Up until recently I had the D300 serving my wildlife photography which was usually coupled to my Ais 500mm f/4P manual focusing lens. At some point I liked and wanted video so added the Nikon D5000 which was quite impressive at the time, but wasn’t exactly what I wanted (D5000 video here). I have since sold both the beaten up D300 and the D5000 in anticipation for a D800 with video to serve as my main body. Well this hasn’t happened yet and from what I hear the D800 will probably be announced in March 2011, so I still have some time yet. In the mean time Nikon announces the D7000 (September 2010) which surprisingly, no one anticipated, meaning no one expected a new
model segment with such a high build quality and specification list! It doesn’t replace the D90 nor the D300 but sits in between the two creating a new line. From what I hear, the D9000 will replace the D90 and the D400 replaces the D300. The D7000 is supposed to be a consumer model but from the specs you would think otherwise!
A nice little and lite camera to carry when traveling or just cruising the streets!
Some of the specs that stand out
• 16.2MP CMOS sensor
• 14-bit A/D converter
• Sensitivity range 100-6400 ISO (boosted to 25.600 ISO)
• AF sensor 39 AF points / 9 cross-type sensors
• TTL metering using 2016-pixel RGB sensor
• 100% viewfinder, 0.94x magnification
• 6 fps max
• 1/8000sec
• Twin SD memory cards
• Built in flash & CLS Commander mode
• Built in screwdriver type AF motor
• Full HD & 24fps (Max duration: 20min)
At first I couldn’t believe my eyes, the specification list was endless and looked more like the specs for a D300 replacement rather than a consumer model. For comparison, the D300 has a 12.3MP sensor, a native sensitivity range of only 200-3200 ISO, no video, the older 1005 pixel metering sensor and less diopter adjustment settings (-2) instead of (-3). Other characteristics seem as if they came straight from the D300, such as the 100% viewfinder with its glass pentaprism and the same 0.94x magnification, the improved 14-bit A/D converter of the D300s, the 6 fps shooting rate, the shutter mechanism and screwdriver AF motor. Let me point out here that implementing a pentaprism adds to the weight and cost of the camera, but offers a brighter viewfinder image. So even though I was in no real hurry for my next purchase, the specs were too good for me to pass, so I bought the very first unit which landed in Greece so I could check out for myself if it was worth being coupled to my D700. Here are my impressions after using it for three weeks.
Even though the tonal gradations out of the D700 are richer, the D7000 still performs well.
Handling
What makes this model so exciting is that it’s a revolutionary model showcasing so many new and improved features. One immediate difference to other small bodied SLR’s like the D90 and D5000 is that once you grab hold of one, you can really feel the metal construction while at the same time appreciate the better ergonomics. Even though the dimensions are nearly identical to that of the D90, with my eyes closed the camera feels a lot like my old D300. Structurally it consists of top and rear magnesium plates which together with the alloy mirror box and reinforced polycarbonate front help to give a tough and rugged camera body. And if you also take into consideration the weather sealing that’s been applied then you get a very serious little camera that is ready to do battle in a semi–pro environment even though Nikon classifies this as a consumer model.
Buttons & dials
The new D7000 has some nice and new implementations when it comes to the user interface worth mentioning. For starters, I finally get direct access to live view and movie modes. The new combo button/switch is a pleasure to use and should have been implemented from the start. I mean getting live view going with the D700 is a real pain. Now all you do is flick the rotating switch to the right and you are instantly in live view mode. From here you can press the center red button to record and press again to stop recording or just flick the rotating switch to the right a second time and you stop recording as the mirror returns for normal viewfinder viewing (this was first implemented in the D3100).
The AF mode and AF point selectors have been removed from the back and are now in a more logical place. The familiar AF/MF selector switch on the front of the camera near the f/mount includes a new button for selecting AF modes and AF points. This is very much like how the pop-up flash button works for flash modes and flash compensation.
The new multi - dial on the top of the camera is also a big jump forward which also had to have been implemented a long time ago. At the base is a ring dial for all the drive modes (S, CL, CH, Quiet mode, Self Timer, Remote, Mirror Lock-up) and the top dial offers Exposure modes (Manual, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Program, Auto, Auto with no flash, Scene modes, User 1 and User2). This much improved double dial will be greatly appreciated especially by more advanced users.
If there was one thing that disappointed me was the lack of my most valued AF-ON button, but then again I would never expect such a feature on a consumer model. But Nikon is out to please everyone, so guess what? I can reassign the AE-L/AF-L button (which I never use) to do exactly that via the Custom Setting Menu!! Man, am I really starting to like this camera!
My first wildlife shot using the new D7000. Found this Cuckoo at Schinias Nature reserve, outside of Athens.
