Product Description

Meet the new Nikon D7000, a camera ready to go wherever yourphotography or cinematography takes you. Experience stunning imageswith sharp resolution and smooth tonal gradation, thanks to the 16megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor and a powerful EXPEED 2 imageprocessing engine. Take advantage of its wide ISO range of 100 to 6400(expandable to 25,600) and its incredibly low levels of noise. Expectyour images tack-sharp and accurately exposed, thanks to the camera’s39-point AF and Scene Recognition System using a 2,016-pixel RGB matrixmetering sensor. And with an approx. 0.052-second release time lag andapprox. 6 frames-per-second shooting, you won’t miss a moment.

You’ll see exactly what you’re capturing with the approx. 100%frame coverage viewfinder, and for those who want to shoot both stillsand movies, the D7000′s D-Movie capabilities now include Full HD 1080pcapture with full-time autofocus and manual exposure. All of thisadvanced imaging technology is kept safe beneath the magnesium alloycovering the top and rear chassis of a compact body, whose sealing hasbeen severely tested against moisture and dust. The D7000 is ready toshoot indoors and out, and at 150,000 cycles tested, the camera’sdurable shutter unit helps you keep shooting. Combine all this with theunmatched NIKKOR lens lineup and Creative Lighting System and you haveeverything you need to explore your imagination to its fullest. Wherecan creative freedom like this take you? Find out, with the D7000.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #463 in Camera & Photo
• Color: Black
• Brand: Nikon
• Model: D7000 18-105mm Kit
• Released on: 2010-11-15
• Display size: 3
• Included Software: ViewNX 2

Features

• High Resolution 16.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor
• High Speed 6 frames per second continuous shooting up to 100 shots
• Breathtaking Full 1080p HD Movies with Full Time Autofocus
• Dynamic ISO range from 100 to 6400
• Ground-breaking 2,016-pixel RGB (3D Color Matrix) exposure sensor

From the Manufacturer
Meet the new Nikon D7000, a camera ready to go wherever yourphotography or cinematography takes you. Experience stunning imageswith sharp resolution and smooth tonal gradation, thanks to the16-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor and a powerful EXPEED 2 imageprocessing engine. Take advantage of its wide ISO range of 100 to 6400(expandable to 25,600) and its incredibly low levels of noise. Expectyour images tack-sharp and accurately exposed, thanks to the camera’s39-point AF and Scene Recognition System using a 2,016-pixel RGB matrixmetering sensor. And with an approx.  0.052-second release time lag andapprox. 6 frames-per-second shooting, you won’t miss a moment.
 
You’ll see exactly what you’re capturing with the approx. 100% framecoverage viewfinder, and for those who want to shoot both stills andmovies, the D7000’s D-Movie capabilities now include Full HD 1080pcapture with full-time autofocus and manual exposure. All of thisadvanced imaging technology is kept safe beneath the magnesium alloycovering the top and rear chassis of a compact body, whose sealing hasbeen severely tested against moisture and dust. The D7000 is ready toshoot indoors and out, and at 150,000 cycles tested, the camera’sdurable shutter unit helps you keep shooting. Combine all this with theunmatched NIKKOR lens lineup and Creative Lighting System and you haveeverything you need to explore your imagination to its fullest. Wherecan creative freedom like this take you? Find out, with the D7000.

D7000 Highlights

Stunning image details: 16.2 effective megapixels
Whether you want to make large prints or crop tightly in an image, theD7000 delivers the resolution you need. At its heart is a DX-formatCMOS image sensor with 16.2 effective megapixels, optimally engineeredto gather more quality light through sharp NIKKOR lenses.  Coupled with14-bit A/D conversion (12-bit selectable), the D7000 produces stunningimages that are richer in tone and detail than previously possible inDX format. The A/D conversion happens within the sensor, therebymaintaining exceptional image integrity without sacrificing shootingspeed or energy efficiency. Combine these with the agile DX format andits signature 1.5x focal length telephoto potential and you can beginto see where this kind of shooting power can take you.

