marypar4

I will also add that the body is cheaper feeling odd plastic feel to it compared to d7000. Also the shutter is quite mushy

but if you use af on button the shutter becomes more responsive. ..go figure! Did some indoor shots last night with no

flash and the ISO looking useable at 6400 which is encouraging! The shutter is loud and almost annoying compared to

d7000. I hate to say it but it is starting to sound like a Canon which sounds horrible to me. These things are not that

important BUT if you are a person who it hard on your equipment beware this camera is not pro built at all. I think Nikon

has something up their sleeves and I smell a D400 on the horizon with better buffer, built in wifi, gps and 9 fps...anyone

want to wagger a bet? The miracles I expected were in the image quality and I see no noticable difference from the d7000.

<p>So I got the D7100 too..<br /> I must say I was very excited to upgrade to this new model. I hoped for quicker focusing..somewhat better image quality, better ergonomics, 1.3 cropped sensor for better reach,and better ISO capabilties. I presently own the D7000 so I have a good camera in which to compare results. After spending the day shooting birds, tress, ocean, indoors, babies etc I can honestly say I do not see a signifcant difference. I own some decent lenses but certainly not the top of the line Nikons. I have wonderful results with the D7000 with the lenses in my bag.<br /> SO my conclusion is, I am sure this is a great camera...BUT you will need to upgrade your lenses in order to get optimum results. The only area in which I noticed <em>some</em> significant difference was in the auto focus. If you are a birder,sports shooter,etc you are sure to see some improvement but not $1200 worth. Going from 39 points to 51 is not that significant IMHO. The D7000 is very adequate and I do very nicely with 39 points.<br /> I write this in order to warn those who have the D7000..don't expect miracles. If you are expecting great ISO capabities you will be disappointed. Noise shows up after 2500 so basically you are getting one stop over the D7000. If you were looking for a bigger camera with a better grip..not there yet. IF you were looking for lightening speed (fps) not happening. If you thought 24 mp was going to make your images shine..not so. If you think the extra crop factor matters ..very little. Take you money and put it into quality lenses. As SHun stated when the D7000 came out..cameras are starting to outrelsove our lenses..which is probably what the manufacturers have in their master plan. Buyer beware!</p>

<p>Nice write up Kent.. appreciate the time it took to give us your expertise. Hope you are enjoying your new camera ...mine is coming on Tuesday. I am glad you mentioned the dx vs fx issue. I struggled with this decision so hearinfg your take makes me feel better.</p>

<p>I have done tons of portraits with the 50mm1.8 D .Its very inexpensive..just know that the focus ring moves..which is a pain sometimes as junk gets in there and messes things up. I have had to send it to Nikon on several occasions and they are so good about fixing it for FREE. The new G lens is actually twice the money..but the focus ring doesn't not move..fyi. If you work in dusty sandy environments spend the extra $100 for the G lens.</p>

The selector should be the same as the D7000 located on left side of camera under flash and bracket controls .. to

change af mode hit button and spin rear wheel near shutter button to control how many points spin front wheel? Correct

me if I misspoke

I don't think Nikon is going with a screen protector for thie D7000 so you will get the skin one as in tablet type protector

If you look at Canon progression I believe there will be a D400 in the late summer or fall of 2013. It will trump the new 7d

mark 11 which is expected out in summer of 2013. I will wait a bit longer to see whats up but now that Nikon has

satisfied the FF market and the consumer market with the added D7100 their only niche left is a pro Dx. They are not

going to let Canon get ahead of the dx race...they have something up their sleeves for sure otherwise they would have

increase the buffer on the D7100 which for any pro is not acceptable. I think there are enough details left out to make the

gold standard in dx which would be gps,high buffer, high fps, internal wifi an a bigger more robust body to handle the big

lenses of the pro. Personally I believe the amatuer will be more then satisfied with the D7100 with its feature set.

<p>I shoot with the 18-105 Vr and love it on my D7000. Have the 35mm 1.8 as well and find that more useful then the 50mm . Well to the Nikon family.</p>

<p>Congrats Kent on your new purchase. We look forward to some samples as you seem to be the only one in possession of this coveted camera!</p>

I would be interested in sigma 120.400 sent you email

Marypar4@aol.com

<p>Hi Dave<br>

I also own the tammy 200-500 I use it with both the D90 and my D7000 despite what others might says it is quite a remarkable lens for the money. I paid $400 for mine several years ago and have taken some stunning shots with it I often use in at Forsythe preserve where the wading ducks tend to be a bit far away. I always use it with a beanbag or tripod as not to steady handholding. I do not think a teleconverter would be advisable as it is a slow lens but very sharp. I think you will be pleasantly surprised but give it a chance before you judge.</p>

<p>I bought the Zeikos grip which I highly recommend. I use it when I have my 70-200 on camera for added stability. I bought a Bower grip and returned it ..as connectiveity was skechy...the light came on and off ..so returned it. The Zeikos has a af/afl button in vertical so nice for making shoots .</p>

