Nikon D7xxx owners thread

Bilko said:
Not sure if this has been posted ealier, but I came across this.

Set Up Guide PDF

To those who are more advanced with their skills, how good is this guide?
Click to expand...

It isn't really a guide, it is one individuals personal preferences you'd still need to understand why certain selections and inputs are made so that you can assess whether that makes any sense.

For instance I wouldn't put his name against my copyright, user the user settings like he likes it. Try and understand them first before playing too much with it...It will help develop your own style of shooting...

So what I am saying is, it works for him...Doesn't mean it works for you :D
 
TCR4x4 said:
I know it's exciting to have a new camera, and you want to get out and use it, but I suggest you slow right down. The questions you have asked are all very basic things, and with a read of the manual will be answered. You say you don't have time to read the manual, but the time you have spend posting on this thread would have provided most of the answers to your questions. Nikon manuals are laid out pretty much in order of how they expect you to progress, with the basic stuff at the start, and then gradually getting into more deeper stuff.

Things like the scene modes "night" "landscape" etc are all covered very early on in the manual.
Also as you are struggling with the concept of exposure, I suggest you tale the time to learn the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speed. The reason you got black shots inside is because you did not set the exposure correctly and the camera was massively under exposing. . For now, don't worry about using manual mode. Use P, or A or one of the scene modes until you get comfortable with setting things your self.

YouTube can also be very usefull. I my self have made detailed videos about the Nikon D3100, covering every single button and setting. I imagine others have made the same for the d7000 so, have a look on there. It's often easier to learn by doing and watching rather than reading.

Just slow down, and be methodical. Rushing will lead to disappointment. You have bought a very powerful and not particularly beginner friendly camera, so there is a very steep learning curve ahead.
Click to expand...

Plus 1
 
Just bought a D7000 to replace my D90.

Importantly I'm looking for some help please.

I am a bit concerned about focus. Tonight I have compared the same shots taken in AF with those taken using LV. The AF shots are OOF compared to the LV shots. the AF is using centre focus only. Resulting photos have same exposure parameters.

Is there a reason for this? Am I missing something?

And does anyone know how easy it is to return a faulty camera to Amazon?

Many thanks!!
 
It is quite possible that the lens requires some fine tuning. don't forget that the two systems use a very different method of gaining focus. You could treat it as a faulty camera and send it back for a refund, or if you really think it is off you could get it recalibrated by Nikon...
 
dejongj said:
It is quite possible that the lens requires some fine tuning. don't forget that the two systems use a very different method of gaining focus. You could treat it as a faulty camera and send it back for a refund, or if you really think it is off you could get it recalibrated by Nikon...
Click to expand...

Should have said that I'm using a 35mm 1.8 and there have been no focussing issues previously on my D90. Also the problem is only apparent at short distances - 3 to 10 feet.

And regardless of the focussing method I would expect the AF to give me a sharp shot,

Thanks!
 
davek said:
Should have said that I'm using a 35mm 1.8 and there have been no focussing issues previously on my D90. Also the problem is only apparent at short distances - 3 to 10 feet.

And regardless of the focussing method I would expect the AF to give me a sharp shot,

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Sure but this is a different body with a different sensor, made at a different time. Also are you shooting fast enough? There are a few more pixels, I used to get away with murder on my old D70, but the D7000 is much more difficult to tame and will highlight sloppy technique...

Failing all that, if you are not happy then why not return and get another (which is why buying in shops is nice and instant for these kind of purchases) or have it factory recalibrated to be certain it is not the camera...Then if it happens again it could be the lens (in combination with this camera) or you, or...
 
davek said:
Just bought a D7000 to replace my D90.

Importantly I'm looking for some help please.

I am a bit concerned about focus. Tonight I have compared the same shots taken in AF with those taken using LV. The AF shots are OOF compared to the LV shots. the AF is using centre focus only. Resulting photos have same exposure parameters.

Is there a reason for this? Am I missing something?

And does anyone know how easy it is to return a faulty camera to Amazon?

Many thanks!!
Click to expand...

My advice is stick with it and persevere - My route to the d7000 was more years than i care to remember with film to several digital cams - latest being Panny GH2 > Nikon D5100 > Nikon d7000 and beleive me d7000 is a beast to tame , you REALLY have to read the manual (better the cd version supplied) the options are incredible for fantastic images but so are the options for getting it totally wrong. Cannot remember which car company does it , but when buying their product you have to relearn your driving skills - otherwise you crash and burn . Unless your cam really is a 'friday' model , my thought is you need to get up close and personal with the 7000 and make it do what YOU want. I had focus issues with mine - turns out the 7000 had focus issues with me - all me! If you can test your lens on a tripod in both live view and then VF (viewfinder) and see if there is a difference (VR off if the lens has it) Then try flash mode hand held. Try manual focus - try everything you can think of . What you will be doing is learning the camera . Its a tricky beast to tame but you will get there - who would have thought prince william could drive an aston at 5mph , when people use the excuse for speeding as 'my car won't do 30 mph' !!!
 
