We sold our three Nikon D90's which we had when we met, and replaced them with three D7000's. No looking back, not sorry, would do it again.

As sevencrossing and others have mentionned be selfish, go cheap on him and get a D800 with nice FF glass for yourself. Just need to tell him they are no good on DX. Perhaps he has already read this thread and knows your relunctance for sharing.

ps: just to avoid the confusion - ladyninja is not my wife ;-)

err she is not married.. so your denial still doesnt rule you out ! :-)

RE the recommendation... The person who will be using the gear is not really into photography ... no point getting the advanced amateur gear.. I would say a d90 or D7000 with the 18-105 would be more than nice..

i second Postman's recommendation - the 18-55mm lens doesn't look very nice. f/5.6 at 55mm is too slow ... better to go with the 18-200mm lens if you can afford it. Costs a bit more then the 18-55/55-200 combo but it's worth it in my opinion (less weight to carry around, less hassles changing lenses frequently).

Actually if you can afford it then also add a cheap 35mm f/1.8g lens to your bag and you are well equipped to shoot day & night / inside & out with your new camera.

ps: just to avoid the confusion - ladyninja is not my wife ;-)

TaoTeJared said:
D90 is almost too old to consider in my book as the D7000 is the newer version (comparable to a 60D) and that model is due for an update in the next 12-18 months.

Agreed, I think you should consider the D7000 before the D90. The D90 is too old now and you'll get more out of the D7000 should he get the bug.

If you can lay your hands on a used D7000 body only and maybe an 18-200 used (I managed to get a 1st gen. 18-200 in great condition for £240) that might be a decent starting point.

Personally, I wouldn't consider the D90.

check this

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/nasa-s-newest-mars-rover-slideshow/#crsl=%252Fphotos%252Fnasa-s-newest-mars-rover-slideshow%252Fmatt-roman-engineer-space-science-systems-works-photo-photo-004732629.html

The trick about buying photographic gear for spouses is that the gear needs to suit YOU ! :-)

(Dear you really need a flash, how about a shiny new SB900 ?)

Look for a manufacture's refurbished D7000 with an 18-55 or 18-105 kit lens.

From time to time they pop up.

TaoTeJared said:
D90 is almost too old to consider in my book as the D7000 is the newer version (comparable to a 60D) and that model is due for an update in the next 12-18 months. $900 would be tops with the kit you stated. It's about $150 too high in my book as you can get fully manufacture's refurbs for that much with extra little stuff.

I didn't hear you mention what HE would want, but I heard a lot of what YOU may want- a comparable system to your 7d. Big difference there. Maybe he would rather have a rangefinder size camera (m4/3) with just a macro and a 50mm equiv. that is nice and small.

If you really don't know if he will catch the bug or not, I guess appeal to the items he would prefer. In other words, whatever he pokes fun at you about your camera, find something opposite of that item in a system.

I mentioned that he's fine with either one. He likes the D90 more than the D5100 and 3x00 which is why the bar ended up being set there. He's making me be the deciding factor in this, which makes it a tough decision because I almost always make a point of going for what will last me the longest for what I can afford (I try never to buy things with the mentality of "oh I'll just upgrade this in a couple of years" unless I honestly cannot afford to go with the more expensive option at that time).

It's my selfish/curiosity side that get torn between the two because I would love to have one similar to my camera to pick up and play with, but this isn't something that really matters to him. We'd have to take him in to the camera shop and have him try a D7000 to see how it feels ergonomically (if he decided he didn't like it that would be the end of this discussion, but my main question was whether or not it was even worth bothering to try). Trouble is, for some reason they've been out of stock on those for a few weeks now.

Almost makes me wonder if the time is wrong and I should wait until the D7000 takes a price hit or is more available used (right now used availability is kind of sad). That would make the whole thing a no brainer. Pretty sure he's fine with waiting. I'll talk to him about it. Thanks guys.

sevencrossing said:
Why not give him your Canon and by yourself a nice D800

I clearly said in my post that he can't use my Canon. He's unable to. The vast majority of pictures he takes with it are unusable, even after playing with it a lot. He needs a camera he can actually use.