<p>take it off three d and go to afc 9 points three d is not reliable</p>

<p>Friend of mine dropped his onto a cement walk ..wind blew it over..off tripod. He sent it to Nikon..they fixed it for free..and fixed back focus issue too. Nice company..Hopefully you will have same service.</p>

<p>Great advice Robert M..it actually helped me to read your response as I have had days like that..where the pictures are just horrible overblown messes. Usually it 's on a days with harsh light..or flat light..or poor light..glare from water etc. There is a reason porfessionals get up at 4am...lol. Thanks for your insights.</p>

<p>I own both a D90 and a D7000. I would highly recommend the D7000 as the ISO is better and the fps and autofocus are quicker. I still use the D90 for landscapes..and out on my kayak,,,but for action I always grab the d7000. It's a wonderful camera. No experience with canon...but I cannot believe there is that much difference. The Canon 40D would probably be a bargain right now..its a big camera..but fast..I think 6fps or more...and produces wonderful images.</p>

<p>Good point..I would not put a battery in the camera..that is a pain to keep undoing grip etc. I will only be using the grip for my big lenses like 70-200 so probably keep this one. If I were a pro or wanted this on camera permanantly I would go for Nikon brand which is much more sturdy.I agreed this grip could be problematic if used on regular basis. It not magnesium..just plastic..but suits me fine. It makes the camera huge...but I like the feel for shooting sports..great for verticals..and nice balance with big lenses.</p>

<p>Thank you..I found it under controls f10 assign mb d11 ae/l af/l button wow if you had not mention that it would be on its way back..nice grip for $45 ..I am a happy camper..</p>

<p>I just purchased a battery grip for my D7000. I noticed that the ae/l af/l button on the grip does not change to AF on when I set it that way in camera..My camera AE.l af/l button is alway set to af on for the kind of shooting I do..so of course I was surprised the new battery grip was different. So if I shoot vertical I will not be able to have the AF-on function.My question before I send it back..does the Nikon grip recognize a change in the function of the ae/l af/l button when changed in camera..I am very disappointed as hoped to have this up and running by weekend. Thanks in advance for any light shed on this subject.</p>

<p>I use the Tamron 70-200 2.8 on my D7000 ..its one of my favorite lenses..beautiful bokeh..nice and sharp even wide open...and reasonably fast. I agreed you could certainly stop down..you must have had some very bright light as I did a football game this weekend..at /1000 f5.6 ISO 125 with a tiffin uv filter on it which I paid $25..no problems. I think 1/2500 is a bit of overkill. Before you go trashing that little Tammy try shooting from opposite side of field..go invest in a better filter.(.Helipans are very good) and practice with various f stops..lucky you to be shooting a college game..looks like you were on the field?</p>

<p>Not sure if you tried the 70-300 before returning it? Its a gem and one of my favorite lenses. The 80-200 is a beast weight wise..so not very user friendly.. as well it does not have VR which is very useful for portraits outdoors. I also own a 70-200 2.8(non VR) but it only comes out in the dark or for sports when I need blurred backgrounds ..like football . Have another looks see..I think you would be happy with the weight and the image quality.</p>

<p>I see many photograhers at Wildlife preserve near me using the "Skimmer Sack" It looks very durable..and easy to use. Not a bad pirce I think around $80 ..you fill it with whatever you want. The good part it they drive along with the camera still on this thing with no worries of it falling off as they drive slowly .</p>

<p>Hi Robert<br>

I am no expert ..but I had the D7000 for approximately two weeks before returning. I followed advice from another forum... not good. I took it out of Auto focus..and used single focus..or if I used AF-c for fast moving objects..I used either the 21 points or 39 and never 3D. Personally I have the same problem on my D90 and work around it. The 3D on my unit was way to inconsistant... similiar to the D90. The Auto as well was giving me inconsistant results. I still feel the D7000 is a bargain..and I guess the step up would be a D400 or beyond. I have always had to find a work around with every Nikon I have purchased. Poor metering..poor focusing etc..frustrating..but workable. It is a huge step up from the D90 in that regard..I shot birds in flight AF-c on 21 points and got very sharp images at 1/500. My problem is I have big glass on a very small body..and the camera feels small and uncomfortable..but thats a personal preference. I think if you keep it out of Auto or 3d you will see amazing results for action shots. I am sure Shun will elaborate.</p>

<p>Several friends have Canons..have to disagree Wouter..40d as well as 7d both big grips..but ..just kidding about the switch. I have too much invested with lenses. I was in camera store yesterday and clerk recommmended an armour type casing to beef up camera? Not sure that would work..or be something I could be happy with. It is frustrating..I went from a d80..which was perfect size grip..loved the feel..to a d90 which was a tad smaller but not bad..to a d7000..which they made too cramped for my "man hands". I am thinking little Japanese guys are testing these bodies..and saying "very good.. nice " Have you ever seen these people..they have hands like children! Get some normal size guy in there for quality control..or a woman with man hands to help work out the design flaws..LOL! All kidding aside, I prefer a smallish camera..but the D7000 they went the way of the d3100 and 5100 ..too bad.</p>

<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>