This is a preliminary review. I'm a pro photographer who has been faithfully served by Nikon D200 & D300's for event and nature photography. Just before a trip to the Everglades, my D300's lcd info panel light wouldn't turn off and it kept abnormally seeking the cf card resulting in quick battery drain. Of course the fix was having lots of batteries and turning it off when not shooting. But In panic assuming that the D300 was going to completely fail, I read Ken Rockwell's review and noticed the D7000's price. With time running out and not wanting to shell out $7K for the D3x (or D700 for other reasons) I somehow found one D7000 kit, but not body, offered by Amazon and could get it quickly. It was on b/o everywhere else I looked. I didn't want or need the lens, but what can you do sometimes?
I haven't had time to evaluate image quality in detail, but it's impressive at least up to ISO 1600. Without the battery attachment it's small and light, but with good ergonomics. It's got most of the feature required for my shoots and tons of goodies if you're just a camera bug. Combined with the 18-200 VR it's a dynamite, relatively affordable package. It was easy to use without consulting the unusually well written manual. However, if you're used to the D300, etc., you won't be happy with the organization of the controls. The iso button's on the back left and the exposure options are set with a dial like on the D70, so you can't change the most important settings as easily. I don't like the new control for setting the focus options. But if you've never used a D200/D300 you probably won't care. The 6 fps is cool, but I'm used to 8 fps with the D300s battery pack. Those extra 2 fps sometimes mean getting the shot or not for sports/birds.
Random remarks: So far, taking movies is easy and fun. Rockwell states that the quality isn't great, but they look excellent when shown on a large led hd tv. I have had no trouble focussing with my 200-400 or any other lens. I don't like it that you can't display both iso and frame count at the same time. The lcd info display on the top of the body seems fine, in contrast to criticisms by other. What I'm really upset about is that neither Nikon or Adobe have updated Camera Raw for phototshop CS4, so you can't use the D7000's NEF files with CS4. Maybe Nikon gets a cut from Adobe for CS4 - CS5 upgrades, which I purchased reluctantly. Nikon's ViewNX2 is good software and loads and displays raw files quickly, but I need to use psd files and, of course, photoshop's + plug-in's features to do real work.
At this point, nothing much to contribute until I can get that camera back from my wife. (My D300 healed itself, I did lots of trouble shooting, but don't know why it started to work again.) My recommendation is that if you can afford to shell out about $1.5 - $2K for the body/kit (this price includes battery attachment, sd cards (too easy to lose!), decent case and camera strap [Nikon should get out of the strap business or contract with Tamrac.] buying the D7000's a no-brainer regardless of your expertise and experience.
Update, 7/1/11: OK, upgrading to CS5 was worth it, sorry about the conspiracy theory. This is a great camera except that it's destroying my technique because it's so easy to use. With the 18-200 VR and the D7000's low noise at hi ISOs (but keep using Define2.0), I can shed 30 lbs of photo gear and my tripod. It's really fun taking videos and as stated above, the quality's great. And Scott Kelby, notwithstanding, the built-in flash ain't so bad either.
Nikon D7000 16.2 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm Lens (Black)
4.6 | 383 ratings
Price: 999
Last update: 08-02-2024
About this item
High Resolution 16.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor
High Speed 6 frames per second continuous shooting up to 100 shots
Breathtaking Full 1080p HD Movies with Full Time Autofocus
Dynamic ISO range from 100 to 6400
Ground-breaking 2,016-pixel RGB (3D Color Matrix) exposure sensor
High Speed 6 frames per second continuous shooting up to 100 shots
Breathtaking Full 1080p HD Movies with Full Time Autofocus
Dynamic ISO range from 100 to 6400
Ground-breaking 2,016-pixel RGB (3D Color Matrix) exposure sensor
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Nikon D7000 16.2 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm Lens (Black)
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Top reviews from the United States
GarageBoy
D7000! Wow! Nice camera but I can't get it away from my wife!
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2011goldfilm
My best HD camera ever!
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2011