Auto focusing
The Multi-CAM 4800DX focusing system is the new mid range AF system which we will probably see in the D9000 (D90 replacement) as well. Its made up of 39 focus points with the 9 center most points being the cross type. It’s leaps and bounds much better than the D5000 and D90 and not far from the D300 and D700. More precisely, in daylight and with a pro level AFS lens (eg 70-200mm) the D7000 is super fast on static subjects and pretty much focuses at the same speed as the D300/700. Differences are seen in tracking moderate to fast moving subjects and under low lighting conditions where the D7000 comes a close 2nd to the D300/700. Where this camera excels is in focusing on faces in full auto mode and with 3D tracking selected. Overall, the focusing is very capable, even tracking moving subjects at 6 fps, though as mentioned not as good as the semi-pro models. With the D7000 I found that the older screw driven lenses seem to focus at the same pace as with the D300, so I can only assume the D7000 is using the same AF screwdriver motor as the D300.
Quiet mode
The quiet mode has appeared before in Nikon cameras (Nikon F4) and basically relied on slowing down the mirror movement so as to control the impact noise. In the D7000, the mirror box and all moving parts have been designed with an emphasis on quiet operation and Nikon have done a fine job at that. Overall, the D7000 is very quiet, so adding the Quiet mode to such an already quiet camera may seem overkill to some, but low shutter noise can never be low enough when shooting in whisperless environments. Sony has done well in this department with its new range of cameras using the pellicle-type semi-translucent mirror. Hope Nikon will follow soon with a similar model. The shutter has also been carefully designed and is tested to withstand 150,000 cycles, something we have only seen in semi-pro models.
Metering
The new meter with its 2016 pixel sensor is sensitive to both colour and luminance which combined with the higher amount of information detail gathered by the new 2016 RGB sensor means it will be fooled less under tricky lighting conditions such as when shooting bright colours under normal lighting conditions. The benefits of the new system were evident almost immediately after the first few test shots. Images that I was expecting to be underexposed by the familiar Matrix meter were exposed correctly.
The sharpness issue
A lot of inexperienced users are quick to blame lenses and cameras when their results are soft. In most cases they are not soft, but blurred! There are some reports on the net that this camera produces soft images, this is simply not true. For starters there is a difference in shooting requirements between small and large pixel sensors. With large pixel sensors such as in the D700 (1.4 MP/cm²) your shooting technique can be a little sloppy. On the other hand, with small pixel sensors such as the D7000 (4.6 MP/cm²) your shooting technique really needs to be spot on. This topic needs a whole article which I’m not going to do right now, but suffice to say that a long lens on a small pixel sensor needs a lot more than just a steady tripod and remote release – it needs proper technique! Apart from technique, one must remember that such small pixels are more demanding of your lenses as well. You should also take into consideration that the base ISO has dropped, so on average, you will be getting slower shutter speeds for the same shots with your previous cameras.
Most new owners of this camera will probably be getting a lot of blurred results, but this is the result from manufacturers trying to compete in a stupid megapixel war. They produce a DX sensor at 16MP for the average consumer without warning them that they need a very special shooting technique to be able to get sharp images. The tecnique usually requires that you hold your breath during the exposure, slightly press the camera to your face and gently roll your finger over the shutter without stabbing at it! It also helps to fire of 4-5 shots in high speed sequence to insure one or more sharp images!
ADDED 06/12/2010: OK, so when I'm referring to blurry images, I obviously don't mean "blurry" images that are immediately deleted by most folks, but those images that most people regard as sharp or OK when in reality are pretty bad shots that only show their weaknesses (sloppy shooting technique) at high magnification.
Below are two hand held shots which to most people seem pretty much the same, but upon closer inspection, one will notice that the first image is sharp and the second is blurred. The difference is due to shooting technique.
Upon first inspection, both images look good, but once projected to 100%, the differences become apparent.
At 100% the differences in these examples may not be very obvious, but they are there. Good shooting technique (above) versus sloppy technique (below). No sharpening applied in these samples.Sometimes when I'm not careful, my "sloppy" shots are a lot worse than these presented here!
Sensor
The D7000 carries a new Nikon developed 16.2MP CMOS sensor which delivers an ISO range of 100 to 6400 ISO with boosting available all the way to 25,600 ISO. This sensor is coupled to a more powerful EXPEED 2 processor first seen in the D3100 to handle the 16.2MP files plus the full HD 1080p video. The new sensor is designed to improve image quality for JPG’s and video quality while at the same time consuming less power and generating less heat. Video is compressed using the MPEG4 (H.264) codec and the camera can accept an external mic. I should also point out that the base ISO of 100 is another plus for a lot of people, especially landscapers, who want longer shutter speeds and studio photographers who want less trouble with syncing strobes.
