Anurag: Both of those cameras are very good. The D7000 is a semi-professional camera. It is made more rugged to endure more adverse weather conditions, etc. The D5100 is a consumer camera. It is easier to operate (has a self help menu) and not as weather tight. But that should not be a problem for anyone who doesn't expect to spend hours photographing in the rain.

Simply, if you are not an experienced photographer I suggest getting the D5100. It will be more than enough camera for you.

If you are a very experienced photographer who owned a D70, D80, or D90 camera and wants something in that grade, get the D7000.

I am totally nervous at this time in deciding to purchase D5100 or D7000, Please suggest me as which camera is good to purchase.

I realize you are choosing between D7000 and D5100. I own the D5100 and it's a great camera. I did invest in decent glass by getting the 18 - 200 VR II, which to me was more important than the camera.There are times I wish I had gotten the D7000 though. Not because I think it takes better pictures (they have pretty much same sensor, but the D7000 has more focus points), but because there are dedicated buttons the D7000 has the D5100 does not. Sometimes, changing settings that are menu driven are less intuitive, and more time consuming. Still both cameras are great.

Now, a counterpoint. You say you are small and size and weight are a major consideration. I recently bought my partner a Micro 4/3 ILC. I wound up getting the Panasonic GF3, and we've now added 3 lenses (14-42 45-300 and 45 macro). It takes fantastic pictures, is easy to use, but permits all the adjustment one might need or want from a DSLR perspective (the touch sensitive screen is actually fun). For what you're describing as issues/needs, you might find that you are just as happy (perhaps more so) with a smaller ILC.

Just a thought........

I didn't read through all the post but what I can tell your from a very amateur point of view. I picked up the D7000 last year for the wife. She uses it every week for shooting pix from our kids sports to family pix when we travel. I also have used this camera and love it big time. It was worth every penny. Now if we're going to be spending all day at Disneyland we'll take our small P&s cameras but I'd say 90% of the time we use the D7000. We have used the 18-105 it came with which has served it's purpose for the most part. However, we're picking up the Nikon 70-300 to use for our kids sports so I'll post up results. What I've heard from others is we'll be very happy. Good luck with your choice.

For the price of the 18-105 you can get both a 18-55 and a 55-200. Then you have a wider optical range to use. Plus, I would add a f/1.8 lens, either in 35mm or 50mm to use in low light. If money runs out you can get the 18-55 and then the f/1.8 and wait on the 55-200. But I would get all three at first, if I could.

Hi,

The D7000 has several advantages over the D5100 that would show in time, weatherproofing, higher flash synchronization, several useful user features that would aid the functionality for picture taking to include a much longer lifespan and ruggedness that push me to recommend it over the D5100 easily.

My D7000 sees 2500 shots a day on a rough day - that's something that might not happen every week, but sometimes it does. It has over 50K actuations on it now. I doubt that a D5100 would have any trouble with that, but I also doubt that it's rated for it, or that it could shoot in rain, or the snow, or in the temperature extremes that the D7000 I've shot in has.

And if I were to take a camera on vacation, that might be something I would want to think about.

A lot also has to do with what photography means to Cait.

For a lot of people it is just a way of recording what happen here or there and putting a place in memory for recall - nothing wrong with that - but for others it's a whole other thing. It's a way we express how we see something. If we're willing to pony up to do something extra, then it might be worth it to do a little more.

My best,

Mike

lenses have been discussed many times

The general consensus is, start with the 18 -105 - Everyone seems to rate this lens

Later, once you have discovered which branch of photography you want to specialise in,
add a one or more of the following

a 70-300
an ultra wide zoom - Tokina and sigma both get good reviews
a macro
a wide aperture prime

there are threads on all of the above

but I suggest you put off buying a second lens until you have a better idea of what you want to do

I still think you would be better off with the 18-105. Then you could get the 70-300 if you felt limited on the telephoto end. It's a much better option than the 55-200 ( I can't speak for the 55-300 because I haven't used it). For now maybe the 18-105 and the 40 2.8 macro or the 50 1.8G.

