michael_b10

<p>I originally got the D7100 because I decided that my D90 just wasn't up to the job of being the second body I needed alongside my D7000 - and because the the D7100 had the one big thing I missed on the D7000 - the top-tier AF system. As others have said, the difference is plain as day. I also found that I like the color rendition even better on the D7100, and most surprisingly, it feels noticeably different and better in my hand. I liked the D7000; I love shooting the D7100. I thought I might save the D7100 for jobs and still shoot the D7000 for casual photos, due to file size. Nope. All the little improvements make the D7100 a real pleasure to use - so I use it, and now my D7000 mostly sits on the shelf. </p>

<p>yes, that is what it's like mike - except that when it happens, it often takes longer than twice the exposure time! In general, though, the d7100 is fabulous. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi Shun,<br>

Thanks, and I hear what you're saying, but the way it is actually working is:<br>

Camera is NOT in Live View.<br>

I press the shutter.<br>

I look at the LCD screen.<br>

About half the time, the image appears quickly - the other half of the time it doesn't, but is black with a yellow hourglass. There is no consistency to this phenomenon that I can determine. It seems to happen at all ISOs, under all lighting conditions, just not all the time. It can take a couple of seconds for the image to appear - while the little green led light is on. Perhaps there is some particular circumstance that triggers the delay that I haven't been able to isolate. But this is what my experience is. <br>

The other day it happened quite a few times, which inspired me to look for a solution and post here to see if a faster card might be it. Sounds like you're saying it isn't :) </p>

 

<p>Maybe I just need to bite the proverbial bullet, spend the cash on a new card, and see what happens. Pity, as I have more of these 32 gb Sandisk 30mb/s cards than I'll probably ever need. </p>

<p>Thanks for the replies. And nope - I'm not shooting in live view. And I shoot RAW, so no Active D lighting. And I think it happens at all ISOs. I can shoot one image, then I look down at the lcd, and it is black with a yellow hourglass. I haven't actually timed how long it takes for the image to appear, but it feels unusually long - much longer than my D7000. </p>

<p>Hi. I have a D7100 and <strong>love</strong> it - but i find that it takes much longer for images to appear on the lcd screen after i take a shot than with any other Nikon dslr I've had. Even when shooting single frames, not in bursts, there's a noticeable and inconvenient delay. Is this due to the specs of the memory cards I'm using - Sandisk 32GB Ultra 30 mb/s. Would getting faster cards speed the playback? </p>

<p>Thanks!!</p>

<p>Here's one with the 35 mm - handheld - you can see why fast primes can be essential.</p><div></div>

<p>Having made a few trips to the Indian Himalayas (I'm guessing you're going to Nepal?), I think Farooq is pretty much on the money with his lens advice. I dont recall ever regretting leaving my 12-24mm lens at home and only being able to go as wide as the 16mm on my 16-85. I agree you'll want a small fast prime. And I guess as long as you have the 70-300, no real reason not to take it. But even if you have a porter, it's always better not to bring more stuff than you're realistically going to use. (I'll try to attach a couple of shots here, one with D7000 and 16-85mm, one with the 35mm f1.8 - both images handheld. But I've never attached pix here before, so it may or may not work - hence my previous post with nothing in it!)</p><div></div>

<p>When I was having focusing issues with my D7000 and was asked to submit sample images to Nikon for them to assess, they specifically insisted that the images be taken with AF fine tune off. Having fine tune set to some lenses but not the one I was shooting with would not have been acceptable; having fine tune on but all values set to zero would also not have been acceptable - according to the technician, simply having the fine tune on <em>at all</em> could have introduced some kind of focusing quirks, and they wanted to eliminate that as a possibility. To me, it seems weird that that would even be a possibility, especially in the case of having the value set to zero. But that's what they said. (In the end, they agreed the focus mechanism had problems and fixed it).</p>

<p>Ronald - my prime lenses, including an 50mm 1.4D, focus perfectly on the D7000. It's the 18-70 that's been really weird. Both of them. The most bizarre thing is that the backfocus issue goes from being noticeable but not horrible when using the center focal point to being radically bad when using a focus point near the side of the frame. But only when shooting wide. Didn't have this problem at all when using my friend's 18-105 kit lens. And, yes, when shooting at longer focal lengths, and stopped down a little, my 18-70 is incredibly sharp.</p>

<p>Thanks for the input. I have done micro-adjustments, and it helps alot. But one of the 18-70s has developed another problem, probably due to age/abuse; and the other really belongs to my girlfriend, so I could probably hijack it from her but.....</p>

<p>Thought I'd write to update what I've learned about the issue I raised a couple of weeks ago about my D7000 with focusing issues on zoom lenses that work well with my D90. The problem I mentioned was pronounced backfocus at wide angles with two different copies of the 18-70mm Nikkor zoom when paired with my D7000, and I was seeking opinions as to whether it seemed more likely that it was an issue with the lenses (as Nikon suggested it might be) or with the D7000 body. It seemed unlikely to me that two lenses would have the same problem. Well, I finally got my hands on another zoom - a friend's 18-105mm kit lens. To my amazement, the focus issue didn't exist with this lens. Even shooting wide open at wide angles, the images were perfectly focused and remarkably sharp. So - I have no idea why my 18-70 lenses work so much better on my D90 than on my D7000 - but at this point I'm pretty convinced that there's some issue either with the lenses themselves or the way they communicate with the body -- but not with the AF accuracy of the body itself. </p>

