Is the Canon 7D too advanced for a newbie?

[chee]

Or would I be better off with a Nikon D90?

I've been with Canon's my whole life (albeit point-and-shoot ones), so I guess I'm reluctant to leave them because I've sortof'grown' with them.

This will be my first DSLR and I want it to be a good one that I can GROW WITH. I cannot emphasize this enough; once I settle for this camera, it will be the ONLY one I will get in YEARS, so I want to be able to have a little bit of auto control for the beginning, but as time goes by I'm going to want to experiment and try new challenges and it's SUPER important that my camera can handle these.

Believe it or not I was considering the 5D Mark II but I KNOW I can't handle that one lol.

PLEASE help me in any way you can...Thanks in advanced
Pooky-- Thanks for being the only answerer so far :|...But the thing is I don't want a cheapy one...I'm really concerned about image quality, and I want above average performance. Also (don't shoot me) I kinda sorta maybe want the video mode.

I knowww it's gimmicky but it's just so COOL! I can't resist.

Anyways, I just want to be sure that I'll be able to do all sorts of things with my camera and won't be held back because it can't handle this or that much manual control.
Twiendee-- That's the thing though...I CAN'T upgrade. At least not for a good 3-4 years. Once I get this camera then I'm STUCK so I might as well make it good (my dad is willing to help me pay for a more expensive camera now). If I bought a T2i or whatever I'd be stuck with it for YEARS when I could have gotten something better to last me. Get it?

 

[Tom]

The nikon D90 was my first DSLR, purchased 6 months ago. It is packed full of features, produces outstanding pictures and great video quality! It is technically very advanced and took me a while to get the most out of it! I'm still discovering new features now! I'd get the D90, 7D is obviously better but you might end up shooting in auto because it is too much to learn at once!

 

[twiendee]

for your first dslr, thats almost 2000! so much more expensive than you need... get a t2i or something, its really good... and once you know what youre doing you can upgrade.

 

[Pooky]

What does Canon 7D do more than their least expensive model? (mainly video).

All their cameras (Nikon too if you want to think about it) can be used in auto mode--and manual as well. Instead of spending that much for a 7D, why not their $500 model, and get an extra (good) lens instead?

---------------

KK said it on this board that if you can't swim, why jump into the deep end of the pool.

Don't you know it's the user of a decent camera (and all dSLR cameras on the market now are "decent")--is in control of it, and if he or she knows how to use it, the photos will come out nicely.

Hate to sound so harsh now. You can get yourself the most expensive Nikon or Canon ($8,000 without lens), you're not going to get good photos from it. You think having a good camera will automatically give you good photos--it doesn't work that way at all. You will be very disappointed and many times not knowing why some photos will come out well (some will), but the rest are not--and you will never know, until you take a photography course.

Sorry to have to sound so blunt. This is a big mistake many beginners make.