Advanced DSLRs

Nikon D7000: Best semi-pro DSLR

In the $1,000 to $2,000 range, you'll find semi-pro digital SLRs that experts say will satisfy most serious photography enthusiasts. For this price, you'll get faster frame rates and shutter speeds, a sturdier build, more sophisticated autofocus and other advanced features. These cameras are often sold body-only, since buyers are usually stepping up from a more modest digital SLR by the same manufacturer and already own at least one lens.

The Nikon D7000 (*Est. $1,200 body only) easily steals the show in this class. It outclasses even pricier cameras in tests, and experts recommend it more often than any DSLR at any price.

"If you can afford the D7000 and/or are (or are buying for) a serious photographer, get the D7000," writes camera critic Ken Rockwell. Imaging-Resource.com's Shawn Barnett calls the D7000 "my first choice for anyone serious about getting great shots of their family, a great choice for the enthusiast photographer, and a great starter camera for anyone wanting to get more serious about still or video photography."

In test after test, the D7000 gets pretty much everything right. It shoots impressive images with its 16.2-megapixel sensor, even in dim light with no flash (ISO 6400 poses no problem, testers say, even with 8 by 10 printouts). It can fire off 6 frames per second (fps) at full resolution. It boasts some of the same body specs you'll find on hardcore pro digital SLRs costing thousands more: dual memory card slots, a shutter designed to last for 150,000 shots and a dust- and weather-sealed shell with magnesium top and rear covers. And it shoots 1080p full HD video.

In fact, the D7000 actually outclasses the pricier Nikon D300S (Discontinued), several experts point out. Compared with the D7000, testers say the D300S suffers from lower resolution (12.3 megapixels), a more cramped ISO range and reduced video quality (it's HD, but only 720p). The D300S does shoot 1 fps faster than the D7000 and includes a more sophisticated autofocus system, but overall, critics say the D7000 simply has more to offer.

Ken Rockwell puts it most bluntly: "Forget the old Nikon D300S," he says, slapping it with a Not Recommended tag. "The newer D7000 costs less and is superior. Nikon still sells the old D300S for more money because it can, but don't you fall for it."

The Canon EOS 7D (*Est. $1,350 body only) fares better in reviews than its Nikon D300S rival, but critics point out that this Canon also costs more than the Nikon D7000 and offers less in some ways. The Canon EOS 7D does deliver higher resolution (18 megapixels) and faster shooting (8 fps), but testers say the Nikon digital SLR works better in dim light and autofocuses better. They also like that the Nikon has two memory-card slots, versus just one for the Canon EOS 7D.

In fact, experts are nearly as likely to recommend the cheaper Canon EOS 60D (*Est. $900 body only) as a great deal. It substitutes a plastic body, slower processing speed and slower 5.3 fps burst rate, but keeps the same image sensor as the pricier Canon EOS 7D, shoots equally good 1080p HD video, and the 60D gets a handy tilt-and-swivel LCD screen to boot. The Nikon D7000 edges out the Canon EOS 60D digital SLR camera in head-to-head tests at CNET, Imaging-Resource.com and DigitalCameraInfo.com, but it's always a close race.

The Pentax K-5 (*Est. $1,200 body only) comes close to the Nikon D7000 in both price and performance, experts say. Its 16.3-megapixel image sensor is nearly (if not completely) identical to the D7000's, and the two cameras deliver similar image quality in both bright and dim light.

In some ways, testers say the Pentax K-5 beats the Nikon D7000. The Pentax sports a shell of nearly all magnesium alloy, while the Nikon wears plastic panels on its front and bottom. The Pentax can shoot 1 fps faster than the Nikon, and it can shoot about twice as many shots per burst in Imaging-Resource.com's test (23 shots versus 10 for the Nikon in RAW format, for example). And the Pentax works in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit; the Nikon is rated only to 32 degrees.

But the Nikon D7000 still edges out the Pentax in reviews, with a more versatile 39-point autofocus system (the Pentax has 11 autofocus points) and better video performance. The Pentax can shoot full, 1080p HD video, but Nikon makes it easier, with a dedicated movie-mode button and continuous autofocusing that the Pentax lacks. Testers also report less Jello-like rolling shutter effect in the videos they shoot with the Nikon.

"For videographers, the Nikon is likely the better choice, but for still imaging the Pentax K-5 likely offers enough of an advantage" to justify the slightly higher price, Imaging-Resource.com concludes. DPReview.com agrees that it's a "no-brainer upgrade" for Pentax users, but "for users of other systems it is harder to justify" -- notably because if you already own the more popular Nikon or Canon lenses, they won't work with the Pentax.