Цифровой Фотоаппарат Nikon D7000 — 965 отзывов, плюсы и минусы

I have had this product just over a year now.. And it has been a challenge to own this unit... When it works correctly, it is great, but I have been very challenged with it.. Here is the deal, and I think NIKON is the bigger problem than the camera, but that is hard to explain.. I have had a lot of problems with Nikon in recent years, most of them with their customer service and repair, which in my opinion is just the worst of any company I have done business with, except H&R BLOCK.. They really are a horrible company... Stay away from them and their products...As for the D7000, I bought it because my D40 died on me in Utah while I was in Canyonlands doing a photo vacation with a photo buddy.. And, note, he uses Canon and never complains!!! While on the shoot, the shutter release died.. I called NIKON, they said send it back, so in a campground, I wrote a letter explaining the issue, took the camera and the letter to the UPS office in MOAB, and mailed the dead camera back to Nikon.. I finished the photo trip without a camera.. My buddy suggested I might need a more professional camera since I was using the D40 a lot.. Might have worn the D40 out.! While on the trip, I met another photographer who does great work and uses the D7000. You can see her work on the web by searching for Faund Images. Super work!... Back home I ordered the D7000 in October of 2011, I think it was. I was actually gettting the camera to learn how to use it before I left on my trip to Europe in October of 2012. The camera arrived, I did some test shots, and discovered the sensor was really dirty.. Really bad.. I called Amazon and reported it.. They would be happy to exchange it for a new one, but they did not have a new one. I could get my money back, but that would be a big problem because I had also ordered two lens, power grip, filters, extra battery, a flash, etc.. The camera was only a part of the whole order.. Returning it for money was not a good choice.. I called NIKON and explained. A new camera had been delivered dirty.. They said they would check it out if I paid to have it returned, etc.. Could be a month or more to get the camera to them, cleaned and returned.. Not a fast service type thing, plus I had to pay for everything.. So, having the Copper Hill cleaning kit, I cleaned the sensor myself.. Turned out good. And things went well until I was back out west in Colorado doing fall color photos in Sept of 2012. The camera started burning out images. Not often, but two or three times per day, the camera would just decide to make a 1/125 second exposure into a 1/15 second exposure, etc... Burned the images out.. Then, later it stopped doing this on a regular basis.. I would liked to have sent it in for repair, as it was still under warranty at that time, but I was leaving for Europe in October. There would not be enough time to ship the camera to Nikon, get it repaired, because they are very slow, which I know from experience, then be able to take it to Europe with me, which was one of the bigger reasons for buying it and the 18-200 lens. .... It went to Europe with me. I arrived there on Oct 23. The camera worked until the morning of Nov 1. I took some early morning photos, then at 10 AM, just as I was taking a few photos of the tour bus, the camera started the image sensor issue again, and worse.. It did several things that were strange, and in the end it started leaving scan lines on all the images.. That was the end of the photos taking for this camera on this trip.. I still had 17 days of travel left and no camera to take photos with.. This camera was useless. There is another part of this story that I will share soon... I got home from my Europe trip on Nov 18. I mailed the camera to Nikon on November 23... I sent sample photos to show them how the camera had been acting in September in Colorado, and again on Nov 1. Their reply was a letter that stated these issues were caused by water damage. There had been no water or rain on it during the Sept time frame, but on the October 31, while on tour in Rome, it did rain on us.. It rained on us a lot.. I had a rain coat on, and I had a waterproof bag which I used to cover the camera.. I thought I had done a good job of keeping it dry. The people around me were using point and shoot cameras, Big Canon cameras, and even Ipads, to take photos.. None of these ever reported any problems from the rain or the moisture in the air, etc.. And, the advertisements suggests that the D7000 is weather resistant!!!!! Go fugure! What does that mean!!! After several calls and exchanges between Nikon and me, I got the camera back. They would not cover it under warranty, even though the issues started in Sept, long before the one year warranty ended in late October. I agree to pay for the repairs myself as I needed to get the camera back. As it turns out, I had insured all the camera gear before leaving on my trip. I called my insurance people and explained.. Turns out, my insurance would cove

I have been shooting with a Nikon D7000 now for about a year. During that year it has been through hell constantly. Its been all over the country, and all over a war zone. I want to start by saying, this is truly a rugged camera. I am a Combat Photographer for the army. I use my own equipment as my command is cheap and worthless. Currently, I am deployed overseas and this camera gets used every day.I chose the D7K a year ago because of a few things. Things that are unlike mosts.1: Its rugged and weather sealed. While it does occasionally see a downpour it spends a lot of time dealing with very high levels of dust. I do a full service on it about once a month and each time, There is literally no dust where there shouldn't be. For rain, Make sure you get a lens with a weather seal. Not even the Kit lens has a weather seal. I use mainly a 28, 35 and 50 prime. They all have weather seals and have all been used in heavy rain, no water got passed the lens into the camera. When I say heavy rain, I truly mean the worst rain your mind can imagine. This camera will take it. Though, touching on Rugged, I must say the Kit lens 18-105mm is a good lens IQ wise, not bad for a kit lens, in fact Id say its the best kit lens for a non pro camera. Though, aside from IQ This lens is NOT rugged, in fact, its cheap. The mount is plastic, the barrel is cheap plastic and after so little use (mainly use primes and my 2.8 zooms) part of the outer barrel broke while zooming. I'd say go for the body only and get a good fast prime or a 2.8 zoom. Something that is as rugged as the camera.2: Its light. The D7000 is really an easy camera to carry around. Slap a 35 or 50mm pancake lens on it and you can pocket it. (army pants... big pockets) It fits easy in pouches/bags and is light enough to cart around all day. I don't use the neck strap, I either use a shoulder harness or a wrist strap. super easy to weald, point and shoot. Buttons are in the right spots and with a battery grip its still not too heavy. Just right.3: Movies: Normally, Id carry around a Sony video camera and a DSLR. This was troublesome switching back and forth, lots of photos or video footage lost just changing back and forth. The D7000 does not take as good of video as my Sony did, though the Sony costs more than the D7000 and is made for Video. However, The D7K DOES take amazing footage and has full manual video. having my DSLR shoot video and photos has allowed me to carry less and shoot more photos and video. Being able to use my DSLR lenses to shoot video has saved me money from buying different glass for my video camera to do the same thing, Planning on selling the Sony when I get back as I just don't use it, sits in a case now. The D7K lacks a Audio monitor port which is a flaw IMO. However, I use a Zoom audio recorder and I can plug my headphones into it to monitor audio. I also use a RODE video mic pro. The internal mic is useless, too tinny, but for most users not shooting important video's or movies wont care.4: Battery life: The battery on the D7K lasts a very long time. Even shooting video and images it lasts a whole day. I carry 4 batteries when I go out. 2 in the camera (battery grip) and 2 spare. only had to change once. Quite amazing.5: large dials/buttons: I wear gloves. Constantly. Currently its freezing cold and often snowing/snow on the ground. Being able to use this camera in the cold with gloves is great. The cold does not stop this camera but it sure stops my hands so using gloves with fingers NOT cut out is a must. Big command dial and spaced out buttons makes it easy. Any fine tuning that needs to be done I just say to U1 or U2.All in all its a great camera. Mine has had all the paint worn off on the edges, chipping all over the front, the flash is broken after it went down a rocky hill bouncing about, and a small dent in the corner after it fell.... actually.... I dropped it.... from about 5 feet. Thing is, The camera still works perfect. Its nearing its lifespan (148,384 images) but still works great. still kicking. a true trooper.Its not with out some issues but they are small. Often when I shut off the camera, the top LCD still shows all the standard information and wont turn off (shows everything, not just image count) so I have to turn it off and on until it goes off. The camera is off when that happens, just the top LCD stays on. Wish they would fix that with a Firmware update but it seems Nikon is not really supporting it anymore specially since the D600 and 800 recently came out. Few issues with it dropping memory cards at random. Doesn't matter brand but certainly effects my PNY's the most. Id avoid them with this camera. Class 10 is a must.5/5 in my book. Any electronic device that can take such a heavy beating non stop for a year in bad weather and bad temps and keep doing what it was made too do is a winner.If you don't want a FX sensor (award winning images can easily be taken on cheap 100$ cameras, its all about the photographer n

I have to admit, after researching this camera I was nervous about purchasing this due to the many posts about focus issues, but after 1.5 years of using a d5100, I found that I really needed more accessible control to get to the next level. I have a large investment in Nikon DX lenses so getting an FX camera was just not an option. The new D600 has the ability to shoot DX, but it is far from ideal and the cost of the D600 body was out of my price range. I also really have no need for a full frame, the cropped frame provides me with excellent photos. When the price of the D7000 dropped to below $900 and with Amazon's awesome customer service, I knew it was time to buy. If there was indeed a problem, I knew I could return it.FIRST IMPRESSION: Upon opening the box, I knew that this was exactly what I was looking for. Although a little larger than my 5100, the buttons and dials and top display screen is leaps and bounds better than the 5100. Finally...no menu-digging to adjust settings! I charged up the battery and started shooting. My first set of shots were taken with all the default settings in AUTO mode. The result? All of the photos were soft. Disappointment. Could I have gotten one of the "bad" cameras? I wasn't ready to say that yet, besides, many photo gurus have touted the amazing quality of this camera. I picked up David Bush's Guide to the d7000 and learned a bit on HOW the d7000 Autofocus actually works. With a few changes to the settings and a bit more insight into the autofocus system, I was shooting tack-sharp photos within an hour.DEFAULT SETTING CHANGES: The first thing you should do when you get this camera is change the JPEG image quality form NORM to FINE. Then turn OFF the Hi ISO NR (noise reduction), which is degrades the detail in your shots in order to reduce noise, creating a softer image. I choose to set the dynamic-area AF to 21 point which will help with speed (although I have to say this camera's focus speed is phenomenal compared to the 5100). Use AF-C or AF-S. This camera has 3 autofocus modes - AF-A, AF-S and AF-C. I found that when I use AF-A, I tend to get more soft shots. Once I move to AF-S or AF-C, my photos become beautifully sharp.Finally, you really need to have a grasp of how your aperture affects you DOF (depth of field). Using a larger aperture produces a very small DOF. If you are relying on the camera to make these decisions for you, you may not get the shot you are looking for. The camera may be smart for getting the correct exposure, but it doesn't know what you are thinking! A good rule of thumb is to use at least f/5.6 - f/8 for portraits and make sure your focus point(s) are set on the eyes. Set focus, lock and recompose if needed. You will notice a significant difference in the clarity of your photos. Finally, use a decent lens!!! My Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 is a solid performer on this body.MY RECOMMENDATION: I am by no means a "professional", but I do have a working knowledge of how to use a dslr. If you are looking for a camera that you pull out of the box and expect perfect shots while set in automode, this camera is not for you...you are better off investing in a high end point and shoot. If you know something about ISO, Shutter, Aperture, AF-S, AF-C, Metering and plan on growing that knowledge and want to rely on your ability instead of the camera, the d7000 is a gem at a great price. If you want something in-between, consider the d3100 or the d5100. Both of which are less expensive and are solid performers. The d7000 is the perfect answer for those looking for easy access and control over their images.MY OPINION: While I'm sure there are d7000s out there that do indeed have a focus problem, I'm pretty sure that many of the complaints may be due to not taking the time to truly understand the camera and how it works. While the autofocus is awesome, it is NOT perfect and requires the person to take control, which is the point of buying a dslr anyway, isn't it? Just because it costs more doesn't mean it should excel at being a point and shoot!THE BOTTOM LINE: Don't be afraid of buying this camera because of the publicized "focus" issues.****UPDATE****I've had this camera for well over a month now and I can't tell you how ecstatic I am with it. After getting comfortable with the camera and its controls, and learning all the sweet-spots on my lenses, I feel that this camera has pushed me to the next level in my photography journey. I have been able to produce tack sharp image after tack sharp image. I'm finding that I'm doing much less editing with this camera than I had with my 5100. I think this is partially due to the camera and partially due to learning more and having the ability to easily control manual settings. This camera will serve me for many years to come!!!!

This less than stellar review is intended to be a gentle reminder to those happy entry-level users of under-appreciated workhourse cameras like the Canon T3 to think carefully and get a hands-on demonstration minimally before investing 5 times the cost of your current camera and lens (the standard 18-55mm kit lens) to make the jump to a hefty, serious amateur/starting professional camera such as this gorgeous Nikon D7000, or its new upgraded model, the D7100. I got a big box store Black Friday deal on the older but well-praised unit for half-price, $800, complete with a reknowned Nikon 18-140 mm VR zoom lens. The lens alone lists for about $800, so it was a no-brainer purchase at the time. Being somewhat handicapped from a mobility standpoint, I must do most of my buying on-line and don't usually have the luxury of walking the malls and fighting the crowds to see what I'm getting ahead of time. What arrived via UPS was a much larger, heavy metal, weather-sealed, beautifully constructed camera with a hearty 5 lb. lens that made the Nikon D7000 look like the Pinocchio of the DSLR camera world. Overwhelmed by the array of buttons, arthritis- challenging weight, and telephone book-like instruction manual, I dove for the the Quick Start sheet, assembled the lens to the camera, gently threw on a protective UV filter, charged the battery, put in a class 10 SD card, and set it on the infamous, life-saving green, full-auto setting to give it a test run against my trusty, lightweight, mostly plastic, not designed to withstand the elements Canon T3. After anticipating this moment for 3 years and feeling quite proud of the deal I got, I gathered the grandchildren's colorful Christmas toys and packages and set up a night-time test shoot on my bed, using only the pop-up flash and auto setting for each camera. I was prepared to be blown away and already wondering if i should keep or sell the T3. What happened next did shake me to the core, but not in a good way, more in a sad way. In side-by-side comparisons of identical shots taken by each camera, the Canon T3 digita pics were better in every case ( to my eye) as compared to the much more expensive Nikon D7000. Of course, this evaluation is very subjective and hardly intended to be the final word on the on-going Canon VS Nikon debate, but I was disappointed and knew instantly I would never be happy with the new camera, so it's going back tomorrow. I've come to terms with the fact that apparently I love a very lightweight, uncomplicated DSLR that gives me bragging quality shots of the grandkids every weekend with little to no effort on my part except to hold the camera steady as it works its magic. Essentially, though fabulous, though a great deal, the Nikon D7000 was and always will be too much camera for a person like myself. I'm sure with all it's available adjustments, a professional could re-shoot my pics and blow my mind. But the reality is, if you're a happy point and shoot person that wants beautiful pics without hardly any effort in a lightweight, easy to handle and transport mostly plastic package, I heartily recommend keeping your place with your entry level camera, you'll be much happier. I am glad I had this opportunity to test the camera for my particular use, or I'd be spending the rest of my amateur days wishing I could afford better. But now I'm super content, knowing that an entry-level camera like the Canon T3 is perfect for my purposes and skill level. Hope this helps people like me sleep better.

