I rented an A7s last weekend and was blown away by the image quality, even in ISOS that I wouldn't even consider using.  ISO 1600 on a portrait shot has just enough grain to it to almost appear filmic.  I'm  on my phone but I may post some crops when I have the chance. Very impressed with the A7 line of cameras.

 

Please do.  I'd consider switching over if I didn't already own so much Canon gear.

Metabones Sony to EF, almost native use of your Canon glass.



Now for the meat, consider this a mini-review.  This camera impressed the hell out of me.  With the exception of ergonomics, i.e. the record button could be in a better location, this camera has everything that I could want.  Min/Max ISO settings, check.  Fast shutter speeds, check.  Great color rendition, check.  Low light sensitivity, check.



Now for pictures from the camera and some crops, obviously these are all A7S shots, and all are handheld and originally shot in Sony RAW.



First up is an early morning candid portrait of my son.  To be honest, I got lucky on this one and everything came together.



Sony A7s with a Fotodiox E-mount to F-mount adapter hosting a Nikkor-Q Auto 200mm.

1/4000, ISO1600, f4

Minor processing (Vignette, Color) in Nik Plugins (Color Efex Pro)

DSC03437-Edit by slabertooch, on Flickr



Quick crop to demonstrate the noise.  While this picture was processed in the Nik plugin (Color Efex Pro), no additional, non-camera, grain or noise was added.

DSC03437-Crop1x1 by slabertooch, on Flickr



JPG export from Lightroom with no adjustments to the image.

Nikkor 85mm

1/8000, ISO1250, f5.6

DSC04131 by slabertooch, on Flickr



Crop

DSC04131_Crop1x1 by slabertooch, on Flickr



Finally, an indoor shot, early morning.  JPG export from Lightroom, with only a slight rotational correction applied.

Nikkor-Q Auto 200mm

1/250, IS12800, f4

DSC03922 by slabertooch, on Flickr



Crop.  Noise is more noticeable in this shot, however for such a high ISO (12800) image quality is still impressive and some minor NR could easily handle it.

DSC03922_Crop1x1 by slabertooch, on Flickr





To be honest, this camera was just plain fun to use, I was sad when I had to box it up and send it back.



 

I went with Nikon (D700) because at the time I made the purchase that camera had what I wanted.  Good low light capabilities and it was one of the better weather sealed cameras since must of what I do is outdoors.  Those were my main concerns.  

I would just look at what your requirements are and see who makes something that fits that bill.

I went "neither".

I started with a Canon T2i, then upped to a 7D (which was pretty awesome, BTW), but then jumped ship and went to Olympus' u4/3 OM-D EM-5. It's a phenomenal little camera. I haven't upgraded to the EM-1 or the new EM-5 mkII, because the EM-5 is just a damn good camera. The newer ones don't really have anything all that better in the IQ area, as they pretty much use the same sensor. The newer ones have a better focus system, faster processors and shit like WiFi. Olympus' JPEG engine is awesome. Usually if I get the shot right in the camera, I don't have any desire to post process.

Currently, I have the real nice Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 lens, which is fucking great. I also have one of the cheaper 40-150mm lenses that Oly put out. It's light due to being mostly plastic... but the glass is quite good regardless. I almost never use the lens anyway.

I'd take a look at the Olympus OM-D line. They're fucking great little cameras.

I went with the Nikon 3300 package. Seems to have what I want, not too bad in price. I'm not going to be a professional, just didn't want junk. I bought a point and shoot Fuji years ago and could never get clear pics, mostly blurry. Haven't had time to try it out yet, I work two jobs

One or two things at a time.  As you try different settings, you will see what is beneficial to your photography.

enjoy it.  


I was gonna say check out PENTAX also

My first SLR was a Pentax.  I thought it was the shit but when it came time to buy digital + lenses I knew I had to make a choice between Canon or Nikon.  Thankfully, folks don't always have to make that choice nowadays.

ETA:  And they're the first to bring medium format photography back down to attainable prices.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1045517-REG/pentax_16599_645z_digital_slr_camera.html

Or
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/739072-REG/Pentax_17971_645D_Digital_SLR_Camera.html/prm/alsVwDtl

With regards to the 645D... if the older version fits your needs/ wants, watch for package deals.



Adorama had a deal going back in May for a nib 645D with the FA 55/2.8 AL (IF) SDM AW kit lens for $4298.  If you needed/ wanted that lens, the package lowered the price of the body below what used copies were going for through reputable used dealers.



 

New photography student here...read the "understanding exposure" book and am just finishing 10 weeks of online photo classes...

Between the two brands/models listed by the OP, which has easier to use controls? Canon or Nikon?
I'm looking for 1) a decent package (you guys cleared that up...) and 2) easy to use controls for basic shooting...

Is there a better of the two?

Personal preference. You need to handle both. They'll both do essentially the same stuff, but the button layouts and menus will be different.

Plan to hit some shops this weekend...
As far as menues go, I was "told by a coworker" the Canon had less steps to get somewhere...
But yes, I'll go check out the menues at a shop nearby and find out for myself.

That may be true, but in my hands the Canon interface as a whole felt clunky and not well thought out. The buttons are in odd places and the menu confused me.

Nikon just made sense to me.

There's probably several people here that would say the exact opposite. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Funny About a month ago I happened to walk buy the camera dept. at Wall mart.
They were closing out just about all of their cameras.
I already own a couple DSLRs. But I couldn't pass up the Nikon 3300, with the smaller AFS-VR lens, not the 200mm.
Charger, battery, DVD, lens cap and hood. $250.00+6.5 % tax.
That was a screaming deal, For that camera body and lens New in the box

I just picked up a 7100 also.

I've bought  couple of lens from ebay But be careful. Make sure you buy a US serial numbered lens. Otherwise Nikon won't work on it.
To the guy that bought the AVS-VR ED 70-200mm f2.8 for under 1600 Good for you. Mine was mint, with Nikons UV haze filter,and a better tripod foot, hood caring case in the box But I'm into it for $1750.
I'm looking at a 400mm lens now.

I created the "should I consider mirrorless cameras" thread and after much research I decided, no, not yet.
My main reason for wanting to go mirrorless was size and weight.

Shopping this weekend I held and used a handful of cameras. Based on my level of photography knowledge, just finished 10 weeks of classes and am reading "understanding exposure" for the second time....I bought the Nikon D3300....

Likes?
- size and weight are great! Coming off of a Panasonic DMC-FZ70 (bridge) this camera is perfect. Fits my hand great and I carried it for about three hours yesterday.
- controls are easy to use. One of the things you folks mentioned when trying cameras. Easy to reach left side buttons with thumb, and thumb index on the right...very straight forward
- the "?" button is kind of nice for a noob....in any menu screen, press and hold ? = built in user manual....Will not be needed with time but for noobs... nice feature.
- setup was easy, tough part was waiting 1.5 hours for the batt to charge.

Found a youtube vid on "how to set up the D3300"...from Fro, there are several out there showing functions and are quite helpful.
I don't recommend setting everything as he suggest unless you know what you're setting...still a great vid on getting to know your camera.



This one from Tony Northrup covers a lot of the cameras functions also...

I'll try to get some shots up later. What a joy to shoot a real camera...already shopping for a F1.8 lens

Amazon cancelled my Acog order so I had enough to get the same Nikon 3300 package.  I'll be going from a $79 cannon elph (or some such) to a real camera.  Be gentle with me.