Image quality
Both the video and image quality are excellent and betters the D300 by a good margin. One immediate difference to D300 files is the extra shadow detail and better noise reduction performance in JPG’s. As mentioned in the previous section, the only drawback of the new sensor is blurriness during exposure which unfortunately will be very common with such small pixels.
The first image below is how the file came from the camera. This is a typical strong contrast scene. Usually in such a scenario, I would have to underexpose in post and use the Fill light tool to push the shadows a bit even though I would not get much detail. Up until now, this meant I had to then use the Noise reduction tool as well to help combat the noise that this would introduce in the shadows. With the D7000 this is not a problem. The shadows have rich detail with no noise! The second screen grab below has the full extent of fill light applied, and still , there is no noise.
High ISO performance
Let me say from the start that the high ISO performance of this camera is stunning. At first I started comparing it to my old D300 but soon discovered that this new camera is so much better, so I did all my comparisons with the full frame D700. First let me give you a quick run down on overall performance and then I will get more specific with my D700 comparison.
Overall
Image quality all the way up to 800 ISO is excellent. No noise is evident and there is plenty of detail as expected. At 1600 ISO there is a small rise in “grain” structure, noise is still hard to distinguish and there are some tiny red dots showing up in the darkest shadows which most people won’t notice. At 3200 ISO noise is just starting to become more evident when pixel peeping at 100% but to most people will still be a usable ISO. This is the first time we start seeing some real noise which is evident even to the untrained eye, though the file is still very usable and can easily be massaged via a little noise reduction.
Compared
For comparison, let me note here that with my D300, my personal limit was 800 ISO and I only went to 1600 when absolutely necessary (others went higher). Using the same criteria, with the D7000 I will go to 1600 and only go to 3200 if absolutely necessary. This is a huge improvement over the D300, especially when you consider that the D7000 has a base ISO of only 100 and not 200 ISO as with the D300. Some people are saying that it even performs better than the D700! This is not so. Again, for comparison, with my full frame D700, I can happily go to 3200 and if necessary go to 6400 when needed.
Compared with the D700
D700, No noise reduction or sharpening applied, 25600 ISO
D7000, No noise reduction or sharpening applied,, 25600 ISO
D7000 @ 25600 ISO with NR and sharpening applied in Lightroom.
400 to 25600 ISO
In this ISO range, the D700 wins in all comparisons, whether JPG or RAW. The D700 produces sharper, more detail and a more natural looking contrast with an obvious difference in noise levels. The D7000 is very close, but its noise reduction routine is strong and evident, without looking bad on its own. The big plus to the D700 is the tonal gradations, which really pump up the image quality factor. Raw files are no different, with the D700 winning again thanks to the lower noise levels and better tonal gradations.
Nikon D700, 3200 ISO, No Noise Reduction or Sharpening applied.
Nikon D7000, 3200 ISO, No Noise Reduction or Sharpening applied.
200 ISO (Base ISO for D700)
The D700 wins hands down. Better tonal gradations, better contrast and color with no noise. Same for Raw files.
100 ISO (Base ISO for D7000)
Well, the D700 wins again. Those tonal gradations are very evident, especially in portraits. This is what makes those files look so alive. Same applies to RAW files as well.
Overall, the D7000 is an excellent performer. Not winning the D700 at base ISO 100 is not a bad thing, on the contrary, coming so close overall makes it a real winner! Let’s take a closer look at the specs; the D700 offers 1.4MP/cm² and the D7000 4.6MP/cm², so for the little D7000 to come so close is remarkable performance. And let’s not forget that in most of my testing, most people wouldn’t be able to distinguish one print from the other, the differences are that small!
Last words
Even though this is supposed to be a regular consumer model, the D7000 offers many features you'd only find on a semi or full professional camera. You get a 100% viewfinder, high frame rates, rugged build, weather sealing, full manual controls, full HD video, responsive operation, excellent image and video quality, plus heaps more. At the moment, the D7000 is the best camera for the student or serious amateur who needs a camera that can do lots without weighing or costing the same as a pro model. Even pro’s will be attracted to this camera, but a word of caution: Make sure you understand my comments regarding “The sharpness issue”. If you have never heard about it, look into it and find out what proper shooting technique is all about.
Stand out features
• 100% viewfinder
• 14-bit RAW
• 6 fps continuous shooting
• New 39 point auto focus system with improved 3D tracking
• Redesigned and much better control layout
• Very good build quality for its class
• Noticeable metering improvement
• Manual registration for Non-CPU lenses
Disappointments
• Small buffer for shooting RAW at 6fps
• No 60fps video
•
Sumber : http://nikonglass.blogspot.com/
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