# Is the nikon d7000 a good choice for me



## Meyeracing (Feb 7, 2013)

I am relatively new to photography, I do not own a dslr yet.  I have used a borrowed d3100 but have just came upon a real good deal on a d7000 body.   Recently I was looking into purchasing the d5100 kit for myself but since I found this deal I don't know what to do.   It seems like a lot of people upgrade to the 7000 but for a person without a lot of experience is the 7000 a good choice, does it have easy to use features auto settings and so on, or is it a more professional camera.   I want a camera for more action pictures race cars etc, landscape I do a lot of traveling, and just to have for whatever.  So my final question is should I stick with the 5100 kit or buy the 7000, the 7000 is used I know who owns it and has very little use but the price is less than the 5100 but once I purchase a lense or two I'll have a couple bucks more into it than if I went with the 5100.   Thanks everyone


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## colnago1331 (Feb 7, 2013)

If you can afford the extra money (including lenses), get the D7000. If you get the D5100 you'll likely be left wishing you'd got the D7000. I upgraded from the D5100 to the D7000 and am glad that I did.


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## Imageon (Feb 7, 2013)

The D7000 has the capability to take nikon D lenses there is a vast assortment of them available used.
I believe you would be limited to the G lenses (lenses with motors built into them) if you got the 5100.
Also the D7000 has a way better prism finder. 
Mike


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## Meyeracing (Feb 7, 2013)

That's what I was kind of thinking, but with my little experience I just wanted to be sure the d7000 was user friendly and didn't require a lot of experience.    Also if you don't mind answering one more the factory lenses that come with nikons dslrs are they good lenses I see a lot of people using them, but I see some people getting rid of them to upgrade because I want to know what lenses to buy for the 7000 thanks


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## Imageon (Feb 7, 2013)

Meyeracing said:


> That's what I was kind of thinking, but with my little experience I just wanted to be sure the d7000 was user friendly and didn't require a lot of experience.    Also if you don't mind answering one more the factory lenses that come with nikons dslrs are they good lenses I see a lot of people using them, but I see some people getting rid of them to upgrade because I want to know what lenses to buy for the 7000 thanks


I got mine with the 18-105mm lens. This lens is what they call a "Kit" or "consumer lens". It is mostly plastic But the optics are (as are all Nikon optics) very good. I have and use my 18-105 regularly. The 18-200 and the newer 18-300 are good options. Both are a little sturdier constructed. Give more range on the telephoto end. Cost around $800.00-950.00, respectively, new.
Mike


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## colnago1331 (Feb 7, 2013)

What kind of lenses to buy depends on what kind of photographs you want to take. If you're looking to do primarily landscapes, you don't need anything over 50mm. If you're looking to do wildlife, you want to be in the 200mm - 500mm range. If you don't know, my suggestion is to get something like the 18-105 kit lens and then see what kind of photographs you take. After that, you can buy the lenses that are most appropriate for you.

A couple things to keep in mind: 1) a prime (fixed focal length lens) will give you better IQ (image quality) than a zoom lens, and 2) a zoom lens will be sharper towards the middle of the range than at the extremes.


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## shadowlands (Feb 7, 2013)

If you can swing the D7000, do.
Battery Grip option... AF motor... those are two important reasons alone.


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## ratssass (Feb 7, 2013)

the 7000 is nothing to be afraid of.in fact it's a great camera to grow into.


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## SCraig (Feb 7, 2013)

One disadvantage of the D7000 is a relatively small shot buffer.  Shooting RAW at maximum resolution and 14-bit color depth you will only have about 11 shots before the buffer fills and you have to wait for it to flush.  This has been a problem for me when shooting motorsports.


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## greybeard (Feb 7, 2013)

The D7000 is as easy to use for a beginner as the D3100 or 5100.  The thing the D7000 offers over the other 2 models is room to grow.


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## 480sparky (Feb 7, 2013)

SCraig said:


> One disadvantage of the D7000 is a relatively small shot buffer.  Shooting RAW at maximum resolution and 14-bit color depth you will only have about 11 shots before the buffer fills and you have to wait for it to flush.  This has been a problem for me when shooting motorsports.



Unless you do a lot of extremely heavy-handed editing, there's no reason not to use 12-bit.


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## goodguy (Feb 7, 2013)

I think the D7000 will be easier to work with instead of the D5100 because it has the 2 dials which makes it much easier to work with when in Manual mode.


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## thunderkyss (Feb 7, 2013)

greybeard said:


> The D7000 is as easy to use for a beginner as the D3100 or 5100.  The thing the D7000 offers over the other 2 models is room to grow.



In what ways does the D7000 allow you to grow?


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## ratssass (Feb 7, 2013)

...for me,i t was alot easier to explore the exposure triangle not having to go into the menu all the time.Not that i have that entirely mastered,but now i'm trying to play with flash,cls system and how it relates to the triangle.I find it fascinaing what can be done.Not that I can pull off all this stuff,but it keeps me interested in learning.


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## Lobo (Feb 8, 2013)

Meyeracing said:


> I am relatively new to photography, I do not own a dslr yet. I have used a borrowed d3100 but have just came upon a real good deal on a d7000 body. Recently I was looking into purchasing the d5100 kit for myself but since I found this deal I don't know what to do. It seems like a lot of people upgrade to the 7000 but for a person without a lot of experience is the 7000 a good choice, does it have easy to use features auto settings and so on, or is it a more professional camera. I want a camera for more action pictures race cars etc, landscape I do a lot of traveling, and just to have for whatever. So my final question is should I stick with the 5100 kit or buy the 7000, the 7000 is used I know who owns it and has very little use but the price is less than the 5100 but once I purchase a lense or two I'll have a couple bucks more into it than if I went with the 5100. Thanks everyone



The D7000 is a great camera. You can't go wrong with it. It is a camera that you can grow into and not feel like you have to upgrade tomorrow. I have the 18-105 kit lens and am happy with it. It's not the greatest lens but is adequate. A lot of Tamron lenses are good and they are less expensive than Nikon glass. When my budget opens up a little I'll go with the Tamrons. I don't see myself having to upgrade my camera body anytime soon and I photograph a lot of different subjects.


