Nikon D7000 vs. Canon 7D: FIGHT!

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.digitalrev.com/en/nikon-d7000-vs-canon-7d---which-one-is-better-7097-article.html' target='_blank'>http://www.digitalrev.com/en/nikon-...97-article.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"So, we reviewed the Nikon D7000 just a few days ago and we liked it a lot. With the upgrades, it really has been upped a class, what with the 100% viewfinder, 6fps continuous burst, metal body, as well as 1080p video recording. So, it's only natural that lots of people have been asking us - Canon 7D vs Nikon D7000: which one is better? Well, we take a look in this video by taking photos of a model named Kinki cleaning a BMW."</em></p><p><object width="600" height="360" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/QZPNwIMMFik&amp;feature=player_embedded#!&amp;ap=&fmt=18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QZPNwIMMFik&amp;feature=player_embedded#!&amp;ap=&fmt=18" /></object></p><p>What I find interesting about this match up isn't that Kai ended up choosing the Canon 7D as the better overall camera; it's that not once in the video does he bother to mention that the Nikon D7000 is about 25% less expensive. Some people, myself included, feel that the D7000 matches up against the Canon 60D, though the 60D is a couple of hundred dollars cheaper. Anyway, it's an interesting review - especially the high ISO performance, where the Nikon D7000 takes the crown.</p>

[ptyork]

Wow! You mentioned that there were cameras in that video. I didn't even notice! :)

I'll be interested in comparing street prices for the 7D and D7000 when both are truly available side-by-side. I'm guessing the 7D will drop considerably. I don't think that 25% price advantage will manifest itself in real-world pricing. Probably closer to 15% ($1200 vs $1400 for the bodies).

WRT the high-ISO, I wonder if that was RAW or out of the camera JPEG? I'm gonna guess JPEG. RAW shots seem to level the field in my experience since you can apply much more sophisticated noise cancelling routines in post-processing. Nonetheless, that's impressive high-ISO performance from the D7000!

I remain disappointed in the video AF performance. I just don't get it. Why can't a DSLR implement decent contrast-detect AF, at least as capable as a $299 camcorder?!?!? And my goodness, how dumb can a subject tracking algorithm be that it loses track when a subject simply turns around? LOTS of room for improvement here, and an opportunity for Canon to do some leapfrogging in the 7DmkII.

No matter what, though, I think I'd choose the D7000 if I were starting from scratch. And man, what a great upgrade path for the D90 folks!

[Jason Dunn]

I'll be interested in comparing street prices for the 7D and D7000 when both are truly available side-by-side. I'm guessing the 7D will drop considerably. I don't think that 25% price advantage will manifest itself in real-world pricing.

Actually, that's real-world pricing from my local camera store, which is very competitive. So I think, for now, that's quite accurate. I know that the 7D came out at $1699 MSRP, so it's already dropped a bit.