D90 vs D7000

D90 vd D7000

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Sesame

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Sesame
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Hey,

Sorry, me again...

I've been racking my brain about which Nikon DSLR to go with for a complete beginner...
I've looked at a number of options including Canon kit, but do know I prefer the feel & Menu of Nikon.

After looking at the 2nd hand options over the last few days I wanted to see what the learned friends of the forums think about which Nikon to go for between the D90 & D7000

I suspect I will get the standard answer that I've been hearing alot, i.e. that the body isn't as important as the Glass...let see.
Could I ask you add a comment to the thread too to explain your choice, please?

Thanks for your input in advance.

Regards,

Sesame

p.s. added Other myself d oI ican se the Poll reuslts..
 
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Well I'm not a complete beginner and cant make up my mind between a D90, D7000 or maybe 'jump ship' :wacky: and look at the Canon 60D. However my reasons for humming and haring may not be the same as yours.

I was reading the dpr Preview Review on the D7000 this morning:

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikond7000/

The comment they made, "its not a beginners camera", so beware . . . I would point you in the direction of a D3100, D5000 or D90 . . .

CJS
 
D90.

I got one almost a year ago. It was my first DSLR yet, as a beginner, I found it easy to use and that it produces damn fine images.

I had been using a Panasonic Lumix compact digital for a year or so prior to getting the D90 and found the step up was a joy to make.

There's enough there to allow you to stretch and experiment with your photography.

I do loads of different stuff, from abstract to shooting children's football (even getting paid for one of my footy shoots:) ) and have not yet reached the point where I feel I need to progress onto a more advanced camera.

100% happy D90 user. (y)
 
PS. your comment about the feel of the Nikon is so important. You ain't gonna produce your best with something that feels uncomfortable to you.

Having done my pre-purchase research I had settled on a Canon (I know it was a 50 but can't remember if it's D50 or EOS50, not that it particularly matters).
It was an extremely close call between Canon and Nikon. Anyway, whilst trying out the Canon I asked, just out of interest, if I could try the D90 and that was it, it felt so much better than the Canon in my hands that I knew it had to be the Nikon.

No regrets.
 
and that it produces damn fine images.
Click to expand...

and thats it really! few actually need 16mp etc and the D90 is way cheaper......
 
Thanks Guys for your Replies,

What do we think of the Jessops D90 Bundles?
More so if the Additional Lens & bits is worth it

£999 for Nikon D90 18-1055 VR Kit
http://www.jessops.com/online.store...n/D90 18-105mm Premium Bundle-77993/Show.html

or

£899 for Nikon D90 18-55 VR Kit
http://www.jessops.com/online.store.../D90 Twin Lens Premium Bundle-78087/Show.html

Each with :
With a Tamron 70-300mm Lens sold separately for £169
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/66332/show.html

More so, which Lens would you recommend should be in a beginners Camera Bag?

Cecil Jacobs do some sort of lens upgrade scheme - is that worth considering?


Thanks for your help.

Sesame
 
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Sesame said:
What do we think of the Jessops D90 Bundles?
Click to expand...

Quick look for cheapest:
d90 + 18-105mm £731.49 (Currys)
Tamron £117.40 (Amazon)
Sandisk £17.99 (Amazon)
Lowepro £28.34 (Amazon)

Total £895.22

Couple of protector filters ~£20
 
Between the 18-55 and 18-105, I'd take the 18-105, its the lens that came with my D90 kit when I bought it and it served me well until I decided to get a better one..
 
Definitely D90 - if I had the cash for a D7000 I'd either save a bit more for a D300s or a D700, but the D90 would seem ideal for someone starting with DSLR photography but still wants an element of ergonomic-ness lacking in the entry level nikons. (top LCD, glass prism etc)
 
IgorFB said:
Between the 18-55 and 18-105, I'd take the 18-105, its the lens that came with my D90 kit when I bought it and it served me well until I decided to get a better one..
Click to expand...

I agree... get the standard 18-105 kit and body for ~ £740 and then spend the rest on nice glass depending on your requirements (macro / portrait / super tele etc)


Have a look on the flickr groups for examples of what can be achieved with the 18-105 (y)

http://www.flickr.com/groups/d9018105vr/
 
f1charlie said:
Quick look for cheapest:
d90 + 18-105mm £731.49 (Currys)
Tamron £117.40 (Amazon)
Sandisk £17.99 (Amazon)
Lowepro £28.34 (Amazon)

Total £895.22

Couple of protector filters ~£20
Click to expand...

Thanks for checking...