Improved image quality and speed: EXPEED 2 image processing engine
Sometimes you want to capture the subtle tones of a sunset. Other timesyou want to freeze the action. The D7000 delivers both, thanks to thenewest generation of image processing engine, EXPEED 2, which performsmultiple tasks with more speed and power. Expect smoother tonalgradations, even in difficult shadows and highlights, for a greatersense of depth in your images. Shoot continuously at 6 frames persecond so you can capture the action you’ve been missing. Focusingperformance such as face recognition in Live View mode is also furtherimproved, letting you concentrate on your composition.

Standard ISO 100 to 6400, expandable to ISO 25600 equivalent
With improved pixel quality of the image sensor comes a wider ISO rangefrom the DX-format — ISO 100 to 6400 has now become standard with theD7000, enabling you to handle a wider range of lighting situations:from the bright and sunny outdoors to low-lit evenings and interiors.Nikon’s renowned noise reduction technology has been upgraded evenfurther. Throughout the range, the D7000 delivers sharp images withminimized color noise. And thanks to the higher processing speed, evenwhen High ISO noise reduction is activated, you can keep shootingcontinuously without stress. Quality high-ISO performance can alsoenhance a lot for movie shooting, allowing you to capture the mood of ascene using only available light.

Capture Full HD 1080p D-Movie with full-time autofocus and manual exposure
The D7000 welcomes in a new era of movie capture: Full HD 1080p andmovie editing functions for exceptional cinematic reproduction andquality. In addition to smooth-moving images, the camera can compensatefor distortion and other image-degrading problems. Besides autoexposure mode, the D7000 offers manual exposure mode, which locks inthe exposure value when shooting scenes with varying contrast levels,such as when panning from a bright window to a dark interior. Asidefrom a built-in monaural microphone, the D7000 incorporates an externalmicrophone jack for high-quality stereo sound recording options.

Improved quality in highlight and shadow: Active D-Lighting

Nikon’s exclusive Active D-Lighting offers the ability to preservedetails in the highlights and shadowy areas of images shot inhigh-contrast scenes.

Whether you’re dealing with bright skies and a dark foreground or deepshadows where you can’t use a flash, the EXPEED 2 image processingengine renders those scenes with smoother tones — even at its highestsettings. Simply select Auto in Active D-Lighting mode and the cameracan adjust to the scene’s contrast levels or bracket them into threeframes of varying strength levels. Even when Active D-Lighting isactivated, you can still maintain the continuous shooting rate.
 
Now even more precise: The Scene Recognition System
The D7000 incorporates a built-in exposure-metering sensor with a farlarger pixel count than any other D-SLR camera before it. The2,016-pixel RGB sensor reads the scene’s brightness and colors moreaccurately, and then applies this reading to optimize not onlyexposure, but also autofocus, white balance and i-TTL flashcalculations — all in mere milliseconds prior to the actual exposure.With more pixels, the D7000 can recognize even smaller subjects — bothmoving and stationary. The newly improved Scene Recognition Systemdelivers better photographs in every way.

Wide-area coverage, powerful 39-point AF
The D7000’s strategically positioned 39 AF points cover a significantlywide area of the frame, giving you flexible compositionalpossibilities. The nine AF points in the center utilize powerfulcross-type sensors — especially useful when you need tack-sharp focussuch as with portraits and macro work. And unlike other manufacturers’systems, the D7000’s nine cross-type sensors work with all AF NIKKORlenses f/5.6 or faster. The D7000 offers a variety of AF area modes,including dynamic-area AF using 9, 21, 39 points. Switch between thethree, depending on the predictability of your subjects’ movement, andthe selected AF point and surrounding points will track your intendedsubject automatically.

There is also 3D tracking, whichcontinuously follows moving subjects within the 39 AF points,indicating the activated AF point in the viewfinder. Utilizing Nikon’sScene Recognition System, Auto-area AF properly judges the main subjectwithin 39 AF points and focuses on it. Therefore, no matter what thesituation or composition calls for, the D7000’s autofocus system willbe ready to meet your focus needs.

