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Help Me Make a Decision.

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quaive
Posts: 1055 - Karma: 99
Hello M&A, I'm looking into buying a new camera. I'm not going to fill out that whole sheet but Photography has been a hobby of mine for about 3-4 years now and I'm ready to upgrade my camera.

Current Equipment:
Nikon D60
18-55 f/3.5-5.6 or whatever the kit lens is
50mm f/1.8
AF-S 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 VR II
Nikon Speedlight SB-800
old tripod
blacks camera bag
Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5.

What I'm looking to do is upgrade. But as I've been shooting more and more I've truly discovered what I enjoy and do not enjoy shooting. I Really enjoy shooting sports. Anything active really challenges me, and I enjoy a good challenge. I also enjoy shooting some portraits and sort of day-to-day things i.e. cities, objects, yada yada yada. I'm mainly a 'photographer' but I would like to get into making some videos, nothing serious though.

I have enough funds to upgrade, but this is where I hit a fork in the road. Nikon or Canon. The D7000 or the 60D are my two main options. I am looking to upgrade my glass as well, so that would involve selling my stuff, which I intend to do. I want an unbiased opinion, as hard as that may be to come by. I'm going to a trip to the Galapagos in March and I really want to take some great photographs of the wildlife there. I've heard the whole Nikon for photos, Canon for videos thing before, but I want a second opinion. Nikon does make some really great glass, but for a 16 year old who is jobless half the year, It is hard to fund the more expensive lenses. Canon does make some great glass for a more reasonable price, and for what I like shooting, it works.

If I do switch to Canon, What I would like to get.

Canon 60D Body
Canon 70-200 F/4L (IS ?)
Tamron 17-50 F/2.8 non-VC (?) OR another 'go to' lens
and a 50mm Prime(not sure which is best for its price)

Nikon:

Nikon D7000 Body
Nikon 80-200 f4
Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 Or another 'go to' lens
My 50mm.
SB-800


I could probably leverage a lens for my birthday, but I'm set on buying a body fairly soon.

SO MEDIA AND ARTS, WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND I DO?! It's a big decision for me financially and I'm not sure which path to take

SPARKNOTES:

Looking into buying a new camera (D7000 vs 60D) but not sure which path to take.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SIDE NOTE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOW MUCH WOULD YOU RECOMMEND I SELL MY CURRENT GEAR FOR. All of it is in near perfect condition with barely any cosmetic wear. Body is fine cosmetically and internally. I'm thinking on selling it as follows
Body + Kit lens - $350
70-300 - $350
Prime - $100
Flash - $300
Package deal - $1000

Are those prices fair? I know there are no pictures to judge but everything is in a 9/10 condition, 10/10 being brand new.
Dec 28 2011 12:56PM
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S.C
Posts: 3068 - Karma: 2,281
I would say wait about 6 months and the d700 (no I dont mean the d7000) price should drop to around $2000 new and $1700 use to match the 5d mk ii. Get the body then, and sell all of your glass but keep your 50mm. Then choose a few other lenses to get or just by more over time
Dec 28 2011 2:35PM
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p.hawks
Posts: 2832 - Karma: 581
he wants it by march and the d700 doesn't do video
Dec 28 2011 2:46PM
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S.C
Posts: 3068 - Karma: 2,281
shit, missed the video part, I was on mobile. I've got a 60d, and its nice, wish it was full frame though
Dec 28 2011 3:12PM
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quaive
Posts: 1055 - Karma: 99
Thanks both of you. Probably should have mentioned my budget. I'm looking to spend around $1300- $1400 tops on a body. Used or new.
Dec 28 2011 3:39PM
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p.hawks
Posts: 2832 - Karma: 581
if thats just a body, not whole kit, 60d or 7d, on sale or refurb. Depends on whether you need better weather sealing and higher burst speed (7d) or an articulating screen (60d). there are a few more differences, and even more threads on here explaining all of them
Dec 28 2011 5:00PM
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Childstar.
Posts: 1947 - Karma: 2,212
IMO, its worth it to step up to a 7D instead of the 60D for photography.
Dec 28 2011 5:55PM
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quaive
Posts: 1055 - Karma: 99
I know the differences between the 7D and 60D. My dilemma is concerning the switch from Nikon to Canon and its perks/faults.
Dec 28 2011 5:58PM
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S.C
Posts: 3068 - Karma: 2,281
If you plan on doing a lot more phoo than video 7d is worth it for sure
Dec 28 2011 6:39PM
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C-O-L-E
Posts: 138 - Karma: 22
The d400 should be coming out by summer so if you could hold on for that, it would probably be your best bet for what you want.
Dec 28 2011 7:01PM
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quaive
Posts: 1055 - Karma: 99
Do you have any clue how much that is going to be? If it's to replace the d300s then I think it's slightly out of my budget. And to Chai. A 7D may be a bit too much for me. See it's only a hobby, I don't plan on photography as a career. I'm just ready to upgrade my current equipment.
Dec 29 2011 12:53AM
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chacharlie
Posts: 228 - Karma: 20
I think most people's recommendations are overboard. Either the D300s and D90 are both extremely capable cameras. Not the best choice for a lot of video, but they would leave a lot more cash for lenses and they have nearly all of the capability of the D7000 or 7D. (photo wise)
Dec 29 2011 12:54AM
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PeterWojnar
Posts: 3937 - Karma: 678
D7000, all the way.

