Nikon D7000 vs D90
D7000 and D90 are two great DSLRs from Nikon. Nikon is a giant camera making company and its every new launch surely creates ripples in the market. When it recently launched its new DSLR named D7000, many were quick to say that it resembled the already popular D90. Indeed there are many similarities in D90 and D7000 but there are quite a few differences that this article intends to point out.
D90 is indeed a great DSLR, but people were patiently awaiting an up gradation, and with the launch of D7000, their wait is over. It is only natural that D7000 retains all the good features of D90 but adds some new exciting features that make all the difference. Here is a quick comparison of these two great DSLR cameras.
Sensor
The most important aspect of any camera is its sensor, and this is where D7000 scores over D90. As compared to D90’s 12.3 MP sensor, D7000 has a higher resolution at 16.2 MP. This is an enhancement that is of particular use to professional photographers when they are cropping images. More mega pixels also means the ability to produce larger prints.
ISO
There is a great difference in ISO settings of the two cameras. Whereas D90 allowed an ISO range of 200-3200, it has been improved to 100-6400 in D7000. Even in extended mode, D7000 has a higher setting at 25600 whereas D90 can go up to only ISO 6400. Higher ISO settings are always important for that all important shot, especially in low lighting conditions, and when you dearly wish to reduce noises to a minimum.
Support for SDXC
SDXC are next generation memory cards that have higher capacities and allow faster read and write speeds. They also help in faster transfer of images from the camera on to your computer. While D90 does not recognize SDXC, and can go only as far as SDHC memory cards, D7000 allows the user to make use of SDXC cards. Thus when you talk of storage, D7000 is future safe.
Two slots for memory cards
This is another difference that has significance for enthusiasts and professionals. While D7000 allows for dual memory card slots, D90 has only one slot. This not only means more storage and backup, it also means you can keep RAW files separately from JPEG files. This is of considerable importance if you are shooting HD videos as it means that you can have longer videos without any interruptions which a photographer may experience when he is using D90.
HD videos in 1080p
While D90 could record HD videos only in 720p, D7000 allows photographers to make both 720p and 1080p HD videos. If you are shooting videos, this may be of considerable advantage to you and worth an upgrade from D90 to D7000. Again, while D90 allowed for only 5 minutes of shooting HD videos, D7000 allows video capture up to 20 minutes.
Higher burst rates
This is a feature that holds significance for sports photographers. While D90 had a burst rate of 4.5, D7000 allows a burst rate of 6fps. This means better quality photos of fast moving objects.
There are some other notable differences between D90 and D7000 that are summed up below.
• While D90 had only 11 focus points, D7000 allows as many as 39 focus points
• D7000, at 1167ISO provides much more noise reduction than D90 at 977 ISO
• While D7000 has auto contrast detection, D90 does not have it
• D7000 provides better color depth at 23.5bits compared to 22.7 bits of D90
• In image quality, D7000 is much better than D90
• As far as DR (dynamic range) is concerned, D7000 at 13.9EV is better than 12.5 EV of D90
• D7000 has an external mic jack which D90 doesn’t have
• D7000 has better viewfinder coverage at 100% compared to 96% of D90
• Battery life of D7000 allows one to take 1050 shots as compared to 850 shots with D90
• Whereas D7000 is weather sealed, D90 is not
• D7000 has better maximum light sensitivity at 6400 ISO than 3200 ISO of D90
However there are some features in which D90 scores over D7000.
D90 has a larger viewfinder, less shutter lag (208ms as compared to 238 ms of D7000), has a smaller startup delay of 300 ms as compared to 400 ms of D7000, and is also lighter at 703 g (D7000 is 780g).
Though there certainly are some additional features in D7000, whether or not to upgrade is dependent upon your requirements. However, if you are a new buyer, D7000 should be your fist option.