MBZ3147 said:
Hi, I don't know if this was covered previously but I'm looking for a spare battery for my D7000, going on holiday shortly and don't want to be caught short.
Seen these, but seem very cheap anyone used them?
http://www.my-battery.co.uk/digital-camera-batteries/nikon-en-el15.htm
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Smells a bit fishy, that does... the picture appears to be of an official batt. I've been looking for a spare battery this weekend too, but non-OEM's seem so scarce I think I'm going to (slightly reluctantly) go for an official one.
 
davek said:
Should have said that I'm using a 35mm 1.8 and there have been no focussing issues previously on my D90. Also the problem is only apparent at short distances - 3 to 10 feet.

And regardless of the focussing method I would expect the AF to give me a sharp shot,

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Same problem here, focus errors only with fast primes, and only when relatively close. Researched online and it'd seem there's a lot of people on the same boat. The solution seems to either be to accept it and use the focus micro-adjust function to correct it, or send it back to Nikon with your lenses to be recalibrated. I've managed to sort my 35 and 50 out with -17 dialled in for each lens.

And yep, I was surprised to find that my D90 nails focus every time with these lenses, can only speculate that as there's no micro-adjust for focus on the D90, they have much tighter tolerances on the AF system during manufacturing :shrug:
 
ronnus said:
And yep, I was surprised to find that my D90 nails focus every time with these lenses, can only speculate that as there's no micro-adjust for focus on the D90, they have much tighter tolerances on the AF system during manufacturing :shrug:
Click to expand...

I had to send my D7000 back to Nikon for recalibration - they had it back to me within a week and it's much better now.

The D90 does have micro adjust in a fashion - you need to adjust a 1.5mm Allen key bolt inside the mirror box - means you can't do it for each lens and not for the faint hearted either!
 
MBZ3147 said:
Hi, I don't know if this was covered previously but I'm looking for a spare battery for my D7000, going on holiday shortly and don't want to be caught short.
Seen these, but seem very cheap anyone used them?
http://www.my-battery.co.uk/digital-camera-batteries/nikon-en-el15.htm
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I though about another battery, but went for a car charger for the el15 off fleabay (£5 - ish ). at the moment I am getting around 500-800 shots from a charge, so I find an overnight charge from the car ( or caravan ) covers me.

The charger hasn't blown up my battery ( yet :puke: )
 
ronnus said:
Same problem here, focus errors only with fast primes, and only when relatively close. Researched online and it'd seem there's a lot of people on the same boat. The solution seems to either be to accept it and use the focus micro-adjust function to correct it, or send it back to Nikon with your lenses to be recalibrated. I've managed to sort my 35 and 50 out with -17 dialled in for each lens.

And yep, I was surprised to find that my D90 nails focus every time with these lenses, can only speculate that as there's no micro-adjust for focus on the D90, they have much tighter tolerances on the AF system during manufacturing :shrug:
Click to expand...

Brilliant , just what I was after - have now done the micro focus thing on my 3 primes - I had assumed micro focus would be an "in extremis" as opposed to essential part of the set up. Like you said, no problem with D90 focus, ever,
Thanks again!
 
You know, I've had a similar problem with my fast primes, however in my case they were all front focusing. I ended up dialing in between +15 and +17 to get them working. Then one day a couple of months later I noticed that the self same lenses were back focusing. I then turned off everything to do with the micro focus adjustment and, touch wood, it's been bang on ever since.

One thing that occurred to me is when the focus suddenly snapped back in I was changing lenses a hell of a lot, so it crossed my mind that the lens contacts were getting sort of cleaned every time I changed a lens. Make of that what you will.
 
davek said:
Brilliant , just what I was after - have now done the micro focus thing on my 3 primes - I had assumed micro focus would be an "in extremis" as opposed to essential part of the set up. Like you said, no problem with D90 focus, ever,
Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Glad you got it sorted (y) Out of curiosity, what values did you use? I'm concerned that by going down to -17 I've not a lot of wriggle room should either lens somehow go out of kilter....
 
ronnus said:
Glad you got it sorted (y) Out of curiosity, what values did you use? I'm concerned that by going down to -17 I've not a lot of wriggle room should either lens somehow go out of kilter....
Click to expand...

If it goes out of what you can adjust, just send in the lens (or body) to get it recalibrated. I've done that and never looked back since, after all over time these things can happen with precision equipment like this.
 
ronnus said:
....I've been looking for a spare battery this weekend too, but non-OEM's seem so scarce I think I'm going to (slightly reluctantly) go for an official one.
Click to expand...

I was toying with what to do - bit the bullet and ordered an official Nikon battery off Amazon (through Harrison's amazon shop) for £58 and then whatever the 1-2 postage cost. Shooting HD and stills really does take its toll on the battery - shot probably 45-50 minutes of footage today and about 300 shots and was down to less than 10 per cent..... glad I had the D2x in the bag to take over as a stills tool so I could save what little battery was left in the D7000 for the after-match interviews.
 