Everybody said to buy from a Camera shop for that personal / knowledgeable touch.

Had experience of thid 1st hand at Currys.
Their Camera expert didn't help me at all, unless if you think reading the price tag is any help as they assume you can't read....:bonk:
 
Hi, I voted for the D90 as well. It's a fully specified camera which takes excellent images. By the time you have exhausted the possibilities we will be another generation down the road and you will have more interesting things to upgrade to.

Use the £500 you save to invest in good lenses.

SRS in Watford will sell you a D90 with 16-95VR for £950 (less than a D7000, and this is a class lens). The Nikon 70-300 VR is £380 which I would also recommend.

There are cheaper options of course, the Nikon 55-200 VR only costs £190 and the 55-300 is £295, though I dont rate them as highly as the 70-300.

SRS may even throw in a nice Nikon backpack with some cards and stuff - they are normally OK to haggle with.

Steve
 
Critical I said:
Hi, I voted for the D90 as well. It's a fully specified camera which takes excellent images. By the time you have exhausted the possibilities we will be another generation down the road and you will have more interesting things to upgrade to.

Use the £500 you save to invest in good lenses.

SRS in Watford will sell you a D90 with 16-95VR for £950 (less than a D7000, and this is a class lens). The Nikon 70-300 VR is £380 which I would also recommend.

There are cheaper options of course, the Nikon 55-200 VR only costs £190 and the 55-300 is £295, though I dont rate them as highly as the 70-300.

SRS may even throw in a nice Nikon backpack with some cards and stuff - they are normally OK to haggle with.

Steve
Click to expand...


Or even pinch the Nikon battery, stick in an HK one and try and tell you that's how Nikon ship the cameras nowadays - that's what they did to me.....
 
Critical I said:
Hi, I voted for the D90 as well. It's a fully specified camera which takes excellent images. By the time you have exhausted the possibilities we will be another generation down the road and you will have more interesting things to upgrade to.

Use the £500 you save to invest in good lenses.

SRS in Watford will sell you a D90 with 16-95VR for £950 (less than a D7000, and this is a class lens). The Nikon 70-300 VR is £380 which I would also recommend.

There are cheaper options of course, the Nikon 55-200 VR only costs £190 and the 55-300 is £295, though I dont rate them as highly as the 70-300.

SRS may even throw in a nice Nikon backpack with some cards and stuff - they are normally OK to haggle with.

Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve,

I'll look them up.
 
Just had another look at prices. Jessops are selling the D90 + 18-105 on its own for £749 and the Tamron 70-300 for £119 if bought at the same time.

So you are paying over the odds for the other bits and pieces.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Or even pinch the Nikon battery, stick in an HK one and try and tell you that's how Nikon ship the cameras nowadays - that's what they did to me.....
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that, personally I have not had any issues with them (including no haggle returns). I don't know who you dealt with but I would take that one up with the boss.
 
I made this decision a few weeks ago - and got the D90 with 18-105 kit lens. I've since got a second hand 50mm 1.8 and a new SB600, feel I've got a good basic kit now to start learning with - and I've still spent under £1k (just!).
 
Hi,

I've been playing around with the Basket and got he price down to :

£949 with a Centon (CB20) case :
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/67676/show.html

or

£977.70 with a LowePro Slingshot (102 AW)
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77277/Show.html

Which bag is better ???



The Rest of the Basket includes:

- Nikon D90 + 18-105mm VR Lens Kit
- Jessops UV Filter 62mm
- Jessops UV Filter 67mm
- Sandisk 8GB Extreme HD Video SDHC Memory Card

& which of these would you go for & why???

- Tamron 70-300mm F4/5.6 DI LD Macro (Nikon AF)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-AF-7...UP02/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291095516&sr=8-2
or
- Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro For Nikon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-300mm-Nikon-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0012X43P2/ref=dp_cp_ob_ce_title_1

Also, I was considering putting Portrait lens in the basket too:
Nikon 50mm F1.8D AF Nikkor Lens
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-50mm-...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1291095776&sr=1-2

Please help ! I want to spend some money...
 
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Why not junk the kit lens, and the thought of another lens to go alongside, and buy the D90 with an 18-200VRII lens - either as a kit or as separates if a kit not available?

I would also send Stuart at Digital Depot a PM on this site for pricing - he sent me some yesterday for other items that were very much worth asking about. If you look at the forums he can be found just below the sales section in the Sponsor Forums.

Cheers Mark
 
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Sesame said:
r ???

which of these would you go for & why???

