The Nikon D7000 is a 16.2 megapixel DSLR launched in 2010. What is it like in 2024?
Quite simply: really, really, good.
Specifications
Let’s look at some specs:
- 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor (Sony IMX-071, same as in D5100)
- DX-format, crop factor 1.5x
- Two SD card slots
- 2,016-Segment RGB meter
- 39 point autofocus
- 1/8,000 to 30 seconds, and bulb exposure times
- ISO 100-6,400 (also Hi+ 12,800 and 25,600)
- RAW and JPEG (Fine): 6 fps for 10 frames.
- JPEG (Normal): 6fps for 32 frames, then 4 frames at 4fps.
- 1,920 × 1,080 video, up to 29.97 fps
- Stereo sound input jack
- 3-inch LCD, 921,000 dots
- EN-EL15 battery
- MH-25 battery charger
- 132×105×77 millimeters
- 690 g (naked)
- Eyecup DK-21
- Optional MB-D11 grip
This was a prosumer camera when introduced. Today its specs are no match for contemporary cameras, but, as always, that does not tell the whole story.
Speed
The overall speed of handling the camera, the metering, and the speed of the AF, are all good reasons to get the D7000. Sure, it does video too, but this is a photography camera first, second, and third. And please remember the two card slots. You can save to both as a backup, RAW to one and JPEG to the other, for flexibility, or use one for when the first one is full, for more space. I’ve come accustomed to saving to both at the same time, for backup reasons.
Downsides? It does not support AF-P lenses, but I only have one, so not a big deal. The D5500 and D3300 use the same batteries, so the same chargers. The D7000 has a different battery. Again, not a big deal.
Where it shows its age is in ISO sensitivity. Up to 6400 there’s not much of a problem, but thereafter, the noise really starts to get, well, noisy. The D5500 I can shoot at 12,800 and even higher, and it looks better than the D7000. But then the D5500 is five years younger as a model, so no surprise really.
Build quality
This is a tough camera, with a magnesium alloy body shell. You certainly can feel it, it just feels great, but it also makes it heavier than camera bodies made more in plastic.
I don’t mind plastic in cameras. I shouldn’t, since my main cameras have been D3300 and D5500, both small, light and plastic. But I can’t deny the D7000 feels in another league, with a heft to it that assures confidence.
The durability is one thing this photographer globetrotting around the world points to about the D7000.
Battery grip
I also got the MB-D11 battery grip and an extra battery. They add weight and bulk to the camera, for sure, but makes it much more pleasant to handle (and looks cool, too). Sure, having another battery in the grip means you can shoot more without recharging, but I doubt I really will need to. So, the main point of the grip is when you shoot vertically. I got a used Nikon grip, but there seems to be plenty of third-party grips as well. The battery is also Nikon original, but even though used, it seems to keep a charge well.
One detail that may affect your decision is that Nikon’s grip is made from magnesium alloy, the same as the camera. My guess is that the third-party ones are plastic. The grip I bought even has some signs of wear and tear, patina if you like.
Wrapping up
All in all, the D7000 is a great camera, even in 2024, especially considering the price. The D7000 relegates my D5500 to second camera. The D5500 is light, 24 megapixels, has a swing-out LCD, and it takes great pictures, but there’s something special about the photos from the D7000.
There’s also the undefinable quality, the D7000 is just more fun to shoot with. It feels more like a real camera, whatever that means. Sure, the D5500 and D3000 also produce nice photos, but they are not as fun to shoot with.
