Image quality

Custom settings - manual focus lens (non chipped lenses can be registered (up to 10)

Flash control

Movie mode is very good, the auto focus in movie mode is good not great,

Movie quality is very good

I do prefer CF cards over SD,

not to much to consider a weakness

Bought the D7000 with extras (lens,grip extra battery, extras) Just moved away from shooting Sony for about 6 years. I wanted a system that I could build with felt like Nikon is it. SO far I have not been disappointed.

I do have some Nikon glass which is very good but I have found that even 3rd party glass works very well, I do not have any VR rated lenses and have not found that to be a problem as of yet, even in low light situations, not having the Stabilization means you need to get your technique down.

Overall a very good camera with a great feature set

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Sony A580

I have a number of non-autofocus quality Nikon lenses, and the D7000 makes it easy to store their details of focal length and maximum lens opening. It allows nine different lenses!

Speed of use - the reaction speed for instant photography when the button is half depressed is little short of amazing. I always considered the D2X fast, but the D7000 is even faster, at least in the field.

Focus accuracy - Besides the internal workings generally being fast, both the accuracy and speed of the focus system deserves special praise.

Flexibility - This camera allows such a variety of different ways of working that it should be adaptable to most image-makers.

Reliable - I have found this camera always does what it says it will do. It is a docile thoroughbred.

Weatherproofing - While there would certainly be bounds for this camera - I would not like to have it out in a hurricane - it is quite well weatherproofed. I used it in major deluges of rain while slogging along the banks of the Margaree River in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, merely mopping the camera on occasion, and it was fine.

Weight - This is a well balanced camera that is not too heavy, yet is rugged enough. Balances well with my favorite lenses, such as the Nikon 12-24.

Flash "thinking" - The one area I found that a time lag existed was when it was calculating and preparing flash for complex lighting situations.

Onboard microphone - The actual sound circuitry is good, and does well with an external microphone (I have a Rode Videomic Pro).

I purchased a Nikon D7000 (ever so lightly used) on Ebay, to supplement my Nikon D2X I had bought about 7 years ago. the D7000 immediately became my favorite of the two. First, the autofocus is incredibly fast and accurate. Secondly, the lag time is very, very short. I work in Atlantic salmon restoration, and in late June was taking photos of leaping salmon - often they are out of the water 1 sec. or less. I achieved a great number of successes due to the fast reaction time of the camera.

The D7000 felt perfect in my hands, which are of average size, and the arrangement of the main controls was both logical and most definitely an improvement over the great D2X.

The feel of the camera is of a high end professional model, and I have been very happy with the results.

I used the HD Video capability, especially in a work trip to northern Newfoundland, and most especially visiting the Underground Salmon Pool, where Atlantic salmon swim upstream through caverns. The video was flawless, although naturally the sound from the inboard microphone leaves much to be desired.

This review is concentrating on the "use" of the camera, and I will give it 4.8 stars out of five for fast, efficient use. Everything is where it should be, lens changes happen efficiently, etc. I would deduct .2 stars (1/5) just because it is so capable, that there were a few things I needed to check the manual on before setting in the menus. Nevertheless, the menu system on this model is excellent.

Customer Service

This Nikon D7000 has required no attention subsequent to purchase.

Similar Products Used:

D2X - Used for about seven years
Earlier film based Nikons of many sorts.

Good sensor
Good dynamic range
Good high iso performance
100% viewfinder coverage
2 SD card slots
Nice Auto ISO configuration.

- Not enough buffer space for continious mode shooting. So if you need more then 10 frames/ 2 seconds continuous shooting don't buy this camera.

- On high contrast scenes bright areas may be compromised. I.e. sunny blue sky can become white. but Focus point is always correctly exposed. So I guess we dont get analogue quality yet. These problems can be resolved easily with CaptureNX2 control points and only occurs in specific situation.

I was looking for my first DSLR. Canon did not feel good in my hands at all, Nikon felt perfect. Had to choose between nikon D90 and D7000. Chose the D7000 because of the better sensor.

For me the buttons and menus make perfect sense on this camera. Sensor is really really good. Good dynamic range good color bit depth good high iso performance, nikon is superior in this department beats canon easily.