<p>So that's a big relief! But now, obviously, I'm convinced I need some new glass for my all-purpose walkaround. My ideal lens would be an 18-70mm f2.8, which of course doesn't exist. I've narrowed down my best options to either the Nikkor 16-85mm or the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4 os, since both cover the range I really need. Does anyone have experience with the Sigma on a D7000? Any idea how it compares to the Nikkor in practical usage and overall IQ? (Tempting as it is, the Nikkor 24-70 f2.8 isn't an option - it's just not wide enough on DX for me as a walkaround. And the 17-55mm isn't long enough.) thanks for any input!</p>

 

<p>Thanks for your replies. I just heard back from Nikon - now they want to see the body and one zoom. There's a part of me that doesn't want to bother sending it, seeing as how the fine tuning has resolved most of the issues - but then there's another part of me that wants to be certain everything is working as it should. </p>

<p>As far as Ilkka's question goes, without going into the entire rationale for why I chose this body, I am not expecting it to perform any miracles. This isn't about an occasional missed shot with 3D tracking while trying to nail hummingbirds in flight. It's about shooting static subjects, and the vast difference in focus accuracy between the long and wide ends of my zooms. And, Les, I'm not sure this answer will satisfy, but there's nothing overly complicated about my testing methodology. If I take a picture of something sufficiently contrasty and the thing I've focused on is blurry while the stuff in the background is sharp - every single time - and that can be corrected using AF fine tuning - well, seems like proof that there's something that's off. Especially when I can take the same shots using the same lenses with my D90 and the focus is accurate. </p>

 

<p>I'm curious to hear what you all think about the issues I have with my D7000. The background is: originally, I had to AF fine tune both of my Nikkor zooms (12-24 and 18-70), which was no big deal, but seemed a bit odd because they work perfectly well on my D90. But I was also experiencing some weird focusing inconsistencies as others have reported here, including with my 50mm f1.4 - which 85% of the time focused perfectly with no AF fine tuning needed. I contacted Nikon, sent sample images, and expected them to tell me it was user error or something. Instead, they asked me to send the body in. So I did, figuring they'd address the inconsistencies and I probably wouldn't need to AF fine tune anymore. I recently got it back with the service order that said they did make adjustments to the AF mechanism and replaced some parts. Tested my prime lenses - everything was perfect. My zooms, however, were wacked. On the 18-70, autofocus on the long end was dead-on. But the wide end was way off, backfocusing (and it did get progressively worse from 70 to 18). I actually tried two different copies of the 18-70, and both behaved exactly the same way. The 12-24 has the opposite problem - focusing pretty well at 12, bad at 24. By plugging in the same amount of fine-tuning as I used before I sent the body in, I'm now getting good results, usually. (Sometimes there is still the odd inconsistency, but only when shooting wide on the 18-70). <br>

So I contacted Nikon to ask what they thought the deal is - why, after having the camera adjusted, I was having such AF accuracy issues between wide and long ends on these zooms. They said it was probably a lens issue - that I should try other lenses and see what happens. I wrote back, pointing out each of three different zooms behaved this way, so I was skeptical of that conclusion, but I offered to send them the lenses so they could take a look and haven't gotten a reply to that yet. <br>

Could it realistically be the lenses? And why would they focus so accurately at one focal length and so inaccurately at another? <br>

Please hear, I'm not bashing the d7000, and I'm not freaking out about this - I'm genuinely curious about what could be going on. I haven't had any issues with the other Nikon bodies I've owned. And yes, I do know how to shoot a camera and have read the manual thoroughly :) . Usually use AF-S, sometimes AF-C, almost never full auto AF. <br>

thanks for any thoughts. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks for the ViewNX2 tip - I usually just use LR3. I did what you suggested and for those shots that struck me as weird, well, it's weird - the focus point is right where it was supposed to be. On some other shots, though, the focus point was definitely not quite on its intended target - which could be user error, or just lack of precision in the AF system, in that it can't always read my mind. In finally downloading my card into my computer, I'm actually quite impressed with how many shots came out well in such poor light - it was only shooting from that one particular angle that for some reason was strangely problematic.</p>

<p>It's often quite easy to set up the focus point in advance, unless you're dealing with a fluid, fast-moving situation. (Sometimes even with a fast-moving situation, it can be really helpful to use a point other than center-point, IF you can predict where in the frame the action is going to happen.) And if shooting shallow depth of field, it's a good idea to recompose as little as possible, since sometimes the act of recomposing shifts the focal distance just enough to throw your subject out of focus. Shooting f8 it doesn't matter. Shooting f1.8 it can. You can set the camera up so the focus point is always illuminated, so you always know where it is; if you want to see where it is before you put the camera to my eye, you can check the lcd. So, for me, anyway, i find selecting points other than center helps me get the shots i want. </p>

