The Nikon D7000 wasn’t my first camera and it might not be the one that changed how I view photography as a hobby; but it is likely going to be the most important camera I’m to own. This past summer (2010) I decided, maybe realized, I had fully out grown my trusty Olympus E510 and committed to purchasing a new body. The Olympus line left me a bit flat in regards to lens options and secondary market goodies so I began to explore options in the Canon line up. By the end of the summer it was clear that there was to be a new Canon on the market and I began researching the upcoming 60D. But just as the release date loomed a brand new Nikon began to take shape; one that, if you believed the rumors, would leave the 60D wanting and pale. I began a new round of research and rumor-farming and patiently waited for specs to emerge on this new D7000.
As the release dates neared the buzz about the D7000 grew. The features and performance seemed to target the professional photographer while the price was a mere $100 more than Canon’s offering. 16MP, 6 FPS, 39 Point AF, 2016 Pixel Scene Recognition, Dual memory cards, Magnesium body, 256,000 ISO with excellent noise handling… on and on the list of impressive specs grew. I was convinced I had found my new camera and brand. Now to get my hands on one! I contacted a local Best Buy in my area that was slated to have a pair available on the day of release and good fortune put me in touch with an enthusiastic sales person that told me that if I was at their front door at opening I’d get one of the two they had in stock. 10am Sunday morning I made a beeline for Best Buy and picked up my new camera. And, thanks to a 20% off coupon, I paid less than retail for it! To round out this conversion from the Olympus line to a full-fledged Nikonian I also picked up a Tonika 12-24mm wide angle and a Tamron 70-300mm zoom to compliment the 18-105mm kit lens. Reviews on these items will be coming in the future.
With the few months experience I’ve had with the D7000 I noticed several “cons” to balance out against the “pros”. I’d like to discuss these first so they are fresh in your memory and so you don’t think that as a new owner I’m going to just tout the awesomeness of my new toy. First I found the ergonomics to be a little lacking at the bottom end of the camera. The top half is perfect, the way your fingers grip the body and your thumb rests against the back control surface is great. I find however that my pinky is constantly search for its place on the camera. The grip isn’t long enough to full accommodate this finger so it wanders from the grip to the bottom, curling up underneath and back again trying to find a comfortable spot. I suspect this will be solved when I add the battery grip extension over the coming weeks but, considering that I found my old $600 Olympus very comfortable I’d think that a $1200 Nikon should be as well. Next thing you find that can be placed squarely in the “con column” is the dizzying array of options and features that require detailed and intimate knowledge of the menu systems and the occasional secret handshake to operate. The D7000 is chock full of setting and options, so many that I am still discovering new ones after months of ownership, but finding and operating them often requires reference to the manual. Compared even to my older Olympus the D7000 is like a 1930’s airplane control panel with a bewildering cacophony of dials, menus and buttons to navigate. To make matters worse some of the features are accessed only by pushing seemingly random combinations of buttons. Example: Pressing the Bracket button and the playback button (both on the left side of the body so you really can’t do this easily) and holding them for 2 seconds will switch which memory card you are writing to. A very handy feature but one that takes more effort to perform than it saves in time. If you could switch cards without having to juggle the camera around to push and hold those 2 buttons it would be a fantastic “pro” … but because of the need to wrangle the camera into position to perform this operation it becomes a nit-picky “con”. There are several other features that are activated or controlled in this manner by the way. I’m not “conning” the controls just for this one example.