Lets start from the beginning:I am upgrading my body from a D3000 to this camera and the extra features that it has and the little touch up makes this upgrade a must for those who are looking for one if you are getting work. Space wise my review is gonna be long but it will be nicely organized so you can see what part you are looking for.Features:This camera has a lot of them. The higher ISO performance is great and the fact that you can choose between 1/2 and 1/3 stops for just about everything on this camera, shooting RAW is not only a must but much easier to do. By being able to increase everything from shutter speed, aperture and ISO in 1/3 stops it makes manual truly feel manual. Also by being able to shoot in 1/3 stop ISO it allows you to cheat more and just barely over expose the shot without adding too much noise at the higher levels. Also if you have older lenses this will auto focus with them. Those lenses seem to be mis-focusing or slightly less sharp, you can in camera change that. There are many more features such as commander mode for flashes and etc. So if you want total control of the shot but don't want something that will intimidate you, this camera can be the one.ISO Performance:Seeing how I have very bad glass (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6) I have to stay in the higher ISO's so to me this is great in some sense. Since I am force at this time to use f/5.6 a lot it's hard to get the shot I want. But this isn't much of a problem to be honest cause with a little adjusting in Lightroom you can use ISO 12800 images in RAW and still come out a winner. The grain is a little harsh but the color is easily corrected and for a HI 1.0 setting it does a pretty good job.Body Build:Theres no hiding the fact that this camera is heavy. But the fact that it's weather sealed and has a solid feel to it, makes up for it. The rubber grip feels really nice and it has a nice little "cavern" in it for your finger tips to tuck in to give you a nice hold on to the camera. Also the dual commander dials makes manual shooting more natural and more fun to do. Having certain buttons such as the AF mode button and dedicated buttons to ISO, exposure comp, etc., make hunting through tedious menus a thing in the past cause everything you need is practically at your finger tips. Something that is a nice thing to get use to if you plan on going full frame after using this camera for a few years.Seller Review:The seller that gave me the camera didn't include a body cap so when I looked through the view finder I thought the sensor was dirty but it's not so who cares. Though that is a big annoyance it doesn't affect the performance of this camera. Also it said that there was some minor cosmetic damage, and I didn't see it, which is great. The seller also forgot to say that the bottom rubber piece was missing, since I will be keeping the grip on it all the time it's more of an inconvenience for when I want to go street shooting then a real knock off. Basically minus one star cause of the seller in the fact that they forgot to mention some of this.Conclusion:I am an upcoming semi-professional event shooter so the high ISO performance, high FPS and the ability to have a real grip means a lot to me. If you are someone who wants to upgrade just cause, don't waste your time. It can be over whelming to you if you don't know what each button does yet alone where the things are. And I watched a lot of views and read the manual before even getting the camera. Though there is a learning curve cause you have everything at your finger tips if you are coming form a D3000 or equiv. body, in the end it's going to be worth it and this camera will be the one that will get you the shot. Also this camera might get me into cine just for the giggles.Should I Wait:In all honesty if you are asking this question it's like asking when is it a good time to buy a tablet. Get something that will fulfill your needs and just be happy with it. In all honesty the D7100 (or whatever Nikon will call it) won't come out for probably the next few years or so (1/29/13) from now. But who knows exactly besides Nikon. If you still want to wait and are trying to choose between this and a new lens, get the lens if you don't feel safe buying the camera now. Glass goes with you but the body won't just keep that in mind.Thanks for reading my review. Hope I was able to help in some way.

I am an avid photographer and filmmaker. I have won several awards for my films and used many different cameras. In the market for affordable, but high quality DSLR Camera that shoots videos, I found myself in the procession of the Nikon D7000 Kit. It comes with an 18-105mm lens, a rechargeable battery, and a battery charger. Being a highly functional and useful camera, it comes with awesome features, but there are minute technical issues when first getting used to the camera and it lacks a few minor features, but ultimately, the Nikon D7000 Kit is an exceptional camera for its price. The Nikon D7000 is a highly functional camera because it is easy to put together and it takes high quality photographs. Shot after shot taken with the camera's 16.2 megapixels, whether using manual focus or autofocus, produces vivid and eloquent photographs. Great DSLR cameras take amazing photographs. The camera incorporates awesome features as it is supplied with basic features as well as features you didn't know you needed. Autofocus is a basic function, but there are two types on this camera. One for moving objects and the other for still objects. Also, there is a continuous mode, which allows the user to snap six photos per second, which is nice when your subject makes subtle movements. The camera has dual memory card slots for extra storage and also, face detection. There are a few minor features the camera lacks. For instance, it does not possess panorama mode, smile mode, and is not waterproof. However, there are not many DSLR that include a waterproof feature and none that are affordable. Consequently, good cameras have standard features as well as bonus features. The D7000 contains quality video capabilities. There are a couple drawbacks, but nothing too troubling. Overall, its features over compensate for its minor negative one. The only drawbacks include: the camera does not display the light meter and the user cannot change exposure compensation, both while in video mode. However, the Nikon D7000 shoots in 1,080p and 24 frames per second. Shadow bars rest at the top and bottom of the screen to show the user that, if his/her subject does not sits within the bars, it will not be recorded. Furthermore, this camera records up to twenty minutes, while other DSLR cameras struggle to have this ability. This aspect is ideal for shooting documentaries. As mention before, the dual memory card slot, which is quite idea for video shooting and other DSLRs are not often equipped with it. A good DSLR should incorporate the ability to record in its system. The Nikon D7000 Kit is affordable. The kit is under a thousand dollars at $996.95 and is it a whole lot of camera for that price. High quality DSLRs range from $500 to $2,000. This camera is on the low end of that spectrum while still having all its amazing and standard features. Also, it comes the 18-150mm lens with a rechargeable battery and a battery charger. High quality cameras should be affordable as this one is. As the filmmaker and photographer I am, the Nikon D7000 simply wows me. It is a very practical and functional camera with great features. There are a few things would discourage someone from buying it, but they would have to be very picky about taking underwater panorama photos. For professionals and novice alike, this is a great camera kit for its price with all its special features.

Considering this camera's reputation has long been established, I figure the world doesn't need another technical review of it. As I have not owned it until now, I wanted to share my thoughts on it in a more candid manner. I was originally a Nikon shooter, first with a D80 and later the D90, but sold my D90 shortly before this camera came out because I was not impressed with the D90 and became curious about the Canon 60D, so I sold out of Nikon and bought into Canon for a while. I have no brand loyalty, I was simply out to see which suited my style. After shooting with the 60D for more than a year, I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be, with both the camera and Canon's system. This was no fault of Canon or the 60D, it is a great camera and a great system, but it just didn't handle the way my Nikons did. I found myself having to think about the camera too much and my choice of glass left much to be desired, it was getting in the way of what I wanted to accomplish with it. So I recently sold back out of Canon and into Nikon once more with this, the D7000 paired with the 85mm f/1.8G, and was quite impressed within the first few hours of using it. I can't quite describe it other than to say that it just feels right. After spending about an hour to set everything the way I want it, I instantly recollected how wonderful it was to shoot with the D80, which back in its day was an amazing camera. The D90 in my opinion was a wasted design and probably did no one anymore good than the D80. But the D7000 is altogether a different animal. It does everything the D80 did, but faster and with a little more polish, an absolute joy to shoot. ISO performance is just awesome. I can shoot at ISO 1600-3200 with my 85 1.8G without a care for noise at all, and even 6400 looks okay. It's there, don't get me wrong, but it isn't. I can tell you that it looks a lot better than film does at ISO 800, with more dynamic range (and that's saying a lot). The AF system is awesome as well. 39 points is overkill though. I don't like AUTO AF because it chooses focus based on distance and with that many focus points, sometimes it will pick every point within the frame except the one you want. I'm not always interested in focusing on whatever is closest to me so I set the AF drive to 9-point/AF-A and have found it to be the best way to use the AF on this camera, all 9 are cross-type AF points. Essentially, it uses the center point as the primary, but allows the points around it to re-focus if you move the camera slightly, or if what you're shooting moves slightly. It stays put though when you want it to. 6 frames per second is pretty trick and I like the Q-drive, it isn't silent but it's pretty quiet and automatically turns the beeper off when set. I like it. Two card slots are probably better than one but to be honest, I only use one. It's cool that I can put two in though, for backup. And lastly, the single most impressive feature of this camera by far (IMHO) is how it works with AI/s manual focus lenses, of which I have a few. I set the non-cpu lens data for my Nikkor 55mm f/1.2, slapped it on, and not only will it tell you shutter speed AND the aperture value in A mode (which it writes to the EXIF), but the three-way focus indicator nails focus at f/1.2! Sold. That lens is impossible to focus without a split-image rangefinder or 10x zoom in live-view. It's made of magic, I swear.I like this camera, it is definitely worth every penny and 5 stars. The D7100 will be the evolution of the D7000, but do yourself a favor a wait one if you're trying to decide between it and this camera. I suspect if you're reading this review at this point, you're probably trying to decide whether to get this or the D7100. Get this one first and become proficient with it. In a few months, the D7100 will sell for a grand or less and getting it will be like using this camera only more awesome. Canon cameras at this level (DX/APS-C) just aren't as good, also in my humble opinion, and I've used both.

Auto Focus (AF). I want to provide my experience with the camera and my take on the AF situation.1. Back-focus. Some claim their units have back-focus issue. The camera does have AF fine-tune that can be used to correct the focus. But if amount of back-focus extends outside the fine-tune range, then it will require Nikon service. I'm sure there are units that do indeed back-focus and need repair. But I suspect many more users mistakenly and incorrectly attribute any AF issue with back-focus. Anyone who says their unit back-focus sometimes or % of photos, then that is not true back-focus issue. Back-focus means the AF is not calibrated correctly. It will not focus right sometimes and miss focus sometimes. So I suspect the rate of true back-focus (quality control issue) is smaller than people claim.2. Auto Focus learning curve. There is definitely learning curve on getting the D7000 to focus correctly. D7000 is very sensitive and this learning curve is steeper than expected. It will takes some practice (and possibly changing your shooting method) to get the focus consistently correct.My experience. When I first got the camera, at least 50% of my images are soft for 1 reason or another. There are out of focus images, camera shakes, subject motion (try taking photo of baby and toddler who are constantly on the move), etc. I thought I had "back-focus" issue. After doing AF test, I confirmed there is no back-focus. But there is still AF reliability. After couple months reading web forums (particularly dpreview), I finally learned the tricks on improving the AF reliability.First off, why so many people (including me) had problem with AF? My take:- 16 meg. With 16 meg, you can zoom in to 1:1 and still see quite a bit of details. So any out of focus shots will be very apparent 1:1. This might not be the case with older DSLR with less than 12 meg.- AF sensor. Web forums stated that the AF sensor size is larger than what users see in the viewfinder. This can cause confusion on exactly where the camera focuses. Sometimes the AF sensor focus on more contrasty region outside the AF box, which is not what the photographer intended.Here are the suggestion on focus:- Use 9-point dynamic AF area mode.- Use the center AF point only, rather than the other 11 or 39 AF points.The center 9 AF points are cross type, so they can focus on both vertical and horizontal features. The other AF points are either vertical or horizontal, which are not as sensitive. If using the center AF point with 9-point dynamic AF area mode, then all the center 9 cross-type AF sensors are being actively used.- Use AF-C, not AF-S. With AF-C, the focus is continuously being updated. While focus is activated, move the camera ever so slightly, so the subject (area where you want to focus on) is being moved around the AF box in the viewfinder. As you are doing this, the focus is being updated and improved. When the focus stops changing (you can hear it in the lens) even as camera is being move slightly, then you know you have focus locked. You probably don't have to do this all the time. But for subject that can move (like kids and pets), indoors (lower light), and low contrast subjects, this really helps.- Use 1/250 sec or faster shutter speeds. I was used to using 1/90 sec and sometimes down to 1/60 or 1/45 sec on P&S. There is no way I can use these low shutter speed without camera shake and blur on D7000. I basically use 1/250 sec or faster, even with VR lens. I sometimes push to 1/180 sec when needed, but I notice more blurry photos. Your mileage can vary depending on how steady your hands are. But expect to use faster shutter speeds than you are used to.- Use AF-ON. Personal taste. I just find using AF-ON with AF-C together works better.- If your lens is VR, make sure you hold the shutter button half-press for 1 sec before clicking, because it takes some time for the VR to settle. This is particularly true if you use AF-ON for focusing.Even with the AF learning curve, I still rate D7000 5 Stars. I have being using D7000 for over 1 year now. The image quality, low light performance, dynamic range, and features are just incredible. Luckily, I'm able to figure out the AF issue (or non-issue) 2-3 months after I got the camera. Now, I don't even think about the AF while shooting. I can keep my attention on the subject and framing; and enjoy the resulting images.If you don't want to deal with the AF learning curve, then stay away from D7000. Out of focus photos are no fun and there is no way to recover those images.

I have had the Nikon D7000 for 2 months now and this is my 4th Nikon DSLR over the past 8 years. As I have invested thousands of US dollars in Nikon lenses I am married to the Nikon System. My previous Nikon was a D90 that was stolen New Year's Day, with the recent price drop due to the D7100 coming I took the opportunity to get the D7000. The extra $450 US I saved allowed me to get a Nikon 24mm f/2.8D lens and Meike vertical grip as well as a generic wired remote cable, all for the price of the body only D7100.If you are reading this you are in one of two camps, a current Nikon owner looking to upgrade current DSLR or someone looking to get into digital photography for the first time/getting a gift for someone else. If you are a current Nikon owner you know most of the features and advances the D7000 offers. For you the question is if the price difference between this and the D7100 is worth it. The first run of D7000 was plagued by oil splatter on the image sensor and quality control issues with the AF system. My D7000 bought in January 2013 had all the current firmware installed right out of the box but had a serious back focus issue. I took it into Nikon for repair and they fixed it in 20 minutes with a software upload. I am sure the first run of the D7100 will have some bugs to be worked out and reviewers are just starting to get their D7100's now. The D7100 has many advantages but the price is still high for "entry level" grade bodies. I personally rather save the money and use it towards lenses that will last me many future generations of camera bodies.For those looking to enter into the Nikon DSLR world or getting a gift for someone this is an excellent choice. For new users you will need to have a good basic foundation for photography and the controls needed to get great photos. This is a huge jump from point and shoots and the number, placement, and function of the controls can be overwhelming at first. If you have used 35mm film SLR cameras in the past it will be an easier translation. The D7000 has one issue needing to be known before getting. It is a high resolution and contrast camera. This requires better technique and control over the camera to get the best results. The D7000 is a serious camera and to get great pictures out of it you have to seriously use it.For those getting this for someone else the biggest thing to understand is this camera is just a piece of a larger more comprehensive system. This means there are lenses, flashes, and accessories to expand photography well beyond snapshots. The kit lenses are good for a start but the curiosity to expand into the hundreds of available lenses and accessories will soon take hold. This is an excellent camera that will serve anyone well but does require a level and degree of photography knowledge to use well. There are users who complain of image quality with this camera. Many of these are due to user error or lack of proper techniques but there is an issue with the auto focus system on some cameras. I experienced this and contacted Nikon who fixed the issue for free without any issues. I do recommend the camera but I can't rate it at 4 or 5 stars due to the AF back focus issue. For everything else this is a solid 5/5 star camera that will last for years and provide plenty of creative room to express your vision any way you like. The only real upgrade from this camera is full frame or FX format. For the most part this is academic unless you are using photography for a living. For hobbyists and people only looking to take great pictures the D7000 is the best bargain on the market at this time.

I got a GREAT deal on this camera used on Amazon. It only came with the body and cap and battery and charger, but I have multiples of the extras that come with the camera out of the factory (cables, straps). My model had just over 18k clicks when I got it, and in the past 4 days of owning it, I've put it to over 19k. I can't put the thing down.I was upgrading from a D5100 because I needed manual exposure controls for video, and I had heard loads of great things about this camera. I love that everything can be controlled by a button or dial. I can shoot so much faster now that I never have to navigate menus. I used to have my D5100 configured so I could change ISO, shutter speed and aperture all using the single command dial plus a button and I thought that was nice, but I didn't realize how limited I was until I got this. If I wanted to change AF modes, drive mode, white balance, metering mode, I'd have to hunt through menus. Now I can control every exposure/shooting function using only the camera's external controls and the top LCD. It's great.I know people complain about the lack of 30 fps in 1080, but let's face it; 30 fps is really only used in broadcast television, and approximately 0% of people who shoot for TV are shooting with a DSLR. Yeah, so higher frame rates would be nice for slow motion stuff, but if you are at a level where you're using features like that, chances are you know another video guy with something you can borrow for that shot. For 90% of my video needs, this camera satisfies. If you do mostly video though, maybe a Canon system would better suit your needs. Personally, it's about 80/20 photo/video for me, and this camera stretches my dollars much further than most. AF is useless for video, as expected, but most serious video people know that manual focus is the way to go while rolling anyway, so not a deal breaker whatsoever.For stills, AF is lightning fast, and is even great in low light. Silent focusing with all my AF-S lenses, and still pretty quiet on my 50 1.8 AF D as well as the couple of AF zooms I've used on it.Since I've only used this camera for a few days, I'll end it there and keep this review updated in the coming months after more use.

