Is D7000 really that bad?

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"I do politely tolerate Shun's opinion, I'm asking him to politely tolerate our experiences, rather than giving us ways to fix our experiences."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Shun has politely tolerated your experiences. It sounds as if you'd prefer we just passively listen to complaints rather than offer opinions or experiences that differ from your own.</p>

<p>Sometimes it's difficult to tell whether folks are interested in resolving problems or just venting frustrations.</p>

<p>I suppose both are valid but this is a discussion forum and we'll have to expect differing opinions, anecdotes and experiences that counter our own and unsolicited suggestions for resolving problems.</p>

[cyrus_procter]

<blockquote>

<p>Shun has politely tolerated your experiences.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I beg to differ. I feel like continually suggesting that we try this and that and never ever acknowledging that our bodies may indeed be to blame, Shun is discrediting our experiences as nothing more than people who don't know how to use a camera. This isn't tolerating and this isn't polite, and it certainly does a disservice to those who are thinking of buying a D7000 and assume its AF system will be perfect because the only possible thing that could go wrong with it is the way they use it.</p>

<p>I'm not here to vent my frustrations and I'm not here to solve a problem (unless Nikon's designers are on here and I can make a few suggestions how to lay out the D7100), I'm here to warn people interested in buying a D7000 that there are issues to be aware of and check for these issues, especially if you buy used and I don't take too kindly to those who suggest my warnings and warnings from others who experience the same problems are simply the ravings of crazy people who don't know how to use their cameras.</p>

<p>Does being one of only a few sane posters on an insane forum make you crazy Lex? If so, then I'm guilty as charged.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<blockquote>

<p>You know Shun, I think you should try listening. <strong>We</strong> aren't asking for your help, and most of us are already aware of the basic settings you are talking about.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Skyler, may I remind you once again that you only speak for yourself?</p>

<p>Yes, I bought my D7000 from my local store as soon as it came out in November, 2010. A year later I recommended it to a close friend. Both cameras work perfectly within the D7000's design limitations. In particular, AF works great and is just slightly inferior to the D3 and D300 that I am familiar with.</p>

<p>Therefore, there is no reason that any other D7000 cannot work as well. If not, it is either a user error or a camera error, or perhaps both. In the case if Michael S., I was merely trying to eliminate any obvious user error. If those are not the issues, he may need to send his D7000 back again (perhaps with his lenses), just as Michael Dougherty did. After repair, Michael D's two D7000 both work great, so should anybody else's.</p>

<p>Skyler, do you recall that you wrote the following on June 7, on this very thread?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>That being said I will admit I do not always think to use the cross focus points when shooting in low light, but then again I doubt the OP or most of the people on this forum are even aware which points are the cross type points.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>When photographers are not even aware which AF point is cross type, it is not surprising that they run into AF issues. It is my objective to help everybody know their camera better and eliminate those user errors.</p>

<p>If Michael S. does not want my comments, he is free to let me know. Skyler, that is not something you need to be concerned about. My only objective is to help everybody get the most out of their D7000 as well as any other piece of equipment.</p>

<p>BTW, Skyler, I seem to recall that one of your D7000 was hit by a car, another was dropped from a fairly high height, and the third had some damage from sand and dust. Perhaps you are very rough on your cameras so that your experience is not typical?</p>

[Mike D]

<p>Wow, this post has legs. A couple final comments. Certain combinations of bodies and lenses simply work better together (but this could ba a whole other post). I have had numerous bodies and lenses repaired at Nikon El Segundo (previously Torrance) over the years. First, be very nice to the lady at the service desk and she can be very helpful. Complaining won't get you anywhere. Second, make sure you have sample photos of the problem. I even bring photos taken with other Nikon bodies to further demonstrate the problem with the body in question. This stratgy seems to work very well. </p>

[michael_s10]

<p>Shun - </p>

<p>I appreciate your efforts to cover the basics - it's where one should look first most of the time. </p>

<p>Since it's been back to Nikon twice, I don't hold out a lot of hope that sending it back a third time is going to get me any better results. </p>