- Tamron 70-300mm F4/5.6 DI LD Macro (Nikon AF)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-AF-7...UP02/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291095516&sr=8-2
or
- Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro For Nikon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-300mm-Nikon-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0012X43P2/ref=dp_cp_ob_ce_title_1

Also, I was considering putting Portrait lens in the basket too:
Nikon 50mm F1.8D AF Nikkor Lens
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-50mm-...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1291095776&sr=1-2

Please help ! I want to spend some money...
Click to expand...

I would not bother with the Sigma unless it is an APO model in this price range.

Do you need or want a 70-300 ? I have just mine for only a hand full of shots. I only bought as I had one when I had my previous DSLR. I would personally hold off and save for the Nikon 70-300 VR.

You might also want to consider a Tamron 55-200, it is a cracking lens for the money. There is an ex demo on Ebay for £60 at the moment, you should be able to pick up a private second hand one even cheaper. There are quite a few that have sold for between £38 & £50.
 
Sesame said:
Hi,

Which bag is better ???
Click to expand...

They are two different styles of bag. Which would suit you better?

Sesame said:
The Rest of the Basket includes:

- Nikon D90 + 18-105mm VR Lens Kit.
- Jessops UV Filter 62mm
- Jessops UV Filter 67mm
- Sandisk 8GB Extreme HD Video SDHC Memory Card

& which of these would you go for & why???

- Tamron 70-300mm F4/5.6 DI LD Macro (Nikon AF)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-AF-7...UP02/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291095516&sr=8-2
or
- Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro For Nikon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-300mm-Nikon-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0012X43P2/ref=dp_cp_ob_ce_title_1

Also, I was considering putting Portrait lens in the basket too:
Nikon 50mm F1.8D AF Nikkor Lens
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-50mm-...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1291095776&sr=1-2

Please help ! I want to spend some money...
Click to expand...


At £949, that's £749 for the camera, £50 for the bag, so £150 for the SD card and filters? Or does that include one of the 70-300mm?

If you are buying from Jessops remember to use one of the cashback sites (4.04% at Topcashback).

Why not just start with the camera, see how you get on and find out what extras would suit your shooting. You may decide you need a flashgun rather than a long zoom, or both, and end up on the slippery spending slope!
 
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OK, the noob is getting confused here, theres first....

If I stick with the 18-105 Kit lens what other should I go for?
Do I need another lens starting out?

Which Lens would be best suited to my predicted usage:
- portrait
- Landscape
- Sports

I was planning to getting a 50mm 1.8D at some point.
But am not sure what the main uses of the Kit 18-105, 70-300 or 55-20...
 
f1charlie said:
Why not just start with the camera, see how you get on and find out what extras would suit your shooting. You may decide you need a flashgun rather than a long zoom, or both, and end up on the slippery spending slope!
Click to expand...
:agree: The bundle deals are only useful if they are including stuff you definitely want.

I wanted to buy the camera new and at a local store (ended up getting it in Camulet as they were the best price) - but then got a basic bag in Currys for £9.99 (which holds camera with lens, a second lens and flash, space for bits and pieces like memory card, mobile phone, purse etc), and an SD (Sandisk Extreme) on Amazon. So I ended up with camera, kit lens, bag and SD card for about £765.

A month on, having discovered a bit more about what I enjoy, I've got a 50mm 1.8 and a flash.

(I'd second the suggestion to check with Stuart at Digitial Depot, just got the flash from him, good price and fast service.)
 
have you thought about going secondhand??
there's a d90 on here for under 500, you can then have a play around with another 500 on lenses :D
o ands about the bags, i got a lowepro slingshot 200, great bag especially if u cycle or move alot. i would recommend it :)
 
Sesame said:
OK, the noob is getting confused here, theres first....

If I stick with the 18-105 Kit lens what other should I go for?
Do I need another lens starting out?

Which Lens would be best suited to my predicted usage:
- portrait
- Landscape
- Sports

I was planning to getting a 50mm 1.8D at some point.
But am not sure what the main uses of the Kit 18-105, 70-300 or 55-20...
Click to expand...

From my earlier post...

Why not junk the kit lens, and the thought of another lens to go alongside, and buy the D90 with an 18-200VRII lens - either as a kit or as separates if a kit not available?

This one lens should cover all of your needs very well.

The only thing you may then wish to add later is an ultrawide, 10-24 or 12-24 for the landscape stuff if you need to go wider - until then, you can always shoot vertically, and stitch shots.
 
i don't know much or anything about d7000, but another happy D90 owner here.
What's the prices of both you are looking at and with what starter lens?

what attracts and distracts you from both?
 