More seriously than just my pink and need for a cheat sheet is the buffer memory for that beautiful 6 FPS the D7000 shoots. The buffer for the D7000 is, how do I describe this?, lacking. Or better put, not optimized for capturing long duration events at full resolution. Let me explain; The D7000 shoots 6.3 FPS even at full 14bit RAW + Large Fine Jpeg. Actually, one test shows that the camera will shoot 14 frames in 2 seconds but I digress. The problem is that the buffer will only allow for a certain number of shots to be recorded in one long burst. That number is dependent on a few factors including the overall image capture (RAW + Jpg can be 26MB per frame!) and the speed of your memory card. In the worst case scenario (slow class 4 memory card+14bit RAW + Large Fine JPG) the buffer will allow for only 8 frames at the full 6.X FPS then falls to single shot mode until room is made for more … that’s only a nudge over a seconds worth of shooting at max FPS! Now, as I stated, this is the worst case scenario and it will capture full 14bit RAW + Large Jpg Fine at the max 6.3FPS for the duration of the buffer; something no other camera in this price range can do. With a good memory card the buffer jumps to 18 frames and if you shoot just Jpg with a class 10 30MB/S card the buffer extends to 100 frames. You of course can select a slower rate, say 4 FPS; to increase the buffer to the 100 frame maximum while keeping the full RAW + Jpg file captures. I think it’s better to consider the max FPS of the camera as just another option. It can shoot all day at 4FPS with even a class 6 card but you can boost it up to 6.3 FPS for those critical action shots… as long as they don’t last longer than a second or three.
With the jeers out of the way I would like to point out some of the real pluses for the D7000. First and foremost is that the 16MP sensor is just fantastic. DxO Labs score the D7000 sensor and Expeed processor combination squarely in the “pro” range coming in 1 point lower than Nikon’s flagship D3 and 1 point higher than Canon’s amazing 5DMkII. (Review stats here : http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en/Camera-Sensor/Compare-sensors/(appareil1)/680%7C0/(appareil2)/438%7C0/(appareil3)/483%7C0/(onglet)/0/(brand)/Nikon/(brand2)/Nikon/(brand3)/Canon) The images are bright and sharp and subjectively noise free all the way down to 2500 ISO. But even at 8000 ISO the signal to noise ratio is manageable with careful exposure and noise suppression. To a photographer this means usable images can be attained through nearly all of the ISO setting offered all the way up to 25,600 maximum. Personally I shot some really fast action ISO 8000 captures at an indoor dog show with mediocre lighting and zoom lens set at f5.6 recently. I found that the images were still clean enough to use without any more noise suppression then the built-in NR from the camera itself. I was stunned at how effortlessly the D7000 performed in such a challenging environment. Furthermore, to help capture those bright, crisp, clean images Nikon has added a 39 Point Auto Focus system with 3D tracking. Set up properly there is almost no hunting when searching for proper focus with this system. The whole process is surprisingly effortless. You point and the D7000 makes the lens snap to attention and you click. Done. I rarely find any images soft or blatantly out of focus due to a wandering AF system. Beyond the great sensor, high ISO noise suppression and class leading 39 Point AF you just have to marvel at the number of features and appointments the D7000 offers. Magnesium frame and weather resistance, 100% view finder, dual memory cards, built in Rule of Thirds grid, virtual horizon, front & rear IR sensors, Flash Commander modes, 6.3 FPS *in short bursts*, 2 totally customizable User modes, 2 customizable function buttons on the frame, scene recognition, and an absolutely mind boggling array of menu driven functions and editing options.
Over all I find that the D7000 is a true bargain in the sense of getting more then what you have paid for. The prices sets the camera in the prosumer range but the features, image quality and build of the body say “pro” loud and clear. At the beginning of this review I mentioned that this might be the most important camera for me to-date. The reason I say this is because the boundaries of this camera are so far beyond what I was able to do with my pervious cameras that it lends a sense of possibilities and unlimited potential for my work. I’ll be sure to follow this review up with a long-term write up after I get a few thousand more shutter actuations under my belt.
-AI
Here we are on the verge of entering a new year, this time of year is typically quiet for the SLAMA crew but we are doing our best to keep those cameras from gathering dust with our Assignments and Challenges.
What needs to be done is to begin the planning of our SLAMA trips starting in April. Has there been any locations you have always been meaning to visit? For example, I had one of those locations this past year, Downtown Philadelphia but I just wasn’t comfortable lugging around thousands of dollars of camera equipment all by myself. One day I just made up my mind to go and was pleasantly surprised to have someone join me at the last minute. I ended up taking some of my best shots of the year on that little trip. With better planning we could make a wonderful trip like that available to more members to attend.
Some locations in mind for the coming year are Assateague National Seashore in Maryland, Acadia National Park in Maine and revisit to Philadelphia (late afternoon into night). We need to hear your ideas to make the best out of our trips for 2011.