<p>I've come to the conclusion that probably the only way I'll ever reach peace on my copy of the d7000 is to rent another d7000 and see whether or not I get the same behavior from both copies. Alternatively, I am thinking about trying out a 70/200 VRII to see if I get better results on a lens with an internal focus motor.</p>

<p>It may be that my expectations are too high - I'll have to see.</p>

<p> </p>

[fotolopithecus]

<p>Skyler seems to invest an awful lot of energy into a thread about a camera he doesn't even use any more. Strange no?</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Michael S., unfortunately, renting DSLRs are somehow every expensive. You seem to be near a major city on the East Cost. Maybe you can borrow a D7000 to compare. Try friends or camera clubs.</p>

<p>Sometimes AF problems are indeed hard to track down. As Thom Hogan points out, it is best to send both body and lens to Nikon for adjustment. A lot of us have D7000 with very good AF results; there is no reason yours is not as good. Over the last year and half, I have posted a lot of image samples from the D7000. E.g. on this thread with a 70-200mm VR II wide open under dim light: <a href="00ZHut">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00ZHut</a></p>

<p>If Nikon can't fix it after 2, 3 trys (including checking out your lens(es), hopefully your D7000 is still under warranty; I would request them to replace it altogether.</p>

[michael_s10]

<p>Shun - </p>

<p>Of course when I sent it in to Nikon for repair the lenses went with it :)</p>

<p>I think some of the problem in discussing this topic is that it has so much to do with shooting conditions. For example, in the low light photo of Rafal Nadal you posted indicating the focus is just fine, I'd estimate that you are between 50 and 100 feet away from the subject. At that distance, the depth of field is anywhere from 4 to 8 feet. I recently shot a high school graduation under similar conditions - low light, long distance to subject and had no focus issues in a single frame (over 200 frames). Why? Because the DOF is so large, that it will mask all but the most out of focus errors. </p>

<p>It's also important to understand that the existence of photos that are in focus from other d7000 cameras doesn't mean even those cameras that produced those photos would work for me. As a portrait photographer, I have *very* specific requirements, and that is tied into my workflow. When I am shooting a subject, I'm trying to capture something special. When the shoot is done, before I actually look at the images, I need to know one of two things - either I have the shot I want, or I don't. The shoot ends for one of two reasons - either have the shot, or I've determined that the subject isn't going to give up the shot I need within the time constraints of the shoot (in which case it's a busted shoot).</p>

<p>In terms of my workflow, I basically expect that if I take 100 pictures, 100 pictures are print quality. The subjects are not moving (materially at least) and the lighting conditions are generally static. All I need to do is put the focus point on a high contrast area, hold the camera steady and squeeze.</p>

<p>The more "randomness" there is in the process, the more I need to push the length of the session to ensure that there will be enough print quality images in the bunch. </p>

<p>The other thing about portrait photographers is that we tend to shoot backlit subjects. Facing the subject into the sun creates unpleasing facial expressions. While often we mitigate the contrast issues that can confuse AF systems with the use of reflectors, there are times when this doesn't work out. It would be nice if under those conditions I could get 100% in-focus shots.</p>

<p>So, usually my first question to any d7000 owner is "Tell me about what you shoot and how you shoot it?".</p>

<p>And that's my question to you :)</p>

<p>Regards,<br>

Michael</p>

<p> </p>

[alan_mclaren]