With regular photoalbum size pictures you can easily go to 3200 ISO and it still looks good.

Sensor is so good that it actually needs very good lenses. I advise at least nikkor 16-85mm or nikkor 70-300mm EDGVR kind of lens quality.

Only disappointment on this camera is the buffer. It gets into trouble after ten 14 bits raw files in continious mode.

Similar Products Used:

Its my fiest DSLR, Only had a Canon G9 before and that one was out of focus all the time.

Low noise up to ISO-1600

The Nikon D7000 has low noise in higher ISO for the price of camera for 16.2MP clean up to ISO-1600. Like the custom pre-set dial of U1 and U2.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon D-90

Build
Durability
Tons of features you actually want to use.
ISO Range is great w/ little noise under 3200 which is crazy.
nice video
actual photo quality is amazing
kit lens is awesome

iso noise over 12500 looks crappy and yes there are times that you would want to use it
focus when using multi point focus can be off. i suggest using one point focus
not great in low light
focus is slightly fast but not as fast as i'd like

I love this camera. There are a few things that I am disappointed with but overall I do love this camera and is a huge jump from the d70 we were using. We use it for photographing people, in outdoor sessions. I think it's a perfect camera for that.

The new automation is very handy, almost all of the time, and the dark behavior of the sensor is much nicer than my D200. In addition, upconverting this to costco 20x30 format for digital printing is noticably sharper than the D200 images. I'm not sure this is only the result of the additional pixels, because I've also recently got two VR lenses (that work fine on either 200 or 7000) and that may also be involved.

The camera works with all of my lenses except 2, you have to have a CPU lens, or it will only work on manual. The D200 will handle all the lenses at maximum feature level.

Not a big deal, though, the older lenses are also redundant because of the new camera and VR lenses.

The automatic changes in ISO rating are very handy, but can surprise you sometimes.

Requires CPU (i.e. type D) lenses.
Took me a while to figure out how to get D200-like automation.
Doing videos is possible, but low frame rate. But still it's 1080P, which is nice and sharp.
Audio recording is awful, but I mean, this is a camera, not an audio recorder. No idea what it's doing for audio, but it's not so great.
Finally, I still can't figure out how to get Nikon raw images to read, either in my XP or W7 systems.
Still 2/3 size sensor.

Nice step up for Nikon. Requires type D or later lenses. Automation less cranky than D200. Focus sometimes surprises you, keep an eye on it.

Customer Service

Haven't required any.

Similar Products Used:

D200
A variety of iddy-biddy uglydigicams.

Fully gasketed body with magnesium alloy sections for extra durability/strength.
16 megapixel sensor-clean images at high iso.
39 point AF system with 3D tracking-brilliant system. + 6FPS performance.
Nikon 3D colour matrix metering-still the best.
Twin card slots.
Intervalometer built in.
Distortion control for older Nikkor lenses.
Battery good for over 1200 shots per charge!!-unreal.
Well integrated feature set and ergonomic layout.
Image grab from video-in camera capture.
Semi-pro performance for a budget price.
Nikon F mount with AF drive built into body makes it compatible with massive lens catalogue back as far as 1979.
Extensive retouch menu.

Video autofocus not as smooth/silent as it could be.
Really can't fault it otherwise -regardless of how hard I try.

A massive upgrade in image quality,autofocus speed/accuracy and overall durability and usability.
One of the best I've ever used and exceptional image quality for a cropped sensor type camera.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon D90.

I get this camera as first my SLR camera. Picture quality, handling, video and battery life are excellent. Location for buttons and menus are very user friendly. I learn work with it about one week. Get Nikon D7000 and enjoy.

16 MP
ISO range from 100 to 6400 (25,600 on the "H settings)
6 FPS
Built in intervalometer
Greatly improved auto white balance
100% View Finder
Metal frame
Weather and dust seals

Limited number of frames can be shot using interval shooting.

From the moment I heard about this camera's release, I was very excited and immediately began the process of justifying its purchase. Once I was able to drop the $1200 all I could find was the kits and I really didn't want the lens that came with it so I waited. And waited. And waited some more. It took almost 3 months for me to find just the body, and I must admit that it was well worth the wait.

