Nikon D7000 Digital SLR: Hands-on preview by dpreview.com
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Before you buy Nikon D3100, please read this Nikon D7000 review to avoid disappointment.
Nikon's High-Interest D7000 - My First Two Months, By Ray "Reader" at
After shooting with the Nikon D7000 for a little over two months now (mine arrived in mid February), I'm at a point where I feel comfortable putting together a brief review for those still considering making a D700 purchase. I won't try to duplicate the level of detail that you can read in some of the excellent reviews that have already been posted (here, and on many other sites), but will try to summarize some of my experiences with the camera, as well as provide some of the most important information regarding the camera. I've been primarily shooting with the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens, but have also used the Nikon 1.8 50mm prime, as well. So, my review here will be focused on those lenses, but it is useful to have this background as you read my comments.
Getting straight to the nitty-gritty, and leaving extended explanations and comments until afterwards, and based on my actual use of this camera:
Pros
+ Ability to shoot at extremely high ISO levels with little noise (comparatively speaking) makes this a low-light shooter's dream
+ Sophisticated 39-point focus system
+ Good overall image quality in a wide range of shooting situations
+ Good video quality that makes up for many of the deficiencies of previous Nikon models
+ Huge feature set, with large number of customizable settings surpassed only by very expensive, professional cameras
+ Excellent construction quality, with few, if any, squeaks and/or loose assembly parts
+ Large set of "mechanical" controls, including switches, knobs, and assignable buttons which allow you to shoot without being required to dig through menus
+ Optical viewfinder amongst the best you will see in the camera's price range
+ LCD display at top of camera displaying current settings
+ Built-in autofocusing mechanism allows for the widest range of compatibility with past and current Nikon lenses
+ Extremely good battery life - I'm getting 400-500 shots on a single battery (no flash)
+ Quick turn-on time; it's ready almost as soon as you flip the switch
+ Excellent rear display that provides good resolution imaging and also provides an excellent setting display (each when activated)
+ Dual-card SDXC memory slots which can be set for wither dual simultaneous or consecutive writing
+ Reasonable pricing, when you consider what you get
Cons
- A bit heavy; this thing can wear you out after a few hours
- Although many report a comfortable grip, the size of the camera could have been smaller (this is personal taste, however)
- No articulated display screen (the lack of which really limits video taking, but for those of us who have for years used an articulated display for photography, it's a real shortcoming, and one that is not easy to work around - again, as it pertains to PHOTOGRAPHY, this is a very personal taste issue; for VIDEO, which this camera shoots quite well, it's a real shortcoming)
- LiveView is still too slow to be really feasible (and can in no way match Sony's SLT cameras and some of their traditional SLRs, some of which focus instantaneously in LiveView; if you are looking for LiveView, I suggest you look else ware)
- Power on/off flip switch feels somewhat mushy, with no clear click position for On" (and its wild just how much this can bother me over time)
- Battery charger design is too large, and does not have foldable prongs for the wall outlet (who at Nikon can overlook such simple, but important things as this?)
- No built-in GPS (can't believe its not included at this price; it's an optional component)
- Pricing is unlikely to come down in the near future
There is no reason to try and deny it: the Nikon D7000 is, in many respects, an amazing camera. As I mentioned above, one of the areas in which I have been most impressed is the camera's ability to have it set way up to 2,400 ISO and even higher and then just be used to knock off good quality photos in very low light settings at noise levels that were typically associated with cameras shooting at 400 ISO. In a pinch, you can move the ISO way up to 6,400, and although at this point noise is a real factor, you can still get some shots that would have been impossible before. But even at modestly high ISO levels in the 2000's and 3000's level, you can take shots with little noise, and this is, where in my mind, the camera really stands out from many others (the camera uses the same Sony sensor used in Sony's SLT a55 camera, which may largely account for this capability).
