Nikon Announces D7000 DSLR, 35mm/f1.4 AF-S, 200mm/f2 AF-S VR2, and SB-700 Flash

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<p>While the d7000 is a nice, decent camera...the Fuji X100, Sony A55/33 and NEX are waaay more excting than the d7000...and I'm a Nikon dslr user. Come on, Nikon, show me a $1600 FF d40/FM3A and I'll buy the 35mm f1.4 as a bonus:)</p>

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<p>Cannot help but feel the same thing. The D7000 will no doubt be a great camera; however, it is still a traditional dSLR with the same set of basic pros and cons. Indeed in terms of innovations, the micro 4/3, NEX, and Sony's translucent cameras (A33/55) have broken the traditional mode and come up with smaller and lighter cameras with IQ and performance that are comparable to many dSLRs. One would hope that Nikon is taking its time to incorporate these innovations into a new next gen camera and I am confident that when it finally arrives, it will blow these other cameras out of the water ...</p>

<p>What about:</p>

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<li>Faster FPS both stills and video - Sony A55 has that</li>

<li>Larger buffer - Sony A55 has that</li>

<li>Better bracketing</li>

<li>Better High ISO performance a la D3S</li>

<li>More dynamic range</li>

<li>More battery life -> higher power flash & longer movies w/ VR On</li>

<li>Articulated Screen - Sony A55 has that</li>

<li>Better microphone (stereo?)</li>

<li>Built in VR so we get VR on all lenses - Sony A55 has that</li>

<li>Fast Live View shooting - Sony A55 has that</li>

<li>Auto-merge-to-HDR with RAW or JPG - Sony A55 has that</li>

<li>Uncompressed Video with Auto HDR</li>

<li>Wireless / Bluetooth / GSM+CDMA networking & tethering</li>

<li>Customizable touch screen or more buttons for various controls</li>

<li>Built in GPS - Sony A55 has that</li>

<li>Voice Memo</li>

<li>More megapixels (gasp! I said it)</li>

<li>Lower price - Sony A55 has that</li>

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<p>I'm sure I could think of more things. I'm not critizising the D7000 - it's awesome and really impressive - I'm just saying there's always more to be done, always room for improvement, so I refuse to think that things can't be better. If people had said that 30 years ago, we'd never even had autofocus, much less digital photography in general.<br>

I hope Nikon makes a new, even better camera than the D7000. I hope it has some of the features that will blow away the Canon 60 D, while giving the 7 D a run for its money.<br>

If Nikon introduces a D9000 for $1,499 that has a 3" articulating screen and faster FPS (8 fps maybe), Built-in GPS, a larger shooting buffer (20 full-sized RAW frames at least), and all the rest of the features the D7000 has, I will buy it, so I can have compatibility with the Nikon range of lenses. I will continue to use my Sony A55 for some things, but I will not continue down the Sony road if Nikon brings out such a camera, because frankly I want to eventually buy the Nikon D3s or its replacement, and I don't believe Sony is going to make such a camera any time soon (though if I am wrong, and Sony makes a lens like the 14-24mm f2.8 and some tilt-shift lenses, I may reconsider this train of thought). One of the things that is going to bring me to the table to buy the Nikon is the Sigma 10-17mm zooming fish-eye. That lens is one of my dream lenses (along with the Nikon 14-24mm), and it is not available in the Sony/Minolta mount.<br>

I like the D7000, and I would have chosen it over the superior Sony, even though it costs more, because I want Nikon and Nikon-compatible lenses! The darn fold-out screen is just a deal-breaker for me though. I have become used to it from using it on my Sony R1 and subsequently on my Nikon D5000, which I would replace, but it just is not a usable as I believe the Sony A55 will be. Because I have become so used to the fold-out screen, I can only compare the D5000 against its competition, and I am not convinced about switching back to Canon, because frankly, the Canon 60 D just doesn't compare that well against the Sony A55. If Nikon had a camera that was better than the Canon 60 D though, even if it isn't as good as the Sony A55, I would buy it.<br>

PLEASE Nikon, make a D9000 or even a D5100 or D6000 with better capabilities than the D5000. Slightly faster shooting, quicker AF in live view, faster shooting response in live view, and a bigger buffer (for shooting RAW - bigger than the little 6 frame buffer in the D5000 - even 10 frames would be nice!). I don't really want to buy into the Sony world. I want to buy a Nikon!</p>

