Nikon D7000 Features

Nikon D7000 Camera Processor

In comparison to the original EXPEED CPU found in the D90, the output from the CMOS sensor is processed by a new EXPEED 2 image processor offering improved processing speed, image quality, and power consumption as the Nikon D7000 uses 14-bit analog/digital conversion of the output.

The claimed EXPEED 2 CPU’s enhancements look to be bolstered by its very own specifications. I As we know, in its Continuous High mode, at a rate of 6 frames per second, the Nikon D7000 can shoot as many as 100 JPEG-compressed still images  which is 5X’s greater than its predecessor, which was limited to just 23 JPEG frames at 4.5 fps marking a significant improvement. Even when lesser burst speed is necessary, the Continuous Low mode musters up anywhere from one to five frames per second shooting. Just one more hint of the power on offer from EXPEED 2 is visible in the Nikon D7000′s shutter lag, rated at just fifty milliseconds which is a mentionable improvement over the 65ms lag of the Nikon D90.

Nikon D7000 Camera Sensor

The newly developed DX-format (23.6 x 15.6mm), CMOS imaging sensor having 16.2 effective megapixel resolution, from a total resolution of 16.9 megapixels can be found inside the Nikon D7000. The D7000′s imager has a pixel size of 4.78µm, providing maximum image dimensions of 4,928 x 3,262 pixels in addition to two lower-resolution options; either 3,696 x 2,448, or 2,464 x 1,632 pixels which are also available.

The Nikon D7000 captures regular images in either .NEF-format raw files, JPEG compressed files, or as both types simultaneously. Additionally there is no need to worry about dust on the image sensor as the D7000 included its sensor cleaning function utilizing piezoelectric vibration at four different frequencies to vibrate the dust at the various frequencies from the low-pass filter in order to combat this issue.

Nikon D7000 Camera New Metering Sensor

Probably the most significant change found in the Nikon D7000′s metering system is the increased resolution of its 3D Color Matrix Metering sensor to 2,016 pixels. What a huge leap forward from the

420-pixel sensor used in the D90. When you compare it to the 1,005 pixel sensor used in Nikon’s professional D3-series cameras (as well as others), it’s slightly more than double that of the metering sensor resolution. Not only does this new sensor provide more accurate exposure metering in the Nikon D7000, but it also provides enhancements in other parts of the camera which rely on information the metering sensor utilizes when making operating decisions. For example, improvements can be gained by the Nikon D7000′s Scene Recognition System while utilizing the new metering sensor in which a database of around 31,000 different scene types can use the information to assist in calculating optimal focus, exposure, and white balance variables.

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In addition to Matrix metering, the Nikon D7000 provides center weighted (75% weight) and spot modes. The center-weighted circle has a default of 8mm, but can be changed to 6, 10, or even 13mm. The spot metering circle is 3.5mm, or about 2.5% of the image frame at center. The working range for the D7000′s metering system is 0 to 20 EV for matrix and center-weighted metering, or 2 to 20 EV for spot metering (ISO 100, f/1.4 lens, 68°F/20°C).

Nikon D7000 Camera Autofocus

The D7000 Autofocus is another feature which received a significant amount of attention by the Nikon D7000′s designers in the design of this model. Nikon engineers have developed a new Multi-CAM 4800DX autofocus sensor, which includes 39 Autofocus (AF) points, including nine cross-type sensors centering at the image frame, operable with every autofocus Nikkor lens you attach. The 39 focus points wrap much of the image frame, and additionally, the Nikon D7000 includes 3D tracking capability which is capable of following moving subjects from point to point as they traverse the frame. You can also manually restrict the number of selectable points to a subset of 11 points throughout the frame, when a 39-point Autofocus system might be unnecessary or overwhelming. Nikon engineers have even thought to improved AF control in the D7000 by positioning a new button in the center of the Focus Mode switch. This allows you to select the AF point in concert with the camera’s control dials in selecting

autofocus mode, active points or etc. The detection range for the D7000′s AF system is -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, 68°F/20°C). Additionally, a feature only previously found on higher-end Nikon models such as the D300 and up, the Nikon D7000 also is capable of supporting AF fine-tuning that addresses back or front focusing lens issues.

Nikon D7000 Camera Full-time AF

For the ordinary consumer videographer, perhaps the more significant feature offered by the Nikon D7000 is the full-time contrast detection autofocus while in movie capture mode that also includes face detection and tracking functionality. As with all Nikon F-mount lenses being designed for still imagery photography; the autofocus drive noise will be noticeable on the audio track from the Nikon D7000′s internal microphone; however it is a beneficial tradeoff for many consumers who have difficulty in mastering how to focus the frame manually.