I've had the pleasure of owning a Nikon D7000 for close to a month now, paying a hefty premium over the MSRP due to its limited availability. The camera I have used before this is a Lumix GH2 which I like a lot. I have been using my GH2 to do professional work for clients with quite a bit of success, which is why I decided to get a D7000.A lot of these reviews either echo what you can find on digicam review sites, or they compare it to other Nikon models. Why am I comparing it to a GH2? Because I own both and therefore I can, and I'm going to bet that there are people who are in the market for a camera and may be considering either the D7K or the GH2...so lets see how they stack up.Camera Body Build-------------------In terms of ruggedness the D7000 has the advantage. Its magnesium frame (it's not made entirely from metal as some people believe) provides a high level of strength without adding to its bulk too much. It feels solid; the GH2 is entirely plastic and feels "plasticy", but it doesn't have a cheap feel. The GH2 does allow for a firm grip to prevent blurry photos. The D7K and certain lenses have "weather sealing" which help to keep dust and debris out of the camera and the GH2 has none of that.The GH2 is a mirrorless micro 4/3 camera where light weight and compact size is intended. The lack of a mirror means there's one less fragile CRITICAL element that can break if the camera is dropped - despite having a rugged body, the mirror in the D7K can be damaged if the camera takes a good hit...almost like having an egg "protected" by a steel box, but no padding in the box.For sheer exterior ruggedness the D7K wins, but the GH2 being lighter and not relying no a mirror means it can stand up to some "minor abuse" without damage.Buttons and Ergonomics-------------------The D7K has a lot of buttons placed on the back and front sides of its body, plus a few on top. You might even say it has "too many" buttons. Much like a video game controller or keyboard, once you get used to the button positions you can quickly and efficiently change various settings on the fly. Things like exposure, ISO, white balance can be adjusted by holding down the appropriate button and using the selector wheel to set the desired option.The GH2 takes a more advanced approach to feature management. While it does have buttons for common functions like white balance and ISO, almost all of the settings can be changed using the "Q Menu" button right on the screen. It also allows you to map the function buttons however you want (the D7K has this feature too).One of the GH2's major assets is an articulating touch-screen LCD. While it may sound like a gimmick, you can easily set the focal point just by touching the screen. You can even take pictures by tapping the screen, and it will focus on the area you tap. Similar functionality on the D7K requires fiddling around with the focusing area and metering type buttons, and does not provide that level of flexibility.Both cameras give you an amazing level of control over the pictures you take, but I feel that the GH2's approach is a lot more intuitive and fun. The articulating touchscreen is dearly missed and if the D7K had one, it would really unlock its potential.Viewfinder and LCD Screen-------------------The D7000 has a higher resolution LCD screen, and it is quite nice, but it's not very useful beyond previewing images and changing menu settings. Taking pictures with the D7000 happens through its optical viewfinder.In the past, I would have said that an optical viewfinder is a desirable feature, but in the age of digital cameras it is an obsolete element that should be phased out. The GH2 features an EVF (electronic viewfinder) which means that the image you see in the viewfinder is exactly what you will end up with after taking a shot.The EVF in the GH2 has a higher resolution than the its own LCD screen as well as the LCD screen on the D7000, so it is very accurate and sharp...plus you gain the ability to see realtime info such as a histogram and exposure settings displayed while looking through the viewfinder. The optical viewfinder on the D7000 is "full frame", which means you are able to view the entire frame of the photo through the viewfinder, but it is dim compared to the EVF and the lack of realtime info means you have to either check the LCD screen or the digital readout to see what's what.The EVF, along with the GH2's touchscreen capabilities give it a solid lead in usability, making it a very "fast" camera in terms of getting the shot you want without having to mess around with settings.Lenses and Image Quality-------------------This is where things get dicey...and you may think it's a slam dunk for the D7000 considering that still pictures are really all it is good for, but that's not the case.First of all, the POTENTIAL quality with the D7000 is much higher than the GH2. The D7K has a wider effective dynamic range in both brightness and color gamut, and the pictures it takes a

I bought this camera in this thanks giving, I had a very hard time comparing it to Nikon D5200if you are reading this review then probably you are comparing them both as well, specially that D5300 is now released as well.first of all I have to say that all three cameras deliver extremely high quality images and work with same types of lenses.well, the D7000 is a really serious camera, the difference between the three cameras in the specs is known and you can easily find it on Nikon's website, but the real difference is in controls.the D7000 has less resolution, but that didn't matter to me, 16.1 mb is a huge resolution anyway ... of course 24 mb is better but 16.1 is really more than enough.the real advantages of this camera are:1- it has internal focus motor, which allows you to buy extremely cheap lenses, all nikkor lenses work with it, so you can buy used old lenses or AF lenses for half the price you will have to pay for an AF-S lens.2- it has a really professional body size and form factor. its magnesium alloy, that makes it durable and feels better in your hand.3- Controls, Controls, Controls.... simply this is the closest to a professional camera, you can finish all your photoshoot without using the monitor. you can change almost all settings without accessing the menu or wasting your time trying to find items in the extensive Nikon menu system4- it has two dials front and back , which allows you to control things much faster and easier.5- the top LCD ... its a really big plus, makes you know exactly what you want when you want it6- view finder, really much better than d5200 and d53007- the battery lasts for ever, I shot 700 Jpeg images and it still had 71% of its charge, with raw, it lasts for almost 800 shots.8- it has two storage slots, and that's really a great plus, this helps with storing jpeg in one and raw in the other or keeping a backupand much morecons: .... its a DX camera ... its not full frame, but its really close to the full frame qualitynotes:1- it comes with a screen protector2- it doesn't come with memory card so you will need to buy one separately, so you can start shooting once you receive the camera3- make sure that any case you will buy will be big enough for itbottom line, this is a serious camera, if you are buying it to shoot your dog, you probably would better get the d3200 or d 5200but if you are planning to advance in photography, I really recommend this camera, its really a great choice, I have it for three month now, and I already bought a couple more lenses and some filters and accessories and I'm loving what I get from it

First off, let me state that I have had a long and interesting journey through the world of DSLRs and have gone from Pentax to Canon and have finally settled in with Nikon. I have shot probably 15 or more different bodies with multiple light setups and lens combinations. So, what about the Nikon D7000 in mind warrants the title to this review....? Simply put, it's the most professional feeling and functioning "pro-sumer" camera I have laid my hands on.Let me break it down a bit:Body and Ergonomics: I have fairly large hands and like to grasp something solid when shooting. Nikon did not disappoint here making the body from Magnesium for sturdiness and heft, while also making it big enough for me to hold comfortably (Note: I still bought the Nikon MB-D11 as I like to shoot in portrait position often). All of the button and dials are convenient, tactile and well made. The 150k shutter rating also helps to solidify the toughness of this camera. I can definitely see this camera putting up with many years of solid use and abuse.LCD: Yes, I gave the LCD it's own bullet point. MY GOD!!!! This thing is just too sharp! I know that you have probably read about the resolution of the screen above, but it just does not hit home until you start reviewing your shots on it. I have NEVER used a DSLR with a screen this crisp. Just believe me, it's amazing.AF: 39 points....What else is there to say? This thing tracks quickly and picks up the right points almost all of the time. I have no issues with any of the lenses that I am using (Note: Nikon lenses are generally always going to work better with the Nikon AF system, but there are Third party lenses that perform just fine).2 SD Card Slots: Talk about a GOD send!! This cam take 16.2 MPX JPEGS and who knows how large the RAWs can get. We need all the storage/redundancy we can get. The D7000 allows you to choose that in the settings. AWESOME!!!CLS: This is one of the major things that turned me over to Nikon. Their take on lighting is just so amazing and this camera uses all of the same functions that you would get on any of Nikon's top FX cameras. I love off-camera lighting and having the Nikon CLS system is second to NONE!High ISO: Ok, I know that the camera will go up to 6400 (or even 25800 equiv.), but what is usable? Well, that largely depends on the photographer and what he/she is shooting, but to be honest for me all the way up to 1600 is easily usable. I would even go so far as to say 3200 looks great for viewing online or even some print sizes. Really, this sensor will BLOW you away with how well it renders low light scenes and details.Well, what are the negatives you ask? I will say this much....This is NOT a beginners camera. When I hand it to my wife, she generally just stares blankly back at me and says, "ok what do you want me to do now?" There are so many features and functions to explore that I cannot even begin to describe them all nor have I even found them all yet. Needless to say, if you are looking for simple, this is not your camera.Also, this thing is not light at ALL!! If you are looking for compact and unobtrusive, look elsewhere. This thing is a HUNK of metal and plastic.Overall, I am excited to have this one in the family and it is now my "go to" body for pretty much anything!!

Just like a lot of others, I too got a camera with the notorious back focus 'problem'! .But I was not worried because, before deciding on D7000 I did a search and found that back focus or front focus issue is not a specific D7000 (or Nikon) issue. Canon, Pentax, Sony, Olympus...they all have similar 'issues' and most of their prosumer or high-end cameras come with an in-camera option to address this, just like the one there is present in D7000. (They use different terminology though..Nikon calles it AF Fine tune; Canon/Sony - AF Micro Adjustment; Olympus - AF Focus Adjust; Pentax - AF Fine Adjustment etc). Also, I understood that there are a lot of kits available in the market to help this calibration/fine tuning (Datacolor SpyderlensCal for example). So, fine tuning looked like something that is not uncommon with pro-prosumer type camera bodies.I do not know whether this is to be seen/called as a 'problem' or not....Because this also could be viewed as having 'more control' over our gear, at some point. I did not face any back focus issue with my D5100 (or my Canon T2i), so, there indeed was a moment of frustration when I got a camera that looks somewhere else when I ask it to 'look there'.Personally, I find this as a pain than a problem because I had to fine tune two of my lenses (a 35mm 1.8 and a 16-85mm (both were bought used)...third one, a 55-300 mm auto focuses just fine without any fine tuning). So, should one stay away from D7000 because of this terrible back focus 'problem'? Nope... D7000 might back focus when paired with some lenses but at the same time, the camera comes with a built-in feature to address this concern. If that fails to resolve the issue, then, ONLY then, it becomes a problem.There are more than enough blogs/videos related to 'how to do AF fine tuning' hence I am skipping 'how I fixed it' part...but I would like to mention that checking/enabling the 'Focus Point' (that can be found under 'Disply Mode' in PLAYBACK MENU) before taking the fine tuning test shots makes it bit easy (because, at the time of playing it back, it would show where exactly we had focused).A few things (among the many) I liked about D7000:1. Excellent, durable build quality2. Great picture quality3. More direct controls4. Brighter view finder with 100% coverage5. Long battery life6. Two memory card slots7. Decent video8. User control over fps (personal preference. I have one of the shakiest hands in the world and hence I often shoot more than one frame whenever I shoot critical shots. Many a time, 6fps is wasting memory by filling the card with similar shots, especially considering D7K's low buffer)What I did not like:1. Position of the ISO button (I wish it was on the top, just like my (wonderful) Canon T2i)2. Low buffer3. Plasticky LCD cover(It is to be noted that this is neither a beginner camera nor designed for people with no patience and hence one should not expect great shooting experience straight out of the box with any lens attached to it. Being said that, if a beginner is patient, not intimidated by some extra buttons, ready to read the boring user manual (this is very important) and want to learn photography, then D7000 has everything one need to learn photography or even make a living).Overall, I am pretty happy that I bought this camera...Awesome camera.(Wish to give 4.5 stars but that is not possible hence giving 5 stars)

========================================================================Bottom-line: the greatest trick Nikon's marketing department ever pulled========================================================================------------------------------------------------------------------------Quick summary (see below for more details)------------------------------------------------------------------------**** see update at the end ****The Nikon D7000 is NOT the best APS-C DSLR in the market.After taking thousands of pictures with the D7000, I have concluded that:* It produces soft images* For ISO 200-1600 the IQ is inferior to the D90* For (1600 > ISO <= 4000) the IQ is better than the D90* For any ISO above 200 the IQ is inferior to that of the D700* For ISO 100 the dynamic range is superb* It's not really a robust camera in terms of build quality (the D300s, D700 are)* The AF system is just average, on par with the D90 and well below the D700* The raw files are prone to develop artifacts very quicklyAnd on the plus side...* It has a magnificent dynamic range at ISO 100* It has some nice features (micro AF adjustment tops the list for me)========================================================================Review========================================================================------------------------------------------------------------------------3 important preliminary notes------------------------------------------------------------------------Target audienceThis review is mainly intended for the user of cameras such as the D90, D5000, and D80 that is considering this camera against alternatives like the D700 and D300s. Probably the owner of the D60/40/3000 may also find something useful.A word about videoI don't care at all about video. Video is a completely useless feature for me. I only care about stills and this review completely disregards video capabilities and features. So please, keep that in mind for the bits where you will read things like "better in every aspect".Foundations of this reviewI'm keen amateur photographer. I put a great deal of effort, love, and attention into this craft and I consider myself a photographer -an amateur photographer but a photographer nonetheless. I have extensively used the D700, D7000, D90, D5000, D40, D60 and to a much lesser extent other bodies (such as Sony, Canon). Thus, I'm basing this review on actual and extensive experience with those cameras and from patient comparison of same-subject shots taken under same conditions.------------------------------------------------------------------------Why I bought this camera------------------------------------------------------------------------I decided to try this camera as it was a virtually risk-free exercise. A friend was travelling back to the US and I can sell it second hand at almost the same price in London. So, I decided to give it a go.The number 1 reason I considered this camera was because it offered micro-AF adjustment. I do a lot of low light shooting and shallow depth-of-field shots so AF accuracy is very, very important for me. Let me be clear about one thing: I don't have any problem whatsoever with the AF in the D90 with Nikkor lenses. I do however have problems with third-party lenses (see my review of the Sigma 24 f/1.8 for an example).The second reason why I decided to give this camera a try was the dynamic range. I love the colours and contrast offered by bright sunny days and sunsets as much as I hate white skies resulting from poor dynamic range.In all honesty, I didn't have any other reasons to justify this camera.I also knew that the extra 4MP would most likely render noisier images without any meaningful/observable increase in resolution.I also didn't care at all about the (partial) alloy frame, mild weather sealing, video, and the double card thing.------------------------------------------------------------------------Reality check: the distance between marketing and actual performance------------------------------------------------------------------------Let's start with the good.Remember what I told you about my reasons to try this camera? Yes, (1) Micro-AF adjustment, and (2) dynamic range. Well, let me tell you that it delivered in both counts.I'm very happy with the micro AF adjustment. I can now use third-party lenses without spending too much time manually focusing to get sharp images. Great. Excellent.Next: dynamic range. I knew the extra dynamic range would show up only at ISO 100, and it did. Fantastic. A clear 1 (1 1/3 I would say) extra stop which results in a meaningful, observable, and delightful, improvement in my landscape photography.If you just give me a D90 with those extra features (micro AF and expanded dynamic range) I would buy it in a heartbeatNow, let's move on to the rest...------------------------------------------------------------------------Noise------------------------------------------------------------------------Let's start with the elephant in the

I've owned my d7000 for just under one year (Purchased, 1/2013) and absolutely love it! As the lifetime owner of several Canon camera's I felt the need to go outside the line despite the fact that I had invested heavily in Canon glass and accessories. I looked at several options, the Sony A77, the Sony A99 (Full Frame), the Nikon D800, and the Nikon D600 all of which were perfectly capable camera's. I did extensive research reading written reviews as well as watching video reviews paying close attention to how the camera's stack up against one another in an attempt to help narrow my search. Second, I decided to take a trip to the local camera shops so that I could physically hold each camera and get a feel for them individually. I really liked the Sony line because I felt they offered the biggest bang for the buck. My only problem was that I was not sold on the electronic viewfinder and less than desirable battery life that accompanied that particular technology. I resumed my search and although I did like the full frame options from Nikon I didn't want to plunge into the new system head first. This is when I came across the D7000 and really never looked back. All the reviews were positive and this camera had a lot to offer for the dollar. Solid construction, dual memory card slots, wide lens selection, and extremely good image quality. These are just a few of the tricks up this camera's sleeve! Within a few days of holding this camera and debating I decided to purchase the camera (Body Only) and order the 35mm 1.8 separate with a battery grip and speed light. I have since added several more lenses to the arsenal and couldn't be happier with my choice. The color this camera render's (particularly when shooting raw) is nothing short of astonishing! I use this camera in a multitude of shooting scenario's and it handles like a champion. I would recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for a professional grade camera that they can grow with. It suitable for use by Advanced Beginner's through Professionals. This is one of the best camera's you can buy in this price range hands down.