39-point AF & 2,016-pixel RGB sensor
Stay focused on what matters most.

Sophisticated AE with highlight analysis
After the incredibly accurate 2016-pixel RGB sensor reads a scene’slighting information such as brightness and colors, the D7000cross-references what it sees with imaging data from 30,000 real-worldshooting situations. This way, the renowned 3D Color Matrix Metering IIdelivers exposure results that are faithful to how you see light andshadow interplay, even in difficult lighting situations. Thisintelligent metering technique also delivers exceptionally accuratei-TTL flash exposures, and it all happens within milliseconds for bothspeed and precision.

Informed auto white balance (AWB)
Based on its massive collection of shooting data compiled from variouslight sources, the D7000’s intelligent AWB algorithm renders white astruly white — even when shot under a wide range of light sources,including the difficult mercury vapor lighting. The D7000 also carriesanother AWB mode that maintains incandescent warmth in your images.

Contrast AF for live view and D-Movie
Live View and D-Movie users can rejoice, because with the D7000,face-priority AF is now faster and more powerful than ever. Up to 35people can be. For moving subjects such as pets, subject-tracking AFkeeps them in focus. Normal-area AF is recommended for pinpoint focusand wide-area AF for handheld shooting. All are effective both for LiveView shooting and movie recording.

6 Frames Per Second Shooting up to 100 Images

Say farewell to missed opportunities. The D7000 incorporates a newdriving mechanism to conduct its remarkably fast and precise mirrormovements, giving you an approx. 0.052 second release time lag and anapprox. 0.13 second start-up time. What’s more, you can continuouslyshoot at approx. 6 frames per second at both 14-bit and 12-bit A/Dconversion for RAW shooting.

Rugged and protected: compact magnesium alloy body and sealing against dust and moisture With a top and rear cover of durable magnesium alloy, the D7000 isready for the outdoors. Nikon engineers paid meticulous attention towhere exterior parts join by employing durable sealing against moistureand dust. The compact body has also undergone severe environmentaltests to prove its rugged reliability.

Approx. 100% frame coverage viewfinder With approximately 100% frame coverage in the viewfinder, what you seeis what you exactly capture. The specially coated glass pentagonalprism and precision-crafted finder screen offer not only a brightviewfinder image, but also enable you to easily confirm when a subjectis in focus.

Precision and durability: 150,000 cycles tested shutter unit The D7000 has a shutter speed range of 1/8000 to 30 seconds, with a topflash synchronization speed of 1/250 second. And just like withprofessional models, the shutter unit is tested for 150,000 cycles insevere conditions, proving precision and durability.

Intuitive operation: strategically located dials, buttons and switches Each and every control on the D7000 has been strategically placed forstreamlined operation. The exposure mode dial and release mode dial arestacked on the same axis for easier access. Two new user settings canbe assigned to the exposure mode dial. The release mode dial now offersa quiet shutter release mode for near-silent operation and one-touchLive View and movie recording are now possible, thanks to a newlydesigned switch and button structure.

921k-dots, 170-degree viewing angle, 3-inch LCD monitor The D7000 features an expansive 3-inch VGA LCD monitor with reinforcedglass. Its approx. 921k-dot resolution assures clear, detailed displayof images, which proves invaluable when confirming focus or assessingimage sharpness. The wide 170° viewing angle and bright display make iteasy to review images or confirm menu settings when shooting outdoors. Electronic Virtual Horizon Especially useful for landscape shooting, the virtual horizon indicatedin the LCD lets you know when the camera is level. The virtual horizoncan also be displayed during Live View shooting. Twin SD card slots (cards not included) Two memory card slots offer a number of advantages: sequentialrecording; recording the same images simultaneously on two cards;recording RAW and JPEG separately onto two different cards; andduplicating images from one card to another. It’s also possible todesignate a specific card with more memory for use at the time of movierecording.