<p>My D7000 is now in for service for the 5th time. Nikon's Customer service specialist took 2 hours to show me how well this camera worked while picking it up after the 4th service. He was unable to get it to work to his satisfaction using my lenses they have serviced as well. The customer specialist asked to keep the camera and lens again to get this problem fixed. Bellow is my experience prior to picking my camera up on its 4th time into service.<br />My experience with Nikon. I have owned my D7000 since last summer.<br /> <br />Back focus is a real issue for many of us with Nikon D7000. Mine has been back for service 3 times already and is back there again. I drive the 2 hours from my home in Peterborough Ontario, Canada to Nikon service in Mississauga Ontario. The first time after conversations on the phone I sent it in because it was back focusing on all my lenses. I picked it up from service and took it home and tested it. There was no change. I talked to service on the phone again. They asked me to do more tests including AF-Fine tune, adjust sharpening to 6 instead of default 3 and with all my lenses. I did this and was unable to get it to focus accurately. It was still back focusing. Nikon Service asked me to bring it in again with sample photos and one of the lenses. I did this and picked it up when they called. Again I took it home and tested it again. It was still back focusing with all the lenses. After much discussion and many more tests as suggested by them including samples sent in by me for them to review. Nikon service asked me to bring in 3 of my lenses and the camera for service. This is the 3rd time for this issue. I took all of this equipment in and met a Customer Relations Specialist whom would personally oversee this. One week later I received a call to say all was ready to pick up. At the counter I was told all were work properly, adjustments were made to all and I should be pleased with the results. I take the equipment home and test it. I am now completely discouraged. The best photo was back-focusing by more than 2 inches. I took the best samples and emailed them to the Specialist that was helping me. He could not believe this was still happening. I was asked to do many more tests and send the samples in. I did and the Specialist believes there is a problem with the camera and I need to bring it in again. It is now at service again, this is the 4th time for the same issue. While dropping it off I had a long conversation to try and understand this. I was promised this problem would be solved this time. <br />Do try and understand that the area that is back focused is extremely clear(sharp).<br />The specialist did show me a D800 and how well it focused and suggested that perhaps this is what I and looking for. He may be right as to the camera being what I want to go with the lenses I have. <br />To add to this sinking feeling I have invested over 8 thousand dollars in senses for this camera that are sitting idle. Without a camera what are they worth.<br />Here's to hoping it all works out.<br /><br />Additional problems<br />1. I had a card reading error with all 6 memory cards I used with this camera. A firmware upgrade and this does not happen anymore.<br />2. 4 times the top screen has flashed with "err", this happened awhile after the firmware update. The only way I was able to get back to using the camera was to remove the battery and put it back in, turn it on, error starts flashing, now press the shutter half way.<br />3. After the third service while going around town to take shots in various locations, Buildings, Traffic, People, Trees and so on. I noticed the photos were coming out in a pattern. Normal, light, bark. I checked to see if Bracketing was turned on and it was set to "0F"(Zero-F). I called Nikon to help with this. Reset the camera with the 2 green buttons and 2 other places in the menu. This cleared up what was happening, no explanation, it just worked.<br />4. The late afternoon before taking the camera in again another thing happened. Running around town again take photos of all kinds of things. When loading things in the car I put the camera on the passenger seat then finished packing the rest of the gear and noticed the camera on and went to turn it off, but it was already turned off. I paused for a few seconds, then turned the switch to the on position then off again and it turned off. Don't know what to make of this.<br /> <br />Nikon is aware of all of this.</p>

[ilkka_nissila]

<p>Alan, sorry to hear about your experience. I would at this point simply request Nikon or the store you bought it from for a full refund, or a refund which can be used in partial payment for another camera (a D800 perhaps). If a defective unit cannot be repaired it should be the manufacturer's (or importer's) responsibility to replace it with a correctly functioning unit (as per warranty) or provide a compensation in the form of a refund. Of course they will not refund the cost of your lenses, so you are probably best off getting a D800 (if that is satisfactory for you) rather than going for another brand.</p>

<p> It is probably best to move on rather than continue what must be a very stressful experience.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Michael S., I too tend to capture portrait type images with the D7000 and the 85mm/f1.8, 50mm/f1.8, or 50mm/f1.4, all AF-S. Those are from much closer distances with the lens wide open or close to wide open. The image of the boy with a toothpick in his mouth above is an example.</p>

<p>I actually get a fairly large number of unsharp images in those settings because I try use only existing light, and I want to limit the D7000 to ISO 1600. As a result, even at f1.8, my shutter speeds tend to be 1/50 sec to 1/100 sec indoors. And frequently there is camera shake and/or motion blur. Afterall, my subjects are mostly children. However, when there is more light so that I can use 1/200 sec or when I use a flash, there is never any AF or sharpness issue. (For me, usually it is not difficult to tell the difference between unsharpness due to motion and due to focusing.) Perhaps my solution should be using ISO 3200 or even 6400 and accept more noise.</p>

