D80 to D7000 or D7100?

[2Btoo]

I have a D80. And like it a lot, but (whisper it) don't use it as much as I would like to. I would class myself as a very average photographer, liking a bit of everything but being good at nothing.

I'm becoming more aware of the limitations of the D80, which is getting on for 10 years old now (although I have only had it about 7). I am thinking of upgrading and the D7100 has taken my fancy. But it's a fairly expensive bit of kit ... and the D7000 is a fair bit cheaper.

How much would I lose out on if I bought the 7000 instead of the 7100? I am aware it has a few less megapixels, but I rarely blow my photos up that much to notice. I am also aware that the 7100 has more focus points but am not sure how much difference this will make in real life. Is the focussing system the same other than the number of points? Things like a larger screen on the back won't make much difference to me, smart as they may sound and look.

For reference, I have a 50mmf1.8 Nikkor lens and an 18-20mmVR Nikkor as well.

All comments welcome, thanks.

[MysteryLemon]

I've owned both a D80 and a D7000 so can probably answer this quite well.

The D80 is a great body but as I'm sure you are aware, it's getting on a bit now. IIRC the 10mp CCD was only good up to around 800iso and you would be brave to go any higher. The D90 got a 12mp CMOS which upped the game to 1600iso and then the D7000 that followed got a 16mp CMOS that I regularly used up to 3200iso with acceptable results.

The D7000 is a considerable upgrade from the D80 in just about every way, not just the ISO usability. The D7000 can shoot faster and for longer with a decent burst rate and a great AF system that keeps the shots sharp. The D80 lacks any form of tracking focus, something which the D7000 does a fantastic job at. The d7100 may have more focus points but I found the focus area perfectly adequate on the d7000. The d7000 can also take video, which the D80 cant. The video mode is clunky with live view being a chore to use but it still does 1080p and the quality is very good.

Whether you should go for the d7100 over the d7000 would only be down to cost in my eyes. the D7100 is the better spec'd camera but that's not to say that the D7000 isn't still capable, but it is a 6 year old body now, and so is lacking in many "must have" features modern cameras have. The d7100 has one up on the d7000 in this respect but then, you pay more for it.

Regardless what you go for, both are a big upgrade on the d80. The body only price difference between the d7000 and d7100 could be enough to buy a new lens as well so unless you really need some of the features on the d7100 or the extra resolution, there's no reason to dismiss the d7000.

Few odd pics I've taken with the D7000. The baby on the shoulder was with the Nikkor 50mm f1.8 you also have. It's a lovely lens. The landscape and beach pic were with the Nikon 16-85mm and the church pic was 3200iso on the 18-105mm (just here for reference, its a crap pic )

Edited by MysteryLemon on Monday 25th April 18:45

Edited by MysteryLemon on Monday 25th April 18:49

[Lucas CAV]

The D80 is still perfectly good for many types of picture - esp at base ISO.

You don't say what the new camera will be used for.

Modern cameras will have better battery life - anything else depends on your intended use as to whether it's better or not!



I can't see that the D7000 lacks any features tbh

I had plenty of stuff published several years ago which was taken on a D70 and it looks no worse than stuff in the same magazine now.

The high ISO arms race continues if you want noiseless pics taken in complete darkness


The D7000 is a very decent camera and I can't see any reason to spend the extra for a D7100 unless you have a specific need for the extra/different features.

[tonyb1968]

I went from a D80 to a D7100, the difference is amazing, I still love my D80 and wont get rid of it, well its not worth much now anyway but still, for just walking out its great, but for much else the D7100 and D750 I have both do things much better (faster auto focus, better ISO etc).

IMHO, buy the best replacement possible, as long as you don't shoot sports then the D7100 will be fine (buffer is poor), and the extra 14 megapixels will be noticable

[GravelBen]

I went from D80 to D7000 and never regretted it, well worth the upgrade.

The advantages of the D7100 over 7000 are mainly the extra resolution (probably only relevant if you like cropping a lot and printing large sizes, 16Mp is still plenty for most people) and the more advanced autofocus system - from reviews it is noticeably better/faster at acquiring focus in low light and tracking moving objects.

AFAIK the 7000 beats the 7100 for high ISO noise though, I've read a few reports of banding shadows from the 7100. And as said the larger files of the 7100 result in an effectively smaller buffer than the 7000.

[2Btoo]

Thanks for the answers. Either camera would be a chunky upgrade but the question is whether it's worth spending more on the 7100. The only feature that the 7100 has over the 7000 that would bother me is the focussing capability as I don't crop much (and I don't struggle with the low-ISO resolution of the D80 to be honest). I guess the question is whether I would save £150 or so by buying the 7000 and regret not having spent the extra on the better focussing of the 7100.

I shoot al the things you'd expect an inept photographer to shoot; holidays, social events, scenery, cats. I don't really shoot sports at all. The buffer size isn't an issue for me, although it's nice to know.

Thanks for the sample pics MysteryLemon. That last shot is pretty good for 3200iso. I know it's a small pic but that's impressive.

Maybe I should spend my cash on a new lens instead and wait until the price of the 7100 drops a little more ....

[GravelBen]

I faced the same decision as you when I bought the D7000, and went for the cheaper body with money left over for more lenses. Its not like the 7000 autofocus is bad, it will still be a revelation after the D80 (just the 7100 is better). Good enough for this sort of thing anyway:

Seagull by Ben, on Flickr

And just for fun, here is another example of ISO 3200 in poor light:

Kea by Ben, on Flickr

[MysteryLemon]

The AF system on the d7000 will be a revelation coming from the D80 so I wouldn't worry about it. It has more than enough points to cover every subject I've ever shot, kids being the most challenging and unpredictable.