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<td><a href="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/nikon-d7000.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-673" title="Nikon D7000" src="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/nikon-d7000.jpg" alt="nikon-d7000-dslr-camera" width="350" height="300" /></a></td>
<td>Although it may look like a serious and “macho” camera, the NIKON D7000 makes a good companion for casual photographers for its rugged built, straightforward controls, and great image and video quality.

It does have its share of shortcomings, but not so many that would keep us from recommending this camera. If you're shopping for a new DSLR the NIKON D7000 should be high on your list - budget permitting.</td>
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Let's get to the gist of it in the tabs below.

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[tabhead id="1"]  Overview  [/tabhead] [tabhead id="2"]  Cheers  [/tabhead] [tabhead id="3"]  Jeers  [/tabhead] [tabhead id="4"]  Who is it for?  [/tabhead] [tabhead_last id="5"]  The Verdict  [/tabhead_last]  [tab id="1"]  [list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Announced in September 2010</li>
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	<li>6 fps in continuous shooting</li>
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	<li>16.2 megapixels</li>
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	<li>Improved autofocus with 39 autofocus points with 3D tracking</li>
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	<li>1080p HD video recording</li>
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	<li>Hybrid of Nikon D90 and D300s</li>
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	<li>Currently retailing for around US $1,200 (body only) and US $1500 (with 18-105mm VR lens)</li>
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	<li>Rugged magnesium-alloy construction</li>
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	<li>Familiar and straightforward controls</li>
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	<li>Impressive in burst shooting</li>
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	<li>Excellent battery life</li>
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	<li>Fast autofocus</li>
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	<li>Colors look natural</li>
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	<li>Good quality across ISO settings</li>
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	<li>Can shoot HD video</li>
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	<li>Dual card allows for large storage, especially for videos</li>
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	<li>Difficulty focusing in dimly lit areas</li>
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	<li>Tendency to overexpose under bright situations</li>
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 Proud beginner

 Casual photographer

 Point &amp; shoot photo fan

<strong>√ DSLR photo fan</strong>

 Advanced photographer

NIKON D7000 is a great camera for those who want to get more serious on still and video photography. It can also be a good backup camera for advanced and pro users.[/tab] [tab id="5"]In many respects, the NIKON D7000 will live up to your expectations, it does what it says it will, and it does it well.
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<strong>Build Quality &amp; Design: </strong><strong>Tough, solid, and well-built.</strong>

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The first time you lay your eyes on a NIKON D7000, you will likely notice that this camera looks similar to a Nikon D90 in terms of overall size and dimension. It is actually the exact same size as the Nikon D90, but weighs just a bit more.

The body of the NIKON D7000 is a classy gem sporting a magnesium alloy construction, which is comparable to that of a Nikon D300s. Thus, it is a great camera to carry along when you are shooting under rough weather conditions. The sculpted rubber-coated grip accommodates all four fingers easily, allowing for an easy, firm grip.

The NIKON D7000 has a fixed 3-inch LCD screen.

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<strong>Controls &amp; Ergonomics: Easy-to-use.</strong>

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The button placement of NIKON D7000 is also quite similar to the Nikon D90. It also inherits some of the useful controls found in the Nikon D300s and D90 cameras, while adding very useful buttons such as the dedicated live view/video recording control.

Overall, the controls of the NIKON D7000 are something which Nikon shooters are already familiar with and that users coming from other brands can easily be accustomed to.

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<strong>Shooting Performance: Ready, set, go!</strong>

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In terms of operational speed, the NIKON D7000 does not disappoint. The guys over at Imaging-resource can attest to this, according to their reviews, the camera is fast to power up at 0.4 seconds. Its shutter lag when fully autofocused and prefocused is only at 0.24 and 0.05 seconds, respectively. It can shoot at 6 frames per second (fps) in continuous shooting, which leapfrogs the D90’s 4.5 fps rate.

Thanks to its speedy EXPEED 2 image processor, NIKON D7000’s AF is very fast. Imaging-resource also mention the D7000's issue with focusing in dark areas.

Equipped with the new EN-EL15 lithium-ion battery pack, this camera can shoot up to an impressive 1050 shots.

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<strong>Image Quality: Natural and spot on.</strong>

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The NIKON D7000 will deliver images of excellent quality in most shooting situations. Many of the reputable camera review sites gave praise for the D7000 for capturing photos with natural colors and tonality. It also performs very well across all ISO settings though at low ISO, it tends to produce soft images. This can be tweaked with the Picture Control values in-camera, creating sharper and more detailed photos. 

One glaring issue when it comes to image quality though is the camera’s tendency to overexpose when shooting in bright and high-contrast situations. DPReview thus suggests you “to keep an eye on the histogram and apply some negative exposure compensation when necessary.”