Nikon D7000 Camera Sensitivity

The Nikon D7000′s sensitivity range has also been greatly expanded. The standard sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 6,400 equivalents is normal but, ISO 12,800 and 25,600 equivalents are possible when ISO expansion is enabled. By comparison, the Nikon D90 offers a standard range of ISO 200 to 3,200 but its expanded range of ISO 100 to 6,400 is the standard in the D7000. This new expanded sensitivity range makes the Nikon D7000 the company’s first DX-format (APS-C sensor size) camera model to offer a maximum sensitivity of 25,600 equivalent, putting it into territory formerly occupied only by the company’s FX-format (full-frame) models.

Nikon D7000 Camera Exposure Modes

The Nikon D7000 includes the following Exposure Modes: Auto, Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, Manual, Flash Off, Scene and two new User modes. As previously mentioned, the Scene modes position on the D7000 Mode dial groups the camera’s scene modes together now as opposed to them having individual positions on the dial. While the scene mode choices on the D90′s includes: Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close-up, and Night Portrait settings, the scene mode choices have expanded on the D7000 to also include Night landscape, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Dusk/dawn, Pet portrait, Candlelight, Blossom, Autumn colors, Food, Silhouette, High key and Low key. The great thing about the two User positions is that they can be used to store and quickly recall camera setups for later situations. Additionally the available shutter speeds range from 1/8,000 of a second to 30 seconds in ⅓ or ½ EV steps, with a bulb position for longer timed exposures. The Nikon D7000′s shutter mechanism has gone through rigorous testing and consequently has a rated lifetime of roughly 150,000 cycles. Also, exposure compensation is possible within +/- 5.0 EV range, in 1/3 or 1/2 EV intervals. What’s more is the Nikon D7000 also offers 2  or 3 frame exposure bracketing, with a step size between exposures of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 1 EV.

Nikon D7000 Camera White Balance

There are no less than 20 white balance modes on the Nikon D7000 including two Auto modes, twelve presets, five manual positions and a direct color temperature setting.  Ambient Auto, the secondary Auto white balance mode, uses information gathered from the new color metering sensor allowing for a warm color rendering, which may be desirable when shooting sunsets, golden hour photos and such. This feature is very similar to that of Pentax’s Color Temperature Enhancement (CTE) setting, which was first introduced in their K-7 model.

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Nikon D7000 Camera Live View and Movie

The live view and movie functionality found in the D90 has now been upgraded in the D7000. Compared with the D90, the Live View mode in the D7000 is now activated with a dedicated selector lever and the movie record button is centrally positioned within the lever’s pivot point; whereas in the D90 the start and stop Live view mode button was in the center of the four-way controller which functioned as a Movie record button while Live view mode was active. Another improvement in the Nikon D7000′s Live view mode is the face detection and tracking function being capable of locating up to 35 faces which can be detected simultaneously and tracked within the frame making this feature seven times as many as in the D90 model.

Nikon D7000 Camera Movie Record Modes

The Nikon D7000 is capable of Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) movie capture at a same rate of 24 frames per second in comparison with its predecessor the D90 which is limited to a maximum of 720p (1,280 x 720 pixels) video recording at 24 frames per second. Who cannot be satisfied with this much resolution however you still have the options for both 720p and VGA video capture with the D7000; along with a choice of either 24 or 30 fps at 720p and additionally, VGA movies being fixed at 30 frames per second. (These rates all apply in NTSC mode whereas for PAL mode the 30 fps rate is replaced with 25 fps rate.)

One other important distinguishing feature between the the D90 and Nikon D7000 video modes is found in their respective choice of file type and compression formats. In the D90, it uses an older, less efficient, Motion JPEG compression in an .AVI container; whereas in the Nikon D7000 it uses the better H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC in a .MOV container leading to smaller file sizes being recorded and stored. This change of video format will also require a more modern PC for editing and (to a lesser extent) playback.

Audio is recorded as linear PCM when using an internal monaural microphone or a standard 3.5mm external stereo microphone jack and regardless of recording resolution, the maximum clip length is 20 minutes.

Additionally the Nikon D7000 includes not only the ability to edit your movie in-camera by specifying crop points at the start or end of a movie clip; but it also provides photographers the ability to extract still frames from within any recorded video thereby being a potentially useful feature for small prints, given that the highest Movie resolution mode yields a two-megapixel still.

Nikon D7000 Camera Editing

In addition to the Nikon D7000 retaining the in-camera Raw file processing and image retouching capabilities of its predecessor, the D90, it also adds a few new tricks. Among these are a perspective control function providing a miniature effect which has been particularly popular lately by adding graduated blurs at the top and bottom edges to an image simulating a reduced depth of field. Also there is a new color sketch filter which provides outputs taking on the look of a hand-drawn sketch.

Nikon D7000 Camera Dual Slots

When comparing the card door on the right of the Nikon D7000 to that of the SD-card door on the D90, it is noticeably larger however it is not a CF card slot but instead two SD card slots. Now that is definitely what we would call an upgrade as both slots are compatible with SDHC and SDXC cards. The benefit, or should I say, beneficial possibilities these two card slots provide is the following:  1) It now becomes possible to configure your camera to engage the secondary slot when the first card is filled up using it as an overflow; 2) It can also be used as a backup of everything saved on the other card slot; or 3) You now have an option to route Raw files to one card, and JPEGs to the other. In addition, let’s not forget that you can also select which card your movies should be written to plus also having the option to copy data between cards while in-camera when needed.