Since purchasing my Nikon N70 many years ago, I've been a Nikon fan. I have stuck with Nikon because I already have Nikon lenses. To be honest, I've seen some amazing shots/video come from Canon cameras too. Really not sure there is a monster difference between the two. I see no sense in playing one against the other. As with all products, it comes down to what you are going to use it for or what you may have already invested in with regard to accessories, lenses, etc. I do own Canon video equipment (XH-A1) and Letus Extreme (35mm adapter). I had been toying w/ the idea of moving to the Canon 7d so I could shoot stills/video with one unit. Lugging my Nikon D80 and my Canon XH-A1+the Letus gear all over for shoots was becoming more and more challenging. I literally was a couple of weeks from ordering the 7d when the D7000 announcement came out. I decided to wait. I'm glad I did.As the title indicates, I bought this primarily for the video capabilities. I shoot documentaries and nature-type films. I really wanted a full HD camera that allowed me to shoot 1080p w/ shallow DOF. With the D7000 I can shoot beautiful nature stills and capture some great video without changing equipment. I normally shoot 24fps since it is the the frame rate in full HD mode. But even the 720p @ 30fps is quite nice. The auto White Balance is amazing, but the presets can all be adjusted to your liking. The high-ISO settings are a blessing for shooting video. The HDMI output allows me to attach a 7" Marshall LCD monitor for better focus and shot setup. I'm not getting any younger and for shooting video, I highly recommend it. I have a difficult time seeing the built in LCD screen in bright sunlight, making shot setup very, very difficult for my eyes. This is only a problem if I'm shooting video w/ Live View, not using the viewfinder for stills. My monitor is light enough to sit in the hotshoe without much difficulty. If you're planning on shooting videos, I suggest an HD monitor for outdoor work if your video shots don't require too much mobility. You can pick them up for a few hundred dollars.Complaints: Aside from the reflective built in LCD screen I mentioned above, the only real other complaint I have about the camera is that you cannot change aperture settings during Live View when shooting in Manual mode. You can adjust White Balance, ISO and shutter speed. But if you are shooting in Manual mode (which I do most of the time for video), aperture can only be changed in Live View in Aperture-Priority mode. That does make sense for Aperture-Priority shooters. And this may not be a big problem if you are not shooting on Manual. But it is annoying to me to have to leave Live View to make aperture changes, then go back and make other settings to get my exposure correct. Again, not a huge problem, just a something I thought Manual shooters might want to know.In terms of still photography, the D7000 is a nice step up from my old D80. The light body of the D7000 makes it less of a burden to carry around. I'm smaller guy with larger hands and this camera fits me well. All the buttons and settings are well placed and easy to reach without a lot of moving of my hands. For those new to Nikon or w/o Nikon glass, if you purchase the kit version, you'll receive the 18-105mm kit lens which is a little slower than I'd like, but not a bad all around lens.Note: One challenge I've had since changing to a video-capable DSLR is that subjects sometimes don't know you're shooting video. I've actually pointed my camera at folks and they stare into the lens waiting for the shutter to go off! : This can create some interesting - if not unusable - footage as the faces on the subjects changes from a happy, nice smile to a "hurry up and take the darn picture!" look. This will change as people become more familiar with the capabilities of these cameras. For now it makes for sometimes funny, but often unusable video. I've actually started telling folks I'm shooting video when appropriate. That seems to help a little. :Overall I would say I'm in love with this camera. I've been using it for about a year now and I am absolutely thrilled with the images (both still and video) that it produces. I hope some day to get a full frame camera like the Cannon Mark 5d. Perhaps Nikon will make one w/ video in the next few years. For now, the D7000 perfectly suits what I bought it for. I couldn't ask for much more right now. If you are looking for a DSLR w/ video capabilities you can't go wrong with the D7000 or the Canon 7d. Both are great cameras and produce great results. If you already own Nikon glass, the D7000 is a no brainer decision.

It has been about 2 weeks since I bought the D7000 and I must say I'm just amazed...this camera can do so much more than I can handle as an amateur and I think until I become a pro this camera should keep me interested and satisfied.There's so much to learn about this camera and its capability. FYI:- I graduated from D40x and mind you that was an amazing camera for beginners and I had it for nearly 5-years and it did serve me well. Now that I'm finally ready to get serious with my hobby I can take it to the next level. I especially like the low light photography of D7000 where my D40x fell short several times.I must say there's bit of learning curve to the D7000 if you are moving up from say D40x (like myself). D7000 is considered entry level professional camera (I think) even though it is a DX body...I bough this camera mainly because I had my daughters 1st birthday last weekend. We had a party indoors and I did not want to get any bad pics because of the camera. I must say that I'm impressed by the pictures that I took they are significantly better than any I've taken with my D40x (I'm not bashing D40x but just saying that I'm glad I upgraded to D7000).I chose D7000 over D3100 & D5100 since I was looking for a great camera not a camera+camcorder since we have 2 smartphones that take phenomenal video with enough clarity to play on our TV/Laptop/Youtube uploads etc...Both the D3100 & D5100 compared to D7000 and marginal step above D40x (besides video). The myriad of features that D7000 has and its customization options are a definite plus..D3100:- Besides being cheaper, lighter and smaller form factor there's not much to say about D3100 over D7000 as both are not in same league so to speak...So I eliminated D3100 right from the start...D5100:- D5100 is pretty decent compared to D7000 but then again I think as a camera falls behind D7000. Few plus points for D5100 over D7000 are the in camera HDR & easy to use flip out screen + being thinner & lighter. Since I post process all of my pics at which point I can play with HDR toning using post processing tools. I can create HDR later and don't need in the camera also its hard to confirm that you got a great picture using the 3" LCD screen so in camera HDR is not exactly a huge plus.Any way these are only my first impressions so far. I will update once I use the camera for a while before I can truly see what wonder this cool camera has to offer...PS: D7000 has in built auto focus motor (A REALLY REALLY BIG PLUS) for my existing 2 amazing non motorized Nikkor lenses. The price for a non motorized lens is much reasonable compared to the motorized from what I have seen so far.---------------Edit: 07/10/2012What can I say after using it for little over a month, I've not regretted so far even for a minute. I can almost say that D7000 sometimes makes me feel like I'm a Pro after a bit of processing my pictures.There's a bit of learning curve in terms of manual controls compared to D40x. However, the inbuilt functions do give you spectacular images just so you can use a great camera whenever there's a moment that has to be captures.I still am using lenses from the ones I got when I purchased my D40x back in 2007. Also, last year I unknowingly purchased non compatible (non-motorized) lenses before (buying D7000). Now those lenses (mostly portrait lenses) are working perfectly with D7000 since it has built in motor. So suddenly my previous investments (in lenses) came to full life with little effort or not miss the shot of the perfect moment...**Amazing step up from D40x in low light situation - one of my gripes with D40x besides being non-motorized**------------Here's a link of the pictures that have pictures from both D40x & D7000------------[...]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The D7000 is for me "as low as I will go" with Nikon, due to my many historic Nikkor lenses, incl the shift-lens. I took it because I was about to "wither and die" while waiting for a successor of the D300. Despite the high praise in the official tests, and some enthusiastic user report here, I do not see it that way. I was surprised to see how much less of a camera it is compared to D300/D700. Furthermore, my exemplar has quality issues, not up to usual Nikon standard, and of course any comments on them earn the "not helpful" predicate from the fan gallery. I stand by this summary. My experiences are:a) In P mode with auto-ISO it can happen that the camera ignores the program shift! That violates the very spirit of a manual program shift. User tries to overwrite the setting chosen by the camera, because the 3 contributing factors Shutter-Aperture-ISO provide several degrees of freedom. This is the biggest disappointment here, not Nikon at all. Turn, turn, twist, left, right... nothing happens, motive is gone, goodbye. That is not Nikon!b) The camera does not raise max shutter time for longer lenses in P, as it was traditional with many Nikon bodies. Both F4/F90 were excellent with that, it is such an old technology. Here when I put in the longer 80-200 f/2.8 for example, the shutter time might be often selected way too long, e.g. 1/40, acceptable to shorter lenses only. I would like to see the "mm/2" heuristics as a ballpark. Thus for 200mm, 1/100sec or less should be chosen by the camera, for 400mm 1/200sec or less. Of course, program shift should still work!c) Bad card reader slots! Too tight, some cards would not eject! In slot B my Transcend card hangs and I have to use tweezers to pull it out. However, the Sandisk cards operate in slot B, tight, but they move out. Something is not ok about the tolerances. No any other of our numerous SD readers make any problem with the Transcend card, though! Consequently this seems to be a problem with my D7000 card slot only.d) Very slippery grip, nothing like the D300. Some test reports praise it, here is an example from dpreview: "...'proper' rubber hand grip (as opposed to just rubberized coating) give it a reassuring heft which is closer to the experience of holding and using a camera like the Canon EOS 7D, or Nikon D300S.", but I do not see it any "reassuring" at all. No compare to the safe soft grip of the D300!e) Inconsistent menu operations. For example, I tried to enter my copyright data. No matter how often I entered them, the copyright setting stayed still on OFF. Finally I have discovered what is the anomaly: One have to move the cursor upward to the "Done" field, and than and only than the setting will be preserved! In most other cases "set and exit" principle applies: The selected setting stays always active.f) The depth of field button on a wrong place. I kept hitting it over and over again. The infuriating "click-clack" "click-clack" repeated itself until I discovered than I can place other function on it, thus disable it in end-effect. I put "display grid," which I see anyways. Finally it is quiet!g) The bracketing button is close to the flash pop-up button, and so instead of setting the bracket mode, one can pop the flash inadvertently.h) In a playback mode to my surprise both wheels were... "dead," useless. Only later I have discovered that I can activate them in the menus. I wonder what prompted the decision to make them inactive in playback mode?i) Very slow in mode change. For example, when I press the playback button, sometimes it takes 3-4 sec with "busy clock" in the display till finally the image shows. Equally sluggish can be entry to the menus. (This sluggishness seem to hamper the popularity of the smaller Nikon's camera, the P7000 as well. The Canon G12 is so much fast faster.) Nikon should look into these performance issues in their firmware!j) On my camera, the small rubber Power Cord Cover can peel off and hang annoyingly in the air from the hand grip. Very disturbing, not Nikon at all. Probably also a tolerance and quality control problem.k) Strange remote control operation. In order to use the ML-L3 one have to turn the under-wheel on the left to the "remote" position, in which case, the main shutter release is... disabled! Why to do such thing? In Canon's one may use the RC-6 without such unduly limitations! Here Nikon should really rethink their ergonomics.One generic observation about bracketing: Why only 3 exposures? In D300 one might make up to 9, it costs nothing, it is about firmware choice only. So why 3 only?But the main problem with the bracketing in all Nikon cameras is more serious and is still prevalent, albeit it was previously widely commented upon in D200,D300,D700: In a Single Shot mode the camera makes only one image, even when the bracketing is selected, and it stays in bracket mode. The bracket indicator is tiny, it is possible to forget that the mode is on! I did so in the past a few times. For hours I shot 0

About a year ago I decided to upgrade my DSLR from a very serviceable D3000 (which is now being used by my daughter) and I had a few criteria I was looking at. It had to be a Nikon as I already had a couple of lenses, I wanted a large, bright viewfinder, I wanted a focus motor in the camera and I wanted good low-light capabilities as well as easier access to full manual control. My plan was to pick up a D90 body after the D5200 was introduced and the price went down, but that changed after I held a D7000. I was ruined. Watching the prices I realized that the D90 was only a hundred bucks less than the D7000 so it wasn’t worth considering and the then new D7100 didn’t show enough difference to be worth the extra bucks.After close to a year of use, and close to 6,000 photos taken, here are some of my reflections on the camera.The Viewfinder- Bright, large and full of information. I can see what settings I’m changing without taking my eye from the viewfinder.Manual Settings- Very easy to access and once you get used to them, easy to change on the fly.Low Light Capabilities- I normally set it at 160 (reminiscent of Kodak Portra) for normal shooting and have the automatic ISO set at a maximum of 6400 with a minimum shutter of 1/30th. I took a photo of my grandson at ISO 6400 and cropped the image after converting to black and white. Making it full screen on the laptop and zooming in on it to the equivalent of a 16x20. It still looked good with some noise that gave it the look of Tri-X-Pan. Indoor color shots of food (that’s my primary use of the camera, food blogging) at 1600 ISO are magnificent. Over that, you do get some noise.Two card slots- Nice feature. I set it up so I shoot JPEG on one card and RAW on the second.Depth of Field Preview- I missed this feature on cheap cameras.Focus- Many people claim this camera has a ‘back focus’ issue. I can’t say that I have it on mine; I can’t say that I do. What I can say is that I find it to be the fastest focusing camera I’ve ever had. I also find that it focuses on what I want, most of the time. No camera will ever be 100% accurate.Sharpness- Pictures are sharp and clear. I set the color to vivid for almost everything but portraits where I use some tweaked settings on portrait.Live Screen- Nice, but I like the viewfinder. It doesn’t like to autofocus as well in live mode as the camera uses a different (more archaic) focus system. I haven’t used to video mode as yet, it wasn’t important in buying the camera.Video- This wasn’t important, but I have used it a couple of times and the quality is good. I plan to do some time lapse work at the beach this summer so it will come in handy.By the way, I use prime lenses only. I have a 10.5 fisheye, 35 f1.8, 50 f1.8 and an 85 f3.5 micro. All focus well for me.Overall, I’d recommend this camera to the photographer who wants superb photos and ease of control.

If you decide to buy this camera, factor in an extra $40 multiplied by the number of times you expect to have to ship it to Nikon for repairs. I originally gave the product 4 stars for features. Now, I'm lowering the rating to 1 star for Nikon's service and support.I want to provide a review for shoppers that will assist them in determining if the features of the camera are right for their needs, based upon my hands on experience. I also want to paint an accurate picture of the quality that I have experienced.I have had problems with large glowing white'ish colored dots showing up randomly throughout my images. My sensor is failing. Wow! That's not good. Currently, Nikon has my camera. When I get time, I am going to post examples on my personal website. Hopefully Amazon will allow me to link to those images.Based upon my experience, you can expect to send this camera in every 3 months to have the sensor repaired. You will have to pay the shipping and be inconvenienced.Bottom Line:I will not buy another Nikon product. That's not because I think they are all bad. Sure, you can get a lemon with any manufacturer and even the best companies will have an occasional problem. However, how they treat the customer when problems do arise makes the difference. So, do yourself a favor and buy something another brand.Disclaimer:Prior to owning this camera, I owned a Canon 60D. Not having owned any other DSLR's, the 60D is my single point of reference. So, you might want to factor that into my review.About the features:I was looking for a camera to shoot indoor sports in very low light. A full frame camera would have been even better. But, I couldn't justify the cost. I am using this for family photos.When working, it has good high ISO performance and focus pretty well in low light. These two features were very important to me and the reason why I bought this camera. When shooting low light sports indoors, you need these features. I have had some shots outdoors in plenty of light where the focus was so far off that I was left wondering, "what the heck was the camera thinking????". You could blame me for the out of focus shot. But, in this specific case, I was using center focus aimed directly at my subject. There was really no room for human error. The camera simply goofed. However, if that's not something you plan to do, I see no other compelling reason to choose this camera over any other camera.I find the menu system of the Nikon to be fair. I like the Canon better. To switch auto-iso on and off, you have to navigate through the menu system and then click a few times.I prefer the Canon for the buttons and the way you access shooting modes. I also like the fold out screen on the Canon. Before purchasing a DSLR, I owned a point and shoot with a flip out LCD. I really liked that. I wish the D7000 had a flip out LCD, too. It makes self portraits (like you and friend) much easier.I think the image quality is quite good. If you don't mind buying Adobe Lightroom, *sometimes* you can get usable photos with ISO's up to 3200 and 6400. Honestly, I don't know if I've tried an ISO higher than 6400. The amount of noise associated with higher ISO seems to be dependent upon the available light. If you have decent light, higher ISO's don't seem to introduce as much noise as the same ISO in worse light. Don't expect all of your high ISO's to come out looking sharp. Once you get up in the range of 3200-6400, you will always want to do some noise reduction with post processing. In the 800 to 2800 range, you're probably going to want to clean them up with post processing, too. But, at those levels, depending upon the circumstances, you may not have much clean up to do. FWIW, Lightroom's noise reduction works far better than Aperture's. Apertures's is rather poor and brings my macbook pro (late 08 model) to a crawl.Shooting....the frames per second are not quite adequate for my needs. The buffer is too small. So, I don't get too many shots before you have to stop shooting and wait on the buffer to process some of the images. I have to pace myself. The Canon beats the Nikon here. I like that the D7000 has a fine tune adjustment for lenses that consistently front or back focus.

