The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

D7000 a second opinion.

peterb

Member
This one while positive too did have some caveats worth noting...apparently about the over vaunted metering which, according to these guys (and from what I've also seen elsewhere), frequently overexposes. Recommendation...compensate. Other issues abound too. But all in all still a great camera.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikon_D7000/
 

D&A

Well-known member
Hi Peter & All,

I got to put one through some preliminary paces and for the $$ it's impressive considering what sort of files you can get out of it (woked with the RAW files only). I'll mention one or two obvious things:

1. In bright sunlight the camera as almost everyone has reported overexposes by as much as 1-stop, maybe even more in certain bright sunlight circumstances. This overexposure si consistant especially with ultrawide, wide and even normal focal length lenses and simply blows out all highlights by a wide magin, many not fully recoverable. Of course this deminishes somewhat when using a long telephoto and isolating a subject with mostly mid-tones. It's as though the matrix meter is exposuring for shadows only, even if a relatively tiny part of the image (such as metering for the cement betwen brightlight colored red bricks. One has two choices until Nikon possibly releases a firmware update. a) You can simply use exposure comp. in those circumstances where required or b) Set via menu a global exposure comp of say -0.5, -0.7 or something you feel comfortable with. Problem is you have to remember that for other lighting conditons (aside from bright direct sunlight), this will most certainly then cause underexposure.

2). Under relatively low light, my initial feel is AF lock on is a bit hesitant and takes a bit longer to lock on than say the D300s. I'm not fully convienced exactly what the differences are until I have another chance to shoot it along side say a D300S under low light "quick shooting" situations.

There are other many other very enthusiastic things about this camera that is pushing the envelope for Nikon APS DSLR's and I assume many of these will travel to future higher end APS DSLR bodies.

If you are willing to deal with these and a few other small issues, it's hard to do better in a APS DSLR, especially for the $$ cost and what you can get out of it, image wise..especially where very small and light is also a requirment besides the additional reach of shooting APS next to full frame (often needed at the same time.

Dave (D&A)
 
C

CJS

Guest
I'm no expert, I dont have money to burn, the issues that are raised here and in the various reviews made me step back . . . simple, the camera has not been fully developed:wtf: Lots of good points, but, basics like poor metering should not be an issue in this day and age with the technology Nikon have.

I was at the point of parting with my hard earned for a D7000 . . . why should I part with a very big wedge when firmware updates are already obviously needed and in the pipeline! Nikon have done this before and released 's' models F80, D70, D300. I have kept my feet firmly on the ground, decided that whilst it would be nice to have the latest and greatest, I dont need it, want and need are two different things.

So, its the cheap and well tried option, a D90 for me, fits my requirements at half the price. I searched around, looked for deals on the web, even had an excellent deal offered by a shop. However I found a 'new D90' at 20% less than the best deal I could find. Yep, new, legitimate, not a single click taken, an insurance claim, un required replacement. I was lucky, in the right place at the right time. . . . I would have still gone the D90 rout with the good shop deal . . . I dont like being used, I think Nikon need a hard re look . . . I will watch and wait for the proper D7000 to appear . . . then reconsider my position?

Personal opinion of course . . . D7000; potentialy a great camera . . . CJS
 
G

GradyPhilpott

Guest
I have a D7000 on layaway and will have it in my hands on March 1, 2011. It's plain to see that the camera has some shortcomings, but the firmware is out now and in the case of metering and focus, there are corrective features on board.

I got my first SLR about a year ago, which was the D3000. It is a worthy entry-level camera, but it does have some low-light performance limitations that were beginning to drive me toward the inevitable upgrade.

What impressed me about the D7000 and made me willing to part with the requisite bucks this early on in its life cycle is that it's a Nikon. It doesn't seem prudent to switch brands and buy all new glass.

It is generally reviewed well and the final judgements are all pretty much equal.

It appears to have a fairly easy to use menu system with shortcut access to a number of features, which is good because I'm tired of going into the menu manually for nearly everything.

Still being a novice, I'm not likely to ever outgrow this camera and it's weaknesses don't impact the kind of shooting I do most of the time and actually have accommodations for when I might need some corrective measures.

The CameraLabs review was very good and I think ultimately quite fair. In the end, his scoring of the camera was in line with most reviews I've read.

