steve_r.2 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I just wasn't able to bond with my D7000 from a physical perspective. It just didn't fit my hand properly and I was never able to really get comfortable with it, so I returned it while I still could. I found a very lightly used D300s in perfect condition that a local chap was selling for $1000 so I grabbed it. It fits me like a glove. I'm sure that many will think this is a step backwards, however, I am more inspired by this camera. when I pick it up. I prefer the viewfinder as well. Just thought I'd share my excitement. Me and my 300s (and 24mm f/2.8) are off to take some pics!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>It's no step backwards if your choice supports you actually making photographs the way you like. The D300 an its 'S' flavor are quite the cameras.<br /><br />I handled the D7000 the other day for the first time. Too small for my caveman hands, no question. So, I'll just sit here in D300 land for a while yet.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesBecker-Toronto Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>Perfectly understandable Steve. Whenever a friend is planning to get a new camera, I tell them to actually hold it in their hands first. If it isn't comfortable to hold, it isn't going to be used. Happy shooting! regards, cb :-0)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <blockquote> <p>I am more inspired by this camera</p> </blockquote> <p>words of wisdom</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_lisi Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>Steve, I had the exact same feeling when I first bought my D7000. I have rather long fingers. Then I went and bought the (real) MB-D11 grip. I hadn't planned on dropping that much $$ on a grip, however, it totally changed the "feel" of the camera and worked out well. I shoot small weddings and with my D3 24-70 2.8 and D7000 70-200 VRII it makes for a killer combo. I had a D300 and made countless family memories with it.<br> Greg</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbcooper Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <blockquote> <p>"...I am more inspired by this camera."</p> </blockquote> <p>IMO that's the main thing. Although I like my D7k (and my bulkier/heavier D700), there's no substitute for having a camera <em>you're</em> happy to pick up and use. Good for you for finding that!</p> <p>Don't forget to put some of the pics in your photo.net gallery!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardsnow Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>This thread is why I ALWAYS recommend handling a camera prior to purchasing. Some people don't care, but I'm in the OP and Matt Laur's camp. The D7000 just doesn't fit my hands well...everything seems too cramped. It's a great camera and can produce excellent images...it's just not for me. I'm sticking to my D700 until the D3 replacement is announced. I love my D700 with grip, but after a weekend with a buddy's D3, I could really feel how well the camera fits in my hand...even better than a D700 with grip.</p> <p>Congrats on your purchase...I'm sure we all look forward to seeing some of your images on the Nikon Wednesday thread.</p> <p>RS</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieter Schaefer Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <blockquote> <p>The D7000 just doesn't fit my hands well...everything seems too cramped.</p> </blockquote> <p>I am glad to not be the only one with that impression. I handled the D7K a few times in the store and just couldn't get over how poorly it fit in my hands; this is actually the first Nikon camera that I have that kind of problem with. The battery grip wouldn't solve the problem for me, as it isn't so much the height that is a problem but the width of the camera, in combination with the too squarish camera grip. It felt like I was pinching the camera grip rather than actually holding it - as a consequence, I felt my right hand hurting after about 10 minutes of holding the D7K.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_r.2 Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Dieter, That is the exact problem that I was having. The battery grip would not have solved it for me either. The 7000 needs to be wider in my opinion, although based on sales, it appears that we are in the minority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>If the ergonomics aren't there, you will be disinclined to use a camera. That's why I always tell aspiring camera buyers...get your hands on it and see how it feels. If it doesn't fit, try something else. Same thing with computer keyboards. I know too many people with tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome from their work and hobbies. No sense adding to the pain.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot1 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p><em>" The 7000 needs to be wider" </em>You mean like a D300(s)? Then it wouldn't be a D7000!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_r.2 Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 " The 7000 needs to be wider" You mean like a D300(s)? Then it wouldn't be a D7000! Touché Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka_nissila Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>The D300(s) AF is also from another league. I just shot another concert with the D7000 and 70-200II, this time at f/2.8 mostly, and I think I got 20% in critical focus. At f/4 things are easier but why bother with the D7000 when I get 80%+ in focus at f/2.8 using an FX camera in similar conditions? (The D300(s) share the AF system with the FX cameras.) I don't get this camera ... apart from it being excellent for macro.</p> <p>I also have long fingers but somehow they have found their way around the D7000, it's manageable for the amount of shooting that I do, but I can't get the AF to work for me.