Well, I upgraded to D90 from D40 and the change is huge for me. One hell of a camera it is, I loved it. Later when D7000 came, I have been reading reviews and hearings from friends that it has lot of potential and significant upgrade over D90. After too much of thinking i decided to go for it. ordered it and made one day prime shipping coz I cant wait to hold this bad boy and shoot it to its potential. But to my disappointment, I dint feel it at all from the moment I took the first snap out of it. Soft images, Memory Card error (ordered brand new 2 memory cards with camera), washed out oily images on occassions. I wasn't feeling at all and I realised as I read in many reviews for few users, they recieved the faulty unit like mine. Amazon is awesome, they have excellent return policy. Leave all that, after too much of thinking when you finally get to hold the camera, you really wanted to have a faulty one and have to struggle through all that returning. I cant even exchange as this is in high demand and all ran out of stock in few days after I ordered this. I need to wait until stocks are loaded up again. Now I lost my interest in D7000 and made me think to wait for D400 (reading rumors but not sure). Nikon needs to do more robust QA on the products. I am not blaming the product but the company.When I get the perfect piece not the faulty one, I will re-write my review with updated points.UPDATE:Sad to give this update that still has not found defect free D7000 yet. After the original review I returned the camera and was looking for replacement but to my luck Amazon is out of stock. So got the refund and bought one from J & R. So unwrapped it and started firing away and learn many things that issues I noted above are not with faulty piece but with all the camera's.- Washed out / Oily / over Exposed Images under bright conditions. In general this new sensor/processor is over exposing constantly all the time that it washes out details under bright condition. It was not the case with D90 (one beautiful camera it is, i sold it :( ) ...I have to always look for this wash out situations and adjust exposure value 2 stops down or more- Memory Card Error. This was really annoying. Thought its defect with few pieces but its not. The new piece had the same problem. On trip, I set to shoot RAW on one card and jpeg on another. All general ppl shots suffice to be compressed jpeg, easy to share right off the trip. And RAW images are things which I do part of photography, like any landscape scenes etc., because of this error all my RAW and jpegs got mixed up in the secondary card.Later Nikon had released the latest firmware 1.3 and it had the fix for that.- On occassions still i see, soft images (be little careful and you can avoid this in many situation)there is setting in the camera for Shutter Release "Release" & "Focus". What does "Release" priority do is, regardless of your object is in focus, it release the shutter. Useful for sports photography (they cant miss the moment, during continuous shots if camera is trying to Auto Focus, also it slows down 6 fps on such occassions.So camera comes with "Release" setting by default. Change it to "Focus" priority, no matter what until the desired object is in focus it doesnt release the shutter. So no chances for soft images.THE NEW QA DEFECT:Again I am returning this piece because it has hot/stuck pixel on my LCD screen (not on sensor). Once you notice, its really tough to ignore it from that moment. Its annoying though its tiny and tinier that this . dot. I can get used to live with it, caveat is it may develop more in the future and cant be acceptable for the price of the camera. i have tried all the ways to fix the hot pixel and not going away. I feel have NO LUCK with D7000.What I still love about the camera and want to hold it:- Colors ! Colors ! Colors! are simply real- Fast AF system.- Better User Settings.- Pictures just come alive and feels so great with lenses like 24-70 f2.8- Weightless and Ergonomically awesome.- Portraits are way to go !! after post processing ppl think I am a PRO and GOOD TO START my portrait business (but in real I am not that pro like)I wish I understand this camera more to work around the few defects .. or just work great like predecessors. May be I am thinking buy used D90 for now until they release D400.

Do you want a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera? If so, next question.Do you want a DSLR with a large selection of very good lenses? If so, it's either Nikon or Canon. Leica's another category. Next question.Can you take excellent photos with either Nikon or Canon? Yes. Next question.Are you currently invested in a selection of DSLR lenses, either Nikon or Canon? If so, stick with that brand. Next question.Do you need one or more specific features that only one brand has? Hard to believe, but, if so, buy that brand. Next question.So, how do you choose your camera? Don't limit yourself to reading about the cameras you're considering. Try them, or at least go to a camera store and play with them. Touch and feel are big factors. Really! My personal experience is that I went to a camera store to buy a Canon T4i. I decided on it, because it's less expensive, easier to use, and has a highly-reviewed LCD screen (i.e., I read about features that appeal to me). Before I bought the Canon, I held it, looked through the viewfinder, pressed the buttons, and turned the dials. Before I bought it, merely out of curiosity, I did the same with the Nikon D7000. Bang. I bought the Nikon. The touch and feel varied drastically, for my taste. Most importantly, the Nikon viewfinder is head and shoulders more usable and comfortable, and that's what I'm always looking through. Also important, the buttons and dials work and feel better. And, by comparison, the Canon does feel flimsy.I haven't used my Nikon much yet. Also, since I'm a novice, you may question the value of my opinion. However, here's my experience with my Nikon. It is larger and heavier, but not so much larger and heavier that the difference is a problem. My Nikon feels study, and it's buttons and dials feel sturdy. When I take a shot, the internals sound solid, with no shake. It's an intangible that's difficult to explain, but is best described by two experts you can find on the internet. One expert is Lori Grunin on CNET's website, where the Nikon D7000 is reviewed. Her amorphous enthusiasm at first appears overly subjective, but turns out to be exactly true for me too. The other expert is Ken Rockwell, who has his own website. Everything he says resonates with me, and perhaps will resonate with you too. For anything less serious than a full-frame professional camera costing much more money, the Nikon D7000 is his clear choice. Why, again it's difficult to explain, except to say -- Try it, you'll like it.One more thing -- about lenses. They are a personal choice. One of the lenses I bought is the Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4G. It is a full-frame lens. The 50mm focal length is affected because the camera is a DX body (not full-frame). However, the lens works perfectly with the camera body. And the lens is excellent. I took a shot of a sculpture in an outdoor sculpture garden, and the photo has the look and feel of art. I took many shots of my grandchildren (using continuous shooting mode), and I can't fail to get a good shot, even indoors without a flash. If you buy this camera body, I strongly recommend you consider buying this lens.

If you look carefully through the DSLR offer from all major brands, there are very few things that might make you buy a different one than the D7000. You might say it's a subjective point of view, but since I've been shooting film too (with the great F5) and has my share of digital compact experience (Lumix LX3K), I've been wanting to upgrade to a different, (presumably) better DSLR only a few months after I bought this one, thinking that it was obsolete. It has now been over a year, within which new, amazing DSLRs have been launched. The fact that this one sells for under $900, makes it a no brainer for anyone who's been doing (or wants) a bit more than just snap shooting with a do-it-all-good-for-nothing compact camera. Of course, if a few hundred buck is no problem, get the D7100, or if DX is not good enough for you, by all means get the Canon 6D, the best, cheapest full frame to date. But if you want the SAME picture quality (as seen on any computer screen), flexibility and ease of use as a professional FX body, for a lot less money, THIS is still the best choice. With the money you pay for a 6D with kit lens you can get a new D7000 + a new Tokina 12-28, f/4 (best DX wide in my opinion) + a new Nikon 35mm, f/1.8 DX (most versatile DX prime) and a spanking brand new Nikon 80-200D-ED, f/2.8, a great FX zoom lens that gives you the best portrait focal length (120mm) and goes all the war to 300mm at a constant, professional aperture of f/2.8.But that's just me :)

I've only been using the D7000 for a few days but first impressions are sometimes useful to others and often forgotten as the newness wears off. So I'll share a few early impressions while they are still fresh in my mind. First off as others have pointed out this camera has a real Quality feel to it. Nothing at all like the Canon T2i and other enthusiast level cameras. It feels rock solid and very well put together. Weight wise it's not a lightweight by any means but it's nowhere near as large and heavy as the pro cameras. Still with the Nikon 70-300 VR attached I was glad to have ordered a fancy padded neck strap with it as I spend long days aboard my boat as a marine photographer shooting photos of watercraft, as well as long days in the mountains hiking rugged trails and shooting landscapes. In terms of being user friendly almost all of the controls are logically organized and conveniently placed. Compared to the Olympus E-300 that's been my workhorse unit for the past few years the D7000 is a virtual paragon of good design. This is a good thing because this is one very feature rich camera with so many bells and whistles that Nikon could easily (and profitably) offer doctoral programs in its use.My short lived love affair with Japanese factory manuals died a sudden death in 1984 when the manual that came with my Toyota pickup truck advised me to "Not use windshield wipers on dry grass!" And no, the last word is not a typo, that is precisely what the manual said. So even before ordering my new D7000 from B&H I ordered a 3rd party D7000 manual from Alibras. When it arrived I was all but overwhelmed by the complexity of this camera. Menus have submenus, and submenus have endless choices. The mere thought of someone new to digital photography buying this camera makes me glad I don't sell cameras for a living! Sure, as with any complex tool you can "Grow into it" but believe you me there are going to be some growing pains for those just becoming involved in digital photography! I should, in fairness, add that the factory manual accompanying the D7000 is not bad at all. In fact I would say it's one of the best Japanese manuals I've ever read.Happily by the time I had read a few hundred pages things began to look doable if I'd just hang in there and get the basics down. In fairness to the D7000 I should point out here that I've allowed myself to fall way behind when it comes to camera technology. Someone moving to the D7000 from a D90 or one of the many other later vintage enthusiast cameras put out by others won't face anywhere near as steep a learning curve.Speaking of which, even when things go bad there is often a bright side to it. To whit, the first time I took the D7000 out to make some images I managed to set the auto ISO feature incorrectly and thus wound up with 25 shots taken at an ISO of 3200! The bright side of this was that I'd been duplicating all the images shot with the D7000 with my trusty Olympus E-300 set at an ISO of 100. Now the E-300 is no slouch when it comes to image quality but low noise is not one of its strong points. Still, when I discovered I'd shot all the D7000 images at an ISO of 3200 I felt confident that the ISO 100 shots I'd made with my E-300 would be far superior. Imagine my shock when I discovered that was simply not the case. Quite the contrary, the D7000 images were superior! Wondering if this was a fluke I shot some photos of my cat in available light the next day at an ISO of 2500 and then compared them with the best images I've taken with the E-300 over the past several years at an ISO of 100. If you can believe this the D7000 shots were heads and shoulders better. In fact, the best shot of the bunch was shot with the Nikon 70-300 VR lens at a setting equal to 380 mm, at a shutter speed of 1/30" and an F stop of 5.6 and it was simply stunning! Every whisker sharp as a tack!So, it's fair to say that based on my initial experience with the D7000 I am quite pleased. I will get back with further comments after I've shot a few thousand more frames.12/17/2011Well I'm back. Having shot 15,000+ frames with my D7000 I can only say that I grow ever more impressed with this camera. Image quality is simply superb! I commonly get images of a quality I simply would never have believed possible back when in the 1970s when I was a full time photojournalist shooting with top of the line Nikons and film. High ISO performance is also spectacular and I constantly have to fight my fear that bumping up the ISO will cause radical dropoff in image quality as was the case with my previous Olympus E-300 camera. While it's always wise to shoot at the lowest ISO practical I've found that anything up to 1000 is just fine for most of my work. Image stabilization with my AFS NIkkor 70-300mm G is also superb! In truth my use of a tripod has dropped more than 75% since the purchase of this camera and lens. I am constantly astounded by how low I can go shutter speed wise while handholding this out

I migrated 2 months ago from D40. I read the reviews and was ready to spring until I read concerns about auto focus being blurry on shots. I ultimately purchased from ABT, which has a generous return policy. In my opinion, there is no focus issue. The camera is very good and I am very happy with it. I would note, I shoot with my kit 18-55 mm D40 lens and I am very happy with the shots.Given that this is a very expensive purchase, I had exhaustively looked at the reviews and the comment boards. The only surprise upon purchase is Nikon has added a clumsy USB interface that requires downloading all photos through its Nikon Transfer 2 program. I have an iMAC.SD camera cards should show up as external devices when hooked up. With my D40, all I do is connect the camera and download JPG/RAW files to my hard drive. However, the D7000 does not show up as an external device when hooked up. This is a real annoyance. Fortunately, I found a simple workaround.One Nikon support person claimed the issue was that I was using an "unapproved" SD card (I am using Transcend SD HC card). However, the problem of card nonrecognition persisted even when I switched to a different SD card from my D40, one that had always been recognized by my computer. Another Nikon support person claimed that the only way to transfer files was through their Nikon Transfer 2 program. My reading of the manual suggests that Nikon does not intend for the D7000 to directly show up as an external device. The manual only refers to the Nikon Transfer 2 program.In any event, with my Mac computer, only way to "see" D7000 files is with Nikon's enclosed Nikon Transfer 2 program. I already use Adobe Bridge and Aperture 3 and have no interest in an extra forced layer of preprocessing. Nikon support claims that its intermediary program is necessary because Nikon RAW files are different than other RAW files. Perhaps. But Photoshop has a plug-in that converts these files just fine, thank you. And as for JPEG these files, these should be unconditionally visible and easily migrated from SD card to hard drive, as there is no special conversion or handling required.But as I said, there is a simple workaround: Apple's Image Capture program. A different workaround was proposed by Ken Rockwell, who suggested purchasing a SD card reader. And I did, but a cheap reader from Radio Shack did not work, so I returned it. I was about to go purchase a different SD card reader, when I stumbled upon a far simpler solution. As I noted, iMAC does not recognize a plugged in D7000. Nor does Aperture 3 or Adobe Bridge recognized the D700. Curiously, however, iPhoto and Apple's Image Capture programs DO recognize the D7000. Go figure.Downloading with Image Capture is very, very easy and as simple as plug and download for the D40. It is faster and avoids all the hassle related to Nikon's Image Transfer Program 2. I use it all the time and now the issue of file transfer is transparent to me. It is a nonissue.I would give this camera get top marks save for this hassle factor for downloading photos. I should not have to use a workaround in the first place. Overall 4/5 because of this single issue.My only other kvetch is that auto ISO trends higher earlier than necessary. ISO 6400 is a little grainy for my taste, but certainly better than no shot at all. Grain starts at above 800. The auto ISO function is very nice, but it will go to 6400 in many situations when a far low ISO could be obtained. There are two solutions. First, I set the max ISO to 1600, which again the camera will move towards more often than not but better than 6400. I also adjusted the maximum shutter speed setting. But more than that, by and large I shoot manual to have greater ISO control, so this is not a problem.Finally, I gave this product 3/5 on price scale, but that is simply because of sticker shock coming from the D40, which I bought for $600 only 3 years ago. My D40 is now worth only $200, even though it is a great camera. My price point happens to be set lower than the market price. Would I pay more than $1200? No. Would I pay less? Sure, if only someone would sell it to me for less than this price. When I looked, the list price was $1200 and most places were asking up to $1600 because of a short-term shortage. In a year, the price will certainly be lower.So should you pay $1200? As I said, despite being cheap, I purchased the camera and am very happy. However, mine was a discretionary purchase. My D40 is great, but I was ready to upgrade. Coming from the world of the older D40. For me, the step-up is notable. If money is tight, then hold on a year. Alternatively, look at the D90 and other related kin which reportedly are comparable cameras. However everything is relative. For instance, if you are really penny pinching and looking for a decent DSL--go get the D40. It is a simply wonderful camera and it will serve you well. The D7000 is only if you have cash to burn.Apart from these minor complaints I am very hap