<p>For example, I captured this image with the D7000 and the 50mm/f1.8 AF-S wide open, but the restaurant we were in had large windows so that I had plenty of light even indoors. The faster shutter speed helped a lot.</p>

<p>Michael S., maybe you can post some sample images to show us what your problems are. I am here to learn.</p>

<p>Alan, as I suggested on another thread you posted, your D7000 seems to have many problems and it is time for Nikon to replace it. It will save both you and them time and trouble.</p>

<p>But don't expect switching to a D800 would always solve AF issues. If you read DPReview forums, there are already a lot of complaints, especially concerning the left AF points. E.g.:</p>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=41128645">http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=41128645</a></li>

<li><a href="http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=41704238">http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=41704238</a></li>

<li><a href="http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=41254176">http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=41254176</a></li>

</ul>

<p>All of those threads are very long and some of them include complaints on the D4's AF as well.</p>

<p>Of course, naturally, I don't have any AF problem with the one D800 I have used for two months. :-)</p>

<div></div>

[cyrus_procter]

<p>So you've had direct experience with 1 body and heard about another? I've personally shot 5 different D7000 bodies, & have spoken directly with 2 friends who reported AF issues. Yes two of those bodies were my own (and yes those two were heavily abused), but three of those bodies were purchased brand new by friends who barely ever used them. To some degree I experienced AF issues with 4 of the bodies, the fifth body I only shot video so I cannot comment on its AF performance.</p>

<p>Perhaps if you had more experience with more D7000 bodies you would be in a better position to give an opinion on their average AF performance.</p>

<p>I'm not worried about the D4\D800 reports, after all those people probably just need to set some settings and use the cross type sensors and everything will be Aok :-)</p>

<p>Switching the D800 solved AF issues for me. None the less, there will be D800 bodies that have issues, but I would hope with a professional grade camera like the D800 that those be considerably farther and fewer between than the D7000's.</p>

<p>Again its great your camera works. We've established that how many times now? I would love to see you get your hands on one of these cameras that doesn't work, and then when you come post about it I can try out your role and suggest a bunch of settings for you to try :).</p>

<p>You tell me not to speak for everyone, and yet I get the distinct impression you are speaking for every D7000 out there by saying yours works. Food for thought.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<blockquote>

<p>So you've had direct experience with 1 body and heard about another?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Actually I have direct experience with two D7000 and have heard about many that work perfectly fine. In fact, you too have read about many that work fine and some don't; just re-read this very thread again.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Again its great your camera works. We've established that how many times now? I would love to see you get your hands on one of these cameras that doesn't work, and then when you come post about it I can try out your role and suggest a bunch of settings for you to try :).</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Anybody is more than welcome to ship me their D7000 for evaluation. Contact me via e-mail and I'll provide a shipping address. However, I am not interested in any D7000 that has suffered impact damage: either hit by cars or dropped from high places, especially after Nikon repair service has reported that they are unable to repair it back to satisfactory condition. Even D3 and D4 probably won't work well after such impact damage.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>You tell me not to speak for everyone, and yet I get the distinct impression you are speaking for every D7000 out there by saying yours works. Food for thought.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Sorry, your impression is dead wrong.</p>

[robert_k1]

<p>Alan, if I were in your shoes, I would feel your pain.</p>

<p>I do have a few questions.</p>

<p>- It seems like you were demonstrating the back focus problem with samples. Why not shoot in their presence, demonstrate what you meant by back focus, and get them to acknowledge that there is indeed an equipment problem? If you and Nikon cannot agree upon the existence of the problem to begin with, how can they "correct" it?</p>

<p>- If you and Nikon were able to agree upon the back focus problem prior to they servicing it, then have them shoot and demonstrate in your presence that the problem has been fixed. Otherwise, why pick it up?</p>

<p>Perhaps logistically what I suggest is not possible. But that's what it will take to get to the bottom of your problem.</p>

<p> </p>

[michael mccann]