Intelligent power management
After carefully scrutinizing every aspect of the camera’s circuitry,Nikon engineers have designed the D7000 for maximum performance withminimized power usage. With the newly designed Rechargeable Li-ionBattery EN-EL15, 1,050 frames* can be taken on a single charge.
*With EN-EL15, based on CIPA standards.

Nikon Creative Lighting System The D7000 has a built-in pop-up flash that covers a 16mm lensperspective without vignetting. The flash is fully compatible with theNikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) and delivers well-balanced flashexposures thanks to the innovative i-TTL flash control. The built-inflash also offers Commander mode to trigger remote flash units whenusing Advanced Wireless Lighting. The dual advantages for i-TTLtechnology and wireless capability make sophisticated remote flashcontrol simple and inspiring. One simple remote flash from the sideusing the SB-900, SB-700 or SB-600 creates more texture, dimension andmood in ways that available light cannot. For more sophisticatedcreative effects, the small and intelligent SB-700 has been designed tomake the control of remote multiple flashes even easier.

Picture Control: Portrait
You can transform the look of an image simply by selecting from thecamera’s Picture Control menu. Choose from the following settings:Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Landscape, and Portrait. You caneven adjust parameters such as sharpness and saturation and then savethem as Custom Picture Controls.

Optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D11
The dedicated battery pack MB-D11 ensures longer battery power. You canexpect more than 2,010 shots*. The MB-D11 is equipped with a shutterrelease button, command dials and a multi-selector useful for verticalcomposition shooting. It also provides better camera balance when along telephoto lens is used.
*With two EN-EL15 (one in camera and one in MB-D11), based on CIPA standards

ViewNX 2 — Your imaging toolbox
Browse and organize images easily and efficiently with ViewNX 2. Thisbundled, all-in-one software helps you view, edit, store, and shareboth photos and movies. Attach labels to your images for simplersearching and browsing, or choose from an array of editing functionssuch as resize, crop, rotate, straighten and auto red-eye correction.You can even delete scenes from movies taken with your D7000. ViewNX 2also works effortlessly with Nikon’s photo-sharing website, myPicturetown, making uploading and viewing your images more enjoyablethan ever.

Customer Reviews

Great Camera — A perspective from a D300/700 Owner
This is very simple, if you are a Nikon shooter looking for a new camera then stop reading and buy this camera. It’s that good.
Handling

This camera is brilliant to hold and use. Nikon has done it againand has made the user interface more usable and streamlined. What tochange flash modes. Press the flash pop-up button and rotate thecontrol wheel. Sweet. Want to change create and use a User definedmode? There are two. Set your mode up. Go to the menu and save it. Touse it rotate the shooting mode dial to U1 or U2. Presto you are there.In the D300 and D700 you to have to setup things in the menu and switchin the menu. Also, there were 2 sets of things you could change andthey were not all inclusive. It was all horribly confusing and I neverused it. Speaking of shooting modes. There is now one position on theshooting mode dial for scene mode shooting. You change through thedifferent scene modes with the control wheel and the type scene showsup on the back screen. Sweet. I can go on and on but needless to sayNikon have really improved their interface. One caveat, I don’t thinkit is quite up to par with the GH1 to change exposure compensation (IMOthe most important control) but still a huge step in the correctdirection in handling. I like the handling of the D7000 better thaneither the D700/300.

Low Light Shooting

The D300 wasn’t that great for Hi ISO. It shoots clean at 400 ISOand usable up to 1600. (The D90 and D300s were better) The D700 wasfantastic. Clean at 1600 ISO and usable up to 6400. It opened up newworlds. The D7000 is close to the equal of the D700. Enough said. Justto give you an example. The bouquet toss at a reception is often donein poor light. By using 1600 instead of 400 you get the equivalent of 4times more light. At ISO400 you flash may need to use 1/4 power and youcan get 1 maybe 2 shots of the toss and catch before the flash needs torecharge. At ISO1600 your flash would only need to use 1/16th power andnow you can get 5-6 shots. This is huge.

Picture Quality

Like all modern DSLRs it takes great pictures. I don’t pixel peepso I can’t really say that I notice a difference between the picturesfrom the D7000 and any of my 12mp cameras. It makes really nicepictures and that is all I care about.

