Douglas Barnes
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ERRR– The D7000 does not have a magnesium body. Nikon is very clear in the D7000 press release that the body only has magnesium in the back and top. The rest of the body is plastic. One of my main concerns with this is that the lens mount is attached to the plastic, just as with the D90. While we have some very good plastics today, I have a concern about hanging a lens, possibly a heavy lens, off of that mount when there are only four little screws holding the mount on.
From Nikon’s Press:
“…The compact design is lightweight enough for a full days use, but has a reassuring heft that hints at Nikon’s reputation for reliability. The durable camera body consists of a magnesium-alloy top and rear covers…”
I stand corrected. Excellent! Still a tough little unit. I’m hard on my stuff and I wouldn’t have got it if it felt like it wouldn’t take some abuse. Yes, heavy lenses are prolly more an issue with this configuration than with the flagship models. Tripod collars are good for that and they usually are included with big glass.
Zach, regarding sealing, I haven’t had a chance to test it much yet but it seems well done. I’ll give you a better idea after I return from Playa Blanca next month. With photos….
🙂
I agree with Tom.
Ideal magazine specs would be 17 inches X 300 pixels = 5100 wide by 11 inches x 300 pixels = 3300 tall.
5100 X 3300 is 16.8 megapixels.
There is absolutely no need to go any higher for journalism purposes. I don’t want to store images bigger than that; if I ended up with a chip that could go bigger I’d turn down the res to save hard drive space. I don’t want a bigger chip for the reasons Tom points out.
I want a pro-sealed, small form factor, 16.8 megapixel body with a 100% viewfinder, 1080p video, live view for macro, and the same damn remote control I had on my D70. Really anything beyond that is overkill for me. I have been waiting for this camera for 10 years and it looks like I may finally get it.
Zach
Subtract .7 megapixel and you have described the D7000. This thing’s pretty beefy and well sealed (way better than the D70-90, but not quite as buff (and heavy) as a D3/300/700). Mag alloy body. 100% viewfinder. 1080p video w/ full time auto focus. And yes, that little old remote you bought for your D70 work with it too. Bonus! All for $1100 instead of the $2K+ the D400 is gonna cost. Just go for the D7000 Zach, do it man!
🙂
D400 also offers a smaller physical build with pro-grade weathersealing. I am not hauling around a flagship body ever. Too much backpacking. I wasn’t even wild about the size of the D700; that thing is pretty huge, too….
Zach
Yes for DX and sports shooters, the D400 seems to be the go-to body to be. The extra telephoto reach in nice too and it should be 18-20+mp. Sweet! For me, I was tempted to get a D3x just for the resolution but couldn’t see slapping down $8k for the luxury. Plus like Zach I value portability over speed and the D3’s a beast. Ended up with a D700 instead which is perfect for what I do.
I’ve heard late summer on the new bodies. Just picked up a D7000 a couple weeks ago to ease my D300’s playing time (she’s getting a little rough around the edges). Truly amazed at the files and can’t wait to delve into some vid action. What I can’t wait for is a replacement for my D700 as it should be over 20mp.
I have their ‘control freak’ (see attachments) and love it, although its poor optics and slow handling really limited it’s use. This thing adds some better glass and an internal aperture. Cool!
I’m thinking one of these might end up in my camera bag in the near future with my ‘control freak’, pretty ‘sweet’! Shoots pretty close too.
Great article and good timing!
I’ve done quite a few of these. One thing that was only touched on but very important with groups of 4-6 is rotating the guides as there’s always one guide who shines brighter than the rest. Always! Make sure to agree before you leave to rotate. This way no-one gets stuck “mudding” bones for days with the inevitable ‘part-time-usually a cook but this week he’s a guide, one eye on 4pm (quitting time)- type boat captain’, while your friends spend the entire week conquering the flats with ‘Mario’ the permit slaying pole master!
Trust me!
db
BTW- In the image below, who can guess which guide is the ‘cook’, and which is the ‘permit slaying pole master’? Anyone…..?
Welcome Peter. Great stuff! Came from a similar place.
Come out west to visit sometime and we’ll work on that fish count… 😉
db
Very nice photos, and those Chinook helicopters throw out some serious rotor wash. I bet that did not help with the chilly temps.
Thanks nu! The r-wash actually knocked me off my feet the first time around. Whooooosh!
Hmm, manual focus, exposure, good indoors, good underwater, macro, fixed lens. When you find a camera with all those features built into one unit, sign me up for three! 😉
Sounds to me like the best option might be a used DSLR with a decent kit lens. I’m sure that you can find a D70 or something with an 18-70mm lens (Which is quite sharp) pretty easily and/or cheaply. Throw in a 50 f1.8 (used) and a couple close up filters and boom, macro city. All for under five hundo. You can always build on that if you’re interested in taking it up as a hobby. But like any endeavor, if you’re trying to ‘learn the finer points’ then you should start with the right tools. My two cents.
Great photos Douglas; where DOES he find waders?
Zach
Cheers Zach. I didn’t ask, but I’m sure they’re custom made. His feet/boots looked normal size.
Cool shots Doug. Looks cold…. shiver!
Thanks Jason! Cold yes, but not as cold as the next day on the job-the one we spoke about. So cold my D300 went down with an ‘err’ message. Had to turn her off, remove the lens, and stick the body inside my parka to warm. She came back to life but was down for half the day. Thank goodness for the D700. This is why we never bring one camera to a shoot.
Here are some outtakes:
Nice. I always liked that guy……………for a NBA player, he was a good egg. He is like what, 7’4″?
Yeah, 7ft4. Huge, but nimble. Super nice guy. Very ‘down to earth’ so to speak. Pretty good stick too. Told stories about playing with Magic, Kareem, Larry Bird, etc. As a basketball fan it was pretty cool. Good times!