Please read my review on the Sony HX-20V where I talk about the best point and shoot camera and also talk about saving money for the Nikon D7000 to get a little background.Well, finally bought the D7000 with the 18-105mm lens on Thanksgiving day. It was such a fantastic deal that I had to take the plunge. For a special at $997 including a 16GB Transcend SDHC class 10 and an Amazon Basic camera backpack... it was just too good a deal to pass-on.I've been using it for about a month now and can report that it is an excellant DSLR. I can even use all my old AI Nikkor lens (only in manual mode since they are all manual lenses) but now I have 28mm, 50mm, 105mm, 43-86mm, 80-200mm, 200mm and a few more.With the VR and Autofocus on the 18-105mm zoom, doubt if I will be using the old lenses. But the 50mm is a F1.4 lens..... for non-flash pictures.I've been using my Canon EOS Rebel DSLR for about 5 years and the lens gave out (internal ribbon cable in the lens failed) so I've been itching to replace it. Almost bought a Canon 60D last year but I hesitated, which was good because I ended up with usually a more expensive Nikon D7000 as compared to normally ~ $200 cheaper Canon.I've setup the D7000 with a 32 GB SD card in slot 1 and a 16GB SD card in slot 2 and setup the camera to take NEF(RAW) into Slot 1 and JPEG Fine in Slot 2 simultaneouly. This is great way to take a picture since if you just want to send or move pictures around, the JPEG is lot smaller file and don't need any processing since all the processing is already done when you take the picture in the camera. For the NEF (Raw) files, they are just very big data file that must be processed in your computer. (The Nikon software included includes the conversion software for NEF (Raw) into JPEG or other formats. The NEF (Raw) allows you to maximize your manipulation of the picture itself in photoshop and other image processing software.So straying away from Nikon and coming back to the fold.....just feels better using a Nikon body. Even though it is a DSLR, compared to my old SLR's, just feels like old times.Just a quick initial commentsBut one scary note: when the package arrived it was left at the front door without signature....was suppose to require a signature and when I opened the box it was loose in the amazon box with no air in the air filled packing bags. Must have punctured during transit. So the Nikon box was just loose in the box. So far no damage to the camera. Although on the third day, when I turned on the camera----nothing. Had to cycle the power several times before it turned on. Fortunately just this one incident. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Back in the film days, you could sit on the drive for a few (meaning: press, and hold the shutter button on a motor drive equipped 35mm camera for a few seconds,) and expose 10-12 frames (meaning: capture 10-12 full res images,) in a couple of seconds without issue. Most DSLRs are limited to their individual processor speeds, and buffer sizes, and therefore, after five or six exposures, the camera "locks-up" temporarily, mis the tail end of a lot of action shots.But since most applications do not require full size (in this case 16-22 meg) files, the frame rate and buffer size of the D7000 is more than adequate to get 8-10 frames of medium size (9 meg) photos in one burst. This is the first DSLR that I've ever owned that has every thing I would expect from a serious camera. the two user programable settings allow the photographer to save setting that they go to frequently. Most of my photography is done in daylight, or with strobes, but about a third is done under tungsten lighting. The program modes allow me to keep one dedicated to the custom balance I use for tungsten lighting situations.The two SD slots mean you almost never run out of room on your cards.The D7000 has the solid feel of a film camera. Something, I have missed in other DSLR units. Color rendering in the shadow areas of the photos is frighteningly good at times. There is a richness in low light, and with tungsten lighting that is REALLY great.I use this as a main, but I would not hesitate to use it as a back up to a pro model. Unlike lower priced DSLRs, former 35mm photographers won't find themselves asking "Where's the...?" and "Why isn't there a...?" like they do with lesser digital SLR cameras. I've owned this camera for about two and one half years. Just a delight to own and use.

I'm a semi pro photographer in a third world country with low budget, but some kind of a talent :)for almost 6 years i had my old good pal the nikon d40, i mastered it and from some time ago i found so many flaws in it .. it even started jeopardizing my work by not working properly, not shutting quick and all.. so i decided to get another camera, i was so eager to get a d700, d300 or d600.. but budget was not enough so i decided the d7000 was the next best thing, and i wasn't wrong at all!!! i invested my money on this incredible camera and the tank the nikkor 17-55mm f2.8... awesome couple! blew my eyes when saw the result of the first wedding i shot with this jewel! i know it is not the fantastic and perfect d3 or d4 (i hope when i become a master photographer in the upcoming years i'll be able to buy one) but for the money and features it is totally worth it! the quality is awesome, the controls are easy to handle, has many advanced features that will help you to improve as a photographer. Works great in low light conditions, focus fast and along with my tank lens it is just as fast as sound.. click click click! no more "wait a second..." issue i had with my ol d40...it might have some issues as any equipment, i read a lot before deciding to buy this one, but as for me i got a diamond (not a lemon thanks god) :) pretty happy with my purchaseif you are in my case (moving to the next semi pro level) this is the right camera to buy, invest more on a great lens. If you are already a super pro, then go for the d4, i think you would see the flaws in the d7000 as i see on the d40 now..as for me, i'm completely satisfied :)

No need to go into a long technical preview here, some other posters have done an excellent job at pointing out this little camera's finer points. One even had a "cool list" - which I found quite useful.One of my other choices (and sent back) was the D3200 among others. The D3200 to me was plasticy and almost toyish, and had [some] useful features. They call the D3200 an entry level camera and they mean it. We sat around comparing hundreds of photos between the D3200 and the D7000 the other day, and the D7000's results were night/day. I mean, REALLY jump-out-at-you noticeable. The D7000, even though about 6 megapixels smaller (24 vs 17?) ALWAYS produces better photos - especially when blown up. We've done a number of 3' x 5's done using raw, and the final product is awesome hanging on the wall. We asked the print shop about the 24mp D3200 files, and after they compared a few they overwhelmingly said go with the D7000's files. His comment was something like "yes, some of the cheaper cameras have a higher pixel count, but we noticed a lot of the pixels were duplicated and lacked color definition - they do that to use cheap sensor technology with the bragging rights of 24mp"And finally, the D7000 is just loaded with working features that make it a very useful tool. Sometimes you find a camera that meets all of your needs without breaking the bank. It's design is particularly natural - everything is where you think it should be. It does what you think it should do. The only negative I have with any of these high-end cameras is there's no native wifi built in. The add-on wifi thing for the D3200 doesn't count as it's much too hokey to be useful. It's not really wifi - if you don't believe me go get one and see. IMHO Nikon and Canon have really dropped the ball on 802.11, but they're probably thinking #1) they don't want to be in the networking biz and #2) It'll kill the battery life. But get a grip guys - wifi is here to stay, and it's only a matter of time before you realize it and build it into the cameras. Go ahead, be brave and beat the other guys to the market! (the mem card/wifi combo can be useful, but they have their own issues as they are not native to the camera)But the D7000 is a most capable camera. The full-auto on this camera is so incredibly intelligent - it's hard to make a bad photo with it. And when you want it to bend over backwards, you can modify it with manual controls in 10mil ways. Pay the extra few $hundred and be done with it - you'll be glad you did!

Five Stars to Amazon, 4 Stars to Nikon. Read on...After being a Canon user ( 450D XSI with 24-105L & 70-300IS 4.5-5.6, Speedlite EX 580EX), I finally decided to give Nikon a try and what better model than the much acclaimed D7000 to make the leap!Amazon promptly delivered my wishlist and the first 3 days I spent hours of controlled shots - Still life, Tripod mounted, manual and programmed exposures - comparing the image quality between my entry level, 4 year old Canon XSI and the D7000. While exposure accuracy and high ISO noise levels (significantly) were better on the D7000, I was aghast to notice that the D7000 could never match the image sharpness of my faithful 4 year old Canon, which cost less than half of the Nikon. Did I make a wrong choice? Google to the rescue - I quickly realized I am not alone in being unhappy with the soft images from D7000. Few more days of research, and a comparison with my friend's D90 reiterated my worst fears - MY D7000 PROVIDES SOFT IMAGES. No matter if I cranked up the default In-camera sharpness to 7 or 8 from 3 - these were simply not sharp. Swapping the 18-105 kit lens from my D7000 with my friend's D90 was quite a revelation - The problem was with the lens severely back focussing and not with the D7000 body - Whew!. The back focus was beyond what could be adjusted with D7000's AF micro adjust. By -20 ( the limit), sharpness improved, but still not matching to my old Canon.Then I called Amazon - requested for a replacement lens. The customer support person after a lengthy consultation with his supervisor, informed since the lens is part of the camera kit, they will have to replace both my camera and lens, and a replacement was being sent to me immediately - 5 STARS TO AMAZON FOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT. As for Nikon, that Kit lens should not have passed their QC, which led me to doubt the fine camera's quality - So, only FOUR STARS FOR NIKON.Unfortunately, I had to go out of town for couple of weeks, while my replacement D7000 arrived and awaiting the verdict. OK, I got back and started the comparison between the old and the replacement D7000s and to my big releif, found the replacement body and the kit provided the sharpness I expected form a camera of this repute.With the old Nikon back in mail enroute to Amazon returns, and couple of hundred shots on my new Nikon (Controlled comparison tests, family outing and a kids' birthday party) later, I am ready for rating my priced posession. My benchmark is obviously the Canon XSI I was used to, albeit with professional ( L series) lens, and I am listing the subjective elements than the superior specifications.D7000: ProsOverall image quality (provided you are fortunate to get a 18-105 lens without back / front focus issues).Very low noise levels and good image quality up to ISO 1600, even ISO 3600 provides very usable pictures.Noticeably better dynamic range.Very good JPEG engine - Though I shoot primarily RAW, many JPEGS are useable as-is.More stable body, allowing hand holding at slower speeds. Extra weight does not hurt.Soft and refined shutter release compared to the Canon's metallic click.Higher res LCD & bigger view finder.More accurate Auto White Balance - Very few need post processing.Faster continuous shooting ( Not relevant to me, as I shoot landscapes, not sports)39 AF Points - especially when you want to compose with subjects off center.Movie mode with continuous AF - Continuous AF is not as reliable as in a consumer handycam, neverthelss it is there.2 SD card slots - allowing me to record RAW in one and JPEGS n the other.Cons:Only one so far - tendency to over expose under difficult conditions.18-105 Lens:Pros: Excellent range, light, good sharpness for lens of this price range, fairly fast focussing, relatively smooth zoom action.Cons: Heavy barrel distortion at wide end of Zoom, prone to lens flare when shooting into light.Bottom line: Was this a worthy upgrade? I gain better low light performance with lower noise levels - ISO 1600 on teh D7000 is comparable to or better than ISO 800 on the Canon XSI in terms of noise. Better dynamic range allows me to get pictures which would have burnt otherwise.Will keep updating as I get more experience with this camera.ThanksSuresh Nair

I've had a Nikon D40 for about four years, and finally upgraded to the D7000 in advance of a long trip I'm taking.This review concentrates on what's different between the D7000 and the D40. That might sound strange since they're so different, but I think that it's a common upgrade- I bought my D40 to get my feet wet, took tens of thousands of pictures, and started bumping into the camera's limits on occasion, and learning to operate in those limits.To compare the D7000 to the D40, first I will give you the 'cons'-It's heavier and larger. You notice this when you carry it around. I could throw my D40 and kit lens in my bag and forget it's there.-It seems more prone to having the memory card door pop open. It might just be me, and maybe my hands will get more used to it, but I seem to accidentally dislodge the door and the little rubber plug near the battery door on a regular-ish basis when I'm pulling the camera out of my bag.-It's a little harder to set up. What do you expect? It's a lot more camera, and I don't do manuals.-The battery is slower to charge, and doesn't seem to last any longer.-The fancy AF system can be confusing if you're used to always using one point to focus and recompose.These 'cons' could just be my whining at no longer having my trusty familiar camera in my hand, and having to learn something new again instead of concentrating purely on the images.Some 'pros' compared to the D40:-The low light quality is leaps and bounds better. I hesitated to shoot the D40 at ISO 1600, and now I am willing to shoot at 3200 with the D7000. Even 6400 can give nice shots, and the HI-2 (equivalent of 25,600) can give very usable shots if you don't mind heavily post processing them and only using them reduced to web sizes.-The metering is noticeably better, so I have to adjust the exposure less, and have fewer blown highlights.-The viewfinder is larger, so its easier to see what you're doing.-The auto white balance has a much wider range of correction, and is more accurate. In difficult mixed indoor/outdoor lighting, I feel like I have a real shot at getting colors right with this camera. Even if the 'auto' isn't infallible, the adjustments are much easier to tweak, and have more range.-The dynamic range is great. I'm not sure if it's the Auto-ADR or something else, but I have been getting some great shots. As an example, I have somebody indoors with a bright light streaming in from the sun outside, and nasty overhead lights, and I am now able to much more reliably get shots that show her face with a nice soft graduation of light instead of looking posterized.One other thing to mention is that I've compared the D7000 to the D700 briefly, and I will say that the D700 still seems to be the superior camera. It feels better in the hand, the viewfinder is bigger, and you can read all over the internet about technical stuff that people will argue makes one better than another. In my eyes the D700 is better. Is it $1,000 better? Maybe, maybe not. If you're in the market, I'd say to go get your hands on both.In closing, you may want to know if I am I getting rid of my D40. Heck no! I couldn't sell it for much anymore due to its age, but it's still reliable and makes great pictures.

Take note this is my first Dslr camera. came a looong way from a kodak 8z812 is. Also i didn't not buy it from amazon as i buy pretty much every thing from here( sorry amazon)not your fault, i don't really trust something over 1,000 getting delivered to my house.I canot recommend enough how great this camera is. even to get started if you want to become a pro photographer and don't have enough money for the big boy cameras. trust me, this camera with. before i bought it i must of seen over a thousand reviews saying that it was a great camera and don't buy it with the kit lens. well i went on anyways and bought it with a kit lens since i didn't have a lot more money to buy a pro lens. the kit lens is great to get you started with the camera, I'm not going to lie and say you don't need anything else because you do. i did a practice wedding shoot for a friend, (REMEMBER NEVER AGREE TO BE THE MAIN PHOTOGRAPHER IF YOUR JUST GETTING STARTED, YOU WILL RUIN THE WEDDING) well anyways, while the photographer they hired was taking photos of them getting married i was doing the same thing and trying not to get in his way. here is what i notice about the lens.-First ---Inside a brightly lit church the lens will give you the photos you need. you might just need to bump up the iso a bit. and since i bought it with the 18-105 kit lens i didn't necessarily have to be in there face all the way. i can just stand back and take photos of them as well.-Second--- remember when i said you can zoom in to get out there way? yea ones you start to zoom in the F stop will go higher REALLY quick. so you need to compensate on a higher iso because if you don't the pictures will either come out dark or if you don't have a pretty quick shutter speed there going to be blurry.--third-- the camera made as much noise as the photographers 300s. take note when your inside a church and the priest is the only one talking that will be disturbing.....--Fourth-- The picture quality with the lens was ok. I would not say professional. to an average person the the photos looks great but for some one who wants to strive but the best results to become a pro is not.so the bottom line. i will completely recommend this camera with the kit lens. even if doesn't sound good. you will get better if you practice on the kit lens first and then when you go out and buy does expensive 2.8 nikon lens you will appreciated MUCH more.one last thing. when you do buy lenses. i would suggest to but FX lenses. they work perfect on a DX body and ones you upgrade to a FX body the lenses you bought won't go to waste because if you buy DX lenses and then put them on a FX body it will still 1.5 crop your photos because its a lens made for a DX, even if your on that FX body.they might be more expensive but worth it because the lenses are sure to last you longer then the body.any questions feel free to ask :)

Good camera, noticeable improvements from a D90. I shoot real estate and it's good to have the dual slots for SD cards as a back up. 100% view finder allows me to frame exactly what I see and want to show. Slightly better noise and color over the D90. Longer movie recording at full HD. Also a quicker camera for making adjustments and changes.I shoot in manual mode primarily. The 2 presets U1 and U2 can be very useful for having a couple of different settings ready for different effects.The dynamic range is about 3/4 stop better for highlights and shadows.Since I shoot RAW, at 16 mega pixels the file sizes are manageable and not too large, still plenty large for printing in high quality.Overall, a good camera that does the job for me. For under $800, it's a sweet deal.

