plz help me choose between canon 550D (with 18-135 IS) and nikon D7000

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hi, after a lot of hands-on reviews, i have short-listed canon 550D (with 18-135 IS lens) and nikon D7000 (with 18-105 lens). could u ppl suggest which one would be a better option? currently i am biased towards the 550D as the picture quality of the D7000 didn't exactly blow me away.

if possible plz also mention the approx price at which each is available in kol.

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Not an expert at all , but I have been reading and researching ALOT!
What I can say is, if I had the money and the choice between these two , I would close my eyes and buy a D7000. ANYDAY!
My personal opinion. Wait for the others to comment .

bro picture quality of 1100D is also good y do u want to go for 550D....actually DSLR world is not like P&S there is no image quality difference in any DSLR except full frame ones..
ok i dont want to give lecture again ...will just tell u the difference between both..or advantage of D7000 over 550D

1. Better Grip
2. Better ISO range
3. More focus points 39 vs 9
4. Color metering vs b&w metering
5. top part is made of magnesiam alloy so that its weather proof
6. Flash commander mode
7. Pentaprism 100% viewfinder vs 95% pentamirror viewfinder (just try it in a shop)
8. high bust speed for action photography
9. top screen for quick view
10. dual dials for quick change of settings
11. loads of buttons everywhere to change settings

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first of all, thnx to both of u for responding so quickly to my query.
i understand fully that the D7000 has a lot of advanced features but for a beginner like me, i think most of them would remain unutilised for a while.
the video feature of the 550D is also pretty good. i have seen some uploaded videos on youtube and liked them. also the 50 fps recording feature might come in handy at times.
rather than spend 70K right away on the D7000, it would be a better idea for me to save a bit for a macro lens later.

for these reasons i am thinking about getting the 550D.

ur reasons are very valid....we are not nikon salesman to push sales of D7000

get ur hands dirty with 550D and after 1 year or 10000 clicks u will definitely know what features u want

save for nice lenses...they r equally important

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@sujoyp - could u kindly point towards some links explaining the "Flash commander mode" (point 6 in ur earlier post) in details?

also, is it true that the 550D does not have an inbuilt autofocus motor, unlike the D7000, and solely relies on the lens' AF motor (which all canon EF lenses seem to have)?

D7000, if you can. Better to invest once rather than investing multiple times. After that, look for good lenses. That will set you for years.

Sam, All canon does have in body motor...

nac

none of the canon body have inbuilt motor...all lenses have motors

u can easily get it just do a google....its used to control slave flash wirelessly..

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gr8! i was suspecting that (AF motor thing), but thought abt asking the specialists here anyway.....in a total dilemma now. meanwhile i checked out the canon 60D specs. seems (to a noob like me) that the specs are mostly comparable to the D7000 (except alloy body and 39 focus points).

sujoyp said:
nac none of the canon body have inbuilt motor...all lenses have motors

All these times it (in built motor) sounded like Canon body does have it. And I thought Canon does in-body motor.

Sorry for the wrong info...

@nac its really sounds like canon have that...but funny thing is that after canon changed there mount in 90s they put motor in each and every lens they produced

yes 60D is the right comparision to D7000 ....but D7000 is much better then that...between those 2 its D7000 again

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hmmm, actually i really liked the swivel screen of the 60D and the 50/60 FPS video capability (of canons in general) as it would be fun to create slo-mo videos. let's see what happens......might buy one this weekend. only after checking them out personally will i be able to decide finally, i think.

yes thats a good idea to personally check

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two more things -
saw in some forum that a lot of people were having soft focus issues with the 60D, but it was about a year ago. is the issue still persisting? can anyone shed some light in that regard?
and how much wud a sandisk 16GB class 10 SDHC card cost in chandni?

sam1 said:
and how much wud a sandisk 16GB class 10 SDHC card cost in chandni?

<900........

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thnx for all ur suggestions everyone - i bought the canon 60D finally!
can someone tell me the availability and price of benro T880EX and vanguard MAK 203 in kolkata?

thats great...congrats...

how much did it cost u?

I have vanguard espod 203AP and it cost me around 2500 ....at that time T880EX cost 1800 ....

^^ Congrats... Happy clicking.

M

flipkart price for Benro T-880EX is 2235.00.Ordered one on Sat.

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sorry for the late reply guys, been quite busy lately. anyway, thnx everyone. thoroughly enjoying clicking these days - don't have to worry abt quality loss at full zoom. still undecided about tripod. some ppl say the T880 EX is too light to hold such a heavy cam+lens.

yaah 60D+ lens is like 1.5 kg for now....it will not be sufficient

get a bigger budget and get something which can hold at least 4-5 KG

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@sujoyp - can u suggest some? 3 way tilt heads would be preferable. plz mention local prices if possible

sam I am very sorry ...I can not suggest any cheap tripods from flipkart ...u r using a 60D and may use it with a good canon lens someday ....if I suggest u a upto 3kg tripod then u will have to buy another very soon

my suggestion -Benro A500 +BH1 ball head Gaffarbhai and Sons » A500FBH1

and if u want specifically a tilt head then I have to look for one...coz all costly ones have ball head...people like it