Nikon D7000 DSLR Camera – Heavy Duty Brings Full HD Video
Nikon’s closest competitor to Canon’s 60D and Olympus’ E-5 comes in the shape of this moisture- and dust-sealed 16.2-megapixel behemoth with an equally hefty £1,100 price tag, or £1,300 if opting for the body plus all-encompassing 18-105mm zoom with Vibration Reduction. It’s heavy when gripped, so we would have appreciated a slightly wider and finger-moulded handgrip.
The D7000 has two slots for SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, so you’re unlikely to run out of storage. Its basic light sensitivity range of IS0100-6400 is manually expandable to a see-in-the-dark IS025600. The rear Bin, 920k-dot resolution LCD is fixed, while the optical viewfinder above is large and clear with a 100 per cent field of view. There’s a Live View mode and a dedicated ‘LV’ button, encircling a red record button for fast filming of video clips-the first time Full HD capacity has appeared on one of Nikon’s enthusiast models. Like the DB100, the format is MPEG-4 and the frame rate is 24fps, with HDMI output hidden under a side flap.
Shooting video requires first switching to Live View mode and then pressing the red record button – so, though you have a brief wait while the mirror adjusts before you can begin shooting, it’s a fairly smooth process. Black bands crop the screen to ape a 16:9 aspect ratio.
For still photos, a chunky shooting mode dial provides access to auto shooting mode, scene modes, a couple of user-customisable settings, and program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual. So Nikon hasn’t over-laden the D7000 with pre-optimised settings. This dial is, in turn, encircled by a second one that features the drive modes; it remains ‘locked off’once a selection is made, so all the essentials fall within finger or thumb reach. There’s nothing fiddly about the D7000.
The D7000 in playback mode is impressive. There’s a comprehensive array of retouching options, including fun digital effects filters, so you can, for example, add warmth to an image in-camera. This is useful because on dull days results can look a little muddy and flat. To nitpick, they could perhaps do with being a little sharper, while the camera tends to overexpose highlight detail. We have to admit to searching for holes, however, as in general the camera is very much on the money.
Specification
Nikon’s closest competitor to Canon’s 60D and Olympus’ E-5 comes in the shape of this moisture- and dust-sealed 16.2-megapixel behemoth with an equally hefty £1,100 price tag, or £1,300 if opting for the body plus all-encompassing 18-105mm zoom with Vibration Reduction. It’s heavy when gripped, so we would have appreciated a slightly wider and finger-moulded handgrip.
The D7000 has two slots for SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, so you’re unlikely to run out of storage. Its basic light sensitivity range of IS0100-6400 is manually expandable to a see-in-the-dark IS025600. The rear Bin, 920k-dot resolution LCD is fixed, while the optical viewfinder above is large and clear with a 100 per cent field of view. There’s a Live View mode and a dedicated ‘LV’ button, encircling a red record button for fast filming of video clips-the first time Full HD capacity has appeared on one of Nikon’s enthusiast models. Like the DB100, the format is MPEG-4 and the frame rate is 24fps, with HDMI output hidden under a side flap.
Shooting video requires first switching to Live View mode and then pressing the red record button – so, though you have a brief wait while the mirror adjusts before you can begin shooting, it’s a fairly smooth process. Black bands crop the screen to ape a 16:9 aspect ratio.
For still photos, a chunky shooting mode dial provides access to auto shooting mode, scene modes, a couple of user-customisable settings, and program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual. So Nikon hasn’t over-laden the D7000 with pre-optimised settings. This dial is, in turn, encircled by a second one that features the drive modes; it remains ‘locked off’once a selection is made, so all the essentials fall within finger or thumb reach. There’s nothing fiddly about the D7000.
The D7000 in playback mode is impressive. There’s a comprehensive array of retouching options, including fun digital effects filters, so you can, for example, add warmth to an image in-camera. This is useful because on dull days results can look a little muddy and flat. To nitpick, they could perhaps do with being a little sharper, while the camera tends to overexpose highlight detail. We have to admit to searching for holes, however, as in general the camera is very much on the money.
Specification
