I am thinking of selling my D5100 and upgrading to a refurb D7000 for $499. What do you guys think of the two bodies?

I did exactly this about a year ago when the 7100 came out and prices dropped on the 7000.  The D5100 was my first DSLR after shooting an Olympus OM2n film camera many years ago.  I liked the D5100, but wanted more flexibility in controls so I purchased a factory refurb D7000 from Adorama.  I personally like the way it feels in the hand and the controls are so much better when it comes to making quick adjustments.  It is bigger and heavier, but just feels right.  As for any performance differences, I can't say as I am good enough to notice anything major in picture quality.  I upgraded pretty quickly from the 5100 kit lens and that was very noticeable.

I really like having the dual memory cards, and the better flash control for slave flashes.  Overall I am very happy with the upgrade, it was money well spent after selling the 5100 body.  When I purchased my 5100 I couldn't justify the difference to get the D7000 for my first DSLR, but since prices have dropped especially with the refurb option I am very glad I upgraded later on.

The D7000 and D5100 have the same sensor, so you will not see any difference there.
The big difference you will see is in the auto-focus system, the D7000 has the 39-point updated system.

The D7000 has a focus motor in the camera, so you can use the older AF lenses if you so choose.
The D7000 has the commander mode for working with off camera flashes.

The D7000 is noticeably bigger. Some folks like this, some don't.

If the D7100 is not in the budget, the D7000 is a good option.

I did the same upgrade a while back.

At the time I got the D5100 I couldn't really afford the extra cost to
get a D7000 I was happy to switch as soon as prices came down.





The things that made the cost worth it were:

Bigger and better grip

Two command wheels and more physical controls (less menu diving)

Better autofocus system

Better flash control

Battery grip

Built in AF motor

More rugged body

I agree D7000 is a great choice - I had one. But maybe wait a couple months for prices to fall on the D7100 as the 7200's just came out. Won't be $500 but should still be a good price.

My only thought is you might get a longer lifespan out of the D7100 as the D7000 has been out for a while now. People are still using a lot older cameras to make great pictures though so it depends how much you really want to spend.

I've seen refurb D7100s for less than $700. That's a damn good deal.



 

That's not a good deal.  Buydig has factory refurbished D5300 on eBay and other places repetitively.  Sometimes with a lens or not.   The D5300 is a better camera than either your D5100 or the D7000 for videos.  It has a better sensor than the D7000, the same CPU, and AF system, but 1fps less in max speed.  I believe the max shutter speed is one less than the D7000.

The jump from D5100 to D7000 in technology is not enough for me to recommend that unless there is something you absolutely need.   One would be the backward compatibility with older lenses, but if you only have a D5100 now, that should not be applicable for you.

Keep looking for D5300, or D7100 is what I would recommend.

I don't have much info on the D7000, but Adorama was having a sale on the refurbished D7100 mid April.  I ordered one and I wish I had just purchased a new camera instead of the refurbished one.  With a fully charged battery left in it overnight and with the camera turned off, the battery will be fully discharged the next morning. I have tried two batteries so far, and both have the same result.  Mine is already on it's way back to Nikon for repair.

So, if you are looking at a refurbished camera, take into consideration it might now work correctly when you get it.

I'd go for the eBay refrb D7100 with 18-55 and 55-300 VR for $850.  Sell your old body and the lenses and you should be able to get reasonably close to your price range.