Thanks to all for their advice about everything - it's been great hearing from you guys, and I've considered each and every piece of advice!(Especially vis-a-vis camera straps, I would never have realized what fantastic straps are around if not for your recommendations!!)
After going to handle the cameras one last time before purchasing in the next fortnight or so, I have decided on the D5100 :-)
So...The question now is lenses!!
I'm not adverse to having kit lenses (I'd rather buy more expensive ones out of college where they wont accidentally be broken in dorm rooms etc) but the question is whether to go single or double.
I had a play with the D5100 with the 18-55mm VR today and loved it. It's a great little lens, and the auto focus isn't too bad (although I anticipate it will be on manual most of the time!)
There are pretty good deals on the D5100 with both the 55-200mm VR and the 50-300mm VR, but would any of you recommend them as a good second lens?? Or would I be better off buying a prime lens such as the 50mm f/1.8D or 50mm f/1.8 G??
Any recommendations would again be greatly appreciated :-)
Cait

Look at the UPStrap. I have one for each of my 3 cameras now. They are designed to sit on your shoulder and DO NOT slide off. Made in the USA, ran a recall for an issue I didn't know existed and sent out a parts replacement after basically clicking a link from my registration that arrived from them in the mail.

My question about "how big" is one of, how big are you? At 6'1" and 250lbs, the 5100 and even the 7000 dissolve into my hands. The controls are just not that comfortable. Are you 5'3" like my last girlfriend? She would have been fine with the 5100. If I had the $$ it would be a D3s and a 200-400mm zoom w two more lenses in a fanny pack.

Try them on. Even rent them for a week and try them out. :-)

Caitsweet94, you've gotten a lot of excellent advice and personal opinions here. As for me, I've never used a D5100 but I must say, I'm in the "get the D7000" boat here. For everything donaldejose, golf007sd, and others have said I think it will give you years of creative capability. Even considering features that you think you might not use, who knows what you might want your camera to do a year from now. I also get the feeling you will NOT be overwhelmed with the feature set.

The camera is robust, yet light in my opinion. If you stick a f/1.8 Nikon 35mm or 50mm lens on it I think the weight is just about perfect for walking around or evenings out with friends . If you get a zoom for campus life or vacation (e.g. 18-200mm) then you'd have more weight but it's not near as heavy as some of the f2.8 lenses and at least you're prepared for almost any shot you want to take.

As far as carrying the camera around, I could recommend taking off that stock Nikon neckstrap and replace it with something like golf007sd said, a Black Rapid RS-7 or a Crumpler disgrace. Those straps are longer so that you can sling it over your shoulder and hang the camera on your side much like you'd carry a purse. You could probably walk around all day with a camera like that. Just don't leave it in a restaurant like I did once.

Airports have been no problem so far although I've only carried my D7000 with several lenses in tow through Miami International, Atlanta Hartsfield, and to the West Indies. Never been asked to open my bag.

Good luck, have fun.

Consider the new 40 2.8 DX macro, too.

Hi Cait,

In summary, I bought a D7000, played with it overnight, returned the camera the next day, luckily got a full refund and then bought a D3100, which I'm really happy with.

Want the whole story?

;-)

In March 2009 I traded a black FM3 and black 45mm/P lens, all mint, for a D60 and twin lens kit, 18-55 and 55-200. 



I'd had Coolpixes since 2000 (990, 995 and 4500s) but I resisted getting a DSLR until finally I sucumbed when I was offered the trade/swap above.



Was very happy with the D60, but within six months after purchase I'd traded both kit lenses for other, better lenses (DX & FX ) and had also sold two manual focus lenses during the course of my buying and selling.



When the D7000 was announced about twelve months ago, I was hot to trot and ready to "trade up" to a "better" DSLR, I thought.

Shortly after the Japanese earthquake earlier this year, I finally committed and traded in my two-year-old D60 for the D7000.



Like many of us, I'd read the spec sheets for the D7000, followed the reviews, absorbed the discussions and figured that this is the one for me.



So I got the camera home, did the unboxing, charged the battery and then spent eight hours (7pm-3am) playing with everything and settting up the camera as I thought I may use it.



Toward the end of the session, around 2.30am, I was feeling dissatisfied, partially with the camera, but mainly with myself and my purchasing decision.



Over the two years of owning the D60 I'd become very accustomed to its small form-factor and low weight, I liked having only three focus-points in the D60's screen, and the lack of a front wheel selector hadn't been noticed.



The D7000 was 300gm heavier than the D60, the menus were unnecessarily convoluted, the thicker body was a concern, and the viewfinder screen real estate was too full of sensors and information, distracting me from the composition.