Why not give him your Canon and by yourself a nice D800

D90 is almost too old to consider in my book as the D7000 is the newer version (comparable to a 60D) and that model is due for an update in the next 12-18 months. $900 would be tops with the kit you stated. It's about $150 too high in my book as you can get fully manufacture's refurbs for that much with extra little stuff.

I didn't hear you mention what HE would want, but I heard a lot of what YOU may want- a comparable system to your 7d. Big difference there. Maybe he would rather have a rangefinder size camera (m4/3) with just a macro and a 50mm equiv. that is nice and small.

If you really don't know if he will catch the bug or not, I guess appeal to the items he would prefer. In other words, whatever he pokes fun at you about your camera, find something opposite of that item in a system.

heartyfisher said:
" I just don't want to share my lenses." :-) !! You have a lot to learn about marriage !!

A 7D is a nice little camera .. good choice! and good luck with the FF "later this year"

Since he is a newbie in terms of photography you really don't want to overwhelm him.
The D90 is a very good camera and is the older generation of the D7000 (Although the D7000 is in many way more than just the new version of the D90.) and he already likes it.. (He has good tastes! and he is marrying you right? :-) )

If its only for him then the D90 will be more camera than he will need for a while even if he gets interested in photography. Get him some nice lenses too! (isn't it so pitiful with only a kit lense! 8-) ) lol! Seriously though the Nikon kit lenses are very good. (They are much better than the canon counterparts!) and should serve him well.. at least until he gets bitten by the Photography bug!.

However, if you are also keen on using it from time to time.. the D7000 is a far better choice. (its said to be the best DX camera at the moment.. YUP! that means better than your crappy 7D!! so there ! ;-) ) You may get hooked and come over to the Nikon clan after using it for some time... I have a d7000 and it IS REALLY NICE, you should check our Nikon's Flash system ..The new Nikon FX cameras are pretty awesome too.. check out the new D800 and D4! Opps .. way too overenthusiastic! ahh.. forgive me .. .. ;-)

Hahaha. Yeah, it's mostly just a convenience thing. If he had a canon then we'd have to be trading lenses all the time and he wouldn't be able to just take my lens and go off somewhere because I might need it for something (not to mention the lenses I do have are not exactly cheap to replace should something happen).

I'm waiting until Canon drops the price on the 5D Mark III, then I'll jump on it. I've been waiting for that camera for awhile now. The D800 looks really nice, makes me almost want to jump ship. One of the things I've noticed with Canon vs Nikon is that at least in the starter line-up (Rebel vs the D3100 and D40 and company) the Nikon users almost always get better shots, even if they're not as great with photography (maybe it's the AF system?). It's made me extremely curious. Back when I first started shooting DSLR I was very seriously considering Nikon, but they just didn't have anything for me at the time (now they do after I've spent thousands of dollars on equipment, sigh). The 7D was revolutionary. It still is.

The D7000 appeals to me because it has so many things I like in a camera and it competes neck and neck with my own while still being easier to use. It's just so tough to decide. Do I get the thing that appeals to both of us, or get the thing that works best for him and let him decide if he ever wants to upgrade? (I secretly hope he does and gets into photography and keeps a nikon collection so I can steal it and use it from time to time ;) )

Juergen said:
Ladyninja,
People on this forum are usually very nice, so you won't get any replies like "P7100 is the right match for your 7d" .... :-)

D7000 users are generally very delighted with this camera. The photos you can see on the PAD are living proof of what some people can get out of it.
What kind of lenses are you planning to buy in that Nikon package, when you compare the 600$ price difference between the D90 and the D7000?

In my opinion, you could go two ways: get the D90 and buy good lenses, or go for the D7000 and upgrade the lens collection as your budget allows it. But getting a D90 with cheap lenses does not make much sense.

I hope this helps a little. Your problems is kind of unique.