<p>I have played around with the Sony NEX at my local Fry's Electronics. The (relatively) huge lens on a small camera is kind of weird. I think those mirrorless cameras are great for consumers who want convenience. However, I don't think the current LCD technology is good enough for precise focusing and composition (unless you lock down the camera on a tripod and magnify the live view, but the tripod defeats the small camera advantage); the time lag also makes it difficult for sports and action photography. I happen to be nearsighted so that it is very easy for me to view an LCD that is a few inches in front of me, but that is still not at all a stable way to hold a camera.</p>

<p>The semi-transparant mirror is a tried and mostly failed concept; Canon has had a few SLRs that use that type of fixed mirror. It can be great for sports photography due to the extremely high frame rate when there is no mechanical mirror to move back and forth. However, we pay a lot of money on fast lenses; it is silly to permanently lose speed that way. That semi-transparant mirror is also hard to clean, even though it may not degrade the image in any meaninfgul manner. (Plenty of people don't even want to put a high-grade UV filter in front of their lenses. It is hard to convince them to put a semi-transparant mirror between lens and sensor.)</p>

<p>Digital cameras are not going to stay the way cameras have been for decades; things will definitely change, but not all of those "innovations" are good ideas.</p>

<p>If I had NO lenses to use, the Sony might be worth a look, however, one benefit of ANY Nikon DSLR is that I can use my current collection of Nikon glass. The Sony A55 doesn't do that. That makes it more expensive than it's sticker price.</p>

<p>As for some of the other needs... it does have to have them. Faster frame rate on a consumer level DSLR ? Real sports shooters wouldn't be using the D7000. They would be up at least a notch , and then get that faster FPS. The same goes for some of the other wishes. If Nikon stuff all those features in THIS camera, why sell more expensive ones ? The feature set and price is sort of dictated by where they want it to fall in their product line.</p>

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<p>Well, I think their product like could use a Canon 7 D killer . . . a $1,500 body that , while it might be awfully close to the D300s, it would be cheaper than the Canon 7 D, and it would offer something that the Canon doesn't offer - a fold-out screen. I used a Canon 5 D for years, with expensive L glass (70-200 f2.8 L IS). The fold-out screen on the D5000 was PLENTY sturdy. If Nikon is afraid that their users will be worried about it's sturdiness, they can make it a little sturdier with Titanium or carbon fiber or something (add $100 if need be). With the innovations in the D7000 and a fold-out screen like the 60 D has, an 8 fps D9000 could indeed be a Canon 7 D killer, just as the D7000 is supposed to be an answer to the 60 D.<br>

Innovations? Well, the D5000 is the most innovative camera Nikon has come out with in a long time, if you ask me. Sure, the D3 is very innovative too, but the D5000 has features that ONLY Sony would add to their cameras. Nikon took a page from Sony's book and upped the ante. Now we see Canon and Sony following suit. Before long, almost EVERY digital SLR will have a fold-out screen, just like the way things happened with the video camera market. The fold-out screen makes the screen more protected, when not in use, and it offers benefits in many many situations (like when reviewing images), not just while shooting in live-view mode. We didn't see fold-out screens on digital SLR cameras previously, because we didn't have live-view. Now we do, and many photographers are using it. We now have video capabilities too, and many photographers are using that too (me included). And while I realize that some photographers couldn't be bothered, many more would like to have that feature he sees other photographers using, and it will play a part in his next camera buying decision. Believe me, we have not seen the last of the fold-out screen on the digital SLR. They work. They are not too flimsy (did you ever see a fold-out screen fall off of or get knocked off of a video camera?), and they aren't very expensive (plenty of video cameras that sell for under $300 have them).<br>

The electronic viewfinder is just getting started. Wait until they incorporate night-vision (like a starlight scope has). Nobody will say they can't see well enough through one at night anymore. Personally, I really love the fact that the viewfinder shows how my image will be exposed BEFORE I press the shutter button. It's really great for shooting in manual exposure mode (like I do all the time). That's something I really missed when shooting with my Nikon D5000 and Canon 5 D. Now I will have that feature back, if I go ahead and buy the Sony. Hey! The more I think about it, the more I convince myself to go the Sony route. Hmmmm...</p>

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<p>Scott, you hit on my sympathies exactly. I used Minolta film cameras until hurricane Katrina took them from me. Even before the hurricane, I was looking seriously at the Canon 30D. In early 2006, when I was replacing my camera gear, I was about to buy the 30D, but Nikon came out with the D200, and I really liked the specs (and I really liked the camera, too).</p>

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Now, however, when it’s time to upgrade, everything I am looking for has been on the Canon, and coming up short on the Nikon releases. The 7D seems to be the camera to beat, and I really thought that Nikon would release a good competitive model to butt against the 7D, but all we got was the D7000. I’ll wait until spring, but I can see me switching if they can’t do it.</p>

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