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka_nissila Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>I should qualify. In some of the sequences I got 20% in focus. In other sequences, most images were in focus. The problem seems to be that when hand-holding a long lens and focusing on a person whose face constitutes a small part of the whole frame, jitter in the composition (due to hand shake and subject movement) causes the AF of the D7000 to be lost more thoroughly than that of the D3 or D700. The light today was f/2.8 1/200s, ISO 200 in the back of the stage. In June I shot an event in brighter daylight (it was cloudy bright, f/4, 1/800s, ISO 100) and got something like 90-95% in focus with the same equipment and very similar subject matter. But it's the consistency that I'm missing. Maybe I should use a tripod ... no, then I would steal the show. I did experience slight focusing errors also with FX and the 300/4 AF-S, but the percentages were still in favour of that setup and the ones that were out of focus were just by a very suble amount. However, with the 70-200 it is easier to avoid camera shake due to its excellent VR, so if the shot is in focus it's likely to be bleeding sharp.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wogears Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>Will wonders never cease? Someone has returned a D7000 for a perfectly logical reason!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marypar4 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>Returned mine too..now I am not feeling like a complete whacko..I got the grip too..and it made the whole experience feel unbalanced..too bad .nice camera..Nikon please don't make the D400 small ..or I am switching to canon..there I have said it!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wade_thompson Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>yikes! blasphemy!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_wilson1 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <p>Yep, it's whatever works for you, I'm still using D200s.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieter Schaefer Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 <blockquote> <p><em>" The 7000 needs to be wider" </em>You mean like a D300(s)? Then it wouldn't be a D7000!</p> </blockquote> <p>Nope, not like the D300(S) - but maybe like the D70(S). About the smallest body I feel comfortable with.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moi1 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I am in the D300 camp also, my hands are too big for small cameras! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 <blockquote> <p>I just shot another concert with the D7000 and 70-200II, this time at f/2.8 mostly, and I think I got 20% in critical focus.</p> </blockquote> <p>yikes! this is precisely why i opted for a d300s over a d7000.</p> <blockquote> <p>The light today was f/2.8 1/200s, ISO 200 in the back of the stage. In June I shot an event in brighter daylight (it was cloudy bright, f/4, 1/800s, ISO 100) and got something like 90-95% in focus with the same equipment and very similar subject matter.</p> </blockquote> <p>this might actually be your problem, ilkka. you chose to shoot at ISO 200 and 2.8...you have much more margin for (focus) error at f/4 with a faster shutter, and noise isn't going to be an issue until you cross the ISO 1600 threshold with that camera. with live concert shots, if i can shoot at f/4, i usually do. but the whole point of a high-ISO-capable camera is to be able to shoot at higher ISOs without appreciable degradation of the image quality, which allows for faster shutters and/or more DoF. also, check the bottom of your frame. looks like you needed to raise the shooting angle a bit.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohanmike Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 <p>I recently replaced my two D70s bodies with D300s. I looked at the D7000 but because it has a preset dial which I constantly nudged just at the wrong time on my D70s, and that the D7000 was smaller, I decided against it. I shoot concerts and the D300s ISO, AF and frame rate has upped my keepers by 100%.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wouter Willemse Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 <blockquote> <p>..or I am switching to canon..there I have said it!</p> </blockquote> <p>Mary, every Canon I handled (excludes the EOS 1 series, though) felt more cramped than most Nikon bodies I handled. Their handgrip is just to thin for me to be comfortable.<br> I used to have a D80, which should be around the same size as the D7000. It handled well for me. But ever since getting the D300, I'm not considering going back to a smaller body. It just fits perfectly and feels right. I like using the camera, and that's what really matters in the end.<br />And yes, as others echoed, the main reason one should feel a camera in a shop before throwing money at it.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotolopithecus Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 <p>I had a D300, and now have a D7000, but have to agree the D300 was better in the hands. Nonetheless its not a significant enough issue to make me want to switch back.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angkordave Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 <p>Size isn't everything!<br> Its interesting how having a large camera can make what in film days would have been normal feel small. I Felt the same about D300s when I picked it up; it feels ungainly with a large lens. I bought a battery grip and the whole camera feels so much better balanced.<br> The D7000 is a good Camera which would make a very good 2nd body; however I did find it a bit small; but that would not put me off as it such a good camera. I'd Get a Grip as I'm sure that would feel better in the hand with a larger lens.<br> Yesterday I used a D40 which I was testing for a friend to buy. I put a Nikon 18-200 on it and after a short while I got used to it; At the end of the day I was thinking; do we really need such large cameras; so Maybe I might buy a Nikon 5100 as a second body as it is of similar size and so discrete.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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