One of the major upgrades seen in the NIKON D7000 is its capability to shoot 1080 HD video. Its video quality is respectable with video clips looking clean and natural.

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<strong>Special Features: Dual card, improved viewfinder, and new metering sensor.</strong>

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One of the best features of the NIKON D7000 is the addition of dual memory card capability. This means you can use not one, but two SD cards simultaneously. This is fantastic for taking tons of photos, and in particular videos which can be quite memory hungry. You can also use your secondary card as a backup. 

Cameralabs also praised the NIKON D7000 for its viewfinder. “Nikon's certainly raised the bar for the viewfinder on a mid-range DSLR though - boasting 100% coverage, there's no surprises when composing with the D7000, as what you see really is what you'll capture.”

Furthermore, the NIKON D7000 gets a thumbs-up for its new metering system. From the 420-pixel 3D Color Matrix sensor of the D90, it’s now at 2,016 in D7000. Imaging-resource aptly explains what this can do for the user:

“Not only does this new sensor allow more accurate exposure metering in the Nikon D7000, but it also provides improvements in other areas of the camera that rely on information from the metering sensor when making operating decisions. For example, the new metering sensor will also improve performance of the Nikon D7000's Scene Recognition System, which considers a database of around 31,000 different scene types, and then uses the information to assist in calculating optimal focus, exposure, and white balance variables.”

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<strong>The Beginners' Lens Ratings</strong>

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This table will help you evaluate the usefulness of a camera according to various photographic situations. These ratings are based on our photographers’ experience, taking into consideration both the features and other reviewed performances of the camera:
•	1 flash is a poor performance;
•	5 flashes herald stellar performance.

The notes column features observations from advanced photographers. Feel free to agree/disagree in the comments below.
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<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;"><strong>Photo Type</strong></td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;"><strong>Camera Rating</strong></td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;"><strong>Notes</strong></td>
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<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Action / Children</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">4.5 flashes</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Its 6 fps rate in burst shooting and 3D tracking AF makes this an ideal camera for shooting action photos.</td>
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<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Landscape / Architecture</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">4  flashes</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Nice-looking landscape photos are possible even using its 18mm kit lens.</td>
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<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Low light</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">4 flashes</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Its large sensor is really useful when shooting in low light conditions.</td>
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<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Portrait</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">4 flashes</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">D7000’s large sensor will give you that much sought after out-of-focus background effect (Bokeh).</td>
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<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Rough conditions</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">4.5 flashes</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Though not 100% built with magnesium alloy, this camera will still do well under tough shooting conditions.</td>
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<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">Safari-like</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">4.5 flashes</td>
<td style="border: 0px solid #e08270;">With its' 6fps and fast autofocus, the D7000 is ideal for action shots. Pairing it with a telephoto lens for longer coverage will make it a beast in shooting subjects in the distance.</td>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>CATEGORY		:	DSLR</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>TOTAL RATING	:	25.5 / 30</strong></p>
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<strong>The Verdict (Extended version)</strong>

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In many respects, you'll be happy with a D7000, it's tough, sturdy, and fast. A hybrid of D90 and D300s – two great Nikon cameras in their respective class – the NIKON D7000 comes highly recommended for those who want to take their photography more seriously. Considering its strengths and weaknesses, this camera looks to be a force to be reckoned with in the mid-range DSLR category.

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<strong>Review Digest</strong>

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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong>CAMERA REVIEW WEBSITE</strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong>WHAT THEY HAVE TO  SAY</strong></td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640" href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond7000/">DPReview.com</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“Generally camera manufacturers tend to follow a well-defined update path and it's usually pretty clear which model is meant to be replaced by a new one. With the announcement of the D7000 Nikon has - to a degree - broken with this pattern. The new camera is located somewhere between the enthusiast D300S and the (still current) upper entry-level D90.”</td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640" href="http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikon_D7000/verdict.shtml">Cameralabs.com</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“Like its predecessor, the Nikon D7000 raises the bar of what can be expected from a mid-range DSLR. There's no arguing with its impressive feature-set nor Nikon's canny ability to satisfy the demands of both new technology fanatics and traditional photographers.”</td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640" href="http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D7000/D7000A.HTM">Imaging-resource.com</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“The Nikon D7000 is one of those cameras that's easy to recommend. The only reason to recommend a D3100 or D5000 over the D7000 is a buyer's budget, and perhaps a need for more accessible Scene modes, and the only reason to recommend the D300S or D700 is the need for more professional features. Most enthusiast photographers will be extremely pleased with the Nikon D7000.”</td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640" href="http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=4589&amp;review=nikon+d7000">Digitalcamerareview.com</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“The D7000 offers some of the best high ISO performance and image quality in its cropped-sensor class. HD 1080p video is somewhat disappointing.”</td>
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