One thing did bother me, however, and that was the reviewers frequent reminder that the D7000 is not low-end semi-pro camera. If there was a need to say that even once, it only needed saying once.

It's quite clear to see that the D7000 is a replacement for the D90 that due to the advance of technology steps into the territory which the D300s now holds. The camera is a mid-range DSLR that incorporates or exceeds some features of the current semi-pro camera.

The overall tone of the reviewer was in my opinion snide and he seemed to gloat over having knocked the D7000 off some preconceived pedestal.

For myself, working only with the reviews of the camera, believe that the D7000 is a quite capable camera that will perform extremely well in those areas that are important to me and maybe not so well in those areas that are less important to me, like continuous shooting rates and video.

In the unlikely event that the D7000's shortcomings ever impinge on my ability to shoot well in those venues where I shoot, it will be clear that I will need another upgrade, which will probably be whatever replaces the D300s, which will probably be some kind of humdinger.

As it is, the D7000 appears to be a very robust mid-range DSLR that has features that make it a strong competitor in its range.

For better or worse, I made the decision to go with Nikon and it's very unlikely (though not inconceivable) that I'll ever jump ship, since I intend to buy some more glass that will complement the D7000 even more than what I have on hand, the 18-55mmVR, 18-200mmVRII, and the 35mm f1.8.
 
Last edited:

ElvisKennedy

New member
For a third (or is it fourth now?) opinion I can add that after using the D7000 for 4 months it's a fantastic camera, overall. One can always find things to nitpick about. The D7000 has a great top plate dial where you can set "User 1" and "User 2" settings and quickly switch back and forth. Great when handing a camera to a novice and just flick the dial to "User 2" for full auto mode. Then back to my specific settings. Hey, the D3s doesn't have that feature! Does that make the D3s an inferior camera? See what I mean?

After thousands of shots I've had no serious issues with overexposure or poor focusing. Does it focus as fast as the D3s? No. But it's one-fifth the cost, you adjust. The screw drive motor isn't as robust as higher end Nikons as evidenced by a bit slower focus with a 35 f/2 for example, but AFS lenses are very fast to focus.

I consider the D7000 with a 35 1.8 AFS lens the ultimate walk around set-up. Light, fast, superior image quality (in good or bad light), lots of options and even a small pop-up flash as well as 1080 video if you need or want it. I recently added a 24 2.8 AF Nikon to the walk-about kit to have a 35mm and 50mm (equivalent) set-up. Very nice, indeed.

If you think about where cameras where just 5, let alone 10 years ago any complaint about the D7000 is silly talk.
 
R

Ronan

Guest
I find it funny that people MUST compare their camera's to other one's...

Just be happy with what you have, and if you aren't, get something else.

P.S: This isn't directed to anyone in particular but just in general.
 

woodyspedden

New member
Don't you think that the D7000 is overpriced?
Although not a current Nikon user I don't think the D7000 is overpriced when compared to the competition. Look at the Pentax K5, which is getting good reviews here (although I see issues that would make me really test it, but then these are only web based images so I would have to try it for myself)

I find the overall feature set of the K5 to be intriguing but not overwhelmingly better than the D7000 or the E5 from Olympus. Plus the Zuiko lenses for the E5 puts that system at the potential forefront of overall image quality from these new entries.

I think it is wonderful to have so many good choices these day. I love the size and weight of the K5 system so I will take a really good look at it for sure.

Best

Woody
 
G

GradyPhilpott

Guest
I don't think it was over-priced at all.

Of course, the camera body was just the start--new, faster cards ($100), extra battery ($50), new bag (?), new lens (50mm/1.8D) ($150) and filter (Tiffen Haze-1) ($20).

I haven't been able to get out to shoot much with my D7000 for various reasons, but what shooting I have done, for me, a neophyte, it is just exhilarating to see the difference between my D3000 and my D7000--better low light performance and lots of shortcut buttons, etc.

It was the right camera at the right time for me and I'm pleased as punch and I'm not concerned with what it can't do. I am, however, ecstatic about what it does do.

The more experienced (and perhaps more jaded) may feel differently, but to me it's a whole, new, wonderful world.

:bugeyes:
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
How can it be overpriced? It's around the same price as the D80 was when it was launched, and it's a better, more advanced camera in every way. I think the D7000 is a good answer to what many photographers want these days: a relatively advanced, but still compact DSLR.
 
Top