Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

ID ... THIS - is the title of this post: Of the most current Intermediate APS-C DSLRs, which do you think of, as having the most "pro" quality?

And, HERE - is the lead post:

Specifically - the Nikon D5600, the Nikon D7500, the Canon EOS Rebel T7i, the Canon EOS 77D, the Canon EOS 80D, or the Pentax K-3 II ?

Now, then - the only ones which don't employ seals against wet weather, are the D5600, and the Rebel T7i / EOS 77D (essentially, the same camera.)

The Nikon D5600, and all of the Canon entries, have articulated touch screens, albeit only 3" - as opposed to the 3.2" of the others.

The K-3 models (both) also have the dual card slots - which are in the Nikon D7000 / D7100 / D7200 models, but abandoned by the D7500 ....

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Can you see “pro” in the title?

As I noted, to many that means weatherproof. I don’t know about the Canons but the D5600 is not weatherproof.

And as we’ve seen with the recent fracus on the new Nikon Zs, to others “pro” means two card slots. Neither of the Nikon examples you list have that either.

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

No, the D5600 is NOT weather-protected ... but it IS considered an Intermediate camera ....

And, yes - I did put PRO in the Title ... but used in reference to "pro-quality" ... which was my point ....

I don't believe a camera HAS to have protection against extreme weather, in order to be considered of PRO-Quality ... but, it does help, somewhat ...

By your designation, then ... only the K-3 models, the 80D and the D7500 qualify ... okay ... now, now - we're getting somewhere!!!!

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Of those you listed I only know the Nikons. The D7500 wouldn’t qualify because Nikon dropped the second card slot with it. You might want to look at a Nikon refurbed D7200.

I recommend buying Nikon refurbs from Cameta because they up the warranty to one year.

I only buy Nikon refurbs. I have bought six and all came in new condition with very low shutter counts. My latest, a D 5600, had 10 shutter activations. All the refurbs I still have still are 100% fine. I dumped the D7000 after four months because of the operational approach.

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

ID ... I rushed to grab a D5300 after I found out it had a GPS ... and the articulating screen, was also a nice touch ...

I'd already purchased the D7000 - so I'd have a weather-protected Nikon, which would allow fit of all Nikon lenses ever made (supposedly) ...

And enjoyed the b/w LCD screen on the back, and even the little green one on top, but the extra weight, over the D5300 - slowed me down, a little ...

When the D5500 - with the articulating TOUCH-SCREEN - which equated with my Canon T4i - was announced ... I put myself on the waiting list ...

But, when it came, I was a little disappointed by the very much smaller size ... the earlier D5300 was just RIGHT for my hands ....

Later, after discovering the D7000 was NOT capable of using EVERY Nikkor lens made ... I picked up a D7100 ...

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

I DID buy my D7000 as a refurb, ID ... and have been very happy with it ... in some ways, I believe - the results I get from it - are better than those I get from the D7100 ... undoubtedly, as the older model produces larger pixels, with its lesser res 16MP, as opposed to the 24MP of my other Nikons.

BTW ... I purchased all four of the others, brand new, and would not hesitate to do it, again - if I choose to buy a D7500 ....

I am still tossing up the idea of picking up a D7200 - either, new, or as a refurb ... but, apart from the larger buffer, I can't see much difference.

Side by side, they are BOTH identical, in every way ... but, perhaps, that's a good thing, at a work site - switching from one to the other ....

IDguy Loc: Idaho

The D7200 has dual card slots. The D7500 one.

I also suspect the D7200 has the infrared remote release. The D7500 does not.

But, for me, the reasons to opt for the D7500 are the touch and tilt screen. I hate using the randomly placed unlighted buttons and unreadable little green screen, and inactive info screen, on the earlier D 7xxxs.

But the tilt screen can’t match the articulated screen of the D5xxxs if you want to do milky way shots, put on a telescope, do selfies (on a tripod), etc.

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

The D7000, D7100 AND D7200 - ALL have dual card slots ... as do both the K-3, and K-3 II, ID ....

The D7100, D7200, D7500, D5600, D5500, D5300 and the K-3 and K-3 II also have the 3.2" LCD ...

The entire Nikon D5000 series has the flip-out screen, but only the D5500 and D5600 include Touch capability ...

