In the time since my review of the Nikon D7000, I’ve had the opportunity to shoot with this DSLR more for live music photography, and I have to say: this camera rocks. From Willie Nelson to Weird Al, the D7000 has been more than up for the task. Here’s a selection of new images made with Nikon’s new mid-range DSLR that packs lots of professional punch.
No one wants to look at test charts to see what a camera can really do. Here are some real-world images from assignments made with the Nikon D7000.
Since my January 2011 review of the Nikon D7000, I’ve recently had the chance to shoot the Nikon D7000 more extensively while my primary cameras – the Nikon D3 and D700 – have been away for repair. Due to rather lengthy waits for parts, what was anticipated as a repair period of a week turned out stretched out to 6 weeks, and I turned to the Nikon D7000 for many professional assignments.
After this additional shooting under my belt, I can comfortably say that the D7000 is a solid, solid camera.
Aside from my findings in the original review, here are some additional thoughts on the D7000.
Viewfinder:
100% viewfinder is fantastic. While it’s still smaller than the VF in the full-frame Nikon D700, the full coverage allows for precise composition with no worry about wasting resolution – something that can’t be said for the D700.
Shutter Noise:
Shutter and mirror assembly is much quieter than the Nikon D700 and D3. When you add in the Quiet mode, the D7000 is about as quiet as a DSLR can be. While noise might not be a concern for rock shows, this Quiet feature is great for plenty of other applications where stealth and candid work is at all of importance (over speed).
Buffer:
The one feature – or lack thereof – of the Nikon D7000 is the limited buffer when compared to a camera like the Nikon D700 or Nikon D3. Burst shooting for limited bursts is fine, but for rapid continuous shooting (over 8 frames), the D7000′s more limited buffer and speed begins to show.
Autofocus:
While the autofocus specs aren’t quite as robust as those in Nikon’s professional DSLRs, I found the AF performance very, very good when using f/2.8 zooms and f/1.4 primes. Performance isn’t quite as responsive and positive as with the D3 or D700, but this fact is only something evident when shooting these cameras side by side. On its own, there’s not much to complain about with the D7000′s AF performance. The only other caveat I have with the D7000′s AF is that the outer AF points seem less reliable than the center AF point, which is rock-solid, even though they’re also cross-type sensors.
Mode Dial:
As a more “consumer” oriented camera, the D7000 features a mode dial that allows for easy selection of the shooting mode. While this dedicated dial is great if you change shooting modes frequently, this is actually one instance where I do prefer the function “buried” in a menu function. The mode dial is stiff enough that it doesn’t change that easily, but it can happen, so this may be a consideration while shooting.
Center Multi-selector Button:
The center OK button in the multi-selector is great – a nice improvement over having the OK button to the left of the LCD. The only negative with the D7000′s OK button is that it’s hardwired to apply picture adjustments in Playback mode. I prefer the custom setting to set the center multi-control to zoom to 100% magnification during playback to check focus. This is a pretty minor point, but a small example of how some elements of the D7000 are geared toward what I would consider non-professional use.
If you’re looking for a DSLR with excellent high ISO performance that won’t break the bank, the D7000 bears serious consideration. While there are some minor features of the D7000 that indicate some of Nikon’s consumer intentions, it can still run with the big dogs in terms of what really counts – a surprisingly good viewfinder, solid AF performance, and excellent image quality.
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This entry was posted on Saturday, June 25th, 2011 at 12:00 am and is filed under Music Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Using the Nikon D7000 for Music Photography: In the time since my review of the Nikon D7000, I’ve had the… http://goo.gl/fb/8TksX
I just spotted this at Todd’s site: Using the Nikon D7000 for Music Photography http://t.co/xEd0iNR
hey i just bought D7000 months ago, its great. i use sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 with macro, now im searching for wide lenses for concert photos. i’d like to see the color on stage on my picture :). can you tell me what lenses that i should bought? thank you :)
Hey ajeng,
You might take a look at Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 if you’re looking for an ultra-wide lens. This will give you a very wide angle of view at a fast f/2.8 aperture.
Hope this helps.
Hi Todd! Awesome shots! What’s the maximum ISO do you normally limit for this camera?
Hey Ian,
I prefer to shoot at ISO 1600 or lower with the Nikon D7000, though even ISO 3200 has very good color fidelity for music photography. There is a big cut to detail above ISO 1600, which is why I prefer to shoot at or below that limit.
This was good to know as it is now a good candidate for a spare body.
Don’t know who you’ve tried for repair work, but I’ve always had very speedy turn around times using APS http://nikoncamerarepair.com/. Given that you’re in the midwest, it beats shipping items to Nikon service in So Cal.
As always, thanks for the great reviews/info.
Cheers
Alex
Hey Alex,
Thanks for the suggestion – I’ll have to check out APS in the future. I went with PhotoTech because I was in NYC and was able to talk to them in person and just drop off the cameras, which worked out well.
Thanks again for the comment!
RT @toddowyoung Willie Nelson to Weird Al – New images & thoughts on the #Nikon #D7000. Consumer $, pro image quality http://bit.ly/kGjH1t
Well actually the whole new line of Nikon cameras has great-up to the task- performance. I have a Nikon d3100 and shoot at iso 6400 with 18-55 lens kit and the 55-200 for close ups, no worries about noise which can be reduced with lots of detail in Lightroom. The d3100 the d5100 and the d7000 are all high iso winners!…. by the way i’m buying the new 50mm 1.8 af-s g, hope to get it before the weekend :D
Hi Fernando,
True – Nikon, as well as Canon and everyone else, have been stepping up the high ISO performance. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, as this is simply progress.
But you’re right, all of Nikon’s DX cameras released in the last year or so are quite good at high ISO.
I just received a 50mm f/1.8 for review, hope you get your soon.
Mine will be here tomorrow, and that’s nice cause i have a show to shoot at night
Using the Nikon D7000 for Music Photography: http://t.co/8EWNNVg
Great review update. Glad to know I picked a good one. I did some shots of the Lion King show over at Animal Kingdom, and I have to say I was impressed. It is amazing what this new breed of cameras can do.
Hey Royston,
Thanks for the comment. Yup, the new generation of cameras are quite good. The D7000 makes me excited to see what Nikon will do with the D4 and D800.
‘The D7000 makes me excited to see what Nikon will do with the D4 and D800.’ – that.
“No one wants to look at test charts to see what a camera can really do.”
Sadly many people do. It’s driven me mad in the past trying to find real-world high-ISO images from cameras I’m interested in, which is why I appreciate articles like this so much.
Todd, what lenses did you use with the D7000? I’m using one as well and I want to get either the 24-70 or 70-200. I know you use both on FX mostly. Wondering your thoughts. Awesome review and site. I’m always checking back for new stuff. I’m new and starting to already figure out the photo/press pass thing with help from you.
-Rich
@cheuw D7000 rocks!!! –> http://t.co/RyE3ar2I
[...] the performance of the D7000 and the fact that we have over a year between the release of these cameras and time for Nikon to [...]