I bought my D7000 as an upgrade from my D80, which was itself an upgrade from the D50. I'm not one to buy a new dSLR every couple of years; I have been wanting to migrate from the D80 for awhile now because I don't like its meter, which consistently overexposed and blew out the highlights in pictures. I considered the D90, of course, but it wasn't quite enough to make me take the plunge. The D7000 is. I don't understand Nikon's naming convention on this camera, though: Prior to this, the pro-level cameras had one numeric digit (D1, D2, D3), the enthusiast-level cameras had two digits (D40-D60 for lower end, D70-D90 for higher end), and the newer consumer-level cameras had four digits (D3100, D5000). The D7000 in no way belongs in the same class as any consumer-grade camera. Nikon may have created an entirely different class of dSLR here. It beats every two-digit camera they've made, and might even render the amazing D300s largely irrelevant, but that's just an opinion. So, Nikon's inconsistent nomenclature notwithstanding, this camera is fantastic in nearly every way.Suffice it to say that anyone interested in this camera knows the specs. Nothing in the marketing blurbs, however, can convey the way the D7000 feels and operates in the hands of a photographer. This camera just hums. It feels solid and professional, the buttons and dials are thoughtfully placed (no surprise there... ergonomics and build quality are why I shoot with Nikon), and the performance is just breathtaking. The D7000 borrows numerous features from its pro-grade lineup, such as blazing speed (largely unnecessary but still impressive at 6 fps), magnesium alloy body, virtual horizon, user-defined controls for entire banks of settings, etc. And it gets some features of its own, like 14-bit processing, a new processing engine, a newly-designed 16.2 MP sensor, vastly improved metering (much better than my D80), an intervalometer (for unsupervised timed interval shooting), and 100% viewfinder coverage. A full range of "live" adaptive dynamic range lighting control (called "D-lighting") is available, including an "AUTO" setting my D80 lacked. This really helps with high-contrast scenes, preserving the detail in the light areas while bringing out some of the details in the shadows. Focusing is fast, fast, fast, even with my non-Nikkor lens, which had regular problems on the D80. The D7000 manages it perfectly. Obviously, performance with my Nikkor lenses is silent, fast, and flawless. All of this translates into a remarkable experience for the experienced photographer. Playback is great too -- fast response when zooming (including diagonal zooming), and a new feature called "Face Playback" or something like that which is actually as useful as it is gimmicky, unlike most things like this which are more gimmicky than useful in real-world applications. When zooming in on a photo with people in it, the screen puts a small white box around all the faces. Set the zoom level, then use the front dial button to move instantly from face to face. Use the main (rear) dial to move to the next picture at the same zoom level. It's really useful and fun for checking to see if everyone is smiling and has their eyes open in a group photo. It's definitely gimmicky, since it's not strictly necessary, but in this case, it's actually quite useful, too. I enjoy this feature.The menus are logically laid out, and pressing the "?" button offers more in-depth information on any of the myriad features and functions in the menus. Everything is HIGHLY customizable... you can easily spend several hours playing with menu settings, but owing to Nikon's liberal sprinkling of dedicated buttons and controls on the D7000 body, you won't need to dive into the menus very often after the initial tweaks are made. The superb degree of customization possible is what pushes the D7000 solidly into the very high end of enthusiast cameras. If you tend to leave your dSLR set on AUTO nearly all the time, don't waste the money on the D7000; buy the excellent D3100 instead. It's got many of the same features for half the price.Battery life on the D7000 is completely insane. For even an enthusiast shooter, one full charge can easily last a week of shooting 100+ photos per day. Going on a weekend vacation? A week? Leave the charger at home. I took it on a six-day trip to Thailand and lost only one segment on the battery meter during that time (although to be fair, I didn't shoot hundreds and hundreds of photos). The D7000 is rated at 1,050 shots per charge, and I believe it based on my own usage so far. This is nothing particularly jaw-dropping for me, though: the D80 battery lasts forever, too. I also love the twin SD card slots with their multiple options for use: overflow, backup, dedicated video/RAW assignment... brilliant.As reported, low-light performance is excellent, particularly with a fast lens. Even with a standard f/3.5 zoom, the lack of noise in ISOs up to 1600 means you won't be popp

My first DSLR was a D80 I purchased four years ago. The shutter went out a few weeks back but I had been planning to upgrade to the D7000 anyway so this just hurried things up. I bought the D7000 kit with the 18-105 lens but quickly sold that on Ebay. There is nothing wrong with the 18-105 lens, but it would be a shame to keep that as your only or primary lens on such a fine camera. It really belongs with more of an entry level DSLR such as the D3100. Consider the 16-85, 35mm 1.8 prime, or 18-200.I was shooting with a Tamron 17-50 2.8 lens on the D80. For low light, it worked pretty well but greater than half the time I needed to use my SB-600 flash to capture my young kids doing what they do (move). The only downside to the Tamron, or combination of the Tamron with the D80, was that the images tended to be soft, especially when opened up. So I also upgraded my lens to the Nikkor 16-85. While this is a variable lens that maxes out at 3.5, it is amazingly sharp combined with the D7000. And the extra reach is great for getting better shots and also providing relatively shallow depth of field that otherwise would be lost with the slower aperture.The reason I mention the lens change is that I wouldn't have gone to a variable lens had it not been for the amazing ISO performance on the D7000. I am now shooting flashless at very fast shutter speeds. I usually shoot raw and process with Lightroom and I'm seeing amazing results at 800 ISO even when fully blown up (1:1). At ISO 1600, I can see minor noise but Lightroom 3's noise reduction easily eliminates it. 3200 certainly isn't noiseless but again, Lightroom can clean it up very well in most situations. My old D80 had more noise at 400 than the D7000 has at 1600; I'd say 800 on it was equivalent to 3200 on the D7000. I could see printing 1600 shots at smaller sizes with no need for software cleanup. So while my results are preliminary (3 weeks in), I am astonished at the ISO capabilities of this camera. I no longer have d700 envy and am glad I can get great dx lenses for under $700 as opposed to $1500 for fx. Perfect for enthusiasts like me!You've seen the stat that the D7000 can shoot 6 shots per second. The 6FPS shutter is in some ways overkill. But if you shoot HDR/Bracket shots in quick succession having such a rapid shutter can allow you to do so handheld. This is really only possible because of the high ISO capabilities enabling very fast shutter times. And for sporting events and the like, it's nice to have the ability to rapidly fire off shots.I have also noticed considerably improved metering and white balance on the D7000 compared to my old D80. Of the 350 or so shots I've taken, I am spending much less time adjusting lighting and white balance in Lightroom.As others have mentioned, the ergonomics/design of the camera are quite good and I really enjoy the many direct access shortcuts for adjusting everything from focus to flash to white balance and much more. The two custom settings are very easy to set and perfect for your two most common profiles (e.g. indoor portrait and outdoor landscape). The screen is beautiful and moving in and around even RAW files is very smooth and fast. I went with two 16GB SD class 10 Transcend cards and while I'm currently using the RAW 1 / JPEG 2 option, I plan to use the second as a backup card once I go to RAW only.I've only toyed with the video function but that was a part of my consideration since I dislike carrying two cameras, plus chargers and media, on family vacations. The tests I've done in 1080P have been very impressive, albeit large as you would expect. Auto-focusing while video recording is okay, as long as the background isn't too noisy or subjects too many. The biggest downside I have experienced is the built-in microphone picks up lots of auto focusing noise. I have not yet invested in an external mic but probably will need to.All in all I am very pleased with the D7000 and see no major shortcomings. It's not cheap, but you get a lot for your money if you are in the market for a prosumer class DSLR. For users who won't explore and use the MANY options and capabilities of this camera, I would recommend considering the 3100 at less than half the cost. For D70/80/90 users who are ready to step up big time in terms of performance, this is the upgrade you have been waiting for. Some will hold out for a D700 successor (D800 or whatever it ends up being called). I have no doubt it will be an amazing camera but cost wise, you're going to be looking at $2500+ for the body alone and pay roughly double for coverage equivalent lenses. So figure $4K just to get started. Too rich for my non-professional needs but certainly should be considered if your work or wants dictate that level of camera. And there maybe be a D300s replacement in the works too. Still, I'd urge anyone to consider the D7000, which in my opinion is the best cropped sensor DSLR to date.

This camera is incredible, I am just learning it and it produces great pics... I bought David Busch's (Engineering textbook) D7000 guide and after about 1200 shots am just beginning to scratch the surface of what this camera is capable of.. Many before me have written much better reviews with much better expanations on how great this camera really is so I won't go into that.I am a hobbyist with a pretty good eye for photograpy that used a D50 for 5 years or so and SLR film user since the early 80's. Early last year I had the opportunity to start shoot at a local charity's events (12-13 per year), HS graduations at their adult high school and program graduations as well. I also really enjoy landscape, macro, wildlife and vacation photography as well. The D50 was OK and worked pretty well in regular light but started to have a lot of problems that several local repair facilities and Nikon all said buy a new camera... My choices were the Nikon D90, D300s and the D7000 and after loosing on an Ebay bid for a new D300s I decided to go for the D7000 from Amazon.... Best price, fast delivery and good support incase something goes wrong... I intend to buy an additional four year warranty extension to support my photography as soon as I recover from sticker shock and get a few new lenses...I was a little intimidated by the vast ammount of functions that this camera offers but have found that if I am paitent and continue to learn one function at a time that I will have a great tool for a long time in the future... The fears I had about being too complicated to really learn, the strange over manipulated samples from Amazon's pics, FLICKR and several on line forums I belong to and the fear that I would only use about 35% of this camera's actual capabilities have been put to rest by David Busch's book...I have shot mostly in one of the four modes controlled by the dial so far and have loved them. (Auto, Program, Shutter and Aperature) Even on Auto most of the pics have turned out better than the D50. As I gain a better knowledge of the functions and light readings of this camera I will begin to step away from the mode dial and start to use more of my choices for ISO shutter and ap speed... Don't get me wrong, not every pic has come out calling to be framed and put on my wall at home but I can assure both the novice and the intermediate shooter that you will not regret buying this camera... It will grow with you (and until you become a pro if that is your goal) satisfy your every photographic need... I am happy that I can use my old lenses during the learning curve so that when I am ready I will be able to shell out some buck for the real "Glass" that Nikon makes. These old lenses still are great for a lot of pic taking and will suffice for a time...The colors are great and actually really close to what the eye sees, I have been surprised time after time by the D7000 and how accurate and sharp the pics are even with Nikon kit lenses. Since I really am not one of the so called artist style photographers but do believe that composition is very important in picture taking I have set the goal to do as little manipulation of the shots as possible. With the old D50 it was pretty much manditory because the CCD was on its way out and when I had an event shoot often the camera (or the operator) was fooled by the types of lighting, a non TTL flash or a background that the camera didn't recognise a focal object and wouldn't get a clear focus on anything.... So far the only problem I have actually experienced withe the D7000 was getting it to pick a clear field of focus on a bunch of wild rice shoots with grain that was ready to be harvested... Operator error not the camera... I also understand that this is a universal problem with autofocus DSLR's...My advice is if you are willing to put in the work and really learn photography,,,,, Buy it...

I had used a point and shoot 10 mp canon for a few years and wanted to jump up to a higher level of photography.Having never owned a DSLR or "fancy" camera before I was fortunate enough to find enough money to get a D7000. I have not been disappointed at all. I made sure the firmware was upgraded and have not had any backfocus issues. I have used the 18-105 "kit" lens which is a great all purpose walkaround lens, a 35mm 1.8 (a must have at sub $200) and the 70-300mm VR lens. None of these are "professional" lenses which all seem to cost as much as my first car, but to a hobbyist like me they produce outstanding photos. The best advice I can give is to read the owners manual, practice a few hundred shots (digital is free!) then read some more and practice more. Join an online discussion group as other people have tons of experience to learn from. Every problem and bad picture I had came down to user error. Once I figured out the proper procedure, my pictures became exceptional. The D7000 is plenty if not more camera than an average hobbyist needs. I dont think I will outgrow this camera for about 10 years (if I ever do). I now shoot low light inside, family photos on holidays etc and my all my kids sporting events with great results. Other parents often ask me if I have any shots of their kids which I take as a compliment. I do have one word of caution to new buyers looking at the D7100 and other cameras with huge MP's (over 18 mp) be careful what you wish for because picture files can get so huge on a 24, 36 or higher MP camera that you may need to upgrade memory on your computer or worse, get a new one if you're serious about your editing!

I bought the D7000 as a package through Amazon's retailer, Adorama. I've had it less than 30 days at this point. I do digital artwork, which means I photograph everything from landscapes to macro images, and I process everything through Photoshop. First issue I've noticed with this camera and lens is that it is very slow when used in anything from full manual mode (which solves a great deal of problems). When you don't rely on the camera to "make" your images (auto-focus, white balance, auto-exposure, etc.), you can work around some of the issues. When I do have to use some of the camera's modes, there are issues of off-and-on crispness. The lens that came with this package is cheaply made, and engineered so poorly that "lens creep" occurs at about 70mm if the camera is held at less than a 90 degree angle. This throws everything out of whack.I called Nikon service to ask is there was any repair possible on the lens creep issue on the lens. While they were courteous, it was concluded there was no point in sending in either the body or the lens as they are aware of the problems and have no fix for them. And they offer the Nikon customer nothing, which I find appalling. Nikon is well aware of the problems with this camera and this lens, and, if they were a responsible company, they would either do a recall, or offer the customer a discount on another model and lens that doesn't have the issues of this one. But no. What an arrogant way to do business.At the end of the day, I'm too entrenched in Nikon products (like the great Speed Flash and my fixed distance lenses) to give up the ghost on Nikon. I'm also not able to spend $7,000 for a pro body. Adorama offered to take back the whole package, but that doesn't really solve anything other than save up for the better body and hope my lenses are compatible with it.Shame on you, Nikon. You used to set the bar for the SLR cameras back in the day, but all you produce is flawed equipment and disappointed customers.

I went a little crazy last year and bought a D700. I learned that camera pretty well and absolutely loved shooting with it. But I am an amateur and always felt a little guilty having spent that much money on a hobby. What's more, the D700 is big and heavy compared to amateur cameras (it's an awesome size for pros), and I actually found myself leaving it at home on occasion because of that size and weight. So when the D7000 was out for a bit and received such good reviews, I jumped.I fell in love with the D7000 immediately and sold the D700. Of course, I would have kept both if I could justify the cash, but the D7000 is so good that I usually don't feel like I'm missing much. There are quite a few interesting points to be made comparing the two cameras, but I recognize that the average shopper would not be considering the two in the same class, so I'll just say I'd be happy to answer questions in the comments. The short version is that while the D700 produces slightly better images and generally handles better, the D7000 is at least 90% the camera for the half the price and is better suited to the amateur shooter in several respects.So why do I like it so much?-Beautiful images, of course.-Low light performance is extremely admirable for a DX sensor.-100% viewfinder-Flash commander mode for using flash off-camera-The right amount of heft and size for my taste. Build feels excellent, and it's got weatherproofing!-Dual SD cards are a nice touch.-Handling is great. U1 and U2 modes are a wonderful addition. Nikon's command dials have a nice feel and are extremely useful.-I didn't buy this camera for video, but the video looks great IF you handle it right. Think movie camera rather than family video cam.What I don't like as much?-Buffer is a bit small when shooting NEF (RAW). It doesn't affect me because I don't shoot much action, but heavy sport shooting could be difficult in NEF.-SD cards still aren't as fast as CF cards.-Viewfinder is a nice size for DX, but it's still nowhere near the size of an FX viewfinder.-I think I prefer the AF selector on the D700 by a hair. One finger vs two. Not that big a deal.-See above, but video is obviously not as easy as a dedicated video camera. Who cares?I mentioned the D5100 in my title because I think many people are wondering if the D7000 is worth the extra cost over the D5100. The short answer is that it depends on how serious of a shooter you are. Do you understand the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO? If the answer is "No, and I don't care," stop reading and buy the D5100, or even the D3100. Do you want to film your kids playing soccer? The D5100 is better suited for that, although I'd really suggest you buy a dedicated video camera. These are primarily still cameras after all. If you're a more advanced shooter, or you'd like to become one, consider the following:Some people say the D5100 has the same sensor and the option to shoot video at 30 fps, so why would you possibly want a D7000 instead? There are several very important upgrades that the D5100 does NOT have, some of which I could not live without:-Flash commander mode: Enables you to shoot your external flash or flashes off camera. Huge capability.-Continuous shooting speed is 6 fps vs 4 fps.-Battery life is far superior-Dual SD cards. Not critical, but a very nice feature for backup especially.-Lossless compressed 14-bit NEFs. Probably not a deal breaker, but I want every bit of quality available from that sensor!-100% viewfinder vs 95%. I didn't know I wanted it until I got it.-Non AF-S lens compatible (for autofocusing), Will meter with AI lenses. Another huge feature. I can use my 30-year-old 85mm f/2 lens.-Faster shutter-Better AF system. Another big deal for dynamic shooting situations.-Flash bracketingThe D5100 is cheaper, lighter, has a swiveling screen, and shoots video at 30 fps.At $300 more, I think the D7000 is an excellent value compared to the D5100 when you consider the extra features it has.What else can I say that hasn't already been said elsewhere? The D7000 is the camera to beat in this class, if you know how to shoot, and often, even if you don't.

