@$!!#**&!!# new camera!

[sk66]

So the D7000 was delivered last night. Skimmed the manual and charged the battery and this morning spent about 15 minutes getting it set up the way *I like*....Then I headed out for a test run.

Man, it's hard to make the adjustment to a camera that handles completely differently. None of the buttons lie where I'm used to them being. For example, I can't use back button focus. Not because it's unavailable or I can't set it up, but because I'm a left eye guy and the button is so closed to the viewfinder my thumb is smearing up my glasses....yes, I tried taking the glasses off and that was worse.

I'm used to changing things "on the fly", a button here or a lever there...Most things w/ this camera are 2 switch functions and half you have to look at a screen to see what's going on.
And the modes...Well, that screwed me up. I switched from U1 (which I had pretty well tweaked) to standard aperture mode...more than HALF of the settings changed instantly to "auto everything". I figured out most of them pretty quickly, but I wound up taking all my pics in Jpeg Normal.

That kind of sucks as I happened upon a Night Heron who was pretty content to let me take his picture.

I'm sure I'll adapt fairly quickly and it sure felt good to scratch that itch!



SGK_1816.jpg by skersting66, on Flickr

[Jim Bryant]

Good capture..looks like you adjusted in spite of the camera.

[Bruce A]

Yeah, I even had to get used to the D7000 from the D90. I think every model has it's learning curve.

[Annwen]

Looks like you got it sorted, nice image, sharp, good colour and lighting,perhaps a little clone of the stick that is near the beak, I think every new camera has a learning curve until you get where you can automatically adjust settings

[Izzy]

I share your pain. When I go back and forth between cams it is always like this until I adjust. The other day I thought I would see what the big deal was with the T3i - hated it. They screwed with stuff that simply worked and for no good reason as far as I could tell.

Glad you got to scratch again

[mosgood]

Originally Posted by Bruce A

Yeah, I even had to get used to the D7000 from the D90. I think every model has it's learning curve.

Yup, the buttons & menus are very different from the D200 to the D7000. Looks like all us old dogs have to learn some new tricks. Sucks though. I love the shots from the D7000 (crop factor is amazing!), but I prefer the D200 for everything else. LOL

[sk66]

Originally Posted by Annwen

Looks like you got it sorted, nice image, sharp, good colour and lighting,perhaps a little clone of the stick that is near the beak, I think every new camera has a learning curve until you get where you can automatically adjust settings

The differences in handling are the only reason why I think the D300 has a position left. I started with a D200 ended w/ a D3 they all handle similarly. This is just DIFFERENT. And it always wants to reset to "beginner" settings.

I actually did an edit where I cloned the stick out...but screwed something else up.
I don't like the pic enough to do it again, I just thought it fit "the idea".

[SwissJon]

I'm always knocking that damned wheel on the top without noticing. Stupid thing needs a lock function..

If you set the setting to RAW in aperture, then it'll remember.. At least that way you'll have the quality setting you want next time you knock it.

Why they put a 'scene' mode on this camera is beyond me.. I'd much rather have seen one more User setting mode

[sk66]

I figured out how to get the settings to transfer "everywhere"....I'm just afraid they will suddenly disappear.

If I have two complaints about the D7000 the first would be size. While light/compact is kind of nice, it's just too damn small. Because of that they had to exclude some switches and make many buttons "dual function" and what they did include doesn't fit that well. I don't have big hands but many of the buttons don't lie where they are easily used (i.e. preview and autofocus mode) and I don't enjoy sticking my thumb in my eye.

The other is the "novice orientation". God help me if I ever have to do a full system reset! Scene modes? The little green camera mode, what is that? I thought that was what P was for.... I HATE the full auto focus points thing...In some ways it seems like the camera would make it harder to progress if you are the advanced amateur this is aimed at....and the list goes on.

Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't purchase a D300 instead and I may not sell it when (if) I get the D4. Most of those things I mentioned are readily circumvented/ignored and there are some things they got very right with this camera. The MP on Crop makes this equivalent to a D3x in IQ. In some respects things are EASIER to adjust than they were on the D3 (i.e. # of dynamic focus points). It seems to have VERY good high ISO performance (based upon jpeg norm at 6400 NR off). I mean the results were comparable to my D3, definitely better than D200/D300. (but this was jpeg normal, NR off; not necessarily an accurate/fair comparison)

Which makes me wonder. Besides the trickery behind the scenes (i.e. "reported" ISO being different than actual) does a crop sensor *require* a higher ISO earlier? It would make sense that it would due to the smaller photo sites. But I also know they are continuing to make advances in the micro lenses and filtering to help improve performance. I'm just wondering because if the ISO performance is about as good, but the IQ better, and if the *need* for high iso is the same; then it makes the FF sensor of the D3/ D700 even less important to me.

[OsmosisStudios]

I work with the lower end bodies (D3100, D5100, D7000) and I simply cant get them to do what I want now that I have my D300s. I just cant. A lot of the things i change often are either in completely different places, or are in the menus somewhere!

Now the only thing I wish was that I could make the FN button (currently assigned to DoF preview) to bring up the flash control menu on the body: a shortcut like that would save me a TON of time when using CLS.