Considering a step-up to the D7000

Astraeus

Astraeus

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Ciaran
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Having used my Nikon D40 very extensively (and very happily) for the past four years, I am now beginning to find myself hamstrung by its limitations a little too frequently and it brought me back onto this forum with a view to seeing what is out there which would give me some headroom in terms of my photography. That is when I came across the D7000.

What I am finding with the D40 is that I require quicker continuous shooting, that three AF points just aren't sufficient, that I would like to be able to bracket for those tricky exposure shots, and the desire to have higher capacity SD cards in there. And then there is the kicker - there are so many times when I would rather use video than stills.

The D7000 seems to tick all of the boxes for what I would need in an upgrade although I have my reservations about its movie mode - I am probably expecting it to replace a camcorder though I am well aware this is optimistic of me. I was a bit put out by a number of reviews which seem to say that the D7000 could have been great but that Nikon have failed to deliver on the promise of their D90 replacement.

I also looked at a wholesale switch across the the Canon 60D but there seem to be too many shortcomings with that camera compared to the D7000 for me to consider it - not to mention it would entail me relearning my camera after years with a Nikon. :thumbsdown:

However the pricing of the D7000 will force me into the second-hand market. I don't object to this (so long as it is from a trusted TP member) but, for the £600-£700 they're fetching on eBay, it would mean me having to sell my entire D40 setup to finance the new camera and a walkabout lens to go with it.

That is where my dilemma sets in. I would be forced to sell a Tokina 11-16mm, Nikon 55-200mm VR, Nikon 18-55mm in order to pick up the D7000 with the 18-105mm lens. And is that a stupid decision to make? :shrug:

I had been eyeing up a replacement for the 55-200mm lens in any case as I am just a bit bored with it and I'd either have one with a lower aperture at the long end or else a bit more reach (up to 300mm) and I have found myself using the Tokina with decreasing frequency, meaning I would grudgingly part with it on account of it being the sensible thing to do.

I know I am waffling - I suspect all I need is someone to tell me that I will either be blown away by the possibilities opened up to me by the D7000 and a walkabout lens that I will forget about the D40 and its lenses or else for someone to say that the D7000 is just another camera and my photography options would be more limited by dropping the lenses in favour of a new camera.

Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts - please. :help:
 
Have you considered the D5100 instead of the D7000? Same sensor, 11 focus points, better video, lower price. You'd probably get one for under £400 s/h. Put a post up in the wanted section and see what happens.
 
hi ciaran
if i was you i would try and get a d300 51 af points same sensor as the d3
predictive focus, magnesium body not crappy poycarbonate plastic stuff. weather sealed etc etc etc it will outgun the d7000 on quality handling and also resale value
6-8fps the good points just keep goin on and on and on most important it does'nt have the green :A: for ameature button. Good hunting
 
holty said:
hi ciaran
if i was you i would try and get a d300 51 af points same sensor as the d3
Click to expand...


You may want to check that about the sensor. The d300 does not share a sensor with d3
 
I'd have a look at the D90. A fair step up from D40 but not that far away from the newer cameras and at a very affordable price S/H. It has an inbuilt motor too allowing use of older, cheaper, lenses.
 
Hi,

Have the D40 and upgraded briefly to the D7k about 6 months ago. The D7K is one massive step up in so many ways. Yes you will be blown away in comparison. However I would not do this if I had to sell good lenses and I would not use the D7k with an average zoom lens either.

The D7K is a great camera but needs good glass in front of it and short of your 11-16 the other two lenses are not all that great, nor is the one lens you are planning on using it with.

I'd either pick a much cheaper body (D90/D5100) or save a bit more. I'd also look for some better glass if you are to pair it with a better body. 17-50 Tamron, 17-70 Sigma, 16-85 Nikkor and 70-300 Nikkor. Are good starting points as well as gems like the 50 1.8D/AF-S and 35mm AF-S
 
I had originally begun looking at the D90 this time last year but then I decided to wait and see how the new range of cameras were received and at this stage I don't feel inclined to buy into the older run of Nikon cameras - the D90 and the D300 included.

I look at the D5100 and think that, for my needs, it will end up being one which I am looking to upgrade within a year and I don't want that outlay for no longevity. I don't think I could continue to get on well with having so many controls locked away in menus and, as much as I think having the moveable screen is a boon for low-level video work, I cannot see that being enough to keep me excited with the camera.

Vrapan, I certainly agree with you on the glass front. I have never been impressed by the 18-55mm but by the time sufficient funds arrived to really make something of an upgrade, I became frustrated with the D40 and so this is where I am at present - thinking of spending next month's paycheck on a D7000 (or other...) and then looking at sticking some respectable glass on the front. Lens shopping will have to wait for another month.

Any D7000 users care to share some experiences on the limitations and frustrations that they have found with the camera?
 
D7000 can shoot high ISO better then the D300 or D300s.