Useful Photography Features (Not Marketing Features)

–100% view finder! Big bright with 100% coverage. No more guessingof your framing. (It is not as bright as the D700. However, it is 100%vice 95%)
–2 SD slots – When your getting paid to shoot a wedding or anygig, my card broke is not an excuse. Very useful feature. For the homeuser put two smaller cards rather than one big card and save somemoney.
–Smaller and lighter than D300, D700, D3s, D3x- When you standon your feet for 9 hours shooting the wedding and reception, you startto feel every ounce you are carrying. Often you will be carrying twobodies with a fast tele zoom and fast wide zoom. That starts to getheavy. Light weight here we come.
–2016-Segment RGB Meter- for spot on exposure and white balance–No one touches Nikon on this and this one is fantastic.
–1/8000th — Very useful for shooting into the sun wide open with a bright lens
–1/250 — Could be better (1/500th for D40) but could be much worse. Auto FP helps.
–Magnesium body and better sealing — Shoot in dusty environments without messing up the inside your camera.
–Uses the ML-L3 infra red remote — Small and cheap. IR sensor on the front and back of the camera.
–Autofocus focus motor for non-AF-S lenses

Marketing Features that will sometimes be Useful

–16Mp — Nikon was obviously getting creamed in the marketing warson this. This is going to lead to bigger files requiring larger harddrives and faster computers. Occasionally it will be useful if youcan’t frame as close as you would like and you need to crop or you needto print big. Alien Skin Blow Up 2, Image Resizing Plug-in Software forPhotoshop, Macintosh & Windows and Genuine Fractals 6 ProfessionalEdition 1-user Full are two very nice programs that can increase thesize of your photos for printing large. 16 MP is nice by not necessary.
–39 Point Auto Focus — To me in some ways this is better thanthe 51 point of the D300 and D700 as that gets too unwieldy. However,you really don’t even need 39. However, still useful on occasion.
–6 frames per second– I very rarely ever put my camera in 3frames per second. When I do so it fills the card quickly. If you areshooting the big game then 6 is nice. Or it is nice for some coolspecial effects shots. Other than that you won’t really find yourselfusing it that much.

Video
The other thing I am not really going to dwell on is the videocapabilities. In my opinion all the various video options are mostlymarketing hype really targeted at a niche market. Shallow depth offield video is difficult and time consuming to shoot and edit properly.The average family home user has neither the time nor inclination to dothis. With that said, it is nice to only have to carry one device totake still pictures and video. So I do enjoy that feature, however 1080is not really necessary. In fact with up converting DVD playersstandard def is still very usable and takes up far less space. Sufficeit to say that the video capabilities are very good and should doanything a home user would need it to do. Can be used for pro Videos asdemonstrated by Chase Jarvis.

Intangibles

This is a very nice camera and it feels very solid in your hands.It feels far more substantial than the D40/D90 without feeling like abrick the way the D300/D700 do. I am sure the D300 has more marketingfeatures than the D7000 but I would have to research them to figure outwhat they are. As for the lens, I am not really that hot on this lens.It will do fine but the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR IITelephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon DX-Format Digital SLR Cameras is far moreuseful. Also, you can buy the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VRNikkor Zoom Lens and Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR[Vibration Reduction] Zoom Nikkor Lens for about the same price as thedifference between this and the body only.

Conclusion

In the end it all comes down to what is important to you. Smallerweight and size is becoming much more important to me and this camerais a very good trade off of features for size and weight. Anything thatis missing I don’t even use so I am not sure what it may be. My D700was recently stolen and while I miss it, the D7000 is a worthyreplacement for it. I opted to get the D7000 and Panasonic GH2 and savethe $300 difference for a lens.