<p>Just thought I would throw in the fact that I have a D7000 as does a close friend of mine. I shoot with a 17-55 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 VRII and he shoots with a Tokina 12-24 2.8 and a Nikon 70-300. Neither of us have any autofocus issues that are not of our own doing. The cameras work perfectly and the vast majority of the images are tack sharp. </p>

[alan_mclaren]

<p>Robert K Thank you for your input<br>

This last Wednesday I did exactly what you are talking about. Nikon's Customer Relations Specialist spent 2 hours with me including taking photos. He got a poorer results than I did. He tried his best to figure things out and when all was said and done the specialist wanted me to leave the camera and lens to be looked at again. This is the 5th time. Just to be clear, we both tried another body and had no problems. This included swapping lenses between bodies.<br>

Nikon and I both believe this D7000 has a problem, there for it has a problem.<br>

I do believe the "ERR" flashing messages that have happened may be part of this issue. If the computerized system has problems, this may explain the other issues.<br>

Nikon will eventually get to the bottom of this and remedy it. Till then, a cool head is needed. </p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Alan, your D7000 has a lot more problem than just AF. As I suggested on another thread you had posted to: <a href="00XnSk">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00XnSk</a>, it is time to put some pressure on Nikon Canada to replace your D7000 with a new one.</p>

<p>If it were me, I would start asking them to replace the camera after the 3rd repair. You are up to the 5th time; you are patient, but this process is merely wasting your time as well as Nikon Canada's. Get another D7000 and start capturing good images. Leave the bad one with Nikon Canada so that it is no longer your problem.</p>

 

[panayotis_papadopoulos]

<p>It's surely a very long thread :). Just to give another opinion as well, before a year ago I bought a new D7000. Since then I had no trouble with the AF system that I could not adjust it. And yes the vast majority of my photos are "net" and sharp. It's also true that I realized that better glass is essential to meet the needs of a D7000 body. Also true that sometimes and depending on the lens, AF is not that fast, like with my 50mm f/1.4 G. But so is with my D300s body. Yes there's difference between my D300s AF system and D7000 but to be honest not the so big one that many would like to present (from my personal experience and not being a PRO making money out of photography with heavy and rough treatment to bodies/lenses). <br>

Excluding the times I shoot action or my dog going up and down and in circles at the beach :) and for which I choose my D300s, all other times my D7000 is delivering perfect, fast and accurate focus (and with some lens ridiculously fast).<br>

I happened to be member in a Greek photography site as well. I remember that months ago we had a couple of person complaining about their D7000 cameras. Two of them reported focus problems. We told them to address themselves to Nikon Greece. One of them admittedly accepted the fact that it was due to his technique. The other one said to us that Nikon replaced his camera after repairing one time due to sensor problems mainly.<br>

I am sure there are some bad copies of the D7000 out there. But being all (or most of them) with a defective AF system I don't think so...otherwise I am a very lucky guy as with a lot of my friend in the Greek forum who I spoke with and have a flawless D7000 in their hands.<br>

Take a good care of yourselves! Panayotis</p>

 

[robert_k1]

<blockquote>

<p>Nikon will eventually get to the bottom of this and remedy it. Till then, a cool head is needed.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Please let us know the results of the 5th repair. Did you ask Nikon's Customer Relations Specialist whether he has come across similar problems on other D7000 bodies or other models? [in fact, it would be nice to hear from B&H or Adorama reps who post here, but I won't hold my breath.]</p>

<p>In all fairness, Nikon has treated you very well, and has bend over backwards to resolve your problem. You should consider yourself lucky to be able to meet them face to face to demonstrate the problem, repeatedly. Not many Nikon customers can have that luxury.</p>

[cyrus_procter]

After shooting all last night with the D800 in very low light, my average settings were F/1.4, 1/40 ISO 1600 for the 24mm,

F/1.4, 1/80 ISO 3200 for the 85mm, (and those settings were a half to a full stop under exposed) I realized why I think the

D7000's AF is so inferior. Because I would have issues locking focus with the D800, it was pretty darn low light, but if I

used non-cross type sensors and it refused to lock, I could simply switch to the cross type sensors for better performance,

or I might have to figure out a way to get my subject in more light, but never once, all night, did the AF lock when the

image was not in focus. This the D7000 does frequently, and Shun, this includes yours, because if it wasn't the case, then

you wouldn't have a problem using the non cross type sensors, it simply wouldn't focus instead of getting out of focus

shots. This is the reason the D7000 is a really that bad, because its lies to you, especially when using non cross type

sensors, it tells you its in focus when its really not (obviously not all the time, but in extreme situations). The D800 and

from my experience with the D3 series, they do not do this, if its not in focus, the camera hunts, it won't lock focus until it

really can focus a sharp image.