From the get go, I noticed the mirror slap was much quieter than that of my D200 and I found it to be a pleasing sound. Definitely better for stealthier situations. It was also immediately apparent that the body was smaller than the D200 as well, but not so much so that I could feel a big difference while shooting. Another thing that I noticed was that the larger display was crystal clear and a nice upgrade. The general controls on the body were similar enough to the D200 that it didn't take me too long to figure most of them out, but there were a few options that I had to consult the manual to figure out; specifically, changing the flash mode and trying to figure out where the shutter release cable plugged into. The user menu is similar as well so I had little trouble setting up my normal shooting parameters.

I was very pleased to see that the D7000 wasn't nearly the battery hog that the 200 is. I purchased a spare battery and the MBD11 "multi-power" battery pack and got roughly 3,000 frames from the first battery. That's over double what I would get from the D200 and the BP that accompanied it.

There are a few other improvements over the D200 that I have noticed as well. The exposure metering seems more accurate and the AF motor is quieter too. I love the 16 MP images (twice that of my previous body) and despite my initial apprehensions, I even like the dual SDHC card slots though I wish I could still use my collection of CF cards. The auto white balance is HUGELY improved over the D200. I would usually do a custom WB for each lighting situation I would encounter. The D7000 has yet to be taken out of Auto WB mode and the results are more than acceptable.

The noise at higher ISO settings is greatly reduced in comparison. I get more noise shooting with the D200 @ ISO 1600 than I do with the D7000 with the ISO @ 6400. And the fact that I can go to 6400 makes the camera all the better.

Then there's the built in intervalometer which gives the D7000 the ability to automatically shoot one frame per second for up to 999 seconds. This is the feature that I was most excited to use and have used it a few times already. I am a huge fan of time lapse photography and now I have the ability to do TL projects. My only gripe is that the camera's internal software limits us to just 999 frames. That's only 16.25 minutes of shooting when taking one frame per second and when you make your movie (which is normally @ 24 frames per second) that works out to roughly 42 seconds of TL video per session.

Speaking of video, that is another feature that I was very excited over and I am looking forward to using when opportunities arise. I have used the camera in video mode all of once in the past six weeks and I am not completely happy with the results. In all fairness though, I am sure that the issues I have with the videos shot are more from operator error than they are from the camera. I really need to read the section of the manual pertaining to the video capabilities before I say anything unflattering.

As time goes on and I've had a chance to give the camera even more of a work out, I will make any necessary amendments to this review.

Customer Service

Never used.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon D100
Nikon D200

-Noise quality
-Fast autofocus
-Picture quality
-Ergonomics
-Good Battery life
-Dual SD Card slots
-Magnesium alloy and weather proofing in its construction

-over exposes on default
-A little hefty
-Some of the button layout on the front

In a realistic sense, this camera is not a revolutionary model, or the perfect camera, however it's a very well rounded and capable camera. Currently, compared to most other models, this is one of the best cameras available.

That said, the usage of this camera has been very easy and fun, except for a few quirks:
1. I always appreciate the value and functionality of so many buttons on a camera, but the placement of so many buttons on the front facing can be a hassle and annoying sometimes. If my camera strap is around my neck and I have to twist it up to look at the buttons on the front, it slows me down. Granted, I've learned their placement and I have no real complaints about all the buttons except for...
2. The autofocus toggle for focus point selection. It's a button on the front, it could have been an option in the menu, I don't know why it wasn't. Took me forever to figure that out, and I had my camera autofocusing on its own for a week! To further explain, you can choose points in the photo where you want to focus the most, and I couldn't figure out how because I didn't know it was a button placement. I thought it would make more sense as a menu option. Not only that, but sometimes the autofocus does not focus on the right subject, OR it can't make up its mind and goes in and out of focus repeatedly.
3. The camera is a little heavy, but the build quality is really top notch. You don't feel the weight shift or hear creaks as a result of the heaviness. Lenses don't weigh down the front of the camera as much either, so it feels nice and balanced.
4. Movie quality is good, especially through a 50mm lens! However, autofocus is constantly going in an out and searching. You can hear the lens focusing on the built in mic, so I highly recommend using manual focus and/or an external mic. You can use any stereo microphone.
5. The camera overexposes a little, and the default setting is a little soft, so you lose some detail with that combination. Of course you can compensate by adjusting exposure, contrast, and sharpness, depending on your photography needs. I actually like to turn down the sharpness all the way for certain looks, so that's no big deal.
6 A. Large file sizes if you want to do RAW+JPEG will fill up your cards fast on a day of shooting. It's up to you if that's important to save in both formats or not.
6 B. Not a real complaint, but the battery is pricey for an extra one. That is the price you pay to be an early adopter.
6 C. So many menu options to navigate through. Depending on how serious you are about photography, this won't be a problem. If you're more casual, then it'll be annoying and you'll want to put this camera down to use your point and shoot instead.
7. Last but not least of my little knit picking, is the reputation and name this camera has already. This is more of an annoyance than a problem with the camera, but it will lead to a potential problem. I travel to different countries a lot. The fear of having my camera stolen is normal. This camera is so popular with people that I fear more than usual that it'll be stolen. Which is not good, it's not a cheap camera.