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## Horsemover (Feb 8, 2013)

I recently purchased a D7000 and my wife and I are new to DSLRs.  I have limited camera time with it but she absolutely loves it.  I was worried about it being too much to start with but the manual is great and she is taking a class at the local art musuem. If you can get it for the right price I would say go for it.  My wife has already been out of auto mode for over a month now and just keeps filling up memory cards learning with the new toy.  To me the 7000 just feels better in my hands and staying out of the menu is a big plus.


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## Horsemover (Feb 8, 2013)

ratssass said:


> the 7000 is nothing to be afraid of.in fact it's a great camera to grow into.



Thanks for pointing me in the right direction...I appreciate all the advice you gave me. :hail:


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## ratssass (Feb 8, 2013)

Horsemover said:


> ratssass said:
> 
> 
> > the 7000 is nothing to be afraid of.in fact it's a great camera to grow into.
> ...



....don't blame me!!I could of swore I recommended the D4!!lol.....glad you and the bride enjoy it,and great to see you back.!Now lets see some pics....


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## thunderkyss (Feb 8, 2013)

ratssass said:


> ...for me,i t was alot easier to explore the exposure triangle not having to go into the menu all the time.Not that i have that entirely mastered,but now i'm trying to play with flash,cls system and how it relates to the triangle.I find it fascinaing what can be done.Not that I can pull off all this stuff,but it keeps me interested in learning.



You can assign ISO to the function button on the entry levels since the D3000 (that I know of). Push the function button & you can use the command wheel to adjust ISO without going into any menus. Push the exposure button & you can adjust the aperture without going into any menu. Without pushing any buttons the command wheel adjusts the shutter speed without going into any menus. There is no need to go into menus to adjust the "exposure triangle." 

On my D200 & it appears every camera since, you have to push the ISO button then use the command wheel to adjust ISO, it's no different than using the function button on the entry level cameras. The only difference is that the more expensive cameras have a sub-command wheel to adjust aperture. Shouldn't be a deal breaker imo.


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## SamitB (Feb 10, 2013)

Stick to yout kit lens for a few months till you are familiar with your camera  and basic photography.
Adter that you can decide yourself ...


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## brian_f2.8 (Feb 10, 2013)

Get a D7000, faster frame rate and has the motor built in. It's an investment, you can't add a motor or increase frame rate to a D5100. I have both, the D5100 is a great everyday camera but the build quality isn't the same.


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## ATVrider43 (Feb 10, 2013)

I just upgraded from my d5100 to the d7000 and it is NIGHT AND DAY! I absolutely love the d7000.  My whole thing is speed and the d7000 shoots much faster and is all around a great camera! I have yet to find the "right" lens.  Thinking about the 18-200 and 50m 1.8.  I purcased the d7000 for 550 which is a great deal so look for deals!


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## greybeard (Feb 10, 2013)

thunderkyss said:


> greybeard said:
> 
> 
> > The D7000 is as easy to use for a beginner as the D3100 or 5100.  The thing the D7000 offers over the other 2 models is room to grow.
> ...


1)  the popup flash can be used as a commander for off camera wireless flash.
2)  it can be used with older AF-D lenses and is not limited to only AF-S lenses (for auto focusing)
3)  it has dedicated buttons for ISO as well as programmable function buttons as well as 2 control wheels.  This gives you immediate access to controls.  No menu diving.

The controls on the D7000 are very similar to those on Nikon's most expensive cameras.


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## Meyeracing (Feb 10, 2013)

has anyone here pu it newrchased anything from the site mellodigital.com the d7000 I was going to buy sold, but there sight sells the d7000 body for $629.00 cheapest i have found so far


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## demetrius (Feb 11, 2013)

I'm a d7000 user and love it. I been using it for a year now, and I'm upgrading to the d4. Here's a photo shoot I recently shot with d7000 70-200 vr II lens.


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## demetrius (Feb 11, 2013)

Meyeracing said:
			
		

> has anyone here pu it newrchased anything from the site mellodigital.com the d7000 I was going to buy sold, but there sight sells the d7000 body for $629.00 cheapest i have found so far


.   Always check your shutter count before you buy, because it might be well over exhausted numbers and might have problems in the latter run.


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## thunderkyss (Feb 11, 2013)

demetrius said:


> Meyeracing said:
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How do you check the shutter count?


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## demetrius (Feb 11, 2013)

thunderkyss said:
			
		

> How do you check the shutter count?



The process is much in details, so here's a link to explain how. Good luck! http://photographylife.com/how-to-find-total-shutter-actuations-on-nikon-and-canon-dslrs


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## thunderkyss (Feb 11, 2013)

demetrius said:


> thunderkyss said:
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Right, that's the only method I knew. Can't really do that until you get the camera home. You could bring an SD card I guess, take a picture, bring it home & transfer it to you computer.


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## Meyeracing (Feb 12, 2013)

Mellodigitals site is brand new body I believe for $629


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## ATVrider43 (Feb 13, 2013)

Check Adorama, that is were I buy all my gear.  Great prices and excellent products.  Or KEH, B&H, amazon, ebay (but be careful)


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## Ore (Feb 14, 2013)

I own both, definitely get the D7000


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