Sesame said:
OK, the noob is getting confused here, theres first....

If I stick with the 18-105 Kit lens what other should I go for?
Do I need another lens starting out?
Click to expand...

The kit lens is a decent lens. Start with that.

If you find you can't fit enough in your landscape shots, you'll be wanting a wide angle; if you aren't getting close enough to the action in your sports shot, you'll need a longer lens eg the 70-300mm. The 50mm would be useful for portraits.

If you find the 18-105mm isn't good enough for you, you can always sell it on.
 
D7000 voters can you explain your choice, you Level of Photography as you see it & if applicable, state what camera you had before please...
 
I've not voted, purely because you are asking for a starter setup.

The 7000 is not a starter camera unless you're a confident photographer to begin with. To be honest, the 90 will more than cope with everything you want it to and more. Why do you feel the need to buy everything in one go :shrug:

Get what you need and can cope with until you find your feet in what you enjoy shooting, then hunt round for equipment to build your bag. I would be careful in the shop too, if a sales guy smells your hunger to buy, you could come away with stuff you might not need. There are lots of bargains on here aswell as great info from the members to help you develop your skills.

Good luck with your choices though, and have lots of fun with whatever you decide (y)

Phil.
 
The D7000 is the best DX Nikon camera but I would not recommend it for an absolute beginner. I have had mine for 3 weeks and am still finding features and functions. Previously I had a D40 and before that 25 years with pro film cameras.

You might even consider starting with something a little lower than the D90 - the D40 and D40x which were smashing beginner SLRs are now discontnued - you could always look for one second-hand.

Lens wise some on this thread are suggesting pro lens costing many hundreds - this seems a lot to spend if you are a newcommer and may lose interest in a couple of months. Stick to the cheap 18-55 zoom or a nice prime lens - say 35/1.8 (bout 150 notes new) or if getting a D90 (or above) a 50/1.8 (bout 90 notes new, won't work with cheaper bodies)
 
phil8139 said:
The 7000 is not a starter camera unless you're a confident photographer to begin with.
Click to expand...

Looking at the specs and from having a quick play with one in a shop, I can't see why you think the D7000 is any less of a "starter camera" than the D90.

I think it's overpriced for what it offers, but it's hardly any more complex than the D90.
 
Tim_uk, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is it that makes the D7000 (or indeed the D90 as you also mention this) not suitable for a first DSLR? What functions does either have that a beginner would not be able to learn?

The OP has indicated that price is not his concern (indeed in one post he encourages others to suggest more things to buy), and as Flash said above, that's the only thing I find off putting regarding the D7000 over say the D90.

Incidentally, non of us know the background of the OP, nor his ability to understand a concept nor "work buttons". I learned to use a DSLR with the D700. One or two said it may be a bit too "complicated" for a beginner, and why spend so much as I may not like it in the future. Well, with 15 years experience with CCTV, which I do see as an entirely different area I might add, i was able to understand most of the camera settings quickly, and the concept of exposure seemed very logical.

Based on my own experiences, i would suggest that the OP buy "better" equipment from the off. Granted, if he finds he doesn't like his new hobby, he will lose something at sale time, but perhaps not as much as he will lose over the next 2 years with a "trade up" strategy on both body and lenses. Even better - buy 2nd hand, and get the best of both worlds.
 
Just a thought, but to add a little more perspective. The D700 I learned to use belongs to the company. In the last year, there'd have been several occasional where i wished the camera was at home (its available to borrow at all times, but often after being used at work, it can stay there for a week or so).

As a result, I decided to buy something to keep at home also, and like the OP was undecided between the D7000 and a D90. In the end, I decided to go 2nd hand. I have bought from the sale forum on here, a D90 (8 months old) and an 18-200VRII with very little use to go on it. Combined cost was £850 - less than the OP is thinking of spending on the kit list he has specified.

If I decide I don't like either or both items, i do not expect to lose much on resale. It is likely that if I like using a crop camera, that I will trade up to a D7000 sometime in the new year, when I expect prices to lower a fair bit. Alternatively, if crop is not my thing, then I will wait until the replacement for the D700 arrives and see what that is like.
 
Personally I can't see the point in getting the D90 now that the D7000 is out.
From what I've been told the D7000 is the upgraded version of the D90 and it's apparently one of the best cameras Nikon have made.

However neither of them are really beginner's cameras, for that you want the Canon 550D or the Nikon D3100.
I don't know whether weight is an issue for you but both the Canon and D3100 are also significantly lighter than the D90 and D7000.
 
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