 

For most people this won't be a deal breaker, matter of fact unless you are in low light using non cross type sensors or in

really low light using any sensors, or as have some of us have expereinced with long fast glass, this issues rarely rears its

ugly head. But I would say 75% of my work is done in low, or really low light, meaning that I'm in an environment where

this is a serious issue, hense the reason I no longer shoot with a D7000.

 

My goal is very much like Shun's, its to help people get the most out of their D7000, and yes that means knowing good

technique and how to use your camera, it also means knowing know its weaknesses and its limitaitons. And a limitation of

the D7000 is in certain situations it will lie to you and tell you its in focus when its really not. Even on Shun's perfectly

functioning camera, his non cross type points lie to him too, hense the reason he doesn't use them, and since I haven't

seen any really low light shots, I suspect his cross types would lie as well as soon as the situation got dark enough. If you

are shooting in ultra low light you are better off with a difference AF system that will hunt and lock perfect focus rather

than lock a shot that isn't in focus

[alan_mclaren]

<p>Good news 5. My D7000 appears to be working the way it should. The issues I was facing was not just the camera, it included the lenses. This time the camera's auto focus operation was adjusted again. Nikon did find a problem with the lens and adjusted the focus system as well as the auto focus operation. This was the 70-300mm AFS VR lens(second trip in for service). Lenses I have taken in previously include 35mm f1.8 ASF DX and 300mm f2.8 AFS VR.<br>

How is one to explain my luck or lack of it. Today I am happier than I was, but what has happened should not have. At this point I believe Nikon got to the bottom of this and stood behind its product. Yes, this is an opinion.<br>

After hearing so many times, the D7000 focus issues are almost all users inability to understand and use the focus system. I took a long time using, testing, asking questions, purchased Thom Hogan's manual on this camera(yes, I read the entire book). Months went by with discouraging results.<br>

Now will I be able to rekindle the excitement I had when I first purchased this camera and lenses almost a year ago? Well I hope so. Perhaps a slower start.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Alan, I am glad that Nikon Canada finally fixes your D7000, but five repair attempts is too many IMO. In that case, I wouldn't exactly say Nikon treated your well, although they clearly tried hard to fix your problems.</p>

<p>There are always three components in the AF equation:</p>

<ol>

<li>AF Lens</li>

<li>AF camera body</li>

<li>photographer</li>

</ol>

<p>If there are AF issues, people should probably ship both body and lens(es) to Nikon for evaluation, perhaps not the first time around but if the AF issue is not fixed the first time, certainly by the second repair attempt. That was what I suggested to Michael S. above, but apparently he had already done that.</p>

<p>After three unsuccessful repairs, I would start looking into the replacement option. In particular, Alan's D7000 seems to have other problems not related to AF. Hopefully all of that is now behind him.</p>

<p>Alan, good luck and thanks for keeping us posted.</p>

[robert_k1]

<p>Good news indeed, Alan.</p>

<p>Did Nikon tell you exactly what they did with your D7000? Did they tell you how often they have come across similar problems with the D7000?</p>

[alan_mclaren]

<p>Shun, Thanks for your input. You are right about 1,2 and 3. Number one and two need to pull their weight, because number three(me) is frustrated. Sending all items in question to Nikon is the right move.</p>

<p>Robert, Nikon would only say they adjusted the focus on all 5 service trips. No mention of other D7000 with similar problems.<br>

Nikon never did any checking with regards to the "ERR" error messages. this happened 4 times requiring removal of the battery to resolve the problem. When I asked, I was told "it is working now and that will not happen again. None of the paper work shows it being addressed. I left telling customer service I was concerned with this.<br>