Nikon D7000 Camera Flash

When shooting in diminishing lighting conditions, the Nikon D7000 has both a built-in popup flash strobe along with an ISO 518 intelligent hot shoe for attaching or connecting external strobes. There is not a built-in PC sync connector; however Nikon does offer an optional hot shoe mounted sync connection adapter for use with studio strobes. The

built-in flash has 16mm coverage and pops up automatically upon detecting it’s needed when shooting in Auto or most Scene modes;  and of courses it can be deployed manually in other modes as well.

The Nikon D7000 includes in-camera support for Nikon’s Creative Lighting System with the built-in strobe and with compatible external strobes as well. The Auto FP high-speed sync and modeling illumination support for all Creative Lighting System compatible strobes; with the exception of the SB-400, is also supported. Furthermore, Flash X-sync is at 1/250 second, but can be increased to 1/320 second at the expanse of the flash range.

Nikon D7000 Camera Viewfinder

The Nikon D7000′s glass pentaprism optical viewfinder has also been refined from that which is found in the D90. While the 0.94x magnification and 19.5mm eyepoint remains unchanged, the Nikon D7000′s viewfinder now boasts 100% rated coverage, allowing for

easily accurate framing of images. It also provides a wider diopter adjustment range. The super dense 3.0-inch LCD panel used for playback and live view framing looks to be the same as that of the D90. The LCD panel’s resolution is still 921,000 dots, roughly similar to that of a VGA (640 x 480) pixel array in which each pixel comprises three adjacent red, green, and blue dots. The D7000′s LCD panel can be viewed from a wide 170 degree viewing angle, making it more versatile when shooting from the hip, low to the ground or even overhead.

Nikon D7000 Camera Ports

With the Nikon D7000 you get a range of connectivity options. There’s a standard USB 2.0 High Speed port for data transfer to a computer. Videos can be viewed in standard or high-definition displays depending upon using either the NTSC/PAL switchable composite port or Type-C Mini HDMI port, respectively. During use, the standard-def composite port permits the camera’s LCD to remain active, however when using the HDMI port, it will override the camera’s LCD display. It also supports the Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC) standard, allowing certain playback functionality through the HDMI cable, using an attached display’s remote control unit. The Nikon D7000 also has an accessory terminal which is compatible with both a MC-DC2 remote cable release and a GP-1 GPS unit, both of which are available as optional extras. Finally, the Nikon D7000 includes the aforementioned 3.5mm stereo microphone input jack.

Nikon D7000 Camera Battery

The Nikon D7000 draws its power from a new EN-EL15 lithium-ion battery pack. This new pack is more compact, and is rated at a 1,900 mAh capacity. According to CIPA testing standards the battery life should be approximately 1,050 shots. The Nikon D7000 is also compatible with the optional MB-D11 portrait battery grip which can accommodate either one EN-EL15 lithium-ion battery pack, or six standard AA battery cells. For longer-term power requirements such as shooting in a studio, the Nikon D7000 also provides an optional EP-5B power supply connector to which the company’s EH-5 AC adapter can be connected providing continuous power.

Nikon D7000 Camera Print Quality

Printing provides a clear perspective of how the Nikon D7000′s image quality compares. Images shot in ISO 100 provide a very crisp 20” x 30” print with no hassle. This also remains congruent at ISO 200 and 400 respectively, having slight luminance noise becoming noticeable in the shadows at ISO 400.

Prints shot at the ISO 800 levels begin to show some softness in fine detail, yet it is still quite good quality in most areas.

At the ISO 1,600 level you finally require the first reduction in image size—perhaps looking better at 16” x 20” (although for most photographers I think 1,600 would still pass the muster).

At the ISO 3,200 level the print still looks good at 16×20 inches in size, but of course, even better at clarity and quality can be had at 13×19 inches.

For shots taken at ISO 6,400, there is a little roughness to be noticed at 13×19 inches, but still not bad and usable. Also you may notice some Chroma noise visible in the shadows. If so, it becomes negligible for print size 11×14 inches.

In shots taken at ISO 12,800; they portray more Chroma noise along with snowy luminance noise at 11×14 size, such that it’s not really good quality nor usable. However, when reducing the print size to 8×10 inches, it is rather impressive.

Similarly shots taken at ISO 25,600 are unpleasantly mottled at 8×10 inches, but burst into scene down at 5×7 print size.

This is really an impressive performance over the range; being able to produce excellent images from ISO 100 to ISO 800 at very large 20×30-inch print sizes, as well as even its ISO 25,600 setting producing not just usable prints, but good usable 5×7-inch prints.

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