Thanks to dpreview.com for the images above.
First off, do you have any friends that shoot on Canon or Nikon? This may be a legitimate consideration because lenses are so pricey. If you have people you can swap with and borrow lenses from, you will be able to get a lot more out of whatever camera you choose.
If you don’t have any friends that shoot with either brand, both brands are a toss up.
The D7000 is a nicer camera with more bang for your buck. It has a better auto focusing grid, with more focusing points which give you more accurate focus in run-and-gun style shoots like events. Shooting portraits, it doesn’t really matter because I prefer selective focus points anyway. The viewfinder has a 100% viewfinder which gives you a real representation of what will be in your final crop. The D7000 has a lower megapixel count which directly translates to better ISO performance which basically means less grain in high ISO images. The D7000 has a part plastic part magnesium alloy body which a more durable body compared to the all plastic body of the 60D. The D7000 has an extra 2.4 stops of dynamic range, which is pretty serious actually. Dynamic range is the amount of information your sensor captures from highlights to shadows in your exposure. Having an extra 2 and a half stops of information could make a good image great.
I have the Canon 60D, it has been an amazing camera to me the entire time that I’ve had it. It has an aluminum frame with a plastic body, so it is not as durable as the D7000 but I can tell you that this thing is no wimp. I have mistreated it, brought it to beaches, dropped it, scraped it, and just really used it. It does’t look like a brand new 60D but it also doesn’t look like it’s been through as much torture as it has.
The main advantage that the 60D has over the the D7000 is megapixel resolution. Resolution is a great tool to have especially for a new photographer because it will allow you to re-crop your photograph in post. You will be able to take a photo, and since you will have a higher resolution image you can scale it in, and basically retake the photograph from a compositional sense. You will be able to do the same with the D7000 but the 60D will provide you with more room to play. A higher megapixel count does have draw backs though. It will have lower ISO performance so the images will be more grainy, and overall image file size will be higher. Larger file sizes makes managing and editing photos more difficult.
I have shot on a few Nikon cameras, and one thing that I have noticed about all of them versus the Canon is I can not stand the ergonomics of Nikon. The things that you adjust the most on your camera when you’re shooting is Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO, Focus Point, and White Balance. The solutions that Nikon provides for adjusting these settings is something that is just not acceptable to me. I don’t like how the wheels feel in my hands. You might be thinking that it’s just because I’m used to shooting Canon, but that’s not the case. My first SLR was a Nikon, the first DSLR I ever shot was a a Nikon D2x. When I finally used a Canon I was like “Okay, this makes WAAAY more sense” haha. Now that being said about Nikon ergonomics, Canon Rebel cameras like the t2i, t3i, t5i etc.. have equally poorly designed ergonomics **TO ME**. The button layout of Rebel cameras really slow me down on productions, and shoots.
http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EOS_60D-vs-Nikon_D7000
This comparison goes through all the main points of the two cameras.
My conclusion:
After familiarizing myself with the D7000 again, I would say that if you don’t have any friends that shoot Canon I would get the D7000. It’s just all around nicer camera than the 60D in almost every category besides megapixel count. I do prefer the ergonomics of the Canons to the Nikons but that is a personal preference. The 60D is just a little too small in my opinion and the D7000 is even smaller. I have tiny hands, and if you have big hands that may be a factor. What can easily fix this is just getting a battery grip. It makes the camera have double the battery life, and brings the correct size to the camera.
Also from an industrial design stand point, the D7000 has a much nicer form, it just looks bad ass.