I have previously written about great places to shoot in your neighborhood and we have recently visited one such location in my area called Hope Lodge. A few of us SLAMA members visit this revolutionary war encampment every year, and while it is small it always turns out to make for a nice mid day trip. We even gained a new SLAMA member on this trip….yet another on the Nikon boat she is known as Junck. We will hopefully be seeing some of her work soon.
The event offers a bit of everything…people in period clothing, to the reenacting battles with canon fire to wonderful scenery.
This same location holds an annual British car show every spring.
So the point of all this rambling is to remind you all not to take those cool local offerings for granted.
Get out, bring friends and when you have done all there is to do, you and a friend can always play the find th greatest freak in attendance game Trust me it can make the most boring events highly entertaining.
A little Background of the event:
Whitemarsh encampment Re-enactment commemorates the time from November 2nd to December 11, 1777 when General George Washington and the Continental Army were encamped in the Whitemarsh Hills.
Be sure to attend next year for the30th Encampment at Hope Lodge November 5 & 6, 2011
I recently read an article asking the question, Who or what got you into photography?
My story is fairly uneventful, I was the kid constantly stealing the camera from my mother and taking some of the family trip shots and then my brother had taken a photography course in school. I had the chance to see the prints he came home with and seeing them most likely planted a seed. I don’t rememeber whether they were good or not but it was something that has always stuck with me.
In my teens I was always taking hundreds snap shots at car shows, air shows and vacations. It wasn’t until a visit to two galleries in Cape May that really gave me that electric shock of inspiration to get the heart of my inner photographer started. The photographers were so friendly, open and willing to talk shop that it really struck a chord with me. I’ve been consistantly shooting ever since. Being surrounded by equally enthusiastic photographers is also a huge motivator not only with the drive to try to impress them but to teach, learn and inspire them and others.
What is your story?
The day began at 5AM with the cursing of the alarm clock. Why am I waking up so early on my precious day off? Oh YEAH! Picture time at Gettysburg. After a 2-1/2 hour drive we met at a Perkins for a hearty breakfast but we were soon off to do what we went there to do. We started off bypassing the road most traveled and found a nice scenic road into the park where we can get our creative juices flowing. 5 hours later we traveled less than 2 miles but we were enjoying every second of the experience. There was beautiful scenery, canons, people on horseback, re-enactors and did I mention scenery? Once we had realized how much time had passed and such little ground was covered we stepped up our pace. One stop found us at a monument where a group of soldiers were getting a lecture on military strategy and how the terrain at that point was similar to that of Afganistan. It was great to hear a different point of view of history. We then went to town to hopefully get shots of the architecture along the main roads. Beautiful architecture was found but so was hilarity. Keep an eye out for our politically incorrect images on the forum.
Gettysburg will definitely go down as one of the best trips we as SLAMA have taken. Fortunately we only had the opportunity to see part of the town. This leaves door open for a revisit in the future. Gettysburg was on the list of trip locations for a few years and it was worth the wait. Be sure not to miss it, the next time we go, you will have a good time and see some great sights.
Every year we founders put our heads together to select the best possible locations to experience the amazing spectacle that is the changing of colors of the leaves. Previous years have had us visiting places like Hawk Mountain, Jim Thorpe (twice) and the Churchville Nature Center. Be sure to join us as this trip is typically the last of the big trips of the year. We have yet to be disappointed with our trips. So where are we going this year? We you all know cause you voted. We are indeed going to Gettysburg, PA. This location was chosen purely for the amount of things available to photograph. From nature to historical we will be over stimulated by all the subject matter. I for one can’t wait. Some members may head over the night before (contact AI if you are interested) and the rest of us will be heading over very early in the morning. Keep an eye out in the Roadtrip section of the forum for up to the minute updates. Look here for trip check list packing suggestions for gear, food and clothing. Be sure to contact AI or Max if you have any questions.
I’m not sure what your lives are like but I sure know that mine is incredibly busy. I can find time to go shoot events and go on Group or Family outings and take dozens of photos. I’m finding that my catalog of unprocessed photos are piling up. I have images from my Vacation from LAST October that I really want to post because I know I have a number of great shots waiting to be worked on. Then there are the images from all the snow we received, then holidays, Spring trips etc. that are all just waiting to be seen by public eyes and not just my poor spouse.
