Nikon d90 vs d7000

[Scotttyd]

So I am debating between the two. Mainly for topside - but if I save enough $$ then for underwater. I am far from a professional and have always used manual P&S's. What are the main differences? and with the backorders of the d7000 - you cannot find any discounted deals on them. Is worth the extra $$, especially for somone such as myself that is probably a long ways from ever getting everything out of the camera that is has to offer.

 

[mjh]

The D90 is a very capable camera and can be had at a very good price. The D7000 is very popular for topside and underwater. Shoots 1080HD, bigger sensor, more pixels, and 320 Flash sync for better sun balls. Both have plenty of housings for down the road. Reality is the D7000 is plenty of camera for most but the most demanding or those who budget is not an issue

 

[PatW]

You can go to Digital Photography Review and compare them.

The major things are

D90 - major advantage: price
D90 - second advantage: possibility of getting a decent used housing at a significant discount

D7000

I think the sensors are the same size.
The D7000 is 16 mega pixels vs 12 mega pixels for the D90
The D7000 has a better built case.
The D7000 has a much better high ISO performance.
The D7000 has more focus points.
The D7000 takes 2 cards which is nice for underwater because when one card fills the over flow goes into the next card. You have a backup card just in case.

Are any of these things critical? I would say not. The D7000 is the more capable camera. The D90 can be had at a significantly cheaper price and the housings are discounted for it compared to the D7000. Once the housing manufacturer has made enough housings to pay for the design and tooling costs, they can drop the price and still make a higher margin. Also, you can get used housings for the D90 from reputable suppliers. So if it is D90 or nothing, the D90 is not a bad option.