Nikon D7000 DSLR (Body Only) (OLD MODEL)

Hundreds of general reviews of the D7000 have already been written, so instead of trying to reinvent that wheel I will address specific issues that people who are thinking of upgrading may find helpful. If you currently own a D80 the upgrade is a no-brainer. Just do it, you won't regret it. If you're using a D90, as I was before, you may be considering the upgrade to a D7000 a bit more skeptically. I am a serious amateur/hobbyist with more than 50 years of experience in photography, and have progressed from a D50 to a D80 to a D90 (each owned for two years), to the D7000 purchased two months ago. Initially I wondered if the upgrade from a D90 would really be worth it. Well, it definitely is. The D7000 isn't an upgrade to the D90 in the traditional sense that we tend to think of upgrades, it's a whole NEW CAMERA. The improvements I'm most impressed with that matter most to me personally for my kind of photography? 1. New sensor with greater dynamic range and superior high-ISO performance. The first DX body to come close to approximating FX cameras in these areas. 2. New 39-point AF module that puts the D80 and D90's 11-point AF to shame in AF-C and makes easy work of any kind of action photography. Not only faster and more precise autofocusing, but also a significantly improved method for quickly choosing different AF modes. 3. Improved layout of buttons and controls on the body, but with a nearly identical menu structure to the D90 that makes it easy to learn and implement everything, including the D7000's new features. The learning curve should be minimal coming from a D80 or D90. And there are enough similarities to the D300 to make it an easy transition. 4. Metering, especially matrix metering, is more accurate in a wider variety of lighting conditions -- definitely improved over the D90 and a major improvement over the D80. A camera's meter readings are always suggestions, not commandments, and EV compensation is often necessary. But the D7000's matrix metering gets the exposure very close to right the vast majority of the time. 5. The D7000's light touch (hair trigger) shutter release takes a little getting used to, but it definitely minimizes the chance of camera motion blur when taking a picture. I understand that D300 and D700 users won't notice much difference in the touch, but it's a major improvement if you're coming from any of Nikon's consumer DSLRs. 6. The 6 fps continuous mode is plenty fast enough to capture very fast action like birds in flight. And the new dial configuration makes it easier than ever to change shooting modes quickly. 7. Programmable U1 and U2 modes eliminate time-consuming menu diving and button pushing when you want to switch instantaneously between settings for different situations (landscape or scenic shots vs. action photography, for example). 8. The introduction of several "pro body features" in a consumer camera like AF fine tuning, which is not something you need all the time or want to use indiscriminately, but it's wonderful to have when you need it. 9. Better construction gives the D7000 a "pro feel" not present in other consumer grade Nikon bodies. A subjective opinion, I know, but just picking up a D7000 tells you that you're handling a very solid, serious piece of equipment. 10. Yes, we all bemoaned the introduction of a new D7000 battery. But this new EN-EL15 is a powerhouse that will give the Energizer Bunny a run for his money. A very positive new enhancement. 11. Last but not least (lest we forget the real purpose of a camera), I am taking better pictures (technically, at least) with my D7000 than I did with my D90 -- and doing so much more easily and efficiently. Compared to the 2-3 months it took me to adapt to the D80 and D90 when I upgraded to those bodies before I began getting really satisfactory results, there hasn't been any such prolonged learning curve with my D7000. I have not commented on the D7000's video capabilities because I don't shoot video with it. I have noted that autofocusing with any lens in Live View is rather slow, even in good light, and many lenses may have difficulty achieving an accurate focus lock in low light. And a few lenses may fail to autofocus in Live View at all. This is not really important to me because I very rarely use this feature, but it is something to be aware of. A word about lenses: Achieving the best results with the higher resolution of the 16MP D7000 does require good lenses. The 18-105 VR kit lens is adequate and will yield perfectly satisfactory results. However, obtaining the superior image quality that the camera is capable of calls for better quality glass. For an excellent general purpose "walkaround" lens that is also a Best Buy at $449, I personally recommend the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Nikon Mount Digital SLR Cameras . I prefer this Sigma to the somewhat overpriced Nikon 16-85 VR. To cover the telephoto range, I would suggest adding the excellent Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras to your arsenal. I hope Amazon shoppers for the D7000 body only who thinking of upgrading from a previous DSLR find my observations helpful. UPDATE ON 03/16/11 -- Here is a link to my Flickr photostream if you would like view some of the photos I have taken with the D7000. They include the EXIF info and were taken with the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM and Nikon 70-300 VR. [...] One feature I didn't mention in my original review is in-camera editing. This is not something new, but it's much more robust in the D7000 and I use it quite a bit. For example, JPEG shooters will appreciate the in-camera WB adjustment that lets you correct color balance that's way off right in the camera and then make subtle adjustments in post processing. Likewise, in-camera B&W and sepia conversions produce images with a full tonal gradient for later creative manipulation on the computer. Both of these are handy time-savers, and your original image always remains intact. The in-camera cropping options have also been expanded to include virtually all of the popular formats and provide excellent flexibility for basic cropping. The more I use my D7000, the more I appreciate what a significant upgrade it is to the D90.

