Nikon D7000 Info.

[Michael Slade]

I think that this camera will become popular amongst Ex-Po'ers, so I think it might be a good idea to have a repository of thoughts, experiences, tips, tricks, warnings (if any...), etc... in one place.

Regarding the D7000 NEF files, there is a new update to Adobe Lightroom that brings it to v. 3.3.

HERE IS THE LINK FOR LIGHTROOM UPDATE.

There is also an update to Adobe Camera Raw that brings it up to v. 6.3.

HERE IS THE LINK FOR CAMERA RAW UPDATE.

 

[Lost Canadian]

First couple thoughts. The 39 point 3D AF coupled with the new rgb colour metering is pretty slick. If you're shooting a moving object you can spot meter it and as the subject moves through the frame the AF tracks it and contiuously re-spot meters that chosen subject. How smart is that!

I've also set custom banks U1 and U2 up a little different. U1 I set for scenics, so single servo AF, exposure delay which I'll couple with remote mirror lockup, neutral camera settings with -1 contrast dialed in. I also set the Fn button for the virtual horizon and full manual control of shutter and aperture.

The U2 I have set for quick on the fly sports or city style, people shooting. So 3D AF-C, auto ISO with a min shutter release or 1/30 and a max ISO setting of 3200. Aperture priority. Neutral camera settings with -1 contrast dialed in. The Fn button is programed to lock AF only. I'm also trying out the Auto 2 white balance under this bank.

I'll more than likely be tweaking these but so far this is how I've set up this camera.

 

[Michael Slade]

So far I've only shot video...a LOT of it.

I did shoot a couple of .NEF files...enough to know that the Lightroom update won't read the D7000 NEF's. It only brings us up to 3.2

 

[tdesanto]

that camera packs a lot of serious features for such a small and inexpensive package. How rugged does it seem? Keep in mind I'm used to my F5 (aluminum block) and D200 (full magnesium alloy body).

 

[Bullsnake]

Just picked one up today to round out the D3X and D90 bodies-so far it looks like it is going to be a nice little P&S! I hate to say it, but I hadn't shot ANYTHING but DSLR for the last three years, and I can't believe how much better the shutter lag is on the new P&S offerings! I can't wait to see how it does tracking down the kids this weekend-should be a good test...

 

[Michael Slade]

I've owned two F5's in the past and this D7000 ain't no F5. It's closer to your D200, maybe a little narrower on the left side.

Rugged? I'm not sure I'm a good judge there. I am not one to bang stuff around and see how long it will last. It looks like it will be good in the short-term...long term, who knows. I know I felt a little 'cheated' when I read that it was made in Thailand. Also the lack of a round viewfinder eyepiece let's me know that Nikon does not consider this a pro body...

 

[Lost Canadian]

Just picked one up today to round out the D3X and D90 bodies-so far it looks like it is going to be a nice little P&S! I hate to say it, but I hadn't shot ANYTHING but DSLR for the last three years, and I can't believe how much better the shutter lag is on the new P&S offerings! I can't wait to see how it does tracking down the kids this weekend-should be a good test...

Were talking D7000, not P7000. The D7000 is a DSLR.

that camera packs a lot of serious features for such a small and inexpensive package. How rugged does it seem? Keep in mind I'm used to my F5 (aluminum block) and D200 (full magnesium alloy body).

It feels pretty solid, the only plastic appears to be the battery door and the memory card door. The rest looks to be magnesium alloy. It's kinda hard to say really how well built it is though, it's lower weight compared to its bigger pro brethren makes it difficult to assess, it's not as though you're holding a giant hunk of lead. If I had to estimate based on simply holding it in my hand I'd say it's a step below the D700/300/200 range.

So far I've only shot video...a LOT of it.

I did shoot a couple of .NEF files...enough to know that the Lightroom update won't read the D7000 NEF's. It only brings us up to 3.2

I haven't tried to download anything yet. One thing I'm not over the top with is the autofocus performance during video. It's not quite there yet, the in and out hunt is distracting when it loses track of the subject. And if you are using it you really need to use lenses with a built in silent motor, the noise of standard AF lenses is really magnified during recording when the focus adjusts.

 

[Lost Canadian]

This is in the manual, anyone know what it means as far as commercial use of video from this camera goes?

This product is licensed under the AVC patent portfolio license for the personal and non-commercial use of a consumer to (i) encode video in compliance with the AVC standard and/or (ii) decode AVC video that was encoded by a consumer engaged in a personal and non-commercial activity and/or was obtained from a video provider licensed to provide AVC video. No license is granted or shal be implied for any other use. Additional information be obtained from MPEG LA L.L.C.

 

[Michael Slade]

I think it is ridiculous for Nikon to think that people won't use these cameras to make commercial video recordings. That is the exact market it's marketed towards.

 

[Lost Canadian]

So I did some digging and I guess this is pretty common thing. So much so that back in May Engadget and OSNews went to the MPEG-LA and asked them, “Hey, are you gonna ask people for money or make them pick up licenses for commercial use?” and the MPEG-LA said, “Nah, it's cool for now.”

Here's a link to the story.

Apparently the Canon 5D and 7D also have this warning, and there's lots of commercial work out there done with those so I guess there's nothing to worry about. I think this is just a fancy legal way to say the code isn't opensource.

 

[Lost Canadian]

Spent some time today playing with the video. Here's just a quick sample of my dog for you guys to peruse. This was shot with a 50mm 1.8 at f1.8. I was trying out the videos AF here. As I mentioned before, if you are using AF lenses and not AF-S, the sound of the lens focusing is really magnified while using the videos AF. You'll hear it here. Manual focusing is of course silent.

Click Photo to watch the video.

 

[Lost Canadian]

Here are a couple samples for anyone interested in knowing how well this camera does at very high ISO's in a real world scenario and not in a lab. This is as tough of a test as you'll find, shot outside when it was completely dark with the only light coming from my kitchen window. The picture is brighter then it actually was outside. Also, focus is off a smidge but you get the idea. One more thing to keep in mind is that this is straight from the camera with no noise reduction applied. I have not touched these shots.

This first shot was taken at ISO 3200, which I think is the upper limit for this camera. You can get away with 6400 in better light but in the dark it's a bit too noisy for my liking.

This shot was just for fun. ISO 25600. Don't ask me why but this actually bests the results of my D700 at this high of ISO, but when you drop down a few stops the D700 still betters the D7000 in the 800-12800 range,... but it's not tons better which shocks me. Pretty amazing for a cropped sensor camera.

 

[Michael Slade]

I'm glad you're testing and posting shots to look at. I have gone straight into production with it. No time for testing! Of course that has it's pluses....and minuses...

The dog shot in the cold with the steam is sweet. I am surprised that the lens makes that much noise. I wonder how my little Sennheiser external mic would do with that lens. It has rubber isolators to try to keep it from hearing that stuff. So far all of my video is all manual focus.

I think you will end up with a fluid head sooner rather than later. Just give in and accept it!

 

[Ryanmb21]

Great info here, thanks for posting. I was very curious about the quality of the video and the high iso shots as well. Both look very impressive, for me this camera is very interesting because I don't have an FX camera. The results on the web look very promising.

 

[Lost Canadian]

First big issue. My third party lenses won't autofocus. I put on my Sigma 150mm macro this morning and nothing. Tried my Tamron 24-135MM, nothing. My Nikon lenses work just fine. I dug around a bit and I see there are a few reports of this problem starting to show up. Not good.