<p>All shots were single-point AF-S or AF-C either single or 9point. With this kind of situation I was focus locking but not recomposing due to shallow DOF - I simply chose the focus point over what I wanted to focus on, locked focus, and released shutter. The points I was choosing were not cross-type sensors - they were outer focus points - but I thought I was working with a subject with enough contrast that it wouldn't matter. Maybe not? Could lack of cross-type create such pronounced and spontaneous backfocusing?</p>

<p>Last night I took my D7000 to a small outdoor concert - basically three guys playing on a lawn, lit by a couple of stage lights propped up on cinder blocks. I put on my 50mm 1.4D, which has always focused perfectly on this body at every aperture (I have had to fine tune a couple of zooms). I took a few shots of the band that came out alright, considering the conditions - maybe there was a bit of motion blur, maybe focus a tiny touch off due to shallow DOF if the singer moved one direction or the other - but all in all within what I'd consider to be an acceptable margin of error. But then, at a certain point, which coincided with me changing the angle from which I was shooting, every single shot became WAY out of focus - or to be more precise, exhibited severe backfocus. The singer is completely blurry, but the amp a couple of feet behind him is remarkably sharp. Shutter speed was 1/640 sec, so it wasn't a matter of blur (especially since the amp is so sharp you can read the small lettering on it). Tried AF-S and AF-C. I wondered if something happened to my set up to infuse backfocus into my system, so a few minutes later I took a few shots of my dog in the back of my truck, lit only by a gas station light, then went home and shot a few things in a very dimly lit kitchen - all were on the money. I've been in similar situations to the concert many times with my D90, and have never had anything like this kind of experience. I'm fairly sure I wasn't lunging forward as I pressed the shutter to create the backfocus effect with shallow DOF. Frankly, I'm at a total loss as to what happened, and am mildly disturbed by it because in so many ways the D7000 is such a remarkable camera, but I'm not sure how much I can fully trust it in a pinch. And I think I would have gotten much more consistent results with the D90. Anyone else had this kind of thing happen, or any idea what might be up? </p>

<p>"an iTTL-compatible flash will adjust its output to obtain the correct exposure"<br>

I think understanding that was the biggest part of what i was missing. <br>

And thanks, Elliot, for your explanation. I do need to think a little bit differently about whether I want to be in A, S, or M mode. And I agree, in the limited testing I've done, I think the sb-400 will be enough for what i need it to do - which is mostly outdoor fill flash. A small diffuser helps, too. </p>

<p>Thanks - it sounds like I have some experimenting to do.</p>

<p>Hi Dave,<br>

Thanks for your reply. I wouldn't expect the shutter speed to change in M or S mode, since of course I'm controlling shutter speed. But I would think it would in Aperture mode, since once you figure in the added light from the flash, shutter speed should be faster - and I guess I assumed that the camera might automatically compensate for the extra light if it knows it's going to flash. But maybe not?<br>

I seriously thought about getting the SB-600, but most of what I imagine using the flash for is outdoor fill flash in dreary daytime lighting - or maybe inside very small rooms. So for that, I thought the SB-400 might be enough, especially because I'll be shlepping it on the road so the small size was appealing, and I'll only rarely use it anyway. If it proves to be too weak when I try it out, I'll sell it or return it and step up a level. </p>

<p>I hardly ever shoot with a flash - I usually prefer ambient light, even if it means high iso and wide apertures and just a small percentage of keepers. So my experience thus far with flashes on nikon dslrs has been 'oh, it pops up and flashes. great!' Due to the nature of an upcoming job, I decided I needed to understand shooting with flash better than i do and picked up an SB-400, which considering how infrequently I'll probably use it seemed like the right choice. Only then did I realize something that struck me as weird - on my D7000, the flash and the shutter speed do not seem integrated with the metering, whether I'm using the SB400 or the pop-up. In other words, if proper exposure without the flash is 1/8th of a second, if I activate the flash, the shutter speed remains 1/8 of a second - and the flash fires - so I get a bright blurry picture :) Of course I can set minimum shutter speed to 1/60th of a sec, but that doesn't really address the issue. Shouldn't the shutter speed change when using a flash? What am I missing? I have a feeling that there's one menu setting that's probably askew, but after poring over the manual I have no idea what it is. I'd really appreciate any tips. Thanks!</p>

<p>What's the benefit of using the AE/AF button for focusing, instead of just pressing the shutter halfway?</p>

 

<p>I use Lightroom, and am finding that I need to add more noise reduction on D7000 files than on those from my D90 - which i think may be as much a function of the raw conversion as anything. (I also find that in perfectly exposed shots, there is noticeable noise in even faint shadows at ISOs as low as 200 and 400). I'm still experimenting with hitting the ideal balance between NR and sharpening but in the end, by balancing the sliders, I'm getting to the point where i can get cleaner images with as much or more detail from the D7000 than from the D90. So maybe it's a matter of re-learning post-processing settings for the new camera?</p>

<p>It makes me wonder if it's worth sending it to Nikon for repair or buying a refurbished one, versus trying for a new one</p>