Pros

–100% view finder!
–6 fps (7D is 8. However, I think this number is overhyped in mostcases. Even shooting at 3 FPS will fill up you card with photos thatlook remarkably similar) 8+ is needed for professionals shootingprofessional sports. Not enthusiast shooting High School etc.
–16mp sensor (a marketing increase but still nice to allow some room for cropping)
–14 bit photos
–39 point auto focus sensors (19 cross point) this is a bit of amarketing thing but it is still nice and it does not matter about the51 on D300s and above. Still very nice.
–2016 scene meter – compares against data base for WB setting and color settings
–Excellent battery life
–MD-11 Optional Battery Grip
–2 SD card slots for back up redundancy or double the card space! Outstanding
–Magnesium used to make camera stronger

Cons
–16mp senor (takes up more storage on your hard drive) (12mp JPG3mb 12 mp RAW = 12 mb 16mp JPEG = 5 mb 16 mp RAW = 16 mb. This is for12 bit. 14 bit would require more)
–Camera heavier than it used to be
–No swivel screen – after using the GH1 extensively you reallymiss this when shooting at weird angles. You especially miss it formacro photography.
–No full time live view – Ditto from above. Live view is whatyou see is what you get. Forgot to change white balance– you will seethat when people are yellow, blue or green. Have it set in manual andblowing everything out– you’ll see that as a white screen.

Decision Matrix

Nikon
For the Nikon shooter this is a no brainer. If you are in themarket for a camera, then skip the D300s. The D700 is getting long inthe tooth and many people are buying the D7000 while waiting for D800.If you already own a D700 then this camera is a very good complement toit. Use the money you saved over the more expensive camera to buy anice lens.

Here is a breakdown vs other Nikon DSLRs

D3100– Two completely different classes with the D7000 being worththe difference in many. However at the end of the day they will bothmake nice pictures. Also, the lenses are more important than thecamera. You can get the D3100 and 18-200mm for the same price.Something to think about.
D5000– Good sensor and nice camera. D3100 comments also apply here.
D90–Tough choice. The best DX sensor of its generation and stillbetter than most. If you can’t quite stretch to the D7000, this is avery tempting proposition.
D300S– Irrelevant. The D7000 has a much better sensor, is smaller, lighter, cheaper, and better metering.
Nikon D700– Would be a good complement to the D7000. Use D7000when you need the 1.5x crop on the long end and a deeper depth of fielddue to the smaller chip (about 1 stop deeper) and D700 for when youwant to isolate a subject with a shallow depth of field or you want touse the full width of a wide angle such as the 14-24mm. If you don’tneed the shallower depth of field of a FX sensor and you have thelenses to cover the 1.5x crop then the D7000 should suit just fine. D3sand D3x — Different leagues altogether. However, the D7000 is 90% ofthe camera for 1/4 to 1/6th the money.

Canon

The 7D is an outstanding camera and while I think the D7000 is abetter camera (better sensor, 2 SD card slots, 2016 RGB metering,Price) it is not that much better to warrant switching if you arealready invested in lenses.

Sony

The Sony SLT-A55 is a great camera but not in the league of theD7000. However it is $350 less and does have so unique properties. Itis rumored to have the same sensor as the D7000 but Nikon always doestheir magic and makes it better (D3x vs A900). The translucent mirrorallows for fast shooting but loses 1/3 a stop of light. Still a verynice camera.

Non-DSLR Owner or DSLR owner with just the Kit Lens

When you are buying a DSLR, you are really buying into the lenssystem. So factor that into you decision making matrix. For thatreason, if you have not spent a fortune on lenses yet then I recommendthe m4/3 as in my opinion that is the future. The sensor of the topm4/3(GH2) is every bit as good if not better than the current crop ofDX sensors and almost as good as the D7000. It is getting to the point,the sensor doesn’t matter as much. At this point handling, size andweight start to become more important.

