Pixiq

I've spent the last few days working with a production model of the Nikon D7000 (or the D7K, as I've taken to calling it) and I've been very impressed with both the camera and the resulting images captured by it.

A bit of a background before I delve into this review—I've been working with Nikon cameras for 35 years and have tested ever Nikon and Canon model that have been out in the last nine years.

It's with that history that I say that the Nikon D7000 is one of the best cameras I've used. Sure, other faves of the last few years (the Nikon D3x and D3s, the Canon 1D Mark IV, 1Ds Mark III and 7D—to name a few highlights) have had bigger sensors or faster speeds but the D7000 is a camera that really shows how far digital photography has come.

Compact (but not "teeny"), durable (but not "bulky") and professional (but not "expensive") the D7K has a great feature-set and feel that make it a perfect choice for the advanced enthusiast photographer. Similar to the way that the Canon 7D managed to take all of the company's high-end features and—for the first time—put them in a body that was affordable and portable, the Nikon D7000 has hit the product-specification nail on the head.

Before I go any further I'd like to mention that I've put samples of the D7000 JPEG and RAW images up on the site's store for free download. Add this to your cart and checkout for free to download a ZIP file with JPEG and NEF files, and one .MOV file. We'll be adding additional image samples as we play with the camera more.

Specifications Galore

• 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor
• Magnesium body with rubber grip
• 39-Point AF with 3D AF tracking
• 24fps/HD at 1080
• Real-time autofocus during movie mode
• 6fps Shooting (Continuous in JPEG mode until the card fills.)
• 921,000 pixel LCD screen
• Dual SD card slots
• Virtual Horizon indicator
• Automatic Scene Recognition
• 100% Viewfinder
• Quiet Shooting Mode
• 12-bit or 14-bit NEF

Feeling

For the seasoned D90 shooter this camera will feel very similar, though it feels beefier and more sturdy than the D90 did thanks to the Terminator-like magnesium body. For the Nikon D3/D300 shooter this will feel like a two-door sports car version of the four-dour sedans that are the pro models.

While the camera might feel undersized to someone with very large hands, my average size paws fit perfectly on this camera. That's something that's not the case with bodies like the Canon Rebel and other super-small cameras where my fingers always seem to be on some edge or scraping against some corner.

Dials and buttons are placed in their normal location for a Nikon model, and the bright, clear viewfinder is comfortable to use, although for left-eye dominant shooters like myself the control rocker is a tad bit close to the viewfinder, necessitated by the small size of the body.

In what was one of the few negatives with the camera, the rotating dial for the camera mode selector isn't lockable, though the shooting mode selector below it is. This is something that I previously disliked about Canon cameras (which lack a detent to keep the mode from changing) and now I find it affecting a Nikon model. When you take the D7000 out of your camera bag it's very easy to turn the shooting mode dial. Several times in our tests I lifted the camera to my face and snapped a few pictures before realizing the dial had been turned to manual or a scene mode resulting in the loss of a shot.

Aside from that blemish, the functions and controls  on the D7000 are outstanding though a few things will need some getting used to. Most Nikon shooters are familiar with the autofocus switch system of toggling a lever between C,S and M but the D7000 instead has just an AF and M position. To switch between AF-S and AF-C it's necessary on the D7K to press the center of the switch and turn the rear control dial.

Because different Nikon models have the M, AF-S and AF-C positions in different order, I don't have any issue with the functionality of the D7000—in fact for me it's a bit easier to switch modes with the new system as it can be done without having to look to see which position the rocker switch is on. Some users though have complained about this, and their feeling that removing a simple that can be toggled with a system that requires two hands and a push button is needlessly complex is valid as well.

In a final little complaint (which might be big for the video folks) the Mic-in jack is under the same rubber port as the GPS/shutter release jack, which means that a larger "door" has to be left open for audio recording. As this camera is likely to be a go-to for SLR video I'd have preferred if the Mic jack were solo and were covered by a rubber plug. With the current design a second port is open to the elements when using the Mic port.

(I wish that some day the camera companies would start making plug-in modules for video features in the same way they add the battery-grip or wireless transmitter. I'd love to be able to plug-in a module with XLR inputs and additional HDMI ports. But that's another article.)

Interface

The D7000 functions very much like the D90 and anyone familiar with that camera will feel light at home. I've always been a fan of Nikon's camera UI and the D7000 is no exception. The D7K does clever things like providing a calendar view for browsing images, presents some menu items without jargon "Role played by card in slot 2" is an example of a more direct (though possiblytoo verbose) menu item. Newcomers to dSLRs will be less confused by something like that than "SD Slot 2" or some similar interface element.