So the next morning I returned to the camera store that I deal with, and have also done a lot of secondhand buying and selling over the years. 

I told them of my bad decision, to my mind, about the D7000 purchase and after a brief discussion, they refunded my money in full.

When I asked if I could have the D60 back, they laughingly said it was out of the store 30 minutes after I traded it in on the D7000.



I waited two days before making my next decision, thinking i should be less impetuous - and then bought the D3100.



I am very happy with the D3100 after eight months, it's substantially better then the D60, fits all the DX & FX lenses that I settled on, and is slightly lighter than the D60 was.



One of the reasons I wanted the D7000 was to use some legacy AI & AIS manual focus lenses with auto exposure that the D7000 provides in the non-CPU lens function. But the histograms of the D3100, and use of the LCD screen to assess exposure works just fine for me.



So now my only "missing preferences" from both the D60 and the D7000 are these: audio-in socket; wireless remote front and rear: intervalometer; higher rez LCD screen; and maybe the non-CPU lens menu.



So this is simply a tale of wondering what we really want from our machinery, and how "good" does a body have to be before it's capability is irrelevant to the output we can achieve.

For me, the smaller form factor of the D40/60/3000/3100 line was/is the main consideration.

I used Minox 35 film cameras for many years, amongst other devices, and the output from those small cameras was great.

Michael

Adelaide AUSTRALIA

PS: my current lens kit is 35/f1.8 DX, 12-24/f4 DX, 24-85/f3.5-4.5FX and a 1979 28mm/f2 AI manual focus

caitsweet94 said:
severncrossing, the P7100 sounds like a decent little camera then?... ...
What is the optical viewfinder like? It looks very small in photos...

As you say it is very small. it is useful in bright sunlight when the LCD is difficult to see

TaoTeJared said:

...Going home for Thanksgiving in a few hours - I just weighed my bag (it's light this time) and it came in at 22lbs. Those are not kit lenses.

LMFAO...I know Exactly what you mean my friend!!

Now to the our new lovely lady caitsweet94: Heading to college and considering getting a DSLR...ooh how fun. I wish I had gotten into photography back in 2006-2008 while I attended SDSU (hence never to late in finishing something you start long time ago...graduated Cum laude too by the way :P). From reading all the great recommendation given so far, and the amount of time you yourself have put in this; hence "every camera salesman for miles knows me now!" I would like to put in my two cents: get the D7000. As for the lens to get: one prime lens is a must have. Nikon has some that are outstanding and priced very aggressively (i.e. the 35/50mm 1.8) and the other an all purpose lens (18-200 VR II) In fact, the 35mm 1.8 and the 18-200mm were the first two lens I bought and still use today. However, if your budget does allow you to reach just a little more, them young lady may I recommend considerate some of the 2.8's: My latest love is the Nikon Micro 105 2.8...boy the things I can see you shooting on campus with this bad boy. The other would be the 24-70mm 2.8...nothing needs to be said about this that I'm sure you don't already know....period!

As for the D7000, here is why I think it is a good choice for you. The built quality (i.e. weather protection, magnesium body, DUAL memory slots etc, etc) and overall camera functionality, will allow you to hedge towards your time horizon (in your case 5 years) in getting another camera for the years to come. Moreover, if and when you do, the D7000 will make an excellent backup.

I'm not even worried about the whole weight argument here regarding your physical size...the energy level you have expressed in your writing makes it mute. Just get yourself the Black Rapid R7 and kick ass...if you know what I mean.

Let us know which way you go and by all means, keep us updated on your progress....cheers :D

Caitsweet94, have you considered the NEX-5N? I have one and you might be surprised at how well it's set up for manual focus and/or manual exposure. In manual focus you touch the screen to zoom to the area you're interested in—it's a sweet feature, and if you want to get lazy you touch to autofocus—which works during video recording as well. The kit 18-55 lens is very capable and they're (finally!) releasing more lenses for it. They're also releasing an electronic viewfinder for it, but it's a bit pricey. :-(

On image quality it's not a slouch, either. My feeling is that my D7000 is only slightly better.

May be some helpful info here...
*LINK REMOVED*

I love my D7000 with 18-200 vr and 35 f/1.8. That is what I walk out the door with most of the time and leave the other equipment at home.