I have noew checked the camera out with 3 different lenses, 2 are focusing on what they are pointed at and are showing a very clear image(300m AF-S 2.8 VR and 50mm AF 1.8). The 70-300mm VR(twice in for service) is not showing clarity at any f-stop from 70 to 300mm. There is a a distinct separation of the red colour directly upwards from all other colours, starting in the centre. It is worse wide open and is still readily visible up to f16. I sent samples into Nikon and here is their reply.<br>

"Thank you for your e-mail. In regards to your question, I have reviewed the photos once again, and there seems to be no issue whatsoever with the photos. I believe you have exceeded the D7000 capabilities and need to move on to Full frame shooting if you want different outcomes of photos."<br>

Deep breath.<br>

Things are better than they were. I have had an unusual number of things to deal with. <br>

I will be checking my other lenses over the next few days. </p>

 

[bob_patterson3]

I've been shooting Nikon for 40+ years. I'm a dyed in the wool film guy, and my new D7000 is my first attempt to take DSLRs seriously. I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread. I wish that I had seen it before I purchased my brand new D7000 just a little over a month ago.<p>

 

Right out of the box my D7000 is having the same AF problems that are typical of the problems discussed in this thread. Unfortunately I didn't return it to the merchant during the 30-day exchange period, because I drank the Kool-Aid and believed that the AF problems could only have been caused by my lack of familiarity wth the camera's complex focusing system, and that they were attributable to user error, in spite of my 40+ years of experience with Nikon SLR. It's taken me a little over a month to determine conclusively that there are several hardware/software problems with the camera, and that I'm not having problems because I'm some nincompoop who doesn't know how to use a camera.

<p>

I am having many problems with defects in the camera. I'll only address the most egregious focusing problems here:

<p>

A. Back-Focusing. When using any AF mode, the sharpest point of focus always lies behind the desired focal plane in the photograph, no matter what lenses I might use. This problem is not caused by improper AF mode selection. I experience the problem using single-dot AF-S mode. The sharpest point of focus always lies behind the desired point of focus whenever the autofocus / digital rangefinder system is used to determine focus. Manual focus while ignoring the digital rangefinder provides sharper results. This suggests autofocus / digital rangefinder calibration error.

<p>

B. Poor Sharpness at Large Apertures. I'm using fast prime glass with maximum apertures in the range of 1.4 to 2.8 covering 20 to 300 mm. Sharpness always suffers unless the lens is stopped down with enough DoF to mask the problem.

<p>

Of course, A and B are just symptoms of the same underlying problem.

<p>

The in-camera AF calibration/offset menu is somewhat helpful in addressing the focal plane problem, but it only works for autofocus lenses. That is to say, I can't get the in-camera AF offset system to adequately re-calibrate the digital rangefinder to provide adequate focus resolution with a 50mm f/1.4 AI-S test lens. (It is my understanding that Nikon service uses a 50mm f/1.4 lens for focus calibration because of it's narrow DoF.) The AF calibration settings only appear to be active with CPU-based lenses. Please correct me if I'm wrong on that.

<p>

When taking a portrait with a 50mm f/1.4, I'll use a tripod and a seated subject, manually focusing on the subject's pupils, using the digital rangefinder to confirm proper focus with the “green dot.” The result is invariably a portrait where the eyes are out of focus, but the ears are sharp; ie: the camera is focusing behind the desired focal plane. Manual focusing by eye, while ignoring the digital rangefinder, eliminates this problem. Clearly, the problem is not one of softness in the lens at maximum aperture, it's one of digital rangefinder focus inaccuracy; the digital rangefinder is producing faulty results.

<p>

I have tested the focus error in the digital rangefinder by performing manual “focus bracketing,” in which I take a series of photographs while subtly changing the plane of focus, thereby varying the end-point defined by the digital rangefinder. The result is that optimal focus is obtained not when the green dot is illuminated, but when the lens is focused slightly “ahead of the subject” such that the green dot is turning off just as the left triangle is turning on.

