Help! weight vs weather D90 vs D7000?

Hi, I love take pictures and will now buy my first SRLC and want to have it for a long time and develop with it. I like to come close, makro and tele and much naturephotog. often at/on the sea (kajaking). My favorite now is a canon superzoom (sx 30). I have now come to the decision between D90 to a good price (outgoing model) and D7000. D90 - I like the lower weight and I think I don’t hesitate to bring the camera with me and of course it is good enough. D7000 I perhaps get used to the weight? There are some better functions with it of course, but the most important I think is the robust “weather house”. Is it worth the extra price and can I live with the extra weight? If I have patience I can wait for a better price…but it can perhaps take some extra year… My hands like the D90 and my mind the D7000. Thank you for some advises! Happy new year!

Size wise, there is not much difference. The D7000 is definitely a much improved camera.

Unless you consider the D7000 a disposable camera you do NOT want to take it sea kayaking.

what extra weight? the weight difference between a D7000 and D90 (espacially if you factor in the lens) is tiny and completly neglectable.

now the d7000 can very well sustain rain and i have been shooting with it for rather long periods in heavy rain.

but you do realize that you would also need a weather sealed lens, do you? and the only sealed standard zooms that nikon makes are the 17-55 f2.8 and 24-70 f2.8 (here's where your kit gets heavy if you want sealing)
--
Mario

My Gallery
http://www.mg-photo.ch

LisaDW said:

I have now come to the decision between D90 to a good price (outgoing model) and D7000. D90 - I like the lower weight and I think I don’t hesitate to bring the camera with me and of course it is good enough. D7000 I perhaps get used to the weight?

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D90 - 703 g (1.55 lb / 24.80 oz)
D7000 - 780 g (1.72 lb / 27.51 oz)

Would only 2.71 oz (the weight of about 1/3 cup of flour) really be a factor in your purchase decision?

--
Patco
A photograph is more than a bunch of pixels

(salt) waterproof is the issue ! - I suppose interesting pictures are not only made in totally flat water.

For whitewater kayaking I use since several years a waterproof point and shoot from pentax tied to my pdf and waiting for action in a pocket of my pdf. (pentax optio w20)

Of course it is not a DSLR, but the image quality is good enough for many purposes.
Main point: it is always with me ready to shoot.

I love the D7000 (and liked my now stolen D90 too). It is not waterproof even for sweet water. It may ride in a peli case (1300) and comes out on land only.
peli 1200 may be too tight, check.

For wet landscape DSLR images, special contraptions would have to be taken:
like underwater camera bag or even under-water-housing.

+1: when they say the D7000 has weather sealing, that means if you take it out in a light rain it should probably be OK. For sea kayaking, I would recommend a dedicated underwater P&S (and even then bring it with the expectation that it may die: salt water is not healthy for electronics)

Cheers

Bernard Delley said:

(salt) waterproof is the issue ! - I suppose interesting pictures are not only made in totally flat water.

For whitewater kayaking I use since several years a waterproof point and shoot from pentax tied to my pdf and waiting for action in a pocket of my pdf. (pentax optio w20)

Of course it is not a DSLR, but the image quality is good enough for many purposes.
Main point: it is always with me ready to shoot.

I love the D7000 (and liked my now stolen D90 too). It is not waterproof even for sweet water. It may ride in a peli case (1300) and comes out on land only.
peli 1200 may be too tight, check.

For wet landscape DSLR images, special contraptions would have to be taken:
like underwater camera bag or even under-water-housing.

Click to expand...

--
--Wyatt
http://photos.digitalcave.ca
All images (c) unless otherwise specified, please ask me before editing.

There was a guy in the other forum who trashed a D3s by using it wet. 5K went poof :^(

I have a Pentax Optio 20 that I take in my pfd. It has been under the ocean with me whenever I capsize with [so far] no ill effects. Takes pretty good shots sometimes. The autofocus mostly sucks but not always.

Would only 2.71 oz (the weight of about 1/3 cup of flour) really be a factor in your purchase decision?

• It can sound silly, but for me, a girl , it was a big shift there in the feeling of the weight, what is heavy or not.

Thanks for comments!

I will be aware of saltwater. If I dont take much pictures in rain, but who knows..., then weather sealed, not is so nessasary? Or is it a god thing to have to let your camera live longer?

LisaDW said:

I will be aware of saltwater. If I dont take much pictures in rain, but who knows..., then weather sealed, not is so nessasary? Or is it a god thing to have to let your camera live longer?

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Haven't thought of it as a "God thing" before, but to some people, it may be.

My d90 is not weatherproofed, have used judiciously in inclement weather, have used a zip lock baggie before (the inexpensive way to weatherproof gear), and have had no issues. Actually dropped in on a snowshoeing trip a few weeks ago, and no problems. The more you use your camera, the more it will be exposed to failure. I do have a rubber casing around the camera, which has saved it from a few incidents.

Actually, if I had a d7100 (which isn't released yet), I would probably still use a zip lock baggie if using in bad weather.

LisaDW said:

Would only 2.71 oz (the weight of about 1/3 cup of flour) really be a factor in your purchase decision?

Click to expand...

Now I found out why it was so big difference in weightfeeling! D90 was also without batteri!

Now it is more a price differens to handle and to make the decision. Not so easy.

LisaDW said:

Hi, I love take pictures and will now buy my first SRLC and want to have it for a long time and develop with it. I like to come close, makro and tele and much naturephotog. often at/on the sea (kajaking). My favorite now is a canon superzoom (sx 30). I have now come to the decision between D90 to a good price (outgoing model) and D7000. D90 - I like the lower weight and I think I don’t hesitate to bring the camera with me and of course it is good enough. D7000 I perhaps get used to the weight? There are some better functions with it of course, but the most important I think is the robust “weather house”. Is it worth the extra price and can I live with the extra weight? If I have patience I can wait for a better price…but it can perhaps take some extra year… My hands like the D90 and my mind the D7000. Thank you for some advises! Happy new year!

Click to expand...

The D90 & D7000 are both pretty much the same size and weight. The D7000 has some weatherproofing, while the D90 has none. Neither of them is waterproof - you would need a waterproof housing to use them for kayaking and that would make either of them far too bulky. There are some lightweight waterproof bags you could try but I'd be nervous about risking my DSLR in one of these. Ok for light duty but if they leaked while out kayaking the camera is likely to be damaged beyond repair by the time you could get to dry land and tend to it.

I'd suggest you look at a premium compact camera and a suitbale waterproof housing. If you are happy not to have the capability to shoot raw then a waterproof compact might suit your purpose, although for reasons known only to the camera makers none of these offer the same image quality as a premium compact.

The D90 & D7000 are both excellent cameras, good for a wide range of photographic genres, but not very suitable for kayaking.

Regards
John