Is the D7000 worth double a D5100?

[RevHappy]

I'm going to get back into D-SLR after playing around with micro Four thirds. I've still got a few Nikon lens (12-24, 24-120, 70-300, 50) and a dusty D70 so it makes sense to keep with Nikon. So put simply is the D7000 really worth nearly double the D5100?

Thanks for any advice.

[Gad-Westy]

This is a really tough question to answer. They both have the same sensor so in terms of absolute results, you could argue that the D5100 is miles better value for money. The D7000 however offers far more in terms of external controls. If these are important to you, the D5100 will be frustrating. It might open up the question as to whether a D90 which is cheaper than either might suffice though...

[RevHappy]

I used to only used the A, S rarely P or just auto if your feeling lazy.
I don't like the mood option on the D5100 function wheel, but the spec's look good as far a performance goes. The only other disadvantage was the lack of the front knurl wheel. It's not going to get hammered so the extra strength of the D7000 will be wasted. The D90 looks a little old hat spec wise but seem to the closest to my old D70 feel wise....
The D5100 does seem to be a lot of bang for your buck, with the decent lens to make the most of that chip it could be good. Just wondered if I'm missing something which the D7000 has that I'd miss on its little brother.

[anonymous-user]

Strangey enough I went through this exact decision making issue a few months ago... And as suggested by Westy above, came out with a D90 instead of either the D5000 or 7000.

My thoughts were this:

The D7000 is a fantastic camera, no question, (I think someone on here said they felt it was the best crop sensor DSLR on the market right now) but in my opinion, £1000 body only for a crop camera is too much to be honest.... It makes the D800 look like a bit of a bargain.

The D5000 is a great camera and actually good value when you consider the spec, but... It has very limited controls on the body, combined with a lack of LCD screen on the top. This is a big problem for me as I'm very much a shooter that constantly and quickly adjusts the settings while I'm shooting a car show or event, and the lack of quick access buttons/knobs and also the lack of the top LCD display would drive me mental.

So in the end I went for the D90 at £499 from WEX Photographic with a 2 year Nikon warranty.

For me, a D90 for £499 seems like a steal and it has high enough image quality and megapixels to satisfy me for the moment, plus it has the LCD display and plenty of quick access buttons and knobs.

I'm very happy with it and definitely made the right choice

Edited to add: I forgot that the D5000 does NOT have an in-body autofocus motor whereas the D90 does! This was another really big deciding factor for me seen as how I have a few full-frame AF-D lenses and other stuff like the Tokina 11-16, none of which are autofocus lenses.

This is important to note as a few people have bought the D5000 and been disappointed to find it has no AF motor.

Edited by NinjaPower on Monday 16th April 12:37