<p>

Stopping down to f/2.8 or f/4.0 masks these problems. At those smaller apertures there's enough DoF to effectively conceal the problem so that nobody would ever notice it.

<p>

In performing web based research about this problem, the consensus of opinion seems to favor blaming problems such as these on "nincompoops" and "user error." I have to admit that I'm surprised by the knee-jerk response that so many people offer on the internet fora. Why are these focusing problems are always dismissed as being attributable to user error? Is everyone trying to avoid facing the truth, that there is a problem with the design of their camera?

<p>

It is clear that there is a range of focusing accuracy in the D7000 that Nikon considers “good enough,” especially if you're dealing with slow apertures that can effectively conceal any miscalibration of the digital rangefinder, and the accuracy of the autofocusing system that relies upon it. The vast majority of users aren't subjected to the problems that a few people are reporting because of differences in their techniques. I think it's wrong to say that the minority of the people who are complaining about AF problems are wrong, that they are experiencing user error , or that they are “nincompoops,” just because they are in the minority of D7000 users. Not everyone applies the same degree of critical eye or scientific method to addressing these issues.

<p>

Like others in this thread, I've also had my share of problems obtaining adequate focus tracking with the D7000 on moving objects. I just can't get a series of sharp photos of a dog trotting straight at me, @ 1/1000 & f/5.6 with a 180mm AF-D Nikkor lens, using single block focus in AF-C mode and a tripod. Conventional wisdom says that that my failure has to be related to user error, and not related to the camera. If there is user error in my choice of settings, I can't determine what it is, so I'll set this problem aside and focus on the results of static testing of the AF rangefinder.

<p>

Objective testing has proven that my brand-new D7000 has an autofocus rangefinder calibration that is “adequate” for use in many non-critical applications, especially when shooting a stagnant target with a stopped-down lens. But it is clearly inadequate when critical focus needs to be obtained with fast optics that have a shallow DoF. The sad truth is that the “acceptable range” for the AF sensor calibration seems to be deeper than the DoF provided by a fast lens. In other words, some lenses are sharper than the limits of camera's AF system, as calibrated off of the assembly line. The result is that the camera produces just the results that you would expect under these circumstances: soft IQ at large apertures.

<p>

The natural response will be to suggest that I have a bad specimen, and that I need to send my D7000 back to Nikon for warranty repair. What's odd is that everyone who performs similar critical tests seems to obtain similar results. These results are always dismissed as "you won't find a problem unless you go looking for one," which sounds like another way of telling people to accept marginal results from their camera. If critical static focusing is desired of a D7000, it seems that you have to send the camera back to Nikon to receive individualized attention to properly calibrate the AF sensor. This suggests that on the production line, AF sensor calibration is only “roughed-in” so that it is good enough to satisfy most users, and that the manufacturer isn't spending the time to fine-tune every unit in production, because most users don't shoot at f/1.4 and will never demand this level of attention to detail in sensor calibration. So corners are cut to save money, and only the squeaky wheels get greased when people return their cameras for problems. It's simple economics.

<p>

Part of the reason that I bought my D7000 was because my brother gave such high praise to his D7000. His daughter gave similar praise to her D7000. After reporting my experience to them, both my brother and my niece, who had previously been totally satisfied with their D7000, have begun to recognize the same problems that I have described. When I pointed out my observations, they conceded that they had been having AF problems on poorly lit subjects in low-light situations, and problems with low sharpness in low DoF situations. They accepted these problems because they had always been conditioned to accept the explanation that poor IQ in these conditions was the result of “user error.” Evidently, it seems that everyone's totally happy with this camera until they start to demand that it produce critical results, and only then do users notice it's existing deficiencies. This seems to define the D7000 as a mid-range camera.

<p>

In the big scheme of things, I'm quite disappointed that my D7000 cannot provide critical focus accuracy at f/1.4, and that I should have to return a brand-new unit to the factory service department for sensor re-calibration. Quite simply, the fact that my camera passed the quality control checks on the Nikon production line means that the Nikon QC checks aren't all that good, and that Nikon is passing cameras that have AF problems.