Jürgen

My plan was to use the 18-55mm and the 55-200mm with the D90, and if I got the D7000 go with the kit lens and upgrade later on. I figured that would cover a nice range for a nice price. Used, I could get both lenses and the D90 for around $900, whereas the D7000 is $1500 with the kit lens, $1400 used with the kit. To me a "cheap" lens is less than $500. I can't afford to splurge on the nicer stuff because I have my own collection to worry about expanding and I don't have limitless funds. That's why this is a tough one.

" I just don't want to share my lenses." :-) !! You have a lot to learn about marriage !!

A 7D is a nice little camera .. good choice! and good luck with the FF "later this year"

Since he is a newbie in terms of photography you really don't want to overwhelm him.
The D90 is a very good camera and is the older generation of the D7000 (Although the D7000 is in many way more than just the new version of the D90.) and he already likes it.. (He has good tastes! and he is marrying you right? :-) )

If its only for him then the D90 will be more camera than he will need for a while even if he gets interested in photography. Get him some nice lenses too! (isn't it so pitiful with only a kit lense! 8-) ) lol! Seriously though the Nikon kit lenses are very good. (They are much better than the canon counterparts!) and should serve him well.. at least until he gets bitten by the Photography bug!.

However, if you are also keen on using it from time to time.. the D7000 is a far better choice. (its said to be the best DX camera at the moment.. YUP! that means better than your crappy 7D!! so there ! ;-) ) You may get hooked and come over to the Nikon clan after using it for some time... I have a d7000 and it IS REALLY NICE, you should check our Nikon's Flash system ..The new Nikon FX cameras are pretty awesome too.. check out the new D800 and D4! Opps .. way too overenthusiastic! ahh.. forgive me .. .. ;-)

Ladyninja,
People on this forum are usually very nice, so you won't get any replies like "P7100 is the right match for your 7d" .... :-)

D7000 users are generally very delighted with this camera. The photos you can see on the PAD are living proof of what some people can get out of it.
What kind of lenses are you planning to buy in that Nikon package, when you compare the 600$ price difference between the D90 and the D7000?

In my opinion, you could go two ways: get the D90 and buy good lenses, or go for the D7000 and upgrade the lens collection as your budget allows it. But getting a D90 with cheap lenses does not make much sense.

I hope this helps a little. Your problems is kind of unique.

Jürgen

I'm a hobby photographer. I do things semi-seriously, I usually don't use cheap equipment, and I shoot Canon (when I started Nikon had nothing like the 7D in a price I was willing to pay). I plan to continue shooting Canon and will be adding a full frame to my collection within the year.

However, my fiance has been using a point and shoot, but he wanted to get a more beginner level DSLR for himself. We found something in the Nikons that the Canon was lacking: a camera that still had scenic modes while still being more advanced than the cheapest start cameras so I'd actually enjoy using it. On top of that, I just don't want to share my lenses.

The D90 seemed absolutely perfect. Quality vs price (used) was definitely a good factor. We were 100% convinced that that was the camera he'd go with.

But I recently had my attention caught by the D7000, which while being $600 more expensive (with lenses) than the used D90 can actually compete with my camera on some level. This intrigues me, because would be a much more direct Nikon vs Canon comparison while still being lighter and easier to use for beginners (meaning it'd be great for traveling if we wanted something we could both use). At the same time, the D7000 is more of a "want" than a need and a D90 would fit what he needs perfectly while saving us a bit of money. I also don't know if it'd be worth getting the newer camera if we're just going to use cheap lenses.

I've typed out a pros and cons list, compared the hard specs and looked at performance comparisons. The D7000 is something I would love to have in my collection, but I'm not sure if it's worth $600 more, especially when I already have a camera that competes with it. Getting either won't hurt us financially, it's just a matter of worth. My fiance doesn't care which one we get. He'd be happy regardless.

The alternative is I force him to learn how to shoot manual and make him use my camera, but I've already tried that and he's slow. He tried the D90 out (our friend owns one) and really liked it, actually taking some decent photos, whereas when he uses my camera 90% of the photos turn out to be garbage. It might just be that the Nikon ergonomics work better for him.

Any help/ideas?