Camera Labs

Do you really think in-body GPS would make the body so much more expensive? I mean, I know they play in a different league and all, but the Panasonic TZ10/ZS7 didn't come much more pricey than its no-GPS predeccessor (at the time of release, of course).

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

This looks like a perfect step up from my D80.. The D90 wasnt a great increase, so i didnt bother, but this does look like my next step
Cant wait for the review!

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Nikon D80
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Sweet, looks like a really promising competitor. 39 af points is supersweet. Do want!

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yes. it's an added feature. why wouldn't they charge more for it?

i'd rather have an 8fps option with the grip.

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It whips the 300 and 300s for value - has anyone noticed the shutter release button? Matte instead of silvered, indicating it as a pro-body DX camera perhaps? Also, the eyes for the strap are D300s+ style, plus the shutter life up to 150k, matching the 300/300s/700. Could this be a big reshuffle for the DX line up with the D7000 being the top model?

It will be interesting to see Gordon's review of the autofocus in Video mode, and high ISO results. The autofocus seems to be slightly lower spec than the D300s but otherwise all looks very very good.

I'm still waiting for that D700 replacement though....! I'd be p***ed if I'd shelled out on a D300s!

Personally I think Nikon is going the right way with the D7000. Adding that many D300(s) features can only mean that the D400 will incorporate some impressive updates. On Nikon's website it says "Newly developed Nikon DX-format CMOS sensor". So does that mean Nikon is manufacturing it?

@dubaiphil
I don't think this camera is headed to be the top model of the DX line, not in the least. Even now, many pros will chose the D300s ahead of the D7000 any time, and surely Nikon will release a "D400" soon enough. Besides, note that the D7000 is a solid contender to Canon's 60D, but it falls short of the 7D in many areas.

@palakaboy
I wasn't implying Nikon shouldn't charge for in-body GPS if they had fitted the D7000 with one, I was saying that, IMHO, it wouldn't have been too expensive, as exemplified by many compacts that feature it and don't cost much more than their counterparts without GPS. I also fail to see what a grip powered FPS boost has to do with a GPS...

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

To put the list price for D7000 in perspective, anyone know or can point to the list prices of the D300s and D90 for comparison?

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

As of this moment, Amazon.com sells the D90 (body only) for 856.92 US$ and the D300s (also body only) for 1,479.99 US$

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

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Am I right in thinking that this isn't a D90 replacement but that the D90 will continue alongside the D7000 in the same way that the Canon 50D continued alongside the 7D? Recommended pricing would suggest so.

The D7000 looks like a fantastic addition to the Nikon line up but, having sidestepped the prat-fall that Canon fell into, mentioned by Gordon above, with the 60D being marketed as a successor to the 50D, Nikon might yet be faced with the same problem of managing expectations when launching a true successor to the D90 if it has to position such a camera a little lower down the pecking order.

Bob.

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@ beren23

I agree that many pros look for a D300 style body and AF spec in a DX/backup body, but the physical details (let alone 1/8000th shutter, 150k cycles etc) point to a differentiation between this and the other consumer DSLRs in the range.

Interesting times over the next 6 months though...

@Bob

I don't think so. At 1200 (Body) and 1500 (kit), it's pretty close to the D90's launch price and any model lower than this would be priced very close to the D5000.

@beren23

The GPS function in my Dad's P5100 quite poor and I don't think Nikon would put GPS in a camera of this ability until it matched up to the dedicated units, it's also a selling point for the Dx00 series and higher. Geotagging doesn't seem to have caught on outside of the Facebook happy-snapper culture so I don't think it would even make a suitable gimmick.

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@Bob
Interesting remark, you might be right... IMHO though there's a key difference, Canon 60D improves some aspects of the 50D while downgrading others, leaving the 7D as the "true" upgrade of the 50D. On the other hand, there virtually no specs overlapping between the D90 and the D7000, if IQ results in future reviews are as we all expect, the D7000 will simply be a better camera than the D90 in almost every aspect.

I see your point though, but I think Nikon's move might be discontinuing the D90 and upgrading its "premium" entry level model (D5000), the more since the new D3100 is too close for comfort already. Thus leaving Nikon's DX lineup like this: D3100, "D5100", D7000 and "D400" which, at first glance, looks reasonable.

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

Definitely a very exciting product! The force is strong and I must resist it

Gordon, this should read 23.6x15.6, like reading through your preview

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
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