Time to go for a D7000?

[greg_lisi]

<p>So I'm at a relatives' 50th anniversary with my trusty D90. Left the D3 home so I wouldn't look geeky (mistake #1).Towards the end of the party, at the edge of the dance floor, I decide to switch out memory cards (mistake #2). Teen-age cousin decides to say hello with a slap on the back, the card goes flying and lands under a table with ten people. Everone at the table gets up and moves as I look like an ass crawling around under it desperately trying to find the card. Rather large Uncle Al yells out "I found it" and moves his chair...right on top of the flat pins. Trashed; one ExtremeIII 4GB HC card. Ticked-off; one wife staring at me with death in her eyes. Lost; a treasure of memories from the evening. Now, the odds of a scenario like that where a quarter sized memory card gets accidentally crunched are VERY slim...but the fact is...it happened!! I've been mulling over upgrading to the D7000 for about a month. Those twin memory slots are an insurance blessing as I use them w/o fail on my D3 for important shoots. My point, before I go through the session of buying and selling to go for the upgrade, can anyone who already did the D90-->D7000 up have post-purchase second thoughts? I've spent 3 nights reading and researching and there seems to be...not much, but a somewhat mixed bag of input on the topic.</p>

[Hector Javkin]

<p>can anyone who already did the D90-->D7000 up have post-purchase second thoughts?</p>

<p>Absolutely not. Better handling, better images especially at high ISOs but throughout, dual slots, AF fine tune, etc.</p>

<p>BTW, the images on that SD card might be recoverable.</p>

[andylynn]

Larger memory cards are much cheaper than new cameras...

[Matt Laur]

<p>Like Andy says. And unless you go with bigger cards, you're still going to have to stop at the same time and pull <em>two </em>cards out and juggle them. Bigger cards are the strategy. That, and getting over your social issues when it comes to being seen shooting with your D3! If you're not using your iPhone or a P&S, everything else looks big to your average subject who's watching you shoot.</p>

[Hector Javkin]

<blockquote>

<p>you're still going to have to stop at the same time and pull <em>two </em>cards out and juggle them.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>But the likelihood that he will again be slapped in the back, causing him to drop a second card, and that the second card will fall in a place vulnerable to being squashed, are much smaller. Also, the method of using two slots for maximum safety that Ellis suggested in answering a question I asked makes it even more unlikely that the scenario described above will happen twice in one evening.</p>

[JakeQ]

<blockquote>I've been mulling over upgrading to the D7000 for about a month.</blockquote>

<p>So it`s not really about the "uncle Al incident" but you just want to buy yourself a fine new camera. That`s perfectly normal. Just do it.</p>

<blockquote>I've spent 3 nights reading and researching</blockquote>

<p>Waste of time. You could have been reading the manual of your new camera already ;-)</p>

[ilkka_nissila]

<p>I don't understand how, after just witnessing an SD card breaking up, you want to buy another camera which only accepts that kind of cards? I am always terrified when handling those cards.</p>

[kevin_chow1]

<p>You've had some pretty bad luck for sure, but like Matt says when you're with other company it doesn't matter whether you're shooting a D90 or a D3 - it's a "big camera" to them.<br>

I don't know what it's like to lug around or use a D3, but I think that it would have been the tool of choice here; not to mention that the ballistic characteristics of CF cards would have probably made it land elsewhere.<br>

From my point of view (as a D60->D7000 mover) it feels a little trivial as it really is bad luck, but then I don't know whether this incident was the straw that broke the camel's back.</p>

[greg_lisi]

<p>Thanks everyone for your valued input. I'm going to pull the trigger on the upgrade. No doubt, patience was not exercised in the proper handling of the memory card...and I know better. The main reason I avoided using my D3 was not as a "social issue" problem. I should have made that more clear. The last time I walked around with my D3 at a relatives's function I had a slew of people asking me a ton of annoying questions about their camera, and mine, that kept me from shooting. Andy...good point, however for me....the convenience of one large memory card vs. the (inconvenient) smaller multiples and the potential (slim as it is) of larger loss in a big card is another can-of-worms. Todays high-end cards are indeed reliable but IMO recovering precious data is not always a sure thing. Just my 2 cents worth!</p>

[elliot1]

<p>There are companies that specialize in recovering data off of damaged memory cards. Don't give up hope just yet. Do a web search for a recovery company. You never know...</p>

<p>The D7000 is a mini D3. You won't be disappointed. I bought the D7000 as a backup to my D3 because of its dual memory card slots (I have had memory cards fail on me before) and great specifications. It certainly delivers on all its promises. If you like the D90, you will be thrilled with the D7000.</p>

[greg_lisi]

<p>Many thanks Elliot. I do some small weddings and parties with my D3 and D90. Now I can't wait to get my hands on the 7000. No doubt if you shoot for money dual slots are a must. My other half was reading over my shoulder your response so, as she was beating me on the back to persue your recommendation, I'll actively look for a recovery company. The card, however is a mess....split just about in half and the flat pins are badly bent.</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>That's not as good a reason to upgrade your camera as to never ever ever switch out memory cards without being in a really really safe place. I'd buy 8G cards to cut down on card swaps before I bought a new camera.</p>

<p>That said, if you're making money with it and can justify it... BUY IT. I would.</p>

[fotolopithecus]