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 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...

This is a specific review. I am using a 28-300mm Nikor lens with VRII stabilization. The lens is used in all modes, selected on the lens body. The camera is the D7000. The lens was paired with an expensive hoya ultra-violet filter. The camera was NOT upgraded to the latest firmware. Overall this is a remarkable camera. It is incredibly fast to select the focus and light balance - press the button and it takes the photograph almost instantly - a huge improvement over my D70 and D90 cameras. The negative criticism is as follows: First the camera over exposes photographs in high light level conditions. On the other hand, it is perfect for night-time or low light conditions. In high light, I switch to the 'P' mode and select two stops darker than recommended by the camera. This gives consistently good pictures in higher light levels (cloudless skies for instance). In night time conditions I select 'Auto' mode and get good results. In the 1080p movie modes I see red pixels in the right hand, upper quadrant back-panel. However in the actual content when transferred to computer these fixed red pixels are completely missing. I am told a firmware upgrade MIGHT fix this. The locked pixels are NOT visible in normal photograph modes. The camera records H264 in motion modes. This will need to be translated to 4:2:2 mpeg2 for most decent editors. The focus is hard to force to a specific depth. I want to eliminate foreground fencing and fix to the background focal length - it is a struggle to get the camera to do this - not impossible but you need to read the manual. By comparison the D70 selected the right focal length 80-90% of the time. I feel the camera could benefit from firmware refinement here. After setting up the U1 and U2 program settings I can get consistent results of the highest order (U1 is set for lo-lite, no-flash and U2 is set for hi-lite, panoramic conditions). Overall this is a fantastic camera BUT you should be aware of the following: 1. The camera was released "early" and definitely needs some refinement - get the latest firmware updates 2. The choice of filter is critical. Not all filters work for this camera and you may need some trial-and-error to find the best match. I had a range of twenty filters for the lens, but only four worked out as good choices. If you get bad results, remember the filter MIGHT be the problem. 3. This camera is good, even great, but it is not perfect. Play around with the settings, the filters, the lenses. If you are patient you will get outstanding results in a wide range of light conditions. I am retiring my earlier Nikon cameras, several lenses and even more filters (at least until I figure out how to use them on this camera). 4. Your older lenses will typically not make full use of this camera, but most of them will work - a sigma lens went through excessive 'hunting' until I removed the filter. I bought a new Nikor/Nikon VR lens with this camera and was impressed. I am retaining about three lenses from my extensive collection including a Macro, panoramic and linear zoom. But I was suitably impressed by the stabilization modes in the new lens. I believe other manufacturers have equivalent solutions. I was shocked by the effectiveness of the image stabilization at 300mm in low light conditions. So I recommend you try at least one VRII (or equivalent) lens with this camera. Focus lock times are similarly exemplary. Despite the above review I absolutely love this camera. I would like to slap Nikon management around the head for their premature release of this camera given the state of firmware development. The VRII lenses are literally amazing. I took night-time shots of fireworks and Christmas lights at the zoo in Las Vegas and the results were exceptional. I dealt with the 'daytime' issues and also got great results. This is NOT the ultimate camera. It needs around 40M Pixel resolution and a smarter computer or at least better firmware. It is also abundantly clear that Nikon underestimated demand and then, rather cynically, forced many buyers to cough up another $200-$400 for a mostly-useless pre-packaged lens. Rubbish management! The 28-300 or an 18-200+ are the minimum lens you should consider unless you have lenses for earlier Nikon cameras. Overall, however, we are rapidly approaching perfection. Now all I need is a mode that analyzes "great" photos from mere snapshots!

