Nikon D7000 versus Canon EOS 7D for DSLR

[BluewaterPhoto]

Imho your lens and strobe selection (and where you dive) will make a much bigger difference then the body or housing you choose. But it is fun debating bodies. Last fall Todd Winner and I did the same dives together on our La Paz workshop, shooting sea lions and whale sharks, we both got some great shots, neither one got a better shot because of the body. He used a Canon 7D, I used a D7000. - Scott

 

[Blackwood]

Great photo Scott.

Yah. The camera is just a tool and isn't the most important one.

But I have to assume that the extra two stops of shadow detail the D7000 has over the 7D may have come in handy for that capture

 

[mjh]

Both are great cameras its sort of a Audi vs. BMW choice. As to housings there are great choices for both. In general housings are important but don't forget about lighting. Take two shooters of equal ability, give one say an Ike housing but two high end strobes and the other a Seacam housing and one strobe and the Ike shooter is going to get better results. Lighting Matters! Sweeping generalization here but "newer companies" like Aquatica and Nauticam have more streamlined port systems vs. long established companies like Ike and Sea&Sea which can make life a little easier as your lens selection grows.

When possible get your hands on the different housings, for me I find Aquatica for the D7000 just fit my hands the best. That said leaving the D7000 home for this weeks trip to Sipidan and taking the Nauticam GX1 setup. Regardless come up with a honest budget and that will help a lot. That said it is a lot like remodeling; takes longer than you expected and you always end up spending more than you planned, lol.

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

thanks Blackwood. I suppose the extra stops don't hurt but Todd was getting great shots also. Most people on our trip were shooting with Nauticam or Sea & Sea, both were performing flawlessly and I really like the port system on both of them.

 

[bbarnett51]

I can't speak on the use of them underwater but I am a photographer by hobby and I assure you the d7000 does not obliterate the 7d on stills....perhaps with the kit lens but not with higher quality lenses.

I have spent time with both. I prefer the Canon 7D for its quicker Auto focus. I do a lot of bird in flight photography and the 7d really shines when fast AF is necessary.

However, you will likely be happy with whatever you choose. There is no clear winner here. Both great choices.

 

[Blackwood]

Good subject, good light, good exposure, good composition. If you have those things, you'll have a good picture whether you're shooting a phase one iq180, a nikon d7000, a canon 7d, a point and shoot or a Polaroid.

For the most part, when comparing modern digital cameras, the IQ differences are in the noise... literally.


When I say the d7000 obliterates the 7d, I'm talking a small subset of details.


Dynamic range (the amount of light the camera can record between a fully dark and fully bright pixel) is dependent on read noise.


For a 16-bit register, there are 2^16 possible values between 0 and 65k. For ease, we discuss them in stops. Reading the sensor introduces noise to the sensor. For canon, it's very often about 2000. Meaning details 2000 or darker are completely unresolvable. As you get brighter, you get details, but the noise destroys some of it. Sony has some nifty tech with their exmor sensors (one of which the d7000 uses) that can resolve about two stops darker than any canon, meaning it can record details 1/4 as bright.


If you just take a photo of the same thing with both cameras, they'll look mostly the same. But in challenging lighting (eg underwater), the nikon will allow you to extract a lot more data from the shadows. This is all more or less irrelevent outside of RAW since JPEG is only 8 bit (and since neither camera provides RAW video I'm ignoring it).


I mainly bring it up because I am jealous, and kinda resent that canon is either unable or unwilling to address their read noise.






WRT AF, you're probably right. The 7D has more cross type AF sensors, so it probably grabs focus a little faster given equivalent glass (aperture and drive motor). The D7000 has more points so I imagine it has better subject tracking, but that's just a guess. It definitely has a better metering system. Those are all off my radar - both of my DSLRs have relatively ancient AF systems (9 points total, only one of which is cross type). The 7D also has an appreciably higher frame rate. And it uses IMO better media (CF vs SD). It is, however, more expensive. It's up to the consumer to decide whether better AF and frame rate is worth the cost increase in spite of being a generation behind in sensor tech.