<p>I don't really understand why taking your D3 would have been any better. Lets face it, you could have been slapped on the back, dropped the camera on your foot, and been rushed to the Podiatrist for surgery. You don't really need to come up with convoluted reasoning to get a new camera you know. I went from a D300, to a D7000, and am happy with the IQ improvement. On the other hand, there's absolutely nothing second rate about the D90 IQ, so if you want a new D7000 just get it. Sometimes a new piece of equipment spurs creativity.</p>

[greg_lisi]

<p>Bruce, I love your input (chuckle). But hey, doesn't everyone who wants to buy a serious camera need to have some "convoluted reasoning." Seriously though, yes, the D90 is still an excellent camera, however, I'm now doing enough small shoot jobs to justify the upgrade, and I need the security (mental and physical) of the dual slots. Also, the improved video over the D90 is a plus for those short clips.</p>

[richardsnow]

<blockquote>

<p>The D7000 is a mini D3.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>A statement like this is not helpful as it is about as inaccurate as it can get.</p>

<p>I really don't want to argue the point, but you're comparing a consumer grade camera to what is considered by many to be the best professional DSLR (D3s) on the market. </p>

<p>RS</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Greg, you had a freak accident. If you buy a D7000, next time big uncle Al slap on you back real hard, you might drop the entire camera and damge it. These events do happen but are rare. Back in the 1970's, once I was changing lenses standing on a sidewalk. A friend accidentally bumped into my elbow and I dropped a lens on concrete. That has not happened again to me in the 30+ years since.</p>

<p>The D7000 is a fine camera and I love mine. But the reasons Greg wants to upgrade from a D90 to a D7000 are kind of weak. If you want a D7000, just get it. "I simply want one" is as good a reason as anything, but if you want to justify it, you need better reasons.</p>

<p>To me, the most annoying feature on the D7000 is the shallow memory buffer and slow memory write speed; as a higher-end consumer camera, such limitation is expected. In that sense the D7000 is very different from the D3, which is designed for sports shooting with very fast frame rates. In particular, the D3S has extremely deep memory buffer.</p>

[johne37179]

<p>I made the D70s to D7000 switch and it is night and day. Clearly the D90 is a vast improvement over the D70s, but the D7000 is a generational leap. More camera for fewer dollars than any other I can think of.</p>

 

[rossb]

<p> I've never removed my 4 gig card from my D200 since I bought the camera 4 yrs ago. I just download the pics into the computer with the supplied cord. I think that people have many reasons for buying a new camera and you should just buy one if that is what you want. It should be a nice camera all around. Sorry you lost you pictures. I would be very upset about losing all those shots. Probably 100 pictures or even more. You were holding an expensive camera and some guy slaps you on the back. I would not accept that behavior from somebody. It is not ok. You could have dropped the camera, lens and who knows what else you were holding.</p>

[eco_foto]

<p>You already have the D3 get out & use it!!</p>

[eco_foto]

<p>Also because it dosen't have 2 slots for cards pretty lame!</p>

[Jerry_]

<p>General rule of party shooting: find a corner to change batteries, change memory cards, put a speedlight on your camera's body. Try not to do anything *<strong>important</strong>* in a crowd....</p>

<p>Did you, by any chance, find a way <em>to recover</em> the images off the SD card?</p>

<p> </p>

[dan_south]

<blockquote>

<p>Left the D3 home so I wouldn't look geeky.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Maybe instead of wasting more money you should go home and learn to love the look of your D3. There's absolutely nothing geeky about carrying a professional body.</p>

<p>Use the money you saved to buy some 32 GB cards. Then come up with a foolproof method for changing memory cards AWAY from well-meaning but slap-happy guests.</p>

 

[anders_nilsson2]

<p>Well, I swopped my F5 in for a D7000. Can´t say I regret that... :) </p>

[greg_lisi]

<p>Jerry, you are so right. Messing around with card exchanging in a high traffic area was not very smart, despite the great shot I missed...lesson learned. Dan, don't take this as sarcasm but I don't particularly intend to "waist money" on any camera gear I potentially purchase. I buy because it serves a purpose. Learn to love my D3....surely you jest...that black brick is my passion that I more than love. The word "geeky" was a poor choice of words in my original post to describe a situation I didn't want to develop (no pun intended) at this particular event. I envisioned many people (relatives) with their P&S's interrupting and asking me 10K questions while valuable shots are lost (I can't be rude and just brush them off). If I were shooting a paid event, that would be a totally different animal. Shots come before conversation, period.</p>

[elliot1]

<p>Greg, sounds like your card is really highly damaged. Hope someone out there can help you. You never know...</p>

<p>Richard, I find my D7000 and my D3 (not D3S) are more similar than they are different. Image quality is about the same even at high ISOs (and I guess the D7000 actually has better IQ under certain shooting conditions), frame rate not all that that far apart (6fps vs 9fps), buffer of 16 for the D7000 vs 20 for the D3 (12 bit compressed), very, very good AF but obviously not quite as good as the D3). Many of the advanced menu options found originally on the D3/D300 and not on other consumer cameras have made their way into the D7000. Considering the D3 new was $5000 just 3 short years ago, and that it still sells for $3000 or more used, the D7000 is an incredible value, and to me, a mini D3. It is certainly not a D3 nor a replacement for it. Nor is it meant for a pro sports photographer. But it does do a great job and I think Greg will really, really like it. I certainly have not seen too many complaints about the D7000, at least not on P.net.</p>

<p>Dan, I suffer the same 'geekyness' as Greg. I agree that the D7000 is not quite as conspicuous as the D3 and is a good compromise for many shooting environments where the D3 may not be 'comfortable' to shoot with. I often take the D7000 to a casual event rather than the D3 for the same reason.</p>