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 quality 2. Great picture quality 3. More direct controls 4. Brighter view finder with 100% coverage 5. Long battery life 6. Two memory card slots 7. Decent video 8. 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 buffer 3. 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)

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!

I recently ordered the D7000 as a replacement for my D80. Absolutely loving it. If you're looking for a good advanced amateur camera, it's worth considering. The control layout is convenient and makes it easy to get to all of the adjustments you want to make. If you're the kind of photographer who regularly assumes control of ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and uses various options like mirror lockup, and only occasionally will use a "scene mode," this is very convenient. If on the other hand you're the type who likes the camera to make most of the decisions and only occasionally wants to assume full control, you might prefer something like the D3100 or D5000. The photos will be nearly as good; what you're getting is convenience and some upgraded features on the D7000. Image quality is excellent, and the camera includes some new features, like the ability to autocorrect lens distortion. When matched with a modern Nikon lens, the D7000 receives information that allows it to automatically adjust pincushion and barrel distortion. It's convenient and works pretty well. If you're shooting RAW mode and plan to enter a contest, I'd say making your own adjustments in Photoshop is better. But if you're on a more casual shoot, it's a nice feature to switch on to save a lot of processing work later. Whatever camera you buy, make sure you purchase a good lens. I would recommend buying only the body, and then getting good glass. If you're on a limited budget, a $600 lens on a $600 camera is better than a $200 lens on a $1000 camera. The one downside of the D7000 is the video performance. It's a cute gimmick, but honestly, SLR's just aren't ideal for video, at least not with today's technology. I don't really care, as I don't use video much. It's nice to have in a pinch, but if you're big on video plan on getting a dedicated video camera or good point-and-shoot.

Firstly, I have to say that I am very impressed with Amazon's customer service. I have been buying from Amazon for several years, but never had to call customer service or return anything until my D7000 purchase. I am very impressed with the ease and transparency of the return process. This is what all online retailers should strive to achieve. Background - I've used a D90 with a Nikon 18-200 lens extensively, and found the results to be excellent. Now regarding the D7000. I purchased the D7000 body with a Nikon 18-200 lens. As soon as I began to take pictures I noticed that the focus was a bit off and the colors seem to appear washed out and bland. I tried the camera in bright sunlight, indoors - low light, room lighting, flash etc, nothing seemed to help. I read the manual from cover to cover, and for the longest time, I assumed that I was doing something wrong. For about 2 weeks, I systematically changed and reset various controls, sharpness settings, white balance etc nothing seemed to help. Finally began to search the online reviews and forums, and found that this seemed to be a problem with certain units and it seems that Nikon has been slipping on quality control. Incidentally, I came upon a Wolf Camera store while traveling through Sarasota FL and had a chance to speak with the sales people and play with the display until in the shop. I immediately realized that I had a bad until, and my experience was not necessarily a problem with D7000 model in general. I returned bad D7000 to Amazon and purchased another D7000. This second unit performs flawlessly. I am very impressed with the camera and features. Exploring and learning to use all the capabilities will be journey.