All of the ones just listed also sport 24MP sensors - except for the D7000, and the much more recent D7500 ...

The K-70 also has the flip-out screen, and 24MP, and uses DPAF - as most of the recent Canon bodies also do (as well as the K-3 II) ...

Not really sure who the D7500 is aimed at ... but, it certainly qualifies as a Prosumer Nikon, even though it lacks two slots, and uses a 20MP sensor.

Some on here, have had really good things to say about it ... as it's smaller than the D7000 series, before its introduction ... not sure it's for me ...

I am pretty used to the heft of the D7100 ... not sure I'd be happy with a smaller and lighter model ....

When the 90D is released by Canon, on Wednesday ... I'll have a better idea which way I'm going ... can't wait!!!!

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

ANY camera, with an articulated screen, is a much better choice, when shooting pics of the stars ... for me, that model is my EOS 60D ...

When I need just a tilt screen, I am inclined to pick my alpha a58 ...

The D5500 and D5300 - are more, or less - everyday cameras for me ... I prefer the weight of the D5300, but the D5500 has Touch ... so ...

My Canon EOS Rebel T4i - also has touch - in fact, the very first DSLR which sported this highly desirable feature - but it IS only on a 3" screen!

The 3.2" screen employed by the Nikons, and by the two Pentax K-3 models - makes for a much more pleasing image, when viewed from the back.

The Pentax models, of course - are both weather-protected, as are ALL Pentax cameras, of recent memory.

To get weather protection in a Canon, you need, at least - the 80D, the 7D Mk. II, or a FF model like one of the 5Ds ...

In the Nikon line, you'd need one of the D7000 line, or the D500, or an FX model - which is not in the breadth of this topic.

It was a hypothetical, really, ID - trying to assess which APS-C body might FEEL more like a Pro item, without actually being so ...

So far, the top contenders are the Canon EOS 80D, and the Pentax K-3 II ... followed closely by the Nikon D7500 ...

For me - the only one of MINE - which isn't even ON this list - is my Canon EOS 60D ...

Other than that, both my a77 and a77 II are top contenders, but, again - not on the list ... neither are they considered DSLRs, by some ...

When you consider the PRO a99 II is the same exact body as the a77 and a77 II - it's easy to see why ...

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

The Vote is IN!!! ... Of those models listed, in the lead post - the one with the most Pro-Quality feel to it, for now - is (drum roll!) the Nikon D7500 !!!

But, note - the Canon EOS 90D is about to be released ... so, a revisit - will, most likely, be in order, after that occurrence ....

Ditto, for the Pentax K-3 III ... er, don't have any idea when that will be ... but, hey!!! - have you looked at the silver version of the Pentax KP ???

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

It depends on which camera the skilled Photographer is behind.

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

Racmanaz ... thanks for your input. However, this is not a post to do with skill ... it's a post to do with feel ... "pro" quality - refers to how a camera feels in the hands - for one thing. Also, features like a) size of LCD screen b) SD card slots c) weather-protection d) type of screen (fixed, tilt, flip-out) e) touch
... and smaller things, like Wi-Fi connectivity, infra-red connections, flash integration, etc. Also, going back to feel - how is the grip? ... solid, or awkward?
What about Battery Grip capability? ... Microphone, and headphone ports. Switches for RAW on the exterior, or switches for Consecutive, or Single shots.

All of these different things add up to Pro Quality ... along with what kind of AF is used, and how the pixels are managed. None of this has "skill" involved.

Also, this post focused on Intermediate APS-C cameras, only ... and is not concerned with FF models, nor is it concerned with PRO APS-C models ....

It's a matter of making your thousand-dollar outlay, count for something really constructive ...

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

It was a toss-up!!! ... The K-3 II was top contender, on a number of counts - a) 3.2" screen b) dual-card slots c) weather-sealing d) DPAF e) GPS ....

The Canon EOS 80D ... was also up there, based on - a) DPAF b) Touch c) Fully Articulating LCD ... but, compared to the K-3, seemed a little pale.

The Nikon D7500 ... won out for its larger size, compared to the K-3 II, plus its weather-sealing, 4K ... and the BIG 3.2" Tilting Touch LCD ... a BIG plus!!!!

Nikon D7500 w/ its 3.2" Tilting Touch LCD