There were many positive reviews about this camera in Amazon. Like many buyers I chose to ignore the negative reviews. My first purchase with the camera was the kit with 18-105mm lens. After hundreds of shots, only about 15% of them were sharp. I thought the problem were the lens. So, I returned the kit and bought a D7000 body, along with Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G micro and 85mm f/1.8G prime lenses.After testing the new camera body with two new prime lenses, I discovered there was a serious back-focusing problem with the camera. The AF Fine Tuning feature in the camera is quite good. However, I needed to adjust -15 for the 105mm and -4 for the 85mm. Then again, the AF Fine Tuning does not solve all the focusing problems. Depending on the shooting distance, I would have to calibrate the AF again and again. So, the calibration is hit-and-miss.Having trusted Nikon for 30 years, I believed I just had a bad batch twice in a row and I should still have a good chance of getting a good copy. So, I returned the camera again got another copy a few days later. To my dismay, same serious back-focusing problem still exist in the new camera. Then I did some digging in Amazon review (paying attention to the negative ones this time) and Googled more discussion forums to see if I am not alone. Sure enough, many people had reported the same problem dated back in July 2011.So, I returned the camera again and decided not to try another one.In all fairness, I like the features the camera offers. The body is very responsive. The AF accuracy with the LCD Live View is extremely high (though very slow). However, the Phase-Detect AF system is a complete disappointment.The best thing I got out of this experience is the knowledge I gained from testing AF and fine tuning it. So much information is available on Amazon and photo forums on this subject. If you own a mid-range camera like D7000, you owe it to yourself to learn how to test and calibrate your camera with your lens collection. Based on my experience, having tried 3 copies without success, it's fair to me to give it a 1-star rating. A camera that cannot focus is not a usable camera on my book. I will probably wait for the new Nikon cameras coming out this fall (if rumors are right).With this writing, I am hoping all the buyers of this camera (or any camera) thoroughly test their cameras AS SOON AS they receive them. Do not wait until 30 days pass and you have to send them back to Nikon for service. If you pay for a new precise instrument, you expect it to work out-of-box. I chose not to send a brand new camera to Nikon for calibration because it's brand new! Plus, some people have reported same focusing problem even AFTER Nikon service center told them their cameras have been repaired. I am glad I did not need to go through that.Hope this is helpful. Your feedback is welcome. Thank you!

Before using my Nikon d7000 I was using a d3100. I didn't expect the change to be so big, but this camera has exceeded my expectations.First thing I was impressed with, was how fast it focus and shoots. You point it anywhere, it's gonna focus fast.The menu does change a bit, but it's easy to move around and understand. If not, the guide the camera comes with is quite complete. It even comes in Spanish for Spanish speakers like myself.About the ergonomics, it feels great in your hands. You can really feel the change from the d3100 to this one. Feels much more pro.When it comes to iso, it is better in noise reduction as they promise so you won't be disappointed.I read plenty of reviews before buying this camera, because I wasn't sure which one to get and for some reason I had doubts about buying this one cuz I thought it was "too small" and "didn't look so pro". I change my mind now, I'm really happy with my purchase.About the video feature... To be honest I never make videos but I tried it yesterday to see how it went. It does look pretty good but I noticed that Everytime I changed the focus, I could actually hear it in the video recording, so it's a bit annoying. As I said, I don't use video and don't know If this is normal, but i guess this feature is maybe not the best of the camera.About the battery, I'm used to buying two of them just in case but apparently I won't need it with this camera. I was on a trip and took pictures for three days, I came back and took more sample pictures and I only charged once before the trip. It really lasts pretty long.All together, I love this camera. Sounds weird but it completes me. When I use it with a 35mm 1.8 (besides the downside that it isn't a wide lens) the pictures look great and I love the Colors.I think that for a beginner like me in this career of photography, this is the best camera considering the cost. I highly recommend it.

If you set it side-by-side with a D90, it's hard to tell the difference bycasual glance. The D7000 has many features the D90 doesn't, including a truemirror lock up mode - great for long exposure night shots to reduce initialvibration when the exposure starts. (This can be done with a black reflector orbig hat, otherwise.)If you like the D90 - you'll like this. It feels very similar in weight, buildand size. Not critical for performance, but the mirror of the D7000 is *much*faster than the D90, giving the D7000 a very distinctive and sharp (not to beconfused with loud) shutter sound.One of the best features in movie mode, is that you can use manual mode forvideo. No longer do you have to endure the stepped increments of the auto-gainof the D90. It still has the same rolling shutter problems, but that can easilybe removed with the appropriate third party software later. The addition of theexternal mic jack is also appreciated. The focusing in movie mode can be madeconstant, but is still sluggish (hunting) with even the best lenses compared toa dedicated video camera. If you're serious about filming with this, it'sprobably best done in manual mode.I also like being able to set up the automatic timer mode on a tripod to shootan image every x time units.For redundancy, you can have the two card slots act as a mirror of one another,both holding identical copies of every file recorded. (A file level RAID-1)Alternatively, you configure the camera to treat the second SD card asadditional storage. (Somewhat similar to a SPAN array but at the file, not theblock, level.)Other than not recording uncompressed video (for which you'll pay a much higherprice) there's nothing I don't like about it. Sure, we could always use alarger image buffer for continuous shooting, but for most work this is notcritical. The additional focus points are nice, but again not critical. Theadded resolution over the D90 was welcome, but same goes for it as well. (TheD90 had sufficient resolution for even very large prints.)

Pros: 1. 16.2 MP image sensor2. weather sealing similar to the D3003. AMAZING ISO range (100-6400) and lack of noise in low light4. FAST burst speeds, up to 6 fps5. 12&14 bit selectable RAW files6. twin SD card slots7. ergonomics identical to D90Cons: 1. still unable to shoot 1080p video at 30 fps2. RAW files not yet recognized by 3rd party software at time of this writing3. still not weight balanced when using larger telephoto zoom lens4. difficult to think of any real consSummary: Being a Nikon D90 user for the last year, I love the combination of ease of use, shooting power and image quality. However over time I quickly grew to learn and appreciate the performance limits (fps shooting, ISO range, 12 bit RAW files only) that are addressed by the more expensive and professional level D300.Imagine to my shock when Nikon announced several months ago a successor to the D90, initially dubbed the D95 then finalized as the D7000. When the spec sheets were announced, my jaw dropped. Basically what we have is a camera that is priced between the pro-am D90 and pro D300 DX crop sensor cameras. While the D7000 clearly and unsurprisingly outclasses the very competent and capable D90 in nearly every respect, from image quality, shooting performance and video capabilities, whats more shocking is how it seems to match or even exceed the specs of the D300s (if youre taking video shooting capabilities into account).I was lucky to pick up a preorder of the 18-105mm kit from a local store (body only was not available yet at the time of this writing) and with excitement I set about opening it up. Packaged very similar to the D90, the camera comes with the 18-105mm VR kit lens in a separate box and instruction manuals/software CD. A nice change is the battery charger which comes with the usual long cable, but also has a short outlet plug that allows the charger to mount directly to the wall, much like most compact P&S camera battery chargers.Onto the camera itself. As I've mentioned before, users of the Nikon D90 should find this new camera very easy to use, as nearly all the buttons, menus and controls are identical. They changed the live view button to a spring loaded switch similar to the D3100 with a button that is used to start/stop video recording. I tested the video at 1080p/24 fps and like the previews state, it does continuous AF during the recording unlike previous Nikon HD video dSLRs, however with the built in mic, the AF is LOUD and you can hear it whirring constantly in the video playback. If you want to shoot some serious video you're better off getting the optional external stereo mic that fits in the hotshoe.Now onto the camera shooting itself. Having the 100% viewfinder coverage is nice, since the 96% coverage on the D90 made for some errors in composition, allowing objects to creep into the edges of my previous shots that I couldn't see due to the incomplete coverage.The new 39 point AF with 11 cross type AF points is amazingly fast, and you can set to single AF so it only does it once before you shoot, or continuous AF so it'll continue to seek out AF points while the shutter is half pressed.Shooting speed is FAST on this camera, at a respectable 6 fps at max speed, although you'll need at least a class 10 SD card to acheive this, and it maybe slightly slowed choosing 14 over 12 bit NEF RAW files. Speaking of which, like the D300, 700 and D3, you can shoot 14 bit RAW files now where the D90 and lower end cameras allowed you to only shoot 12 bit RAW which made for inferior picture quality in the final images.The dual SD card slots are a great feature and the camera gives you multiple options how you want to use these cards, I chose to set mine up as overflow, altho when I start to shoot video I may set up the 2nd card as video only instead.Now my favorite aspect of this camera, is not, contrary to some, the increased 16.2 MP over the 12.6 MP of the D90/300 image sensor, but the amazing ISO range and low light sensitivity. The D90 had a range of 200-3200 but images became pretty unusable above 2400 without serious software PP NR. I did some nighttime and indoor low light test shooting of the D7000 with its 100-6400 range and found images that looks better at 4000 than the D90 did at 2000 ISO. At 5000 or above, the noise does start to become noticable, but this new sensor plus a good image stabilized lens makes for a powerful low light shooter in most situations. I've read subject user reviews from people who own the D300 and FX sensor D700 and say this camera gives the D300 serious pause and in fact, can compare image quality to the D700.Something to think about.Overall this is a fantastic camera for the price and probably the last DX sensor camera I will need for a long time.

When I bought my D7000, the first thing I did was READ THE MANUAL in an attempt to learn about all the bells and whistles the D7000 offers. Since owners' manuals typically do a less-than-satisfactory job of explaining things, I also opted to buy a well-thought-out book complete with photos that show exactly what's being explained: "David Busch's Nikon D7000 Guide to Digital SLR Photography." It's a very helpful book.There's so much to the D7000 that it's easy to think it's malfunctioning when the problem is really something else...possibly something as small as having programmed it so that it doesn't fire unless it's completely in focus. I personally LOVE this feature and intentionally set it this way. Others, however, may not realize that this feature even exists, or may have forgotten that they set it to operate this way. Thus, they press the shutter and...nothing happens. RATS! Missed the shot! This is not a camera malfunction; it's an operator error.The D7000 takes great pics in all situations and has helpful features like exposure compensation; several metering options; depth-of-field preview; bulb setting (for long exposures); exposure, flash, white balance, and ADL bracketing; incredible choice of ISO sensitivity (use with care; high ISO levels can cause "noise" and less-than-perfect coloring), diopter adjustment (aids less-than-perfect vision through the viewfinder), and so forth...WAY too many to mention here.I love the double card slots that can be programmed for various uses. And of course, the D7000 captures in NEF (RAW), JPEG (with choice of quality), and RAW + JPEG simultaneously.With the D7000's countless other features, it will probably be quite some time before you have mastered this camera, so just relax and enjoy as you practice perfecting your skills.The D7000 is an excellent choice for the photo enthusiast/semi-pro and there are pros who use it...it's that good. Can you get a better camera? Sure! You can buy a Daguerreotype Giroux for about $980,000 or more. But why do that when, chances are, the D7000 is MORE than enough to suit your needs.BOTTOM LINE: I highly recommend the D7000. But whichever you choose to buy, LEARN THE CAMERA. Learn its various settings and what happens when you program it a certain way. And BE SURE TO BUY GOOD QUALITY LENSES! They are your BEST investment.Check YouTube's how-to videos; buy books like "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson and "The Photographer's Eye" by Michael Freeman. LEARN! LEARN! LEARN! Who knows? You could end up selling your photos! Happy shooting!

I am just starting with photography and absolutely loving it and excited for the possibilty and the exploring that I can do. I am a beginner and believe this camera will be good to play with atleast for 2 years before I learn most of its features.

Chances are that if you are even considering this camera, it is as an upgrade. There are now countless comparisons in the photo magazines and on the web that you can use to check out how it compares in features, so there's little merit in repeating them here. It's certainly an "enthusiast" spec so for a starter camera it is probably more than you will need to pay. Camera manufacturers don't make it easy as each are backing slightly different technology horses - and at the end of the day (which coincidently is a time when this camera is particularly good due to it's ability to handle low light with remarkably little noise) it's a matter of personal preference which manufacturer you favour. I find Nikons fit better in the hand than Canon or Pentax cameras - so head to your camera petting zoo to see which one fits best for you. I also find the controls more intuitive with the two wheel system. I also prefer Nikon's colour performance particularly compared with Canon's more saturated colour rendition, but since you will probably use some PC processing, this is not a deal breaker. If you believe the mark of quality is in resolution, you can get more Mps with a Canon 550d- but at 16.2 Mp this is more than adequate for the amateur and prints at least A3 sized with no problem or loss of clarity. And the quality is down as much to the quality of processor as to the number of pixels per se. If you have a heap of Canon (or other) lenses though, then it's probably not great enough to warrant the cost of changing horses in midstream as Nikon lenses house the autofocus on the lenses rather than in the body as Canon does.If you are coming at it afresh though, you are really looking at this against the Canon EOS 60D or the Pentax K-5 (although you can argue until the cows come home which the competitors really are. It's an upgrade on the Nikon D90 as well and certainly on any lower Nikons, and price wise, the Canon 550d might be in the same bracket).Where the D7000 is arguably weaker is in the fact that the rear screen is fixed while many competitors allow angled versions. If you are planning on life as a Paparazzo, then this may be an issue but for me this tends to be more useful for movie filming. Which brings me to a second slight weakness - while the HD video is excellent on the D7000 my unit had a few dead pixels (only apparent in video) but there is now a Firmware update that has reduced this, not totally, but certainly to more than acceptable levels on my unit. But I don't film video that often so this isn't a concern. I've also tended to prefer the shutter release firmness on Nikons, and here it is OK but a bit mushier (technical term that!) than on the D90 for example.In almost every other respect, this is a cracking camera. I love the duel card system that lets you save stills and video to different cards, or acts as a simple additional storage or for me, the best option allows you to save as both RAW and jpeg versions (incidentally, Adobe has now added D7000's RAW to it's list - but you will have to download that separately to even the latest Photoshop versions).The D7000 offers up to 39 AF points - which really is superb in this price bracket and which helps to generate superb image quality. The camera's low light performance is superb; even at ISO 12 800 it's just about acceptable. The build quality is fantastic and, while it tends to concentrate on doing the basics well, it has some nice features like low noise shutter options. The burst rate of 6fps is also pretty decent.It's a cracking bit of kit and more similar to Nikon's semi-pro D300S than the lower ranges but at an enthusiast price band (albeit that as a new product the pricing is still a bit toppish but will undoubtedly come down in time ...... if you can resist that long though). But for all it's cleverness, you can pretty much operate it out of the box as a very over-priced point an shoot, if that's what you want to do (but why would you?)It's not faultless (as explained) but it's certainly an excellent choice and you are unlikely to be disappointed. Is it good enough to swop bodies from a competitor? Well, that depends on how much kit you have invested in, but as a Nikon upgrade, it's a no-brainer. It's a joy to use and you'll love it - then when you process your pictures, you will smile smuggly to yourself at your choice all over again.Also, the kit lens (which are always pretty ropey) is surprisingly decent here too.

All of the reviews I read on the D7000 before I purchased my camera were spectacular. The camera, itself, has some wonderful features. Having the second slot for overflow or RAW/JPEG usage is a bonus. The new dial puts frequently used settings at your fingertips that used to require going into the menu. Being able to save settings for either two people using the camera, or, in my case, personal preferences used in different situations is a slick idea. Those Nikon people were thinking when they designed this camera body. However, when I received my D7000, I was disappointed in a few things. First of all, I shoot in RAW and the first thing I needed to do was upgrade my Photoshop. The Camera RAW from CS3 would not open the files from the D7000. Then, I found that my 3 year old MAC would not allow me to upgrade to CS6 without a system upgrade from Leopard. Fine. I suppose we all need to keep current. But the real disappointment was after doing all of this, I reviewed my images from the D7000, and found they were very noisy. This camera was priding itself on being of superior quality at high ISO's, but anything 400 ISO and above had too much noise. I've seen better quality coming from phone cameras. I found the quality in my older D90 was better at the same ISO. So, after many back and forth emails from NIKON's tech support, trying to figure out if there was possibly a setting that was wrong, and getting nowhere, I finally called and talked to a real person. He decided, after reviewing my images, that the camera was defective. Now, I have passed my 30 day return policy with Amazon because I wasted time trying to fix this by email, but (and this is why I LOVE Amazon.com) they made a one time exception after hearing my story, and they sent me a replacement camera. I was thrilled. But the replacement camera is not much better. There is still too much noise, and I'm finding that the sharpness is not there like I had with my D90. I tested photographing the same subject, same settings, same lens, and found a sharper image came from the D90. If I had it to do over again, I would not buy the D7000.