Aside from my moans about this camera, I have a lot of compliments about its qualities!
Usability:
-Really meant for a more serious photographer than a casual or beginner. There are many options, and customizable settings. You can find a lot of these options on a lot of other DSLR models though, so this is no extra cause for celebration. However, the execution of this process for a great photo makes a happy photographer.
-Autofocus with speed! It takes fast, accurate, and clear photos on the fly.
-Dual SD card slots so that you don't have to switch if you're full.
-Battery life = nice and long :)
-Using the dial for Single, Continuous, Remote, Timer operation is really nice for a quick selection.
-Ergonomics from the grip to the button layout on the top and back makes it easy for me to just slide my thumb over and select what I need. Slight molding and leather pad for the thumb is comfortable.
-Continuous shots are fast.
-Flash is excellent, flash fill is beautiful when used. Very balanced output.

Picture quality:
I will preach this to the end, you have to have good lenses. This camera's capabilities and potential will be lost otherwise. The quality of my pictures, and positive feedback I get from people is tremendous once I started avoiding kit lenses. Kit lenses are nice and convenient, but if you want real quality photos, get a good lens and then you'll really come out top notch with this camera.
-As warned, this camera will overexpose and soften images on its default setting. Sadly, you'll get some slightly washed out pictures if you're not careful. I even have to tune down the contrast because it can still knock the exposure off. Once you have the settings you want, the photos are top notch.
-Active D-lighting is great on this camera. It will improve detail in dark or high tones when the contrast in your composition is too high. You can choose different levels of compensation.
-Color accuracy and saturation is very good. I haven't seen any distortion or off tones. Even the Auto White Balance is extremely good in fluorescent lighting! This is an amazing achievement.
-Overall photo quality, as to be expected with all Nikon DSLRs is great! It's no surprise, even the entry level models produce fantastic image quality.
-This camera has the best noise quality I have ever seen (within normal conditions).

There is a combination of so many good things that went into my decision to buy this camera. The speed and picture quality alone would be enough for anyone. However, more importantly to me was the body construction. I travel a lot around the world, and unfortunately I am accident prone. That's a terrible combination for any camera owner. Luckily, I've been extra careful and never ruined a camera yet, but I'd like not to take chances. Also the seals on the body provide some decent weather proofing. That puts my mind at ease. Otherwise, I seriously would have purchased the D90 and been happy with it.

While I had some minor issues, the performance and output by this camera has been phenomenal. I highly recommend it to any photo enthusiast with some technical skill and familiarity with DSLRs. Its capabilities will make a more serious photographer out of you. However, I really wouldn't recommend this to a beginner or someone who just wants a DSLR and has no idea what to do with it or use it casually. That's a waste of your money, and you'll get excellent quality out of entry level models. Once again, get a good lens for this camera, and don't waste your time on a kit lens. Your pictures will make that much of a difference. If you do not want to spend the money for this camera, that's very understandable. Get the D90 instead, it's still one of the greatest cameras around. In any case, the Nikon D7000 is absolutely wonderful, and I have been very happy with it.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Nikon D40x
Nikon D60
Nikon D3000
Nikon D5000
Canon Rebel XSI
Sony Alpha
Canon Powershot A590 IS
Sony Cybershot