Mega pixel is slightly higher but that don't mean anything really but i just point out the obvious .......

It depend what sort of stuff do you shoot, if you planning to shoot in low light without flash then the D7000 is top notch for that. Useable iso up to 6400.
 
The low mileage D200 sells for good price in that site. I looking for one myself as backup body.
 
I just made this jump last wee, D40x to D7k, can only go on first impressions as I havnt had much time to get out and play with it yet, but it is a huge step up in so many ways. I'm not sure I'd want to sell everything to obtan it but if you can afford it , its worth it.
 
I own a D40 and D90, have had the D90 for a year and a half and am considering the D7000 after playing with it a fair bit.

However having used all three, if I was on a budget, I absolutely would not go from D40 to D7K given that the latter used costs twice that of a used D90. It's not twice the camera, and I certainly would not give up that Tokina to get a D7K over a D90! Far better to use good glass with older bodies until you can afford to upgrade. Your kit zooms are perfectly decent but the Tokina is a cut above.

Bodies go "out of date" every few years (they don't really, it's manufactured obsolescence...) but good lenses do not. Good glass will hold its value for a lot longer than any body. So in short, I'd hang on to your lenses and grab a used D90 for around £350.

Just my 2p...
 
I've gone from a D5000 to D7000 as I outgrew the D5000 within about a year and a half.

its lovely to handle, easy to use, and I don't really think I have anything negative to say about it :)

You can buy the body on it's own too!

yes, with good lenses it's great, but even with kit lenses, it performs beautifully (and you also have the fine tune adjustment to make sure your lenses are perfectly attuned to the body)
The two memory card slots are great - you can assign different functions for each

the only negative is that you will be out shooting so much (and because of the 16 megapixels) you will need to get yourself some external storage devices fairly quickly! ;)

some examples :

with Nikkor 50mm 1.4G :

6653431815_717a3482b2.jpg



with 18-55 kit lens from my D5000 :

6454443697_a01f10c054.jpg


I use the Sigma 10-20, Nikkor 55-200, Nikkor 70-300 with it too (and the camera remembers each lens if you've done any fine tuning, which is great!)

Hope this helps!
 
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Sorry to butt into you thread....I'm also having this dilema...got a D90 (which I don't use to anywhere near it's potential ) & a D80 as a second body just in case .

Have wanted to trade the D80 up for a while & relegate the D90 to back up . Really really fancy the D7000 but not sure I can just justify the £990 price tag , maybe I'd be better spending the money on improving me & just get a new D90 & another lens that I've fallen for ?
The D300 is around the same price as the D7000 so thats out of my league too ,guess it'll be the D90 again...unless any other interesting thoughts come up oin this thread...watching with interest...:)
 
I believe the D90 sensor is similar to the D300. So image quality will be similar, but the D300 is more bigger, robust, weather seal, metal metal, faster burst, better buffer, more AF point, more cross type point etc then the D90 so the D300 is better then the D90.

D7000 is a different animal. The sensor is newer and have higher ISO. Similar to the D300 but not quite on build quality, buffer, burst etc.

If you looking for pixel and better low light then D7000 is your friend.

I use a D7000 but got a D300 coming because the d300 will offer me some different than the D7000.
 
Got the D7000. Great camera, easy to use etc etc, very happy with it, only thing that could tempt me into buying anything else is a cheapish FF body with much better continuous and low light AF, and even then only after a 24/1.4 and 45 PC-E.

There is no way I would have sold lenses I use to get it when I could keep the lenses and get a D3100/5100/90.

The FPS isn't enough to rely on it for critical timing over instinct (need 15+ for that), the AF improvements aren't much use without the lenses to take advantage, the sensor's nice, but not enough to be worth it over lenses, the controls let you at the important stuff just as quickly on the other bodies.

I'm not you, though. :)
 
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I also own a D7000, moved from a D5000 and an 18-50 sigma f2.8 macro as my walk around lens.

When I upgraded to the D7k it was a much less forgiving camera with the sigma lens, because of the higher pixel count. That changed when I got Nikon 17-55 f2.8, but thats £600 s/h, I also use a tokina 11-16 and an af-s 35mm all with very nice results. :)

As someone else said on here if you really want a D7k, you'll need good glass to get the maximum quality out of it.

If possible you can try waiting a month or two to see if the if d7k stocks start to replenish and hopefully bringing the price back down.. other than that i'd sell everything in your kit other than the tokina.. that is one lens you will want to try on the d7k :)
 
Well, I have decided to put back some holiday booking for another month and that has meant that I was able to buy the D7000 outright without the need to sell any of my lenses. First impressions (as I only received it this evening) is that I have made one of the best decisions of my photographing life - it offers so much more than my D40 and feels like an incredible piece of kit. It is so much faster.
 
The D7000 made my life so happy when i got it, I was having battle with myself to buy D7000 or D3s at that time but i settle with D7000. With a D300 coming to my house soon which made my life even happy to have own two.
 
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