feel nicer in your hands, but i felt i was getting more for my buck with the D7k, and it was newer.

Max resolution on the sensor of the D7000 is better.
D300s: 4288 x 2848
D7000: 4928 x 3264

More effective pixels:
D300s: 12.3
D7000: 16.2

The processor is better in the D7k, the d300s uses Expeed, the D7k uses Expeed 2.

The D7k is also lighter than the D300s. Which is about 20% lighter, i am presuming this is why the D300s feels better, but the D7k is less work on the arms, so easier to keep steady.

The D300s does have a few advantages
Focus points: 51 Focus points, as opposed to the D7K 39 points.
Video Mic: Stereo, D7k has mono

The only thing i cant remember is how many SD card slots the D300s has, i know the D7K has 2, which you can use in varying ways (Raw / Compressed or Overflow or Copy)


Break down of the comparison: http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=nikon_d300s&products=nikon_d7000

Also this is a great quick comparison:
http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon_D300S-vs-Nikon_D7000


I have used the silent and standard mode on the D7k and it seems to really make a difference, although i find some comfort in the noises :D

The only problem with the D7k i have is the blasted memory card door keeps slipping open when its in my bag if i didnt put it in properly :(

p.s. i did drop the D7k once. Slightly damaged the mode selector switch, but its just a cosmetic thing the cam still works perfectly well.
 
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