With this in mind I would recommend the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH216.05 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-inch Free-AngleTouch Screen LCD and 14-42mm Hybrid Lens (Black) to anyone not investedin a lens system. It is smaller, lighter, more capable on the videoside and in many ways better on the stills side. It needs a fasterflash sync speed, faster shutter speed and the construction is not upto Nikon or Canon standards (In all fairness this cuts down on weightand I have not had a failure with my GH1.) It is probably not quite asgood at the high ISO. On the positive side it has a multi-aspect sensoras it is actually an 18mp sensor (16:9, 2:3, and 4:3 will all be 16mpnot crops of one aspect ratio) It sells for $899 body only, $999 withthe 14-42mm and $1499 with the fantastic 14-140mm 10x zoom. The lack ofa mirror flipping up is a benefit in all cases. Also, you can use justabout any lens ever made on this camera. Nikon, Leica, Canon, Pentax, CLenses. You lose auto focus on any auto focus lenses and there is noaccurate way to adjust your aperture on G series lenses. While the GH1sensor was by far the best M4/3 sensor and equaled most DX sensors ofits generation, it did not quite stand up to the D90 sensor. I expectthe D7000 to have a higher Dynamic Range and be an overall bettersensor. However, that difference will not be noticeable to the layusers. What you get is a noticeably smaller and lighter camera that outhandles any DSLR on the market and has the best video capabilities. Inmy opinion the GH2 will be the best all-around camera of itsgeneration. The GH1 is the camera I reach for 90% of the time when Ishoot for pleasure. When Panasonic puts out a full Pro line of lenses,I will use it more in the Pro situations. I am sure the GH2 will be mynew go to camera.

Incredible NIkon, Worth the Wait
I won’t go in to lots of words, but I will tell you I have used anumber of DSLR cameras (Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D50, D70, D70s, D80, D90,and now the D7000 as well as Canon 20D, 30D, 40D, 500D and 550D) andthe Nikon D7000 may be one of the finest DX cameras I have ever used.In the past 24 hours I have logged 250 pictures and and I am impressedwith the quality of the picture, and the ease of use with the camera.You might be tempted to think it’s just a glorified D90, but you wouldwrong. It’s better than the D90, and from what I am reading, betterthan the D300s which is more money. The camera feels good in the hands,has a solid feel, is weatherproof, and overall speaks professionalphotographer. For $1,500 in a kit, it is money well spent.

I waited for the D7000 over any other DSLR for one reason:Auto-Focus in video mode. It was worth the wait. I had almost droppedthe $1,400 on the Canon 60D but hesitated because the 60D was dumbeddown in many ways by Canon so as to not impede on 7D sales. Nikon wentall out and demolished the need for the D300s, while making a DSLRworth having. The video mode allows you to run auto-focus whileshooting, which no other DSLR has done to this point. Additionally, youcan now shoot 1080p in 24 frames (23.97 actually) per second, which iscinema quality. Also, you can shoot up to 20 minutes of video in oneshoot, versus only 12 minutes for the Canon 60D, T2i, and T1i. You maythink you are buying the D7000 for photography only, but wait until yousee what you can do with video. Being able to do DOF shooting makes theDSLR video even more valuable, allowing you to do things you would haveto spend thousands on in a professional camera.

The D7000 may very well be Nikon’s best DSLR in quite some time. I have used many, but this has quickly become my favorite.

Superior to the D90 AND D300s, fantastic camera
I currently have a D5000 (and believe me, I wouldn’t change it forthe world as a relatively light, simple dSLR) but I wanted a full bodyDX and the D7000 was well worth the wait. It is aimed as an in-betweenD90 and D300s; however, it outshines them both.

Pros:
1) Saves and Recalls full sets of camera settings with new U1 and U2 positions on the dial.
2) It has 2 card slots, so you can save your pictures on both cards at the same time, creating an automatic backup.
3) New 2,016 segment RGB meter (yes, a full color RGB meter unlike Canon’s black and white)
4) Magnesium alloy body makes it tough
5) It has an autofocus meter so it works and autofocuses all lenses (unlike my D5000 which only autofocuses with AS lenses)
6) The built-in flash can be used as a remote commander for external flash units
Great processor; well placed, intuitive controls; amazing range of shutter speeds (from 30 secs to 1/8000 sec)

Although it also comes bundled with an 18-105mm lens, you can buy the body only and use it with the phenomenal VR 55-200 lens.