Most menu items come with a help screen, which either explain a camera feature or explain the proper use of the settings. Honestly I would love it if every camera had this helpful assistance.

There are countless customization settings as there are on the pro Nikon cameras, in fact it's possible to set the D7000 to mirror the operations of the D3s and D3x almost exactly. (There are some things the D7000 does that the pro cameras do not do as well. For example it's possible to set the camera so that releasing the button triggers the use of the dials, which is not currently possible on the top-end cameras.)

The customization and the depth of controls show that this camera is largely aimed at the serious enthusiast. Yes, the camera can be used fully automatic, but the real power is felt when the camera is put in the hands of a seasoned shooter.

In Use

The D7000 is a speedy little camera. Autofocus is fast, operation is fast and with ISO sensitivity up to 6400 the it's possible to use the D7000 in low light without fear of distracting artifacts.

Possibly the only drawback in low-light operation, in fact, is the LED autofocus assist lamp which is so bright as to wake a sleeping child (I have empirical evidence regarding that). That's because the AF system, while advanced, isn't quite as hip as one of Nikon's top-end cameras. Of course it's about $4000 cheaper than the D3x so that's to be expected. (Of course you can turn off the AF-assist illuminator, which lowers AF sensitivity but keeps you from being kicked out of the theater when illicitly photographing Spider Man: The Musical.

The fact that camera manufacturers are starting to see the value in making the HD Video features more robust and more easily accessible is great to see. The Live View/Video button is much easier to use than other systems and it shows that we're moving to a world where there isn't a difference between a video camera and a still camera.

A friend of mine who is getting a D7000 as a trade-up from a years-old Canon Rebel has been reading all of the blog posts about the camera since its announcement. He has dubbed it the "Jesus Cam" due to the fact that no one can stop talking about it, and everyone seems to have an opinion on it. Just mentioning the D7000 seems to bring out the most rabid of forum participants. The D7000, with the HD video, high ISO and a new more durable body is either the smartest thing that Nikon has ever produced or a camera that disappoints by falling short of some perceived mark.

Some, for example, have decried Nikon's use of the SD card instead of the CF card. Really? Is the CompactFlash card so mighty as to degrade the quality of a camera in its absence? The SD format is in many ways better than CF and in some ways worse than CF. But I'd much rather have the internal camera space taken up now by a CF slot used by something like faster image processing chips.

There has also been a lot of talk on boards about the frame-rate of the video on the D7000 and whether it's cinematic enough. Let me be very clear about this. The Nikon D7000 isn't a movie-studio camera, and quite honestly the camera's not going to rival the Canon 5D Mark II, simply because it doesn't have a full-frame sensor.

The debate about the video quality is fueled partially by the fact that the camera can autofocus while recording video. This is big in a world where Canon 5D Mark II cinematographers spend big bucks on rigs designed to make manual focusing smoother. Give me a D300x with full HD video, configurable frame rate and a full-size sensor and the ability to autofocus while shooting video and that will be the blessed camera. The D7000 is more about creating the occasional video and for that it doesn't matter the frame rate.

The D7000 is clearly not the final word from Nikon on SLR design, but it's evident from some of the choices (AF on Live View, full HD, redesigned record switch, etc.) that some pretty interesting things are going to happen in the pro space. When the D300 updates or is replaced I'm sure that many of the D7000 features will be there in full-frame glory.

In this first hands-on test I coupled the D7000 with the new Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens, a decision I made for two reasons. First, I loathe lenses that have variable f/stops. I'd rather shoot with a 50mm prime at f/2.8 than deal with a lens that changes its maximum aperture on me. But I also wanted to try out the camera with a piece of glass that exceeds that of a normal kit lens. The images (which again, you can see here) have excellent color rendition, sharpness and tone.

I also coupled the D7000 with the Nikon 105mm Macro and the wireless lighting kit—it's a truly great combination for the macro photographer. The dots in this image are actually individual pieces of glitter on a birthday present. This is a combination that would prove deadly for the macro photographer looking to hand-hold images of insects and other things in the natural world.

Final Note

Years ago, when the Canon 5D first shipped, I wrote in my column at Photo District News that that camera was perhaps the best travel camera that had ever been made. The 5D, with the same sensor as the top-of-the-line Canon provided world-class image quality in a size that would easily be mistaken for a consumer (and less theft-worthy) camera.

There simply weren't cameras then that packed this much technology into a package this small. For the professional shooter looking to get a backup or travel camera with the  same level of sensitivity as with a full-frame camera the D7000 is the best option on the platform. For the enthusiast who wants world-class performance from a camera without paying the same entry-level price as one of the full-frame models, the D7000 is the current champ.