My goal for the future is to schedule time to get things done before the pile becomes greater and greater.
So you ask why am I writing this all here? This isn’t Facebook where people for some reason like to read through other people’s whining. I am just writing because I know I am NOT the only one with a backlog of pictures. Maybe we can all gather together some discipline and collectively get through our work. Besides, What are you even taking photos in the first place if not to display them in some manner. The longer we put these things off the better chance that one of those great shots of yours will just get forgotten and never seen.
So turn off those lame reality TV shows and spend a half hour infront of your computer twice a week instead. Just incase you think you might miss something on this weeks Survivor, the obnoxious guy helps get someone kicked out. There you are all caught up. Now get to those keyboards and let us see your work.
I will lead by example…Just keep in mind. My distractions are a three year old that loves to sit on my lap the second I even touch my computer chair.
Over The past few weeks my son and I have visited a small local airfield called Wings. While it is a nice bonding moment between a father and son it is also a nice way to wind down a hectic work week. A generally quiet environment, beautiful view of the sunset over the runway, it does have small airplanes and a few helicopters regularly taking off and landing.
As I mentioned we have made it somewhat of a tradition over the past four Friday evenings and it is still fun to do. My son gets to see all of the planes and helicopters and I get to relax and/or take pictures. I just remove the front section of my Jeep’s hardtop and sit him on the back section of the roof while I sit up on the rollbar over the door for an unobstructed view of everything.
So what’s my point of all this? No it’s not to prove that i don’t run from fatherly duties. It is to help open your eyes to your surroundings and to not take those cool little local places for granted. Every place you go has something to take pictures of, whether it’s ugly or picturesque like my little local airfield.
Don’t overlook your own backyard for subject matter.
Here we live just a few miles outside of one of the most historic cities in the United States and up until Saturday July 31 it has gone un-photographed (if that is a word). So on a trip where only 2 of us SLAMA members were able to attend we honestly had one of the nicest trips we have had since our first NJMP trips or our trip to Blackwater. The city was basically empty, parking was readily available, shots were unobscured by tourists and the weather was 100% perfect with deep rich blue skies and white puffy clouds.
The trip began with a wonderful yet totally unhealthy lunch at our boyhood favorite lunchtime stops, Rocky’s in Glenside. After the amazing food we made our way to center city Philadelphia scoping out possible shot locations if the waterfront didn’t offer much.
While the goal was to photograph the waterfront and the memorials around Delaware ave we both thought that shooting Center city would be more exciting but hey, why not do both? While driving on Delaware Ave we recognized where we were driving was close to a well known photography store by the name Calumet. We stopped on in only to discover that their showroom was more show than go. What they had was nice but didn’t really grab us with the goods that would grab a photography fag. Mostly muslin backdrops, lighting and film developing equipment and a few really cool camera bags. Well time was a-wasting so we made our way to the Ben Franklin Bridge area. Parked exactly where we wanted with no problem and walked up and down Delaware avenue shooting the Bridge and marina.
After a half hour we drove up Delaware ave to see what else we could find. Well we found some really bad neighborhoods but they offered some terrific photo ops so we decided to shoot using the tried and true tricks of photographers who shoot in war zones. One man shoots while the other keeps an eye out then we switch off. We were able to shoot a run down factory and an abandoned building before we decided not to press our luck further.
Winding thru the streets of center city Philadelphia with the aid of my trusty GPS we worked our way near city hall, parked and walked from city hall to love park, up to the Liberty buildings then up around the Franklin institute. Lots of walking, and dozens of amazing building to shoot from the birth of our nation to modern glass towers, we were there and we have pictures to prove it. The only down side of the trip was the amount of homeless we saw. Maybe they were concentrated where we were due to the food kitchen they had set up in a park down the road from William Penn but they were everywhere. Aside from that, the trip went without a hitch. It was truly a near perfect event. Filth-a-adelphia no more. It was surprisingly cleaner than I remember but then again nobody was on the streets.
Be sure not to miss the trip next time we choose to visit that great city. Next time we will hit Independence Mall, China Town and everything in between.
Straight to City Hall