Since the nikon recall the batteries have been scarce and hence dear, one alternative would be a third party mbd11 grip for 30 notes and run aa rechargeables in that.
 
specialman said:
I was toying with what to do - bit the bullet and ordered an official Nikon battery off Amazon (through Harrison's amazon shop) for £58 and then whatever the 1-2 postage cost. Shooting HD and stills really does take its toll on the battery - shot probably 45-50 minutes of footage today and about 300 shots and was down to less than 10 per cent..... glad I had the D2x in the bag to take over as a stills tool so I could save what little battery was left in the D7000 for the after-match interviews.
Click to expand...

I've never been a video guy, but can imagine it'd pulverise any battery... my want is basically out of paranoia, having had lithium batts fail in other devices I know they're not infallible. Tried to buy a spare at Calumet over the weekend, but they were shut... annoying!
 
specialman said:
It's a great camera for video, really getting into shooting with a DSLR but I can see for a big shoot I'll be needing more batteries and a mobile charger. :)
Click to expand...

Hey special man, I'm using a SmallHD DP4 with my D7000 and because it saves using the rear LCD I'm getting 3-4 hours of shooting video from my D7000 battery. In fact I can go most days without changing the battery and I bought 4 batteries thinking I would have the same problem!
 
jacob12_1993 said:
Hey special man, I'm using a SmallHD DP4 with my D7000 and because it saves using the rear LCD I'm getting 3-4 hours of shooting video from my D7000 battery. In fact I can go most days without changing the battery and I bought 4 batteries thinking I would have the same problem!
Click to expand...

I suppose a lilliput 7inch would do the same job for maybe less dosh ?
 
MBZ3147 said:
Hi, I don't know if this was covered previously but I'm looking for a spare battery for my D7000, going on holiday shortly and don't want to be caught short.
Seen these, but seem very cheap anyone used them?
http://www.my-battery.co.uk/digital-camera-batteries/nikon-en-el15.htm
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I would advise against this. As already mentioned - the pic shows a genuine battery - but the item being sold is not. (1400mAh?)

Why would you put a cheap battery in your expensive camera? If it leaks it may not be covered by warranty either.

A genuine battery is only £47 from here (note 1900mAh) :

http://www.flashcamera.co.uk/nikon-en-el15-lithium-ion-battery-1900mah/

Worth a look. :)
 
Sphinx said:
I would advise against this. As already mentioned - the pic shows a genuine battery - but the item being sold is not. (1400mAh?)

Why would you put a cheap battery in your expensive camera? If it leaks it may not be covered by warranty either.

A genuine battery is only £47 from here (note 1900mAh) :

http://www.flashcamera.co.uk/nikon-en-el15-lithium-ion-battery-1900mah/

Worth a look. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, I couldn't see any for that price good shout, I'll order tonight.
 
Now my question, I noticed mentions of a sigma 10-20 super wide earlier, has anyone had experience of the sigma 10-20 F3.5 , as opposed to the sigma 10-20 F4-5.6, the f3.5 looks nice, but is it any good ? How about the tokina 11-16 f2.8.
I like taking landscapes, but for a complete amateur, is it worth the cost just to get another 10 deg over the 18mm kits lens , or should I just stick to taking 3 pictures and stitching them using microsoft ICE or pano tools ?
Click to expand...

I went for the Tokina after having tried the Sigma 10-20 and 8-16 and to me the tokina was in a different league in terms of build quality. I also like the f2.8 which gives that versatility in lower light conditions. Its not the cheapest option, but in my opinion, the best option of the three.

Then again, we're all different ;)
 
Indeed, I liked the 8-16 when I tried them all as I wanted wide and those 2-3mm make a huge difference..And I don't use filters...It is what you want really...
 
mikeysaling said:
too late i missed the boat - did anyone get one ??
Click to expand...
I think I've got one, possibly the last as when I went back to the product page after ordering it said unavailable... Kerrso (who owns flashcard) trades on this forum so its worth dropping him and email to see if he has more coming.
 
ronnus said:
Glad you got it sorted (y) Out of curiosity, what values did you use? I'm concerned that by going down to -17 I've not a lot of wriggle room should either lens somehow go out of kilter....
Click to expand...

My first stab, and done in big handfuls, is -15, so pretty similar. When i've got some spare time I'll refine.

Thanks again!:)
 
Mine arrived from Harrisons - official battery and it's now charged and sat in my bag. They even put a voucher for a pound in there to spend at the shop...... only about 3,499 more needed to afford a D3s :LOL:
 
jacob12_1993 said:
Hey special man, I'm using a SmallHD DP4 with my D7000 and because it saves using the rear LCD I'm getting 3-4 hours of shooting video from my D7000 battery. In fact I can go most days without changing the battery and I bought 4 batteries thinking I would have the same problem!
Click to expand...

I'll look into this (y)

EDIT: Looks like a good piece of kit. Where did you get yours in the UK?
 
Last edited:
davek said:
My first stab, and done in big handfuls, is -15, so pretty similar. When i've got some spare time I'll refine.

Thanks again!:)
Click to expand...
Cheers for the info, definitely seems to be back-focussing by around the same amount... as someone's suggested if mine goes out any further I'll return it to Nikon (y)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top