Hello all!

I'll save you some time:

TL;DR: I've compared both cameras, and I can't decide between a Nikon D7000 and a Canon 60D for a beginner camera that can stand up to some environmental abuse. If anyone has personal experience with either, I would like to know your pros/cons. Please help me.

So I just finished an environmental photography class. Super fun. I think this is something I want to pick up as a hobby - I loved what I did, and I'd love to do it more and more and more!

Here's the thing: I'm a biology student, so I get lots of opportunities to go to lots of very different, very cool places and see a lot of things not everyone gets to see. But I encounter environments of all sorts all the time - hot, humid summer days on a boat with saltwater splashing over the bow, cold days over steaming lakes, windy days on the beach with the sand blowing everywhere, you get the picture.

I want a camera I can take with me. I don't want to have to worry about a wayward drop of water or a particle of sand costing me hundreds in repairs. I don't intend on chucking it into the ocean, but I don't want a camera that's only safe for the studio and the park.

As you might have guessed, I'm a beginner at this. The nicest camera I've ever owned was a $125 Kodak point & shoot. My professor told us that once we pick a brand, we're pretty much married to it since accessories are cross-compatible with bodies of the same brand, but not with different brands, so I know that if I ever descend further into the rabbit hole with flashes, lenses, etc., this initial decision will turn out to be a big one, and I'm kind of nervous.

Anyway, our Sam's Club is running a special right now: body, standard kit lens, long-range zoom lens, bag, and a few other things, all bundled together for a good price. I knew that I wanted a weather-resistant camera, so I used Snapsort to sort it down to two that Sam's has: the Canon 60D and the Nikon D7000. It's a great deal, as the long-range lens and all the other stuff comes basically for free, the price is the same as a body standard kit lens combo: $1000 for either the Nikon or the Canon. Aww yeah.

But now I'm stuck. I'm trying to decide, and I'm stuck.

For the class, I borrowed my aunt's Canon EOS Rebel XSi. It was nice, and the interface was pleasing enough to use. It was annoying that it switched off my auto-bracketing every time I turned the camera off, but I soon learned that the camera going on standby was as good as turning it off as far as field work went, so I learned to just leave it on for most of the time. Other than that, I was very satisfied with the camera, and am tempted to go with Canon because the interface is familiar and good enough.

My prof preferred Nikon. The fact that I see a lot more Nikons with weatherproofing seems to suggest that they have more experience with the process and, thus, might be better at it. Snapsort rates it as a slightly better camera than the Canon 60D as well. I used my prof's Nikon a few times and wasn't a huge fan of the interface, but I know I can adapt rather quickly.

I did a lot of post-processing on my photos, though my copy of Photoshop Elements was unable to read the .CR2 raw files no matter how many patches and fixes I applied so I just did them on the .JPEGs instead. In any case, I'm comfortable with post-processing and do it with nearly anything I print, so I'm not concerned with possibly having to do more with the Nikon shots. I've been told I might have to do so.

The movable screen on the Canon doesn't matter much to me. I did most of my shooting through the viewfinder. I suppose it might be fun for some of those perspective shots where I don't want to or cannot position myself to look through the viewfinder.

So I've weighed the pros and cons, read a dozen reviews, and I still can't decide. Photographers of Reddit, please help me out. Anyone who has experience with either of these cameras, I'd love to hear your input. What did you love? What did you hate? What would you like to change? Should I be looking at these cameras at all, or is there an even better one? (I'd like to keep it below $1500, thanks.)

Thank you for your time and input.