TaoTeJared, I think you might have misunderstood me a bit!
The predominant reason I worry about size and weight is that I'm quite a small person, so they factor in for me, whereas they might not really for you guys.
I did explore all options before deciding on a Nikon DSLR (every camera salesman for miles knows me now!!) and quite frankly I don't think point and shoots are really what I want - I feel quite detached from the photos, especially without the viewfinder, and I'd rather manually focus the shots too. Lenses aren't really a problem, -I've been changing lenses for years- but I'm just thinking ahead about travel, because you have to be a bit smarter when you travel so you don't take 5 lenses when 1 or 2 should do.
Thanks again for your input though :-)

sevencrossing, the P7100 sounds like a decent little camera then? The noise at relatively low Point and Shoots is a bit of a stickler for me though...
What is the optical viewfinder like? It looks very small in photos...
I've already got a perfectly good point and shoot -albeit not as fanciful as this-, but maybe this/its progeny can be its replacement :-)
Thanks for the info!

The fact you are asking the question, suggests the 5100 should be fine

but if you are taking up photography seriously, go for the 7000

I have had my P7100 for about a week and I am still getting used to it

So far, in Bright light, it is great for landscapes and family type shots (this is what I bought it for)

it is OK for Sunsets

it is hopeless for any sort of action

It seems useless for portraiture ,the shutter delay mean you a miss "the decisive moment", You cannot see the person's expression in ether the optical of LCD view finder

wide angel, indoor shots, with flash seem fine

The noise is OK at ISO 100 but quality deteriorated rapidly if you start to crank it up

that said, I should perhaps explain I am used to a D700

Good comments and suggestions from Tao TeJard.

I just don't have experience with the upper level non-DSLRs to have an intelligent comment about them. I have only used the lower level Nikon Coolpix compacts and I find their image quality lacking for me. The Canon S95 gets good reviews. And it is now on sale for about $300 at Amazon and Adorama. The Fuji FinePix X100 gets good reviews but it costs about $1,200. The Nikon P7100 ($500) and the Canon G11 ($600) also get good reviews. Search the web for reviews of these cameras and for examples of the photos taken with them. And remember your computer monitor, even at its high definition setting, will be able to display only about 2 megapixels. Photos will be automatically re-sized downward when you call them up to look at them. The file size may say 10 megapixels and you may have 10 megapixels in that file but your computer has to reduce it to about 2 megapixels in order to display it full screen. Your computer won't be changing the file on your hard drive but it will be degrading the image it sends to your monitor for you to see. Once you get above 6 megapixels on the camera's image sensor you won't see any increased sharpness from the additional megapixels you paid for when you view the image on your computer or print it at 11x14. Just how often do you think you will print your photos at 20x30 inches anyway?

Tao is correct that when you ask for advice here you will be getting biased advice. We are all biased in favor of DSLRs and also in favor of the most professional DSLRs.

caitsweet94 said:
...I am more interested in hearing from owners of either or both - how do they use their camera everyday? is it heavy hanging around their neck if they take a day trip? What kind of lenses have they invested in?

Cait -

Everyone here likes to push DSLR (hell that is what we all shoot.) tcole1983 touched on it and I keep noticing your 2 things you keep talking about - size and weight. Add to that you referred to changing lenses is a pain.

Almost all of my friends who make those statements as concerns who buy DSLRs never use them. It's a shame, but they never take them because they are so "big."

So your concerns are:
Size
Weight
Easy to travel with (don't want to carry much gear)
And you are concerned you will outgrow it.
Last 5- years.

5 years for a camera is doable, but not realistic. Many of us are on 2-4 year cycles, 2 years for the level of camera you are looking at, and 3-4 years for the "pro" models. If you become really interested in photography, 5 years is "just not going to happen" due to human nature.

It really doesn't sound like you need or really want a DSLR. I say go with a P7100 or maybe a J1/V1 series. Much easier to use, carry, great image quality, light, small, easy to upgrade from and has all the features that a DSLR has but in a small package.

You do not need a DSLR for great images (This is a really bad misconception) and if you are only going to get a Kit lens, then there really is not that much difference than just buying a P7100. If you grow into photography, 1-2 years down the line, then upgrading is easy and you still have a great camera to take traveling. And the newer Tech camera that you have learned to utilize.

Give you an example - I always walk out the door with A camera. 80% Fuji X100 or a G11. Only time I take my DSLR is when I think I will be around something that I know I have been wanting to shoot. Going home for Thanksgiving in a few hours - I just weighed my bag (it's light this time) and it came in at 22lbs. Those are not kit lenses.