It's essentially a D300s in a smaller body that does video well.

When the time comes to upgrade my body (hopefully soon) I'll be making a hard choice between a D7000 and a D700, partly depending on how much cash I have on hand. For me, it's a touch choice because I'm not interested in video. For you, it's an easy decision.


And I say stick to Nikon because I'm a Nikon fanboy and because given the two choices you've provided, the 60D and the D7000, I think the D7000 is a better all-around camera.
Dec 29 2011 1:57AM
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MACAQUE
Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
I'd say D7000. I feel like Nikon builds their cameras better than canon. Every time I use a canon, I think it's gonna break if I squeeze it too hard. If you're not gonna go all out with video and buy a nice tripod, glidecam or all the other video shit, then you won't notice a difference between the D7000 and 60D video wise. Another advantage that Nikon has is the glass. You can mount any Nikon lens made over the past 60 years to any current Nikon camera. With canon it's a little more difficult.
Dec 29 2011 2:12AM
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PeterWojnar
Posts: 3937 - Karma: 678
Ding ding ding, I hate how plasticy the my friend's 7D's shutter sounds. It most closely resembles the sound a D40 makes... *shudder*

And I can tell you that a D7000 on shutter sounds like Optimus Prime making sweet, sweet love. Naturally a D3s on burst mode is the equivalent of all the transformers (and then some) having an orgy, if every one were as classy as Sean Connery's James Bond.

But I'm being a bit of a fanboy, aren't I...
Dec 29 2011 2:26AM
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quaive
Posts: 1055 - Karma: 99
At this point, after doing some research, and the combination of your opinions, I'm leaning towards the Nikon. I can get the 80-200 F/2.8 for a really good price as well. I feel like this will be my main telephoto lens. That, paired with the D7000 seems like a great combo. Although I will need a new wide angle-ish all around lens. Any recommendations other than the Tokina 17-50?
Dec 29 2011 3:28AM
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C-O-L-E
Posts: 138 - Karma: 22
Also just to cloud your thinking even more, you could look at something like a d2x but you will have to forget about video. you can get a d2x for like 650 and you will have a ton of room for sick glass. only real con is iso max is 800 so your gonna need fast glass.
Dec 29 2011 3:36AM
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quaive
Posts: 1055 - Karma: 99
Max of ISO 800 is worse than my D60.... Out of the questions. Haha. I'd rather buy the D7000 that can go up way higher then spend extra money on super fast glass.
Dec 29 2011 4:07AM
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MACAQUE
Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
Yeah don't get a D2X or any other older camera. If you want a grip on your D7000 just buy one down the road. Instead of a zoom, I'd just look at some primes. How much do you have to spend after you but the body and the 80-200? If you don't have that much just stick with the kit lens for wide stuff and get a few primes like a 35 and a 50. Or if you have the money and care about super wide stuff more than you care about a 35 and 50, keep the kit lens and look at something like a Tokina 11-16. OR, you could look at Samyang aka Bower aka Rokinon aka a shit ton of other names (all of them just rebrand the same lenses) for some cheap but quality glass. It's full manual glass, but is really nice quality, especially for the price. They have a nice 8mm fish, 14mm, and some stuff like a 24 and a 35. You have a ton of options so the glass you buy really just depends on your priorities.
Dec 29 2011 2:34PM
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quaive
Posts: 1055 - Karma: 99
Well really I won't have much cash at all. If I keep my 50mm prime, buy the 80-200 and my body that will be all I have for a while, until I can get enough money. Not really looking into a fisheye or an UWA but something that is wide enough (around a 20mm range) would be nice.
Dec 30 2011 4:33PM
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