I bought my G11 (P7100 was not out then) for everything you just described you want a DSLR for because, a DSLR is a pain to carry. I use my D300 for when I go out to specifically shoot something and with advanced lighting set-ups. Hell you can actually do most of it with a P7100 as well.

I'm just being realistic, and remembering my first few years in college, there is not a chance in hell I would have carried a DSLR around. The Key is to have a camera with you. It sounds like you realize the camera phones suck and want something better. I'm just suggesting that you don't need a 3-pound rock hanging from your neck.

I wouldn't expect the shutter delay (fractions of a second) of the D5100 to be significantly different than that of a D5000. Both cameras are in the same class. If you just shoot a D5000 or a D5100 you will never know what I am taking about. You have to shoot the D5100 back to back with the D7000 to notice the difference fractions of a second can make. I notice the same thing with my F5 and I am sure I would notice it with all the D3 series (but I don't have any). I do expect that if I shot a D3 back to back with my D7000 I would notice less fractions of seconds delay in the D3 and prefer the speed of the D3. Why is there a difference? More robust motors in the camera body making the lens focus more instantaneously when you are using old AF lenses without motors in the lens, faster mirror up and down, less delay in the shutter button, etc. I don't know all the components which contribute to the sensation you can feel. Things just happen "instantaneously" or more immediately as you move up from the less expensive D3100/D5100 class to the intermediate D7000 class and then on up to the professional D3 class. It is like having three cars, one with the 4 cylinder engine, one with the V6 option and one with the V8 option. All three will get to you 60mph but the increased torque and horsepower of the more powerful engines make a difference in how quickly you get to 60. The more powerful the engine the more "responsive" that car will be. In Nikon DSLRs I am talking small fractions of a second which surprisingly are noticeable. "Robust" is a good word here. When Nikon makes a less expensive camera it puts in parts that work but they are not all the very "top of the line" parts. The shutter won't last as long, the lenses will have plastic parts instead of metal parts, the motors will be weaker, the electronics will be slower, the internal buffer will be smaller, etc. The average person won't notice it until they actually use the two products back to back during the same photo shoot. Its like the car with the engine options. They all look the same sitting there and if you drive only the low, but adequate, power car you don't really miss the higher power engines because you don't know what you are missing. But once you drive them back to back through the same road course you are going to notice the additional power. Do you need it for day to day normal use? No. But are you going to like it? I bet you will. Is fractions of a second more responsiveness worth thousands of dollars more? Not to the normal person; but worth it to the pro. This is not a key consideration, just a difference I note.

Since the original poster is not yet in college I would amend my advice to him/her and suggest the D5100 outfit. There is no real need or justification to spend the extra thousand dollars at this time in a person's life. The D5100 body and its associated lenses will certainly last until well after graduation when income should significantly increase.

donaldejose said:
The slowness I am referring to is shutter delay. I have not measure it but my subjective impression is that my D5100/18-55 combo has more delay between pressing the shutter release button and the shot occurring and the mirror back down ready for the next shot than does my D7000/18-200/battery pack combo. My D7000 combo seems to snap through the shots with more authority. When do I appreciate this? When I am trying to capture a certain expression or event in time.

Another way to say it is that I feel there is a quicker response time in the D7000 between you pressing the shutter button and the shot actually being taken and then the camera ready for the next shot.

/shrug

Unless the D5100 is that different from the D5000 I don't see this. There is no delay in my D5000 that I have ever noticed. Like I said...I shot a bald eagle in flight and took around 10 shots from the time it got close enough until it was out of range. I didn't have any time to setup and just turned it on and got the camera up as it took off...I think any of the Nikon dSLR cameras out are fast enough. I mean you can shoot around 20 pics in a row at least with my slow memory card without having to wait for the buffer to clear. I think they are all fast enough for everyone but the professional sports photog that wants to shoot someone jumping in the air for a ball or something...even though I think you could still do this with any body you would just get fewer pics and have to time it a little better.

Thanks jonnyapple :-) Lenses are of course always the real stick when it comes to buying cameras, it's like being a kid in a candy store!! I'll definitely keep an open mind about the 18-105mm - it's a lot more versatility in one lens, and it can be a bit of a